Seven Days With A Demon

Chapter Two

SUNDAY

Doctor Phillips gave her pills.

"These," he said as he handed a vial to Jen, "are for the pain. They will make you sleepy, so no driving or operating machinery after taking them."

Jen nodded. Ted stood next to the bed and listened.

"These," Phillips said, handing over another vial, "is in case the pain gives you an upset stomach. Take these with lots of water."

Jen nodded again.

"And these," the Doctor said, "are for anxiety."

Jen frowned.

"While we don't know as much as we'd like about head injuries, some patients can experience anxiety after an injury like yours. Also, some patients report sudden migraines."

Really?, Jen thought.

"Sometimes the pain can be so intense, and the affects so strong, that patients can hallucinate."

Jen's jaw dropped.

"Based on what we know about your head injuries," Phillips continued, "I would like you to stay home for the rest of the week, and take these anxiety pills twice a day until they run out."

While her voice had not returned, Jen's face showed her question.

"While I know you have no history of mental illness, your husband told me how you woke up yesterday morning, and the events leading up to your injury."

She glanced at Ted and saw his face. For just a moment she was angry with him. His expression  was unapologetic.

Phillip stouched her arm. "I don't want you to have another hallucination that might lead to another injury."

That made sense, Jen thought. Medical sense, anyway.

"Anything else, doctor?" Ted asked.

"No." He turned to Ted. "You can take her home."

For the briefest of moments, Jen resented the Doctor talking to Ted like he was a parent and not a spouse and equal partner.

Jen was momentarily afraid of the sunshine.

She wondered if the bright light of the day would trigger a migraine. An orderly had seated her in a wheelchair and wheeled her down to the elevator, then to the ER entrance. While Ted went to get the car, the orderly stayed with her. As the car pulled up he held the chair steady while she rose and stood erect for only the second time in the past two days. As she stood and tried to maintain her balance, she noticed the bags in the back seat. All the stuff they give you in the hospital, she thought. When Ted came to help her to the car, he handed her something that made her fear recede.

"Thought you might need these," he said as he handed her a pair of sunglasses. She grinned, then let him lead her to the car. Once safely seated on the passenger side, sunglasses in place, he came around to hop in and drive them away.

Out into traffic, Jen looked out the window, momentarily wondering if the world had changed since she last saw it. None of the drivers of the other cars sported horns or sharp teeth. The trees and plants along the sides of the roads looked the same as they always had. The pedestrians she happened to noticed looked, well, normal. So why would she expect to see something out of the ordinary? For that she had no answer.

Their home was a duplex, each side of the building an exact opposite of the other. Ted and Jen lived in the left half. Their short driveway led to a garage just large enough for one car. Jen's sedan usually occupied the garage as Ted usually left first and came home last. Ashe pulled the coupe up to the door, she felt a little reassured. Home sweet home, she thought.