“Ha! You open your eyes not two weeks ago, and you’re already planning your escape. You can leave when I say you can,” she answered as she changed the sheets of my bed.
“And when is that?” I asked, trying not to sound rude.
She turned to me with hands pressed firmly on her hips. “Well, to begin with, you’ve had three additional episodes of hallucinations, each of which you described to be identical to the first and for which you needed to be sedated. Dr. Hemmings has prescribed some medication for you, which you will start today.” She pointed a bony finger at me to emphasise the point.
I growled under my breath. I hated taking drugs of any type. So often, you would hear of people being prescribed an illustrious drug that promised to cure them of all their ailments, only for them to be diagnosed years later with an incurable disease caused by said drugs.
“Growl all you like. You are not leaving this hospital until you take your meds.” She folded her arms and pulled a small, victorious smile.
“Fine!” I scowled at her through my mirror reflection. I had hoped I wouldn’t have to resort to relying on drugs, but I had little option. I needed something to stop the hallucinations.
“Besides, where do you plan on going? I know you don’t have any family, and I’m yet to see even one friend walk through that door.” She fluffed my pillow as she spoke.
The harsh reminder of being alone struck painfully. I pushed my lips together trying to stop from crying. I didn’t want Tess to see me as weak. If I was to get out of this hospital, I needed to be strong to prove that I could handle myself without needing someone to hold my hand.
She dropped her hands to her sides and let out a sigh. “Look, prove to me that you can eat full meals—and when I say ‘full’ I mean full! I also want you to be up and dressed every morning before I come in. You take all your medication without a fuss.” She pointed her finger at me again. “And, I need to know that when you leave, you have someone to keep an eye on you. If you do all this, then maybe—maybe—you might be out in a month. So long as the medication stops all the hallucinations and your muscles are fully functioning …”
“A month?” I almost yelled at her. A month was ridiculous. I couldn’t stay trapped in here for a month.
“You want to make it two months?” She narrowed her eyes at me.
“A month it is,” I agreed reluctantly.
“Oh, and before I forget, I should give you your possessions; or should I say, ‘possession’.” She held up a necklace. The chain was dark red, and the charm hanging from it was a tiny crossbow, carved from timber. Although I was sure I had never seen it before, it had a sense of familiarity about it. It somehow gave me a feeling of comfort; like standing by a warm fire in your home having come in from the snow, or seeing an old friend after a long time apart. I just continued to stare at it until Tess became impatient.
“Alexandra! Wake up,” she said, waving her hand in front of my face.
I blinked several times. “That’s not mine.”
“Well, it was in your patient file, so it’s yours now.” Before I could resist further, she slipped the necklace around my neck. Shivers ran through my body as soon as it touched my skin.
“You really don’t remember this?”
“No. It’s definitely not mine. I never wore any jewellery, not even a wedding ring. I never liked jewellery. I don’t know why—I just didn’t.” I leant forward to look at the charm that sat centred on my chest. It was quite possibly the most beautiful charm I had ever seen.