The Nudge

William Jackson Hamilton, friends know him as Billy, is a well adjusted young man whose life is about to change forever. It’s a warm Monday morning and he’s going to work as a multimedia artist at an advertising firm. He’s new the job, having just recently graduated college.

He awoke with a splitting headache. He had taken the subway and was walking down Broadway when a sudden, excruciating pain flashed across his mind. He yelled and almost immediately blacked out.

On awakening, he could discern movement, but he found himself in a darkened room, surrounded by tubes.

“Waa,” was all he could say. He was on a ventilator that was preventing him from speaking. Something very bad had happened, he knew enough about medicine to know ventilators are for serious issues.

“Oh here, let me help you with that,” he heard a soft female voice say. He saw a pretty face above him, working on something. He drifted back to sleep and awoke sometime during the day.

“What’s….happened,” Bily stammered, he had heard someone moving around in the room.

“ You had us all worried Mr. Hamilton,” the friendly voice came as she walked into his view.

“I’m Amy, I’m a nurse here at general. You had a scary event happen,” the pretty nurse told him. Something tickled the back of his mind, he couldn't quite tell what, but something told him she hadn’t told him the truth.

Without thinking about it, Billy blurted out “That isn’t your name is it?”

The pretty nurse flushed. “We don’t usually use our real names with patients, it’s for our safety,” the nurse stammered.

“What is your real name? Who are you?” he returned, this time he felt a flash of something in the back of his mind. He could feel it reaching out. Somehow, he knew it had changed his voice, it sounded more authoritative. He felt something change, something nudged the young woman.

“My name is Jessica Rulston, I’m one of the lead nurses here at the hospital. My address is 3732 J street, just down the road from here, phone number is 555-232-4323” the nurse responded immediately.

Although it was the first time she ever gave out her real info, nothing seemed to bother her about that. She continued her work, checking his vitals on the equipment around the bed.

His shock was palpable, she seemed to do what he said without noticing anything was up. His mind reeled at what was happening.

“Would you do your work standing on one leg?” He inquired. Nothing seemed to happen.

“Don’t be silly Mr. Hamilton,” the nurse replied wondering about him suddenly. Maybe the incident did something to his brain.

Maybe it required an order he thought.

“Do your work on one leg”, he then felt the flush of power reach out to the pretty nurse.

Somewhat cross now, Jessica said “I wish you would stop being so rude. I’m not going to work on one leg,” she demanded as she went about her duties hopping on one leg.

“You don’t mind me ordering you around,” he said.

“Of course I mind you ordering me around, I wish you would stop acting this way,” the pretty nurse was losing patience.

“Do you really feel that way?” he countered.

“Well, I guess not, not really,” she said without noticing she was complying with everything he said.

“Now that your awake, I’m going to call the doctor in to explain things” Jessica said with some authority.

“Don’t do that just now, I’d like to continue our chat,” he replied.

“I guess it can wait,” the compliant nurse responded.