A Five-Minute Life

“Honestly, Delia. Would a print have killed me?”

I brushed my hair in the bathroom mirror, then searched for signs of makeup. Perfume. Jewelry. Anything remotely girly.

Nada.

A knock on my door and Rita peeked her head in. “Miss Hughes? You decent?”

“Not you too, Rita,” I said, sitting gingerly on the bed. “You’re as bad as Jimmy. Call me Thea.”

“The doctors are here. And your sister texted that she’s on her way.”

“Speaking of texts,” I said. “Do I still have a phone? Though they’ve probably made, like, a zillion new models since I’ve been gone.”

“It’s locked away in a safe in the back office with your wallet and other personal items,” Rita said. “I can check for you after breakfast.”

“Thank you, Rita. For everything.”

“My pleasure, Miss Hughes. Thea.” She leaned over and gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m so happy for you. And if it’s not too much for me to say, I think your mom and dad are happy for you too.”

Tears stung my eyes. “I think so too.”

Dr. Chen and Dr. Milton, along with their mini-army of interns, crowded into my room for the morning grilling. They took my blood pressure, checked my breathing and asked a bunch of questions about what I could and couldn’t remember.

“Memories from before the accident feel normal,” I said. “Everything after is still kind of hazy. Dreamlike.”

“In what way?” Dr. Milton asked. The interns’ pens readied.

The itchy feeling came back. I suddenly wanted to run a marathon or paint a hundred paintings. I could breathe again. I was getting my true self back.

And my true self decided the doctors all looked far too serious.

I squinted my eyes. “I’m seeing something. A vision…”

Chen and Milton exchanged glances. The interns scribbled furiously.

“A vision?”

“Yes, it’s… It’s coming…”

“What’s coming?”

“Winter.” I rolled my eyes up in my head, showing the whites. “Winter is coming…”

Rita snorted laughter which made me laugh and break character. The doctors stared at me and the young interns looked around, in need of guidance.

“Get it?” I said. “Bran Stark? You guys don’t watch Game of Thrones? Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” Then my eyes widened as I realized I’d missed two years of the show. “Oh my God, do not spoiler me or I’ll go Arya Stark on y’all.”

Dr. Milton chuckled while Dr. Chen rolled her eyes with a bemused smile.

“If we could please get back to our questions?” she said.

“Sure. Sorry. Go ahead. I’ll behave.”

They asked questions, and I answered honestly and without fucking with them, though it was tempting.

When they finished their interrogation, Dr. Milton and Dr. Chen conferred for a moment.

“What’s the verdict?” I asked.