For Real? ✅

Chapter 39

LEAH

When I woke up, I couldn't remember where I was. No memories of the previous day existed in my mind.

I realise that I'm on a hospital bed, in a green gown, with IV lines attached to my wrists. Beside my bed, there's a heart monitor that moves in slow waves. I'm in a private ward, for there are no beds around mine and the windows are closed, with curtains drawn.

Why am I here?

The doctor enters the room and remarks, "Oh good, you're awake."

He comes near my bed and starts examining me. "How do you feel?" He asks simultaneously while checking my eyes with a torch.

"Tired, I guess. And thirsty too." I reply.

"Alright, we'll get your breakfast. And in a minute, your parents would like to see you."

"Okay", I nod and feel my head throb. I think I'm having a hangover.

Did I get so drunk last night that I had been brought to the hospital?
Why would I get drunk?

Why can't I remember anything?

Once I'm done with breakfast, and small talk with my parents, I'm taken to another room with a large chair. I sit on it, wondering what this was about. That's when a young doctor enters the room.

"Hi Leah, I'm Dr Scharf. I'm going to be using hypnosis on you to talk about what had happened yesterday." She says.

I nod to her, still clueless about everything that had happened yesterday.

LEAH'S HYPNOSIS

"Hi Leah, I'm Dr Scharf. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"How has college been so far?"

"It's been good."

"Did you make any new friends?"

"Yes. Greyes is my neighbour."

"Can you tell me more about Greyes?"

"Greyes is a drug dealer. She's very kind and helpful, but not many people know that. I try to talk to her almost every day."

"Did you buy drugs from her?"

"Yes. I was just curious in the beginning. As days passed, I realised that I was getting addicted. I didn't do anything to stop it."

"Hmm. Did doing drugs make you happy?"

"Yes. That's when Adam started visiting."

"Tell me more about Adam."

"I first saw Adam at a party, the day I had broken up with Will. He was doing push-ups and he was so good looking that I was instantly attracted to him."

"Continue."

"I knew that he'd never even notice me. I tried to forget him, but I couldn't. I started thinking about what would happen if he actually liked me. If he actually wanted to date me. If he had fallen in love with me."

"Why?"

"I had been craving for love for a long time. My parents were always busy, and I had been homeschooled. My life was pretty lonely.
When I came to college, I finally thought I'd find a perfect boyfriend."

"But that didn't happen."

"Yes, it didn't happen. Every relationship became worse. I'd had three breakups in the past year. That's why I didn't want to get hurt with Adam again."

"Describe your relationship with Adam."

"I had been on drugs the first time it happened. It was much like a dream. I had been in a balcony, gazing at the stars, wishing that I had someone with me. That's when Adam suddenly appeared before me."

"So the Adam on the balcony was entirely a figment of your imagination?"

"Yes, but I didn't know at that time. "

"Okay. What did you do the next day?"

"I knew that I hadn't seen Adam, but he had felt so real. The dream was so vivid that I was uncertain that it couldn't have been just my imagination. I told everyone about it, and I liked the attention they were giving. So I decided to go along with the fact that it had actually happened."

"Were you on drugs the next time you saw Adam?"

"Yes, I'd asked Greyes for the same drug which she had used to spike the punch at the party. I was curious to see if Adam's appearance had anything to do with the drug."

"What about the times after?"

"I began to see Adam more often, irrespective of whether I had had the drug or not. I saw him when I was alone, either at home or in public places. I liked the fact that he appeared whenever I felt sad."

"Did you consciously know that Adam was just a part of your imagination?"

"No. As time passed, I couldn't differentiate between my visions and reality. I began to believe that everything happening with Adam was completely true."

"Describe Adam life as per your thoughts."

"Adam has an older brother named Jason. His father had died when he was thirteen. His favourite place is a mountain stream which leads to a pool."

"When did you realise that this was all in your head?"

"When Adam kissed Heather. I realised that my version of Adam was completely different from the Adam who actually existed. Then I realised that I had done a terrible thing to my innocent self."

At this point, Leah began to tremble. Tears started leaking out of her closed eyelids and ran down her face.
Dr Scharf knew that her time was scarce.

"Alright, Leah. I have just one more question. What happened after you realised this?"

"I was so miserable that I got drunk. I realised that I would repeat the same thing and hurt myself further if I was still alive. So I went to get myself killed."

"How exactly?"

"I went to this place on Bys Street where Greyes usually bought her drugs. I saw a guy who looked like my friend Andy. He was the one who gave me the poison to kill myself."

"You drank the poison?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what happened after that?"

"No. I should've died. Why didn't I die? WHY AM I STILL ALIVE? "

Leah began to panic, yelling that she should have died. Dr Scharf noticed her heart rate increasing and she knew that she had to act fast.

"Leah, relax, you are dead. Are you happy?"

"Yes."

Leah's breathing slows down, and eventually, she calms down.

Dr Scharf sighs. Undoubtedly, this was the most interesting case of hallucinations that she had seen in her practice.

Leah not only needed counselling, but she also needed love and care too.