Vincent sat up, gasping and stuttering. "I-I have to go back n-now!" He looked up to see Sophia standing over him, looking secretary-ish as usual. "So you saw everything, every option?" "Yes, you have to let me go now, before it's too late!!" "I can't do that yet. The doctors won't let me wake you fully until your body is fully healed. But I can make you start showing signs of stirring consciousness, just so they don't lose hope." Vincent nodded. "Please, do that then. Until I can wake up."
Sophia nodded and turned to go to her office. "Do you want to come with me or do you want me to put in a film to tell you what to expect upon waking?" "What?" Vincent asked, not understanding the question. "Do you want to come with me so I can explain what will happen to you when you wake up or do you want me to put in a film that will explain?" "Just put in a film. I don't want to bother you with it." Sophia nodded and turned primly on her heel to go to her office. In the hall outside, she typed a few commands into the machine to tell it which film to play. She caught her reflection on the screen. Tired eyes, a make up stained white uniform, and a rat's nest of blond hair. She gave herself a worn smile. She was glad that charges only ever saw their watchers as the people they presented themselves to be. 'Act okay and confident and they'll never know how you really look or feel.'
Vincent got into a chair as the screen started doing a countdown from 5...4...3...2...1 and then a swirling pattern came on screen. "Welcome ward of Sophia Ashford. If you are seeing this, you are soon to wake up from a state of comatose. Firstly, expect to be confused upon waking. The change from being a metaphysical being to becoming physical again can be hard on a ward. Also, while we want to stress that your actions were neither right or wrong, you can expect symptoms lasting from them, such as a weak heart, trouble breathing or psychological trauma. Lastly, you won't be able to remember your assigned watcher or what they have shown you. We wish you a happy life and a pleasant waking, ward." And, with that, the screen blinked off.
"Really? That's it? Expect to be confused and fucked up, have a nice day? That's literally it?!" Vincent stood up and started pacing. "Why tell me this if I'm not even going to remember? What's the point? Why didn't I just ask Sophia...?" "No one said waking up would be easy." Vincent heard her walk in and turned to see Sophia. He blinked rapidly in shock.
"What happened to you?" Vincent was expressly confused as, within five minutes, Sophia had changed from beautifully professional to a mess. "Well, since you won't remember me anyway, I figured what the hell, might as well drop the cover. This is what watchers really look like after three days of going non stop." "What do you mean, three days?" Sophia ran a hand through her incredibly frazzled hair. "For us, it's been three days. You've just slept through most of it. For them, it's been three weeks...and you've slept through almost all of it. But it's almost time to wake up." Vincent saw that, behind her, the theater room was starting to slowly dissolve away. He realized he should've been afraid or sad or something. But he wasn't. It seemed...peaceful...Like he was finally going home, and was going to be happy...
Sophia blinked back tears. "I promised I'd try not to do this but, God damn, I got all attached to you and now...it's like you're growing up." "...I really won't remember you, will I?" Vincent knew the answer already. "No, sweetie, you won't. But I'll always be there... I promise." As the world dissolved around them, Sophia Ashford wrapped her arms around Vincent until she felt him disappear too.
The world was dark... very dark... a darkness that you had to fight against, really. And Vincent truly did fight, trying to wake up, trying to get back.
Dr.Chambers was just leaving the room when he saw Vincent's arm move. It may have just been a twitch but it was a twitch that highly suggested waking up soon. The doctor moved quickly to his bedside and phoned the nurses' station.
'How can I escape this hell?!' Vincent thought, fighting desperately for air in this world of heat and darkness. He felt like a child attempting to be born, struggling for, if nothing else, a chance.
Vincent saw blurry faces suddenly, but couldn't hear. He groaned, trying to hear something. Suddenly he heard a man exclaim, "He's awake!" and a flurry of activity following. They asked his name and he tried to answer but his voice was too high pitched and it confused him. He asked how long it had been but they wouldn't answer, they were too busy making sure he was "stable" and his "vitals" were normal. Vincent felt like he should understand these words but he didn't. Eventually, finally, they all left him to the quiet. Vincent tried his best to wriggle out of the straps across his body but he couldn't do it. So he flopped back in utter exasperation.
He saw a person, presumably a girl with pink and blue hair walk into his room holding a teddy bear that was similar to the one he saw on his bedside table. She had on white nurse's clothes, and Vincent knew he should know her name but he didn't. She asked if she should put the teddy bear by him on the bed or on the table. Vincent told her he didn't care, still unused to his voice. She sat by his bed and didn't say anything for a long time. Vincent squinted irritably at her, unable to see anything but pink and blue floating over white clothes and skin. He saw her reach into a drawer by the bed and pull out a pair of glasses and set them on his face. Finally able to see, he saw that yes, she was a girl, with pink and blue hair, green eyes, and a look that said she knew something. "...I'm guessing you don't remember me so...I'm Emma." she said, in introduction.
Vincent was quiet for a time before answering. He couldn't remember why she was so important, he just knew she was. Finally, he remembered to answer and said hello. "...So, while I know you don't remember me, you remember Blake, right?" Blake...Blake... who was this Blake person? He shook his head. Emma furrowed her thin also pink and blue eyebrows. "Well, from what he told me, you were best friends...he has blond...ish hair and blue eyes." A flash of such a person holding him came to mind. "I...think I remember him... do you have a ...." Vincent couldn't think of the word. "A picture? Um, yeah, hang on." Emma pulled out her phone and showed him a picture of the boy she described hugging a person Vincent could only assume was himself. "I know him...I just can't remember specific things..." Emma smiled sympathetically at him. "I know, and it'll take time...just be patient... do you think it'd help to see him in person?" Vincent told her he didn't know. "Well, just in case, I'll tell him to meet us here tonight, okay?" Vincent nodded and she started to leave. "Wait, can you let me out of these... things?" "I'll ask the doc about it, that's the most I can promise."
