The Daughter

Federal Bureau of Investigation

I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to clear them. Something was clearly wrong. Oregon? How long could I have been blacked out? What happened while I was blacked out?

My panicked thoughts were interrupted by the distant sound of wet tires on the road. I looked past the welcome sign seeing headlights and then a car as it made its way around the corner. I tried my best to stand and wave my hands in distress, hoping the car would stop. My attempts were futile as I collapsed, reaching to the car.

The car didn't slow down. It was moving so fast I couldn't tell if the driver noticed me. I laid my head helplessly on the wet gravel, shivering. The car hadn't seen me and this road looked rarely used as a common highway anymore. I would freeze out here, wherever here was...

...and then the sounds of a car's brakes slamming and wet tires skidding sounded behind Emily. The car had seen her, but the driver had to do a double take, thinking the mass was a road-killed deer. Deer dead on the side of the road however are not dressed in a white gown and reaching out for help.

"Help... please..." I tried to yell but my voice was just above a whisper.

"Are you okay?!" the driver ran from his now pulled over vehicle, startled, as if he had seen a ghost "What happened?"

"I don't know... w-where am I?" The driver helped me walk over to his vehicle.

"You're on the stateline of Oregon and Washington. Do you know your name?" The driver sat me down in the front seat and reached into the back, grabbing a wool blanket. Before I was able to answer, he pulled out his cellphone and began dialing 911.

...911 asked all the usual questions. Where is your emergency? What happened? What type of assistance do you need? They sent for an ambulance and were there within 10 minutes. The man's blanket and I were loaded into an ambulance... he didn't mind parting with it, he was just happy to help. The ambulance sped off, leaving the WELCOME TO OREGON sign behind us.

"Vehicle 87 inbound. We have a female patient, 24 years of age, possible shock and exposure to the elements. Mild state of confusion. Blood pressure 102/55, pulse 58, and temperature of 95.2 °F. Mildly hypothermic. No initial signs of trauma. Enroute five minutes." the EMT spoke over the radio.

The EMT added another warm blanket over the donated blanket I was wrapped in. The warmth felt comforting. I was confused, still in a state of disbelief. Oregon... Michigan to Oregon... in almost under 8 hours...

"Do you know what happened to you before you woke up in the woods?" the EMT asked again.

"I was in a bar... I was finishing my drink..." I explained as I stared off into space.

"Do you remember which bar? The name or the street? Did you leave your drink alone or take any drugs?" The EMT looked concerned for what possibly happened to a 24 year old girl who woke up in the middle of the woods.

"I-I don't know how to explain what happened." I said shakily.

"It's okay, you're safe now and we just want to know so we can take the best care of you."

"The bar... it was in Michigan. Are we really in Oregon? I didn't leave my drink alone, I never do. I work in medicine... I would never think of touching drugs, let alone leaving my drink by itself." I finally made eye contact with the EMT.

She looked shocked, no matter how much she was trying to hide it. I could see it. As someone who also works in medicine, I know that little glint in someone's eyes.

"We are in Oregon, right outside the state line between here and Washington. Did you hit your head at all last night?"

More questions followed, about the events that led up to me being in the back of an ambulance on Christmas morning. The ambulance pulled into the emergency bay of the hospital. I was brought to a trauma room in the back of the emergency department and quickly given an exam by a team of medical staff.

All the usual tests were given for head injury. CT scan, bloodwork, and many practitioners poking and prodding.

I agreed to a sexual assault examination, but was sure nothing had happened.

The doctors found no signs of extreme trauma, only a small laceration on the nape of my neck and a few scratches and bruises scattered about my body.

"Emily? We have the results of your CT scan from this morning." The attending doctor walked into my room, sitting down in the chair next to my bed.

I nodded my head, looking at the papers in the doctor's hands.

"Everything looks normal, no signs of bleeding or trauma," I sighed with relief, "but, the laceration on your neck... Do you remember being hit with anything during all that happened?"

My relief quickly diminished. Flashes of the bright room flickered in my mind.

"No... I-I know it sounds crazy but what I told you about last night is the truth. I had a few drinks in a bar where I live in Michigan. I think I was drugged. Everything went bright white and then I woke up in the woods." There was some more to the story, but the men in the white room couldn't have been real. "Nothing else explains how I woke up in Oregon."

"Nothing else explains how you happen to have a decently sized piece of metal shrapnel in your neck either and no other signs of trauma. I don't think you're lying, but I do think you're in shock. A major traumatic event has happened to you in the last few hours. I am going to admit you for at least the night so we can get someone in here to figure out what happened and how to get you home." I nodded in agreement. I think this statement shocked me more than recent events.

"Now, because there are two states involved, we aren't able to work with our local police department or Michigan's. We had to call in a federal investigator. I just wanted to let you know before any FBI agents show up in your hospital room." I appreciated this. The doctor made his way out of the room and I was soon transported to a small, single-bed room.

The news on the television in the corner confirmed that I was indeed in Oregon. In Oregon without my phone, wallet, or my bag, in clothes that were not my own. Thankfully my damaged gown was traded for a fresh set of hospital scrubs. Now I sat somewhere in Oregon, a Jane Doe bracelet on my wrist, and awaiting the Federal Bureau of Investigation to come and confirm who I was.

I got up from my bed, a little sore, but in better shape than this morning. I made my way to the small bathroom in my room and ran the sink water. I stared at my face in the mirror, my hair disheveled and my eyes red. I splashed cool Oregon tap water on my face in an attempt to wash away what had happened. I remembered more than what I told the doctors, but as someone who has evaluated patients, sounding crazy is not the fastest way to get home.

...knock knock knock...