Iridian

04. DENARIUS

.memory (fragment #3)

...A scent. The scent of fresh cotton sheets, a hint of lavender mist overlaying the faint staleness of air-conditioning, the sweet rose of fabric softener.  One by one these smells triggered consciousness in my brain. I turned my head slightly, feeling stiffness at the back of my neck. A subtle cologne wafted over my nose, masculine but pleasant and understated, a somewhat familiar scent but memory couldn't place where I'd sniffed it before.

I was so goddamned stiff. My body felt so creaky as if I hadn't moved for over a week. I wiggled my fingers and toes experimentally, getting the feeling back into them, sensing the muscles sluggishly responding to my neurons. I was lying flat on my back, on what must be a nice spring bed because there was none of the sinking that was typical of foam mattresses. There were little noises around me, the almost indiscernible hum of air-conditioning, a sudden thump of a closing door and muted rolling of wheels...a trolley? Somewhere in the near distance cars honked and rumbled.

Slowly, I allowed my eyes to squint open, bracing for the glare of light but there was none except for a muted yellowish glow from one side of the room. I opened my eyes wider, my eyelids feeling crusty and dry, so I blinked several times until they felt more comfortable.

"Welcome back," a voice said from the foot of my bed. I focused my bleary eyes on the source of that voice, to see a figure sitting in an armchair, silhouetted by the muted light. His bare feet were resting casually on the bed, crossed at the ankles and in one hand was a tablet. The backlighting of the tablet illuminated part of his face. I didn't recall him immediately, then that cologne tickled my nose once more and everything rushed back to me in a flurry of rapid images—the hospital, the ICU, the strange man fascinated by a sunset sky, an odd proposition and the struggle I had to form a decision. A very final decision.

"You," was all I could muster. I meant to say I know you, but only the last word managed to croak from my throat.

"Yes, me," he said softly, a hint of wryness in his tone. He flicked a finger over the tablet, leaving it on the armchair as he stood up and walked over to my side. Another muted light came on as he flipped a bedside switch. The sudden addition of brightness made me blink a couple more times. In a neutral, solicitous manner, he sat at my bedside and placed a cool palm against my forehead.

"Fever's gone. How're you feeling?" he asked, removing the palm.

"Stiff," I croaked once more, my throat feeling parched.

"Come, let me help you sit up then you can drink," he said, reaching over to pull me up and adjust the pillows behind my back. I was so stiff that even that little motion made me want to groan as the rest of my body rushed to catch up with the waking up. He took a glass of water from the side table, allowing me to curl my fingers around it but didn't let go, supporting the glass as I took a sip, then a long slow draught. I was inwardly grateful. I was certain that had I tried to hold the glass by myself, it would have slipped and spilled the water all over the soft coverlet.

The water rejuvenated parts of my body like rainwater falling on a withered desert. Almost immediately I felt some strength flowing back into my veins and my mind began to focus better. It was like waking up from a long, dreamless sleep, so much so that I wasn't even quite certain any of it was real. Maybe this was a dream?

I sank back into the pillows and took stock of my situation. I was in a simple but elegantly appointed bedroom. The walls were covered in a pale cream wallpaper with some sort of textured pattern, the floor was carpeted with what I surmised to be a deep burgundy tone. The yellow lighting was distorting the actual colour. The heavy curtains were drawn but I could see the pale glow of sunlight peeking through its sides. A large built-in wardrobe and vanity stood along one wall and two doors were set into the remaining walls. One obviously led to a bathroom but the other was closed.