The Journey 'An Adventurers Novel'

Chapter 9

He had not seen such a peculiar case in quite a while. Everyone one in the hospital were rushing around whispering trying to get a glimpse of the unique case that was the girl in the room 257. He had to shoo away quilts a few spectators. He finds himself going to the room and giving a light knock. He doesn't know why he is here as he has already ordered the nurses to notify him with any changes and there hadn't been any.
"Come in."
He opens the door to see the father sitting, next to the medicated induced sleeping girl, slumped over the bed holding the seemingly lifeless hand. Eric walks in and shuts the door behind him. He is angry and doesn't understand why. He pushes out the anger and channels the doctor within himself.
"Mr. Leverson, how are we doing this evening? " Dr. Furner ask as he walks into her room.
The father looks up, from the sleeping girl, at him.
"It must be bad if the doctor is making the rounds."
"I'm just interested in my patient welfare, Mr. Leverson."
"Do you not have nurses and residents to check on my daughter? But the head of the department is in my daughter's room checking on her. Something is not right. What the hell is going on here doctor?"
Eric know that this father wants answers but he didn't have any. Everything associated with Amy was becoming more of a mystery.  All he knew was that they knew each other. He need to know how that was possible.
"I came to ask you a few questions, Mr. Leverson."
"What do you want to know now?"
"You stated that Amy has never been hospitalized or had an surgeries but she as a scar that looks like it is from an incision and CT scans show that she does not have an appendix."
"What is you question doctor?"
  "What happened? Why did you say she didn't have an surgeries?"
"When she was really young Amy lived with her mother here in Briargrove. She wasn't a great caretaker. I made the mistake of leaving Amy in her care. Things happened that I'm not proud of and I promised I would protect her since."
"What happened, Mr. Leverson?"
"It doesn't matter"
"It does if you want us too help your daughter."
Eric had no idea if the knowledge he was looking for would help. Yet, something was tugging on his curiosity. Something was not adding up.. Something had been stuck in the back of his mind. A dream he couldn't escape. A dream that wanted to be more clear every time he got closer to this girl. He walk as on the other side of her bed and looks her father in the eyes. Mr. Leverson looks down to escape the look still he continues.
"She wasn't always Amy."
"What?"
Eric tries not to sound as shocked as he was but it didn't seem to work.
"While she was under her mother's care they had gone missing. No one knew where they were for years."
"I don't recall a story about Amy missing"
"She was four when she was first gone; she didn't show up again until she was eleven."
"Eleven?"
"The new was crazy but being part of the military we managed to keep it quiet and under the radar."
"Seven years?"
"There were others from the disappearance but they also vanished in different ways that weren't traceable. There were eight and Amy was one of them.got her way but it wasn't enough."
"Who was she?"
"She missed so much but it was like she missed nothing at all in school. She was smart and she tested within her age bracket sometimes above. The thing was, she didn't remember were she had been, her mother, hell she barely answered to her own name."
"Her name?"
"She liked the name Amy; it was what she used to call her dolls. But sometimes i miss say my little girls name. Jessica after my mother."
"Jessica?"
"Yeah but we called her Jessie because she was our little tomboy."
The father chuckles and moves a strand of hair from Amy's face. Her hand moves and lands close to Eric's own. It slightly brushes his hand.
"Jessie. . ."
The little girls doubles over in pain. She cries not knowing what else to do. He bends over quickly checking her pulse. It's raised. He feels her head. She is burning up.
"Where does it hurt hunny?"
The girl looks at the young woman and then points to her stomach. He quickly lifts up her shirt and gently presses on the tender spot where her mother, or the thing pretending to be her mother, had kicked her. She whimpers.
"It may be her appendix." He says to the group.
"What do we do?" The athlete ask.
"Will she make it?" Ask the young woman.
"If we don't take it out it could burst." The doctor says
"You can take it out?" He ask the doctor..
"No.
The doctor raises his hands, reminding the group that they were no use to anyone. the bandages where already bloody. Escaping the monster had cost them so much including the crushing of his hands. The doctor looks at him and speaks.
"You're studying medicine. You will have to do it. There are supplies in the other room of this abandoned establishment."
"It's not sterile. I have no experience. What if I fail?"
"Don't be afraid of what might happen if you try. Be worried what will happen to her if you don't. My hands are useless but my eyes still work. I will guide you every step of the way."
"Okay"
They quickly and carefully move the girl to the other room. The six of them quickly move things in place with the direction of the doctor who stayed by the girl's side. They place the girl on a table and ready a needle and anesthesia that was found in the room. The old lady speaks first.
"What if it doesn't work? What if it . . . "
She trails off.
"It will kill her if we do nothing." The doctor says.
"Are you ready?"
Someone is talking to him. He has no answer to their loaded question. Sure he was studying medicine but only to become a psychiatrist. they were to call him doctor as he helped with their mental well being. This wasn't what he wanted; hell the sight of blood scared him. How was he ready to possibly kill this child; to possibly save her life? He wasn't; still he had to be.
"Yes." He lets out.
"Let's begin." The doctor says
He looks down at the girl and fell himself whisper before beginning.
"Hang in there, Jessie"
When Eric comes too Amy is looking at him with astonishment. Had she experienced that dream too? Was there more to it then just his own nightmares. The door opens and Eric looks toward it. Mr. Leverson walks through the door. When had he left?
"Doctor, how is my little girl doing?"
"She is recovering nicely" A nurse says across from the bed where Eric was standing.
When had she gotten there? Why didn't he know her name yet her face was so familiar. Something was definitely wrong and he could tell that Amy sensed it too. She looks at him with such fear.
"Thank you, Nurse. That will be all. Mr. Leverson I came to check the cuts on your daughter's feet."
The father nods while smiling agh the nurse. The nurse leaves. Eric goes and checks Amy's feet. He slowly pulls off the bandages. The bandages are still a bloody mess. Amy winces preparing for the pain of their undressed feet. Eric's eyes go wide as he looks down at her feet.
There was no scaring there.