Chasing Shadows: An Alice In Borderlands Fanfic (Completed)

Chapter 24: Back To Reality (Jen 3.0)

I awoke to the astringent smell of a hospital. A nurse looked up from her phone. "Oh! You're awake. Wonderful. Now we can move you to a more comfortable room."

"Where am I?" My throat was sore and scratchy. She handed me a glass of water with a straw. My left arm was in a cast. "What happened? Why am I here?" My memories were all jumbled. I caught images here and there, but nothing I could grasp and remember.

"You're in ICU right now. You were in an accident. You and your husband were hit by a motorcycle. The driver was racing down the sidewalk to avoid the police."

"A motorcycle?"

"Yes. Witnesses said you were coming out of a blind alley when he hit you."

I furrowed my brow. I didn't remember any of that. Karube and I were on our way to a festival. I remembered that. But after that, nothing but darkness. "Karube. My husband...is he all right?"

The nurse gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Daikichi-san. Your husband passed away three days after you two arrived here. His wounds were grievous. "

My heart twisted painfully in my chest. It couldn't be true. My Karube? Dead? I shook my head. "No. That's not true. It can't be. Karube wouldn't leave me like this." I broke down, hiding my face in my hands.

"Again, I'm sorry." The nurse rubbed my back. "It must hurt so much, being here all alone."

The barest hint of a memory flashed through my mind.

A card.

A two of hearts.

Karube's card.

Where was it? I needed to find it.

"Come. Let's get you moved to your new room. The doctor said you should have no problem standing. I have a wheelchair for you."

"How long was I out?" I asked through my tears.

"About a month. You suffered a brain injury and a broken arm. You were very lucky. Your husband protected you from the worst."

Of course he did. Karube would have given his life for mine...and he did.

She pushed a wheelchair toward the bed.

Another memory flashed. Me, burning with pain, being pushed in a wheelchair by...someone...who was it?

The nurse helped me stand to see how comfortable I was. My whole left side hurt, like a giant, burning bruise. When I touched my face, scabs covered the left side.

"Road rash," she said. "You scraped the sidewalk with most of your left side. A lot of it has healed but there are still some sore spots."

She settled me in the chair.

As the nurse pushed me down the hall, I stared straight ahead, numb. My memories were so jumbled I couldn't think of anything at all. They were like a giant ball of rainbow string, the strands all tangled together.

And then something caught my attention. The name on a door as we passed.

Suguru Niragi

Why did that sound familiar?

Another memory hit me. Somebody warning me to stay away from a man across the way. One Suguru Niragi of the Militants.

"Stop!" I cried.

The nurse stopped the wheelchair. "Is everything all right?"

"I recognize that name."

"Suguru Niragi?"