Ascension Discovery

by Amy Proebstel

  Amanda had still not left the doorway so Dr. Medin walked across her office and whispered for Amanda alone to hear, “I’ll be with you the whole time. Don’t worry. Please come in so we can get this over with.”

  The trusted doctor’s reassurance seemed to thaw Amanda’s feet from the threshold and she finally stepped into the office. She was loathe to even touch Dr. Gascon’s hand, but she forced herself to complete the introduction. When she let go of his hand she did not hide the fact that she wiped her palm on her pant leg.

  Amanda picked the furthest chair from Dr. Gascon, glad her mother had chosen the one in between them. She could feel her heart racing just being in the same room as him. The confidence she had felt on the ride over had disappeared entirely and she sat in her chair, sullen, and withdrawn.

  Diane saw the change in Amanda and wondered what could possibly have happened to create such a drastic difference. She had been hopeful that this would be their last appointment, but now she was not so sure. As soon as she had Amanda alone again, she was going to find out what was going on, until then, she could only sit quietly and wait.

  “We’re going to let Dr. Gascon ask his questions first so he can get to his next meeting,” Dr. Medin spoke into the strained silence. “Dr. Gascon, if you would please begin.”

  “Certainly,” he spoke toward Dr. Medin and then turned to face Amanda, “Can you please tell me what you remember during the time you were in your coma?”

  Amanda paused as though she were considering the question and then finally answered, “I’m sorry, Dr. Gascon, but don’t recall anything from that time.”

  Diane’s head whipped around to face her daughter. She knew she was lying since she had seen her daughter writing continually in her journal as Dr. Medin had suggested.

  Amanda shifted her gaze to her mother and gave her a small smile. She hoped she would not say anything to contradict her last statement. If there were nothing to talk about then Dr. Gascon would leave sooner.

  “Surely there are some memories. Please try to concentrate, Amanda. This is vitally important to my ongoing research.”

  Amanda pursed her lips and then thought of something to say, “I do remember Dr. Medin from my dreams, even though we’d never met before.”

  Dr. Gascon’s expression lit up and he pounced on her statement, “You said dreams, so there were more. Please share.”

  Amanda could kick herself for slipping up and temporized with, “They were nothing, really, just memories from childhood and school. It felt like I was reliving the past in my dreams and Dr. Medin showed up at the end. The very day I woke up, actually. That’s all I remember.”

  “Amanda, you are being very vague. Can you please elucidate on the exact dreams?” Dr. Gascon pressed.

  “Look, Dr. Gascon, I don’t know who you are and I don’t really care, but I’ve already told you what I remember. I don’t care about your research on multi-dimensional disorders and I don’t want to be involved in it in any way. You are not my primary care doctor and you are not my therapist. You’ve had your chance to meet me, but now I’d like you to leave.” She had to restrain herself from crossing her arms in front of herself as she believed that could be construed as a sign of weakness. She stared at him until he looked away.

  Diane simply stared at her daughter, appalled at how rudely she had just spoken to this stranger. She could not understand the change which had come over Amanda. She was more than a little scared.

  “Who told you I was researching multi-dimensional disorders? I just began my documentation on it earlier this week.” He looked accusingly toward Dr. Medin who shook her head in denial.

  “Call it a lucky guess, or intuition, or psychic for all I care, Dr. Gascon, I’m not interested in participating,” she stated flatly and twisted her body to look out the window.

  Dr. Gascon turned his attention to Dr. Medin and said, “Your patient reports failed to mention anything about the patient being defensive and aggressive. I would suggest she would benefit from meeting with a therapist to resolve these issues.”

  “No, it did not, possibly because she has never displayed those traits before. I think it might be because of this ambush-style interview on which you insisted. I’ve offered therapy as on option, though your concern is noted,” Dr. Medin spoke carefully. “I believe the patient has made it clear your interview is over, Dr. Gascon. Thank you for coming.” She stood up and offered her hand to the other doctor.

  Dr. Gascon shook her hand and turned to Amanda and spoke quietly, “I’m sorry if I offended you, Amanda. It was nice making your acquaintance, Amanda, Mrs. Covington. Have a nice day.” He made eye contact with both daughter and mother before he gathered his briefcase and notes and made his way out of the office. His movements were jerky in his controlled anger.

  Amanda had made an enemy and she could not find the desire to even care. She felt euphoric when Dr. Gascon actually left the room. She exhaled loudly when the door shut loudly behind her and she smiled half-heartedly at the remaining doctor.

  “I wish you hadn’t done that, Amanda,” Dr. Medin said softly. “Dr. Gascon has some friends in high places and he can be very persistent.”

  “Why was he even here?” Diane asked snippily.

  “He had requested an interview with Amanda before she was discharged. I had asked Amanda if she wanted to meet with him and she refused. To avoid any delays in her release from the hospital because of Dr. Gascon’s authority, I let Amanda go home a week before I had originally planned. When I let Dr. Gascon know she had been released he had been livid. He had actually called for me to be fired because of negligence. Luckily the board did not see the situation as he had described it so I was allowed to stay on with the caveat that when you returned for your follow-up then Dr. Gascon would be allowed to interview you.

  “We would normally have had several follow-up sessions before now, but I wanted to give Amanda plenty of time to recover before being subjected to his line of questions. I’m sorry for the deception on my part, but I was sworn to secrecy until Dr. Gascon met with you.”

  Amanda had the sense to feel sorry for how she had acted. There were much better ways to have handled the interview with the shrink, but she had been flustered. “I’m sorry, too, Dr. Medin. I just do not like that man. I don’t trust him and I didn’t ever want to be in the same room with him again.”

  Jasmine heard the change in tense when Amanda had spoken about meeting Dr. Gascon, it was almost as if she believed she had met him before. She knew this was not the case since she had inquired of Stephen his level of interest in her patient. He had simply said he was researching long-term coma recovery methods and wanted to meet with her fascinating patient. If he had known her before she felt certain he would have mentioned it at that time.

  “Okay, I think we should get going on my final evaluation of your progress, if you don’t mind,” Dr. Medin said in a lighter tone. She wanted to forget all of the unpleasantness Dr. Gascon had caused. Amanda seemed to be relaxing now that he had left the room. She was pleased to see she seemed to have a better air of confidence than she had shown upon her discharge. Naturally, it was to be expected since she had had time to reacquaint herself with life again.

  “Sure, what do I need to do?” Amanda asked pleasantly.

  “I’d like to check your vitals first,” she said as she took the stethoscope from around her neck as she approached Amanda’s seat. She put the stems in her ears and she positioned the other end over Amanda’s heart on her chest. She then checked her lungs and marked the findings on her chart. Dr. Medin then took her blood pressure. Everything checked out normally.

  She asked Amanda to sit on her desk, since she didn’t have a patient table, and checked her reflexes in her legs as well as her arms. She also looked at her eyes to make sure there were no abnormalities. “How are your physical therapy sessions going? Do you feel they are still of benefit?”

  “They’re fine, I guess. I don’t get sore anymore from the exercises. I’d pro
bably get the same benefit if I joined a gym.”

  “So your strength is good, how about your stamina? Do you still need to take frequent naps?”

  “Not as often, usually only once or twice a day now instead of five or six.”

  “Good, it sounds as though you are progressing normally. I don’t think you need to continue with the physical therapy. Do you have any questions or concerns?”

  “No, or yes, I mean. After today’s meeting, will you sign off on my form for applying for a driver’s license?”

  “Have you had any episodes of dizziness or confusion?”

  “None. I feel perfect! I’m ready to get back out into the world.”

  “Okay, I’ll sign the form, but, Amanda,” she paused to make sure her patient took her seriously, “I do think it would be in your best interest to talk with a therapist. I’ve told you that in the past as well, but I haven’t seen anything to indicate you have used that option.”

  “I don’t want to see a shrink. No offense, Dr. Medin. I did take your advice and I’ve been writing a journal of everything I can recall.”

  Diane was relieved to hear her daughter telling the truth to Dr. Medin.

  “That’s great. Have you found it to be helpful in sorting out your memories?”

  “Very. It was a great idea. Some things have grown fuzzy in my memory since coming home, so I’m glad to have an accounting of the memories while they were still fresh.”

  “So you did have more dreams than you let on with Dr. Gascon?” Dr. Medin was genuinely interested in what had transpired during Amanda’s coma, but she was not willing to go to the extremes Dr. Gascon had shown to get them.

  “Very vivid dreams which felt quite real at the time.”

  “More than just childhood memories?”

  Amanda paused before continuing, “You won’t note this conversation in your file, will you?”

  “Not if you don’t want me to. I’m just curious for myself, not as a doctor,” she answered honestly.

  “Then, yes. Way more than any childhood memory. I lived a whole other life while I was sleeping. It’s made me interested in the idea of life-after-death and possibly past-life regression. I don’t know which idea fits better, but I lived through something I can’t explain.”

  “Very interesting,” Dr. Medin mused. She wished she had known about this before so she could have done some research to help Amanda transition better.

  “So is there anything else you need from me?” Amanda asked anxiously.

  “No, I think we’re done. It has been my pleasure to know you, Amanda, and I wish you the best success in life. If you ever just want to come visit, I’d be more than happy to talk. We could do lunch or something.”

  Amanda shook Dr. Medin’s hand and replied, “I look forward to it. Thank you!”

  Dr. Medin sat down at her desk and finished filling out the last of Amanda’s paperwork releasing her back to a full life. She signed the final form and handed the stack over to her patient. If it had not been for the edict from the hospital she would have had several more meetings with Amanda and she would have enjoyed the conversations. She felt disgusted with the politics which had kept her from being of better assistance to her patient. “This is it! Take care, Amanda.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Medin. I really appreciate this,” she waved the paperwork. “I can’t wait to get on with my life. My mom won’t have to continue to be my chauffer any more either.”

  “I haven’t minded, honey,” Diane interjected.

  “I know, it’s just not fair for you to have to put your life on hold for so long. These papers release you as well as myself.”

  They walked out of the office and back to their car. The first stop was at the Department of Motor Vehicles. They had planned for everything to go as Amanda had anticipated and had already scheduled a driving appointment. Aside from the minor slip with Dr. Gascon, Amanda felt as though her life were finally back on track.

  Chapter Fourteen

  AMANDA LEFT THE windows rolled down as she drove the open roads. It was way too hot to be comfortable so Amanda also turned on the air conditioner full blast, but refused to roll up her windows. The feel of the air blowing through her hair was exhilarating and made her feel free.

  Once she had gotten her driver’s license back her parents had gone to their storage unit and liberated her beloved car from its incarceration. As if to pay her back for the neglect, the starter immediately went out which delayed Amanda’s bid for freedom. The one week delay for the part to be ordered and installed had felt like a personal attack which she immediately forgave when she began driving again.

  She was driving south on the interstate with no destination in mind. The palm trees and lush vegetation brought joy to her heart. She could drive forever. She checked her gas gauge and amended her last thought, her fuel light was on, and she needed to get gas. Reluctantly she took the next exit and slowed down for the light.

  The sign said there was a station within a quarter mile to the right. She turned and drove down the quaint town road. Another light turned red and she stopped to wait. Just as the signal turned green she started to accelerate when she saw a man coming out of a corner pizza restaurant on the next block up. She did a double-take and realized the man was Riccan from her dream.

  She could not believe her luck, she pressed on the accelerator to get to him before he left. The car shuddered and then died completely. “NO!” she screamed at her car. “Don’t do this to me, car. Start!” She turned the key a couple of times and only heard the clicking of the starter. Without any fuel the car was not going to start. A car behind her honked. She waved her arm out the open window letting them know to pass her.

  She waited until the traffic had cleared and she opened her door and got out. She could see the gas station up the street so she started to roll her car, steering through the open window while she pushed. After a few minutes, Amanda reached the gas station and pushed her sweaty hair away from her face. She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and dug out her credit card. She activated the pump and started filling her tank.

  Only at that point did she realize Riccan was nowhere in sight. Her plight had made her forget to look for him and he had gotten away. She closed her eyes at her own stupidity. She should have ditched her car and run after Riccan. It did not matter that she would have looked like a crazy person to anyone else, but Riccan knew who she was, he would not mind.

  She looked around and discovered the pizza shop had been the same one he had taken her to not that long ago. The more she looked around, the more everything came back to her. There was the bathing suit store in the strip mall, there was the leaning palm tree on the corner where they turned to go back home.

  “That’s it! I remember how to get to his house!” she said out loud to herself. The pump could not go any slower as it glugged fuel into her tank. “Hurry up! Hurry up!” she chanted as she watched several more gallons click on the meter. Finally the pump clicked off and Amanda ripped the nozzle from her tank. She replaced the nozzle and put her cap back on. She raced around her car and got into the driver’s seat.

  She sped out of the gas station parking lot and turned right immediately at the leaning tree. She accelerated with excitement and kept looking for other landmarks she recognized. Amanda was so intent on her search she had not noticed the police car behind her with its lights blinking red and blue. It was not until the police car blipped its siren that Amanda’s attention was pulled from her avid search.

  Immediately, she pulled to the side of the road thinking the cop would just pass her to get to their emergency and then she could be on her way. Unfortunately, Amanda discovered she was their emergency. She grabbed the steering wheel and waited anxiously for the cop to come to her window.

  “Good afternoon, miss. Do you have any idea how fast you were traveling?” the officer leaned close to the open window.

  “I’m sorry, officer, I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “You w
ere doing forty in a twenty-five. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asked kindly.

  “Well,” Amanda began and took a breath to clear her thoughts, “this is going to sound like quite a story, but, I promise, it’s all true. I turned off the interstate to get gas and when I was just coming through a light back there,” she waved over her shoulder, “I saw someone I knew from a long time ago. I tried to accelerate to catch up to him, but then I ran out of gas. I had to push my car to the gas station and then wait forever to fill up with gas. When the car was full I realized I recognized a couple of landmarks to get me back to his house so I was looking at the scenery more than my speedometer.”

  “I see,” the officer replied. “Why didn’t you just drive to his house if you remembered where it was?”

  “I was hoping to catch him before his gate closed. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him. You see, I was in a coma for seven years. I met him…a long time ago.” She had almost said she had met him in Tuala, but realized that part of the story could not be told.

  “A coma? For seven years? Driver’s license and registration, please.” The officer had heard a lot of tall tales in his years as an officer, but this one took the cake. “If your story checks out, then I’ll let you off with a warning.” He turned and walked back to his vehicle.

  Amanda waited anxiously in her car. She kept her eyes glued to her rear-view mirror so she could see when the policeman would be returning. He seemed to be taking his sweet time.

  After about ten minutes the officer came back to her window shaking his head in disbelief. “Your story checked out. Who were you trying to catch up with anyway? I may know him.”

  “His name’s Riccan Stel,” she replied rapidly, but then added, “He probably doesn’t remember me.”

  “I know of Riccan,” he said as he thought that Riccan was another individual who had a bazaar past. “If I see him around, I’ll let him know you were looking for him. Have a nice day.”

  “Thank you, Officer. I’ll pay more attention to my speed. You have a nice day, too.” She turned on her engine, checked her mirror, and carefully pulled back onto the roadway. There was no chance of catching up with Riccan now, but she could still try to locate the driveway to his house. This felt like a step in the right direction toward getting back to Tuala.