I walk over to the back of the door, reaching my hand out to touch the poster. I take the poster off the door, knowing that it will remain on the door in this scene. Now that I found the item, I need to wait for the door to open in order for me to exit otherwise I’ll time jump and reset myself to zero, and honestly, I’m not looking to go through this longer than I have to. I need to get back to reality and get my ass to work.
After an hour, one of the donors was gathering his belongings and heading towards the door. I moved quickly to follow him out without touching the door myself. In the hall, I continued to follow the man out of the building. Once outside, I notice that I’m standing in front of Amesbury High School. So, this must have been after I graduated with my nursing degree not when I was doing lab work. How did I get that mixed up? I’m not sure, but it doesn’t really matter right now.
I cross the street and cut through the park heading towards downtown. When I get to the top parking lot of the playground near the restrooms, I cross the street and continue to walk down to the police station. I pass the station and continue down the hill to the center of town. I turn left and walk a few feet and stand in front of the store front, eager to get inside. I wait about twenty minutes for someone to walk by me and enter the store. I slip in the door behind them and approach the counter wondering who is going to be working today.
“Did you find it?” A young man with piercing all over his face and a bright green mohawk asked.
“I did.” I said triumphantly placing the poster of the caduceus medical symbol on the counter.
“Awesome.” He muttered. “Only one more to go. I’m surprised, usually, people need to restart at least three times before they get this far. Maybe I underestimated you, Naomi.”
“I thrive off challenges. I tend to observe and analyze situations before I act.” I comment.
“I see that. Well, good luck finding your last item.” He mused.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance and turned away. These last two past memories were good ones, versus the crazy future options before. Do I want to go to the past and take a gamble of what the memory will be, or do I want to go to a possible future scenario for me? I went out the South facing door, reasoning that I know my own past and the future is what I’m apprehensive about. That’s why none of the scenes are clear or precise since I can’t seem to make up my mind on what I want to do with my life. I step through the South facing door and into the bright blinding light.
Chapter 12
I wait for the scene to come into focus with a smile on my face. I know exactly where I am to the point that I try to take a seat on the couch in the center of the room but end up falling on my ass. This is an illusion again, but it feels so real to me. I’m standing in the middle of my condo. I see a younger me walking around in the kitchen like I’m cooking something. I move closer to the breakfast island in the middle of the kitchen and note that I am prepping various pizzas for the oven which is currently preheating. I’m trying to think about what memory this could be, but I’ve had so many pizza nights, get-togethers with my friends, I can’t pinpoint which one this is at the moment.
A knock on the door has this version of me going to the door and opening it. “Hey, girl.” Anita cooed as I answered the door. “This is for you.” She handed me a gift basket with a bottle of wine in it.
“Thank you.” I smiled. “Jody is one her way, but she got stuck in traffic at the tunnel.”
“Cool. Are you going to make me wait until she gets here to give the official tour?” Anita asked with a smile. Now I remember which memory this is. This is the memory of the first pizza slash game night in the condo. I was so excited to have my very own place that I planned this whole thing out to celebrate now that I was officially unpacked and completely moved in.
“I can give you the tour now.”
“Great.” Anita followed me down the hall, taking a peek in each room, before turning around and coming back out to the main room. “You really put everything in order here. It looks so cute.”
“Thanks. I still think some things need to be moved around, but it’s functional for now.” I mumble as the oven timer sounded. I watched as the me in the memory went to the kitchen to put the first pizza into the oven. When there was another knock on the door, I knew it was Jody finally arriving.
Remembering this memory brings a smile to my face, but I’m not here to reminisce when I can be back to reality spending real time with my friends. I shake my head to refocus on the scene around me. I look at everything from the gifts the girls gave me sitting on the counter, the movie we’re putting on, the various pictures on the wall, including my name badge and keys hanging on the key hooks. I take a look at all our outfits noting that I’m wearing a beige knitted sweater and a pair of blue jeans, Anita is wearing a red blouse and a pair of black pants, and Jody is wearing a yellow sweater with a pair of black jeans. Not sure what’s going to be repeating in the next scene after my time jump, so I want to be sure I know what I’m looking for. Once I analyzed and took mental notes about this memory, I opened the apartment door and stepped through knowing I’m in for a time jump to the past again, since my front door is a South facing door.
When the light faded, I realized I was standing in a crowded bar. I spot myself at a table with Anita and Jody. I look around trying to see when this was, but I can’t figure it out. I inch closer to the table to listen to the conversation us girls are having. I note that I’m in my scrubs with my name badge in my coat pocket on the back of the chair.
“So, how was the first day?” Jody asked excitedly.
“It was amazing.” I smiled. “Though I definitely need to look into getting a place close to the city. The traffic in and out is terrible, and after this shift, I was so tired.” This is clearly the girl’s night after my first day working at the hospital a month before I bought my condo.
“That makes sense.” Anita agreed.
I took note that we each only had one mixed drink each, but nothing else was on the table. No pizza, no phones, nothing. The only thing in this memory that is the same is my name badge in the pocket of my coat pocket. I only noticed it there because of the silver metal clip, that I tend to clip to the lip of the pocket so it won’t fall out easily. I reach down and drag my finger across the cool metal clip. This is definitely the item since I can touch it. I pinch the clip open and lift it out of my coat pocket. Obviously, the original remains, but I am still holding one.
Now I need to stand by this door until someone opens it for me to avoid a time jump. This is the last item I need to get, and I’ll be damned if I time jump and have to start all over again. I need to wake up and get back to living in reality. Who knows how long I’ve spent time jumping, and I don’t want to waste too much more time. Finally, the door opens as a group of people enter the bar. I step out as the person holding the door, steps in and take a look around. The nice summer air wraps around me as I look around. I realize where I am, and only need to walk a few feet to the left to be at that storefront.
I waited until someone exited the storefront and entered the place. I walked over to the counter curious to see who I’ll be speaking to this time. “What did you find dear?” A lady with white hair and horn-rimmed glasses asked as she shakily stood up and made her way closer to the counter.
“My work name badge.” I said triumphantly.
“Very good.” She smiled at me as she lifted the badge off the counter to take a closer look at it.
“That’s it. I found all ten items, now I can get back to reality. Right?” I pressed impatiently.
“Almost.” She answered. “Answer me this. What do all these items have in common?” She asked setting the name badge back on the counter. Then she bent down and began picking up everything and placing them on the counter one by one. The boots, the watch, the card, the name of a song written on a slip of paper, the stethoscope, the cup of coffee, the doctors coat, the stress test, and now my name badge.
I looked at the items and tho
ught really hard about how they are all related. “Can I touch them and move them around?” I asked.
“Sure.” She nodded.
I put the name badge, stethoscope and doctors coat together. Then I looked at the boots and coffee cup knowing it was winter when I began this craziness. I put the watch with the pile of doctor’s stuff since we use watches and clocks to count the heartbeats with the stethoscope. Then there’s the stress test, card, and name of the song. I know the song tends to play in the hospital all day and night in the background. Then it all clicked. “Whatever happened to me, has me in a hospital. The stress test is a reflection of what is really happening to me. Am I close?”
“You are spot on.” The old woman commented.
“So, that’s it? I can wake up now?” I asked expectantly.
“Not quite. You have one more time jump to do, then a final decision to make. What you chose will be the final result of this.” She explained. “I will be there to help guide you and ensure you understand your final choice. I wish you well no matter what you chose.”
“What door do I use?” I asked.
“The only one you can open this time.” She said as she pointed to the North facing door. I opened the door and stepped into the bright light. I’m finally almost back to reality.
Chapter 13
As the blinding light starts to fade, I begin to make out shapes of people's backs in chairs. This is odd. As I step forward, I notice that everyone is sitting in rows, and are all dressed in nice clothes, but in different shades of black. I see roses all around, and at the front of the rows, I see it. An open casket with a wreath of flowers sitting on top of it. My picture is displayed in front of a podium and I notice that everyone is weeping.
My dad, my cousins, my aunt, and my uncles. Jody, and Anita, and some of my coworkers are all in attendance and all weeping over me. Then it hits me and knocks the air out of my lungs, this is my funeral. I walk towards the crowd of people trying to reach out and touch their shoulders, but my hand just passes right through them.
“I’m here, I’m here. Don’t be sad.” I shout. I walk over to my dad who is crying the hardest, and I feel myself beginning to cry. “Daddy, I’m here. I’m okay, I’m here.” I call out to him, but he can’t hear me. “This can’t be the end.” I say out loud.
A minister approaches the podium in his black robe and white-collar. “It’s not the end, yet Naomi. Unless you want it to be.”
I look up at the man with the clean-up brown hair and hazel colored eyes. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I told you, you have one last choice to make. A decision that will in fact changed the course of your future.” He answered. “Come closer.” He whispered.
I moved closer to the casket, seeing that it was a nice red cherry cedar casket with white silk linen. Then it hit me. This casket is empty. I look up at him in confusion. “It’s empty.”
“Do you want to get in it?” He asked.
“Do I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice.”
“And if I say no to getting into the casket? What other choice do I have?” I pressed.
He pointed as another solid white door appeared off to the side. “Another time jump perhaps, or is it the exit you’ve been searching for?”
“So, I can exit by climbing into this casket, and die in real life” I mutter.
“Correct.”
“Or I can go through that door and gamble the fact of another time jump or going back to reality.”
“That is true too.” He nodded slightly. “Which will you decide Naomi?”
I’m not ready to die yet, but do I really want to be stuck doing time jumps? Then again, it’s only a possibility that I’ll time jump. The other probable thing that will happen if I go through that door is, I could wake up with a massive Deja vu going on. I have two clear choices to decide between here: the absolute end with death, or the chance of waking up and being fine. Do I go with the sure thing, or do I take a gamble and hope it’s not another time jump?
“Don’t they always say not to go into the light in the movies?” I chuckle to myself.
“They do, but in your case, it could be a good thing to go to.”
“Well, I’ve been going to the bright lights on the other side of the door for a while now doing all these time jumps. Now you're telling me I’m not dead unless I climb into that casket. Telling me there is a chance I could wake up and have all this be just a bad dream.”
“True.” He muttered. “It’s time, Naomi. What choice will it be?”
“I think I’m going to take the gamble and live.” I muttered. “I’m not ready to die just yet.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded. “Safe travels.”
I took a deep breath and walked to the door. I pull it open and step through one more time. This time the entire world begins to spin out of control as I am consumed by the bright lights. Everything is so bright as I land hard.
I try to breathe, but I can’t I’m choking. What the hell is happening to me? I open my eyes and look around panicked as I notice the sound of a heart monitor behind my head, and I feel a hand in mine. I try to look to see whose hand I’m holding, but I can’t move my neck. I squeeze my hand shut trying to get air.
“Oh my God, Naomi.” Anita’s voice gasps as her face comes into view. “Hang on, I’m calling the nurse in. Don’t move they need to remove the ventilator.”
I’m choking on a damn ventilator tube. Of course, I am. But why do I have a ventilator tube down my throat? The nurse and doctor come in and begin to remove the tube as I gag and choke as they pull the tube out. Finally, I can breathe again, and feel my eyes close with a smile on my face. I’m awake and I’m alive. “Rest, and we’ll come check on you shortly Naomi.” I hear a familiar voice say to me. She sounds like a co-worker but I’m too tired to pinpoint who she is at this moment. Why am I so tired?
Chapter 14
I woke up again sometime later, this time there is nothing in my throat, but I am dying of thirst. I open my eyes and look around for a drink. I’m still in the hospital bed and hooked up to monitors including an IV, but I still have no idea what happened. I try to sit up, but I can’t seem to adjust. “Hey sweety, they told me you woke up earlier.” My dad’s voice caught my attention, and I notice he’s sitting in the chair reading the paper.
“Water.” I croak out.
“Sure.” He stood up, grabbed a cup with a bendy straw, and helped bring it to my lips. I happily suck the water down until the cup is empty. “I can pour you more.” He smiled as he returned to the table, picked up a pitcher, and poured more water into the cup. He brought it back to me, which I sucked down for a second time.
After taking a few gasps of air, I look up at him. “What happened?” I asked.
“You don’t remember?”
“No.” I sighed.
“Honey you’ve been in a coma for six months.” He explained. “I guess you slipped on some ice in front of the door at that bar and hit your head. Someone found you after a while of you laying there. The doctors have been monitoring your brain function and possible swelling of the brain.”
I’ve been out for six months? Here I was thinking a couple of days, but six months. Time jumping has been an experience that I thought was just a bad dream. Not once did I truly believe something bad happened to me during all those time jumps, but clearly, I was wrong. “Why can’t I move?” I finally asked worried that he’s going to tell me that I’m paralyzed or something terrible.
“They put a next brace on your neck for stabilization. A few weeks ago, you began thrashing about, but still not responding to anyone. For your own safety, the doctor ordered to have you restrained.”
“I was on a ventilator.” I commented.
“You stopped breathing yesterday. We honestly thought you were on your way out.” He admitted.
That explains a lot. I stopped breathing when I saw the scene of my funeral, and I had to make a choice whether to live or die. I wan
t to live, and after everything, I saw I have a new outlook on my life. So much has happened that helped shape me into who I am today, but there are still so many options and decisions for me to make that can change my future. “I’m sorry I scared you.” I whispered feeling ashamed.
“It’s not your fault dear. You just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up having an accident.” My dad mused with a smile. “Your awake, alert, and aware right now and that’s all that matters.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead like he always has since I was a little girl. “I will call the doctor about these restraints so you can sit up.” He reached over, picked up the remote, and pushed the big red call button.
“Yes.” My favorite co-worker Bella came into the room with a smile. “Look who's finally awake.”
“Hey, Bella.” I smiled at her.
“You had us all worried about you.” Bella continued as she began removing the restraints. “I was praying for you to pull through. I don’t think this place would be the same without you here.”
“You're just saying that.” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“Maybe for the others, but it’s the honest truth for me.” She smiled.
“Six months out. I must be jobless by now.” I muttered.
“No, Claire just hired some temps to cover your shifts until your back on your feet and cleared for duty. This is a medical leave of absence. You can’t legally be fired for this unless your labeled unable to perform by your doctor.” Bella explained. “Nothing appears to be broken, severed, or damaged from your fall. You just hit your head and slipped into a coma. Dr. Walton couldn’t figure it out. Your stress tests and brain activity tests kept coming back as high functioning, yet you remained in a coma. Then you stopped breathing, and everyone panicked and began praying a bit harder than before for you.”
“Yeah, I was a bit stuck in my own head. I thought it was a matter of hours or days, not months.” I admitted. “If I told you what I recall, you’d have me checked out by a shrink.”
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