Emma: Seventh Grade

Chapter 35: False Memory

When Emma opened her eyes, all she could see was brightness. Her whole body ached and her brain was still quite foggy. She heard a familiar, soft beeping sound above her head and indistinguishable voices were talking in the background. But the main thing Emma noticed was that she was swaddled in warm blankets and it felt amazing.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, Emma realized she was in the hospital; an all too familiar sight for her, since she had been to the emergency room numerous times in the past few months. Looking around, she saw that she was connected to an IV, heart monitor, oxygen sensor, blood pressure cuff, and there was an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. As much as Emma wanted to take the mask off, she was way too comfortable under the warm blankets to move. Closing her eyes, she started to drift off to sleep again.

Emma didn't get to sleep long, however, for she was soon bothered by multiple people going in and out of her room. One lady drew blood from her arm, another gave her a medication for her heart, and another swiped a thermometer across her forehead in order to take her temperature.

Finally the doctor came in to examine her. He took off Emma's beloved warm blanket in order to listen to her heart and lungs with his stethoscope. Emma groaned in protest as she tried to cover herself back up, but the doctor wouldn't let her. "It'll just take a minute," he promised as he gently grabbed both of Emma's wrists to prevent her from grabbing at the blanket. Emma winced as his ice cold stethoscope touched her chest in various places. All she wanted was to cuddle in her blanket again and go back to sleep.

Putting his stethoscope back around his neck, the doctor proceeded to lift up her hospital gown and gently press on her sunken stomach, asking if it hurt as he did it. Emma shook her head no. "Do you know how you ended outside in a dumpster?" he questioned as he put Emma's gown back in place and covered her up with the blankets. Looking at one of the machines above her head, he took the oxygen mask off of Emma's face and replaced it with a nasal cannula.

Emma pulled the blankets up to her chin and snuggled back in the warmth. However, her mind was starting to clear as memories of Kendra and her friends throwing her in the dumpster out of spite came flooding back to her. She remembered them cornering her in gym class, forcing her to go outside in the cold and stripping her of her clothes. Kendra's words, "let's throw this piece of shit away," clearly rang in her head as she recalled them picking her up and tossing her in the dumpster, just like a piece of garbage. Tears filled Emma's eyes as she distinctly remembered Kendra and her gang telling her that she was worthless and that she should kill herself.

"Emma?" the doctor repeated her name, bringing Emma back to reality. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Emma shook her head as she blinked back the tears. "I don't remember," she answered quietly, in spite of being able to recall everything up until the moment until she passed out in the bottom of the dumpster. She had no intention of telling anyone what actually happened, because she knew that if Kendra and her friends found out, they would punish her even worse than throwing her in a dumpster. She had come to the realization that her bullies could not be defeated, and she vowed to never make the mistake of tattling on them again.

"What is the last thing you do remember?" the doctor asked, breaking Emma's thoughts.

"I was in gym class at school," Emma lied. She felt guilty for holding the truth back from a doctor who only wanted to help her, but she knew it was necessary. The last thing she wanted was to come back to school with another horrific punishment waiting for her. 

"You don't remember going outside at all?" the doctor inquired, a puzzled look on his face.

Once again, Emma shook her head.