When You Die

Chapter Four

5:42 AM, rebirth wing, BODA central hospital, April 19, 2019

The woman's hand was still buzzing with energy as she put it on Ada's unresponding shoulder, steered her across the room, out the door and down the hall to a room marked 'memory re-installment room 3-a'. She opened the door to the room, in which two women and a man were standing around a bed and and some machines, drinking coffee and looking bored.

They looked up, suddenly alert. "She's awake, Emma?" The first woman asked, relieved.

Emma nodded. "Yes. When she woke up, she was acting very hostile. She almost lost it and hit me. I had to blank her out."

The doctors all nodded. "Not the first time." The second woman said. She waved her coffee-free hand at the man. "This is our intern, Bill Herdel. He'll be helping us out a little, but mostly just observing."

The man grinned clumsily at Emma. "Oh hello, Ms. Mulberry." He said, shaking her hand, nervously. "Uh, I'm Bill um, Herdel. But you already know that because Lara introduced me." He said, embarrassed. "Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He cursed under his breath, now seeming to have composed himself a bit. "Well, anyway, I'm Bill Herdel," He flinched a bit when he said this- "...Been dead for twelve years, um, I used to work in construction downtown, and I'm hoping I can work here soon, but you probably know that because I'm here." He kicked his left leg with his right, hard. "Bill, you really are stupid." He whisper-yelled at himself again.

"Bill, it's okay, you're not stupid." Emma said kindly, but looking slightly annoyed. She turned to the two other doctors, tapping her watch. They just shrugged. But Bill wasn't done. "You-you really inspire me-I really admire your work, and I'm so excited to be working with you."

"Thank you, but I'm not actually going to help with the operation, my talents lie elsewhere. Well, it's always nice to have an extra pair of hands." Emma said, with a quick smile, while Bill nodded enthusiastically. "Well, anyway, let's get her ready."

Bill was looking at Ada, curious. "Who's the patient?"

"This is Ada Collins. She's been asleep for a week." Emma responded, distracted. "Well, anyways, we'll keep her blanked-out until the actual operation, but Lara and Kristi, you know what to do from now."

"Yes, ma'am." They said in unison, and occupied themselves with getting everything ready, while Bill occupied himself by merely pretending he was busy, although mostly just hurting himself in the process, both accidentally and on purpose. Emma left the room after telling the doctors she had something important to do, and to page her when they were ready.

But instead of going to her office, she just went in the waiting room, laid down, and fell asleep.

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Rebirth wing, BODA central hospital, April 19-23th, 2019

For the next few days, Emma Mulberry pored over her address book, trying to figure out how Bert Peckleman was early to run into Ada. She hadn't known much about the previous Death, so she thought now was as good time as any.

All she knew about him was that he was a terrible, manipulative man, and that he had died his second death in the past two decades. Second deaths are quite rare. They only happen if a force of great power strikes upon them. As she was going through the names in her book, one caught her eye. She couldn't tell why that name stood out to her. It was like an itch that she couldn't get rid of. "Emma Mulberry, please report to memory re-installment room 3-a." The loudspeaker crackled, interrupted her thoughts. "Emma Mulberry, manager of death, please report to memory re-installment room 3-a."

Emma Mulberry wearily got up and started walking towards the room in which she was about to change a person's life-well, death, she thought with a smile. She reached the door of the memory re-installment room 3-a, waved her badge in front of the door, and entered the room.

She stepped back and gasped in confusion. The room was completely empty.