The Emergency

The young woman was lying down on a hospital bed. She was just rushed in into the emergency room. She had been unconscious, asleep for some time now, probably a little over an hour or so. Only a few minutes after arriving into the emergency room, Lauren Winkler slowly but surely opened her eyes. She was deeply confused, everything seemed very confusing to her. Her eyes were only half-opened, yet, she could still see most of what surrounded her during her awakening.

Plenty of doctors and nurses were in the emergency room with her. She was surrounded by people constantly walking around and visibly stressfully communicating with each other. To her, the doctors and the nurses seemed more like hard-working ants than actual people. She had the strange feeling to be trapped in an ant farm.

She had no idea what she was doing here. Why was she in a hospital? Was this the hospital she was still working in a few weeks ago? It looked like it to her at least. This room looked like the same emergency room she had stepped in a million times before during work. Speaking of emergency room, why was she here? What was so urgent? What was so urgent about her? Was she injured? She had no idea. She had a lot of trouble remembering what recently happened that night. She didn't even remember a single thing that happened today or yesterday as well.

Minutes later, she had found some more strength in her. Lauren was finally able to open her eyes wider. Or, at least one of them, her left eye remained half-opened while she was fully able to open her right one. She was naturally able to see clearer. She noticed that she was no longer wearing her thick sweater. It had been removed from her. She would have been entirely topless if it was not of her bra that remained on her. With time, she could gradually hear better as well. It was very complicated for her to make out what the doctors and the nurses were actually saying, but she could hear a few words.

''Rohypnol...''

''Roofies...''

Those were some of the words she kept hearing as she also noticed that she had plastic tubes all over her body. Something had happened, something was happening, but she had no idea what exactly. Through the crowd of medical personal, one specific doctor caught Lauren's attention more than the others. It was a young man, way too young looking to be an actual doctor. He seemed to be in his late teens or very early twenties. He had cute yellow eyes and short gray hair. As soon as Lauren laid her eyes on him, he moved closer to her. They made eye-contact. He spoke to her. But she couldn't hear him. She could no longer hear anything for some reason. She observed his lips moving without making any sound before she unintentionally fell asleep again.

***

The next morning, Lauren opened her eyes as the early sunlight came into her hospital bedroom through a window. She was awake. The weather seemed great; it was sunny out, no clouds. She first thought she was alone in the room when she looked outside, but no.

''How are you feeling, young lady?''

A masculine but quite young voice said. Lauren turned her head around and saw the same adorable doctor with the yellow eyes she saw last night during her time into the emergency room.

''Good morning, Miss Winkler...''

''You're the boy I saw in the ER, it's you, right?''

''I beg your pardon, 'the boy' you say?''

''I mean, I mean the young man...''

''You would be right. My name is Doctor Ethan Garden and the one that is mainly in charge of you. Before jumping into too quickly into the reasons why you're here, I would like to ask you how you are feeling this morning?''

''I feel good Doctor, I'm ready go home now.''

She said while quickly leaning forward, raising her back in the air. Doctor Ethan Garden suddenly stopped her, he stopped her from moving. If he didn't do it, Lauren would have tried to get up from her bed and she would have probably fallen down. He caught her as she slipped down the mattress.

''Miss Winkler, don't try to get up now, it's too soon. You need to rest, you need to recover first.''

During her attempt in getting out of the bed, Lauren came out of under her blanket – revealing she was no longer wearing any of the clothes she had when she first got here – she was instead wearing a light blue hospital patient robe. Doctor Garden placed her back in her bed.

''But I'm feeling fine.''

''I'm sorry, you stay in bed, it's the protocol, you need to rest. You need to take your time.''

A minute of silence split the conversation as she turned her head to the window on her right. She looked outside, distracted herself observing the sky.

''Tell me. What happened to me last night?''

''Do you remember anything?''

''For some reason, back in the ER last night, I couldn't remember anything, but now, some of the things seemed to coming back to me.''

''For example...?''

''I remember coming back from work. I remember a man, a man chasing me. I remember the burning hot doorknob, the smoke, oh gosh, the smoke.''

''Miss Winkler, it's not going to be easy, but your apartment burnt down. Your apartment burnt down. You were found unconscious by the firefighters. They saved you just in time before the flames could come too close to you. You were very lucky.''

''I still don't remember much. Why was I unconscious?''

''I'm sorry to say, but you were drugged. It was: Rohypnol. A pill with the strong ability to make people fall asleep when consumed. But oddly enough, this drug was given to you through liquid injection on the side of your neck. That's the strange part we are still trying to figure out. I don't want to alarm you or to scare you, but Rohypnol is a drug often used by rapists...''

She immediately interrupted the doctor.

''Oh my God, does that mean I was...''

And he interrupted her back,

''No, no, no, not at all, I was just about to tell you. We did our very best to make sure if it happened, and no. I can assure you: You were not raped.''

A beat, Lauren took the time to think before speaking again. She seemed reassured by the doctor.

''Then, why the rape drug...?''

''Unfortunately, I do not have the answer. This is a good question. This is why there will be a serious investigation I assume. You will receive the visit of police officers when you'll feel better.''

Doctor Garden slowly stood up from his chair and took his files with him.

''For now, please rest.''

He turned around; he walked out of the room. But before he could fully leave, Lauren asked him one more question.

''What hospital is this? The ER almost fooled me last night. But this is not the general hospital of Thunder-Falls.''

''You're right. This is not the general hospital of Thunder-Falls.''

''Then, what is this place?''

''The other hospital of Thunder-Falls...''

''The clinic...?''

''Yes, the medical clinic on: Phoenix Avenue...''

The doctor turned around, he went through the doorway. He was off to see his next patient, before she stopped him again.

''Where's my phone?''

''It's still with your clothes. Your clothes have been in contact with the smoke of the fire way too much. We need to clean them good before handing them back to you. I'll bring you your phone at the same time, with your clothes.''

''Wait, why? What does my cell-phone have to do with the clothes I was wearing last night? I want my phone now. I want to call my family and my friends. I want them to know I'm here. Were they even warned of what happened?''

''...''

The doctor didn't bothered giving her more info or speaking anylonger to her for that matter. He slowly turned around again and finished walking through the doorway. He was out of her bedroom. As soon as he left the room – Lauren jumped in the air, sprung out of her bed and rushed herself to him – she was about to leave the room as well. She would have had the time to do it, before Doctor Garden pushed a button on the wall of the hallway, activating a transparent glass door. The door quickly slid from right to left, therefore, stopping Lauren in her run. She was trapped in her own recovery bedroom, unable to leave. The two were only inches apart from each other, yet, Lauren felt like she was imprisoned into an underground dungeon.

''Don't worry, Miss, we'll allow you to call your family and friends once you would have gotten some good rest. You shouldn't be up as well. Go back to your bed, alright?''

Lauren was pissed. After being forced to stop her run to get out of the bedroom, she unintentionally crashed into the glass door. Now very intentionally, she placed and pushed with the palms of her hands against the door. The exact same for her head and her breasts. Her forehead was pushing hard against the glass. Her tits were digging into it. Due to her only wearing a patient robe at the moment, her cleavage was heavily showed.

''What kind of hospital is this?''

Doctor Garden then slowly turned around and left in the hallway. Without even saying one more word...