Run

Chapter 2

The next few days were a blur of eating, sleeping and staring at the ceiling. There wasn't anything else to do, not really. Doctors and nurses came to my room every now and then with some food but other than that, I was mostly alone.

My memory hasn't improved since Dr. Henderson asked me about my past. I still only remember my name and that other name.

Spencer. The name kept running through my mind. There should be some reason why, out of all names, I know that name. Though, I don't even know the last name.

Is he important to me? A family member? Friend? Boyfriend?

My thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the door.

"Come in," I said

Dr. Henderson was at the door. "Hello," she said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." I replied. "What brings you here?"

"Would you like to get out of the room? You seem a little lonely in here." she said.

"Sure," I replied. Anything would be better than staying in here. I got out from under the covers. My legs hung over the edge of the bed. It was then when I realized that I haven't walked for almost eleven months.

"Umm... I'm not sure I can do this." I said, nervousness was heard in my voice.

Dr. Henderson walked over to my bed side. "Would you like me to get a wheelchair?" she asked.

"No, it's okay. I'm going to have to walk sooner or later." I said. I took a hold of the bed frame as I slowly got up. My knees shook, struggling to hold the weight of my body. I stumbled and fell back onto the bed.

"Maybe a wheelchair would be a good idea." I said.

A few minutes later, a nurse arrived with a wheelchair. It took some time but eventually, I got into the wheelchair. Dr. Henderson pushed the wheelchair out of the room that has been my home for the last couple days - no, months.

It was a whole new world outside the room. The walls were sky blue, unlike the plain ones in the room. Doctors and nurses ran through the halls holding important papers, syringes and pints of blood. You could here children crying in the rooms, probably scared.

Dr. Henderson showed me around the hospital. But slowly, while she showed the dining hall, I realized something.

"This isn't just a hospital, is it?" I asked.

"Why would you think that Lauren?" The doctor replied.

"It's just that... why would you have a dining hall? Nurses could just bring food to people in their rooms. And anyway, I was barely able to get out of bed so if people are in worse condition, how would they be able to come down here?" I reasoned.

"Okay, you got me, this isn't just a hospital." Dr. Henderson started, "This is also a home for kids who are sick and can't go back."

"So like an orphanage?"

"Not quite. These kids just can't go back to their homes because of certain reasons."

"Wait, so does that mean I'm not leaving this place." I asked, panicking.

"Maybe but-"

"Maybe?" I asked, my voice raised. "What do you mean "maybe"? I should be able to go home. I don't have some disease. I was just brought here after I was found injured in the forest."

"Lauren!" she shouted. "You don't understand. Even if you were just here because of your injury, we wouldn't be able to let you go until your parents find you and at this rate, it doesn't seem like your parents know what happened to you. They haven't called any hospital to find you, or sent out some alert saying you are missing. We do not know who your parents are." The doctor took a hold of my hand. "We can't let you go until we know that you have some place to go Lauren."

I held her hand for a long time. She was right. "But, what about the other kids? They should be able to go home too."

The doctor shook her head. "Lauren, it's complicated."

"But I want to know."

"You can't always get what you want, Lauren." She started pushing the wheelchair again. "Come on, let's go meet some other kids."