Lie about your identity

Dr. Pembrost and the nursing assistant briefly glance at each other with worried expressions. You can tell they are beginning to grow concerned by your silence. You wet your lips. It's now or never.

"It's John," you say, using the first name that springs to mind. "John Doe. I'm from New York." You hope you're not in New York now, and that they're not from New York themselves. Aside from the name, you don't remember anything about the city except that it is large and important and that it sounds like an easy place to get lost in. You're betting on their unfamiliarity with the city to make your vague, made-up answers sound convincing.

Their faces visibly relax, relieved by the revelation. "Well it's nice to finally get a chance to speak to you, John. You've been with us for quite awhile. I'll admit, you're a bit of a mystery to us."

You try to nod, but a bolt of pain shoots down your spine, causing you to grimace. Dr. Pembrost rushes around the corner of the bed to your side and places the palm of her hand against your forehead. "Try not to move around too much," she says. "You've had quite an accident, and since you've been in a coma, we're not entirely sure how your recovery is progressing." She pulls a penlight out of her pocket and examines your eyes. "Are you experiencing any unusual symptoms? Pain, pressure, vertigo, nausea, memory loss, anything like that?" She moves her hand to your wrist and takes your pulse.

"N-no," you lie. "Just--just some pain in my neck...when I tried to nod."

She nods, smiling slightly. "Ok. That's good. You've had a bit of a spinal injury. Nothing serious, but you might experience some discomfort for a while. Just try not to move around too much until it's had some time to heal. We just operated on it three days ago."

"H-how long have I been here?" you ask, fishing for information you can use to corroborate your story.

"Three months."

"Three--!" you start to exclaim, but are silenced by another wave of pain.

"Would you like something to control the pain, John? We can give you something for that if you like?" Dr. Pembrost says, placing her hand lightly on your arm.

"Will it...will it make me sleepy?" you ask. She nods.

"But it looks like the worst is over. You're not likely to slip back into a coma. We can make sure that doesn't happen again. You're doing very well, considering what you've been through."

Suddenly you hear another voice, but this one is coming from somewhere inside of you, from inside your own head. "Your going to be fine now," it says. It's a woman's voice, a beautiful voice. You recognize it, though you don't know where you've heard it before. It sounds so real, so vivid, that you are almost surprised that the other women didn't hear it as well.

"John? Are you still with me?" it's Dr. Pembrost again, a new look of concern darkening her features.

"Y-yes," you say. "Just...zoned out...for a second," you say, trying to smile reassuringly.

"Would you like to rest now? We can give you something for the pain that will act as a sedative as well. If you're feeling tired, it might be the best thing for you right now."

After all the time you've spent in a coma, you think that it's a little crazy to just go straight back to sleep. And yet, you are curious about that mysterious voice inside your head. You're sure that it was just a memory, something you heard in a dream, though it sounded so real. You wonder if you go back to sleep if you'll meet her again. You'd like to meet her again. But at the same time, doesn't it make more sense to start putting back together the pieces of your life?