Cat (Wildflowers 4)

"'I don't know everything exactly, something about lessons, and now you're . . .' She looked around the room. 'You're on the mental health floor. You're here for observation and there will be a doctor, a psychiatrist, and maybe someone else coming to speak to you. It's horrible. It's all just so horrible.'

"'What is?' I cried.

"She shook her head and sighed deeply. I studied her and tried to remember, but it was as if a thick concrete wall had fallen around my memory.

"'Who are you?' I finally asked her.

"'What?' she said stepping back. 'What did you say?'

I looked around the room and then at her.

"'I don't know why I'm here,' I said.

"'What are you talking about?' She stared at me. 'What are you doing?' she asked, her voice shrill. 'I'm going to get your father,' she added as if it was some kind of threat.

"'My father?' I asked, a little frantic. Butterflies had begun to flutter in my chest and I didn't know why.

"'He's downstairs in the cafeteria. He's having coffee and something to eat. Do you want to tell me why you're acting like this? Do you want to tell me what all this means before these strangers start to ask you questions?'

"'I don't know,' I said turning away from her. can't remember anything.'

"She stood up and hovered over me for a few moments.

"'I don't know what's wrong with you. I was going to let you go to the dance. I bought you a dress for it.' "'A dress? Yes, I remember a dress.'

"'It's ruined,' she said. She shook her head. 'What are you doing?'

"I was scrubbing my arms and my breasts, wiping something away.

"'I don't know,' I said and looked around the room again. 'Am I supposed to be here? What am I supposed to do? Can't you tell me who I am?'

"'Oh dear,' she said and turned. She looked like she wanted to flee. At the d

oor she paused to look back at me. 'I don't know why you're doing this,' she repeated and left.

"I just closed my eyes and I fell back to sleep and when I woke again, I was alone in my room.

"I lay there quietly, my mind so full of blanks I struggled to remember, fought with every letter, every word that flowed through my mind. It was very scary. I felt like everything was just inches from me, but I couldn't reach anything. I felt like I was dangling. There was nothing below and nothing above me.

"Finally, a kind-looking older man in a white lab coat came in with a young nurse at his side. He introduced himself as Doctor Finnigan and the nurse as Mrs. Jenner.

"'Why am I here?' I asked him 'I can't remember my name either.'

"'You've suffered a traumatic experience,' he began. 'From what we can tell, it's not a single, explosive experience. You're not physically hurt in any way, but you've still suffered severely enough to cause a condition of generalized amnesia. These things don't last. Don't worry,' he assured me. 'I would like to try some hypnotism,' he concluded.

"'Hypnotism? You're going to hypnotize me?'

"'I think it might help. It won't hurt you in any way,' he promised.

"He did have a very kind face, soft blue eyes and gently curved lips.

"He asked me to concentrate hard on this small disc he took out of his lab coat pocket and began to spin, and then . .

"What?" Misty asked.

"I don't know. I woke up confused again, only this time, I felt as if I was coming out of the darkness into the light. I must have been sleeping because it was much later in the day. Mrs. Jenner was there. She asked me how I was and I said, 'I'm fine.' I told her I was hungry and she laughed and went to get me something to eat.

"Doctor Finnigan returned, too, only I didn't remember him immediately. However, I remembered everything else. It came back to me in waves and waves of pictures and thoughts. He introduced himself again.