Through Their Eyes

Part 10

Ella tried everything. She willed herself into her body, she laid inside her body, she even counted to her lucky number, nineteen. Nothing returned her to her body. When the ambulance Lindsey had called finally arrived, she saw only one option: to follow. She boarded the ambulance alongside Lindsey and a paramedic. The medic examined her body and scratched something on his yellow pad of paper.

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Ella followed along behind the stretcher that held her body. When they reached her room, Ella stood in the doorway, obviously unnoticed. She listened to the medic from the ambulance talking to some doctors and nurses. They confirmed that it was shock, a panic attack, or both, and that she could be out for as long as a week.

A week! Imagine that. Did that mean she would be in this state for that long? Ella sighed and collapsed into the sofa-bed. The man who seemed to be top dog around here lifted his head, alert, as if he heard something. He looked towards the sofa, then shook his head ever so slightly and went back to talking to his coworkers. He had heard her! That man was her ticket out of this. She just had to find a way to communicate to him that she needed help.

When the medic, doctors, and nurses finished talking, they dissipated into the rest of the hospital to care for other patients. Well, all except the head doctor. He remained inside the room and shut the door.

"I am here alone and my name is Doctor John Riley. If there are any other spirits in this room who wish to communicate, please do so. I do not plan on harming you, nor do I wish you to harm me. If there is anything you can do to communicate, please do so now."

Wow, that man could talk, and so cliché. Ella rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch. She patted the faux leather cushion and the doctor's eyes flew straight to it.

"I have heard and acknowledged your presence in this room." What was he doing, hosting a séance? "I am going to ask you yes or no questions, please answer by tapping once for yes and twice for no."

"This man..." Ella muttered, flopping back down on the chair to wait for the interview. He hadn't heard her speak- that would make it difficult.

"Are you dead?"

Tap, tap.

"But, how?" After some thought, Doctor Riley continued. "Are you a male?"

Tap, tap.

"Are you over the age of fifty?"

Tap, tap.

"Over... twenty five?"

Tap, tap.

"Okay, I give... How old could you possibly be? For a dead lady, I mean."

Ella tapped sixteen times on the couch.

"Sixteen... That's how old this patient is. Is that why you are drawn to this room?"

Tap.

"Did- do you know this girl?"

What was the answer to that? Ella spotted a white board across the room and wondered if she could lift things. She slowly got up and crossed the room. Gently, she tried to pull the petal off of one of the flowers in a vase. The petal gave! Ella dropped it and picked up the blue marker from the tray under the white board. Quickly, she scrawled "I am this girl" across the board and set the marker down.

Just when the doctor was getting comfortable in his little séance mood, Ella had managed to freak him out a little.