“She no longer has a fever, and I can’t find any signs of brain trauma in her scans. Far as I can tell she is physically healthy. I would say she has physiological induced amnesia .” her head shook along with her politely empathetic tone.

Sora and I thanked the doctor and in return she wished us the best. Sora had called the police a while ago and now we were waiting for them to arrive. We had already sat in the emergency room’s waiting area for three and half hours.

“Here comes the police” Sora said to me in a low tone. She nodded her head  over the reception desk where an older nurse was talking to a man and a women who weren’t dressed in uniform but were flashing their badges at her. After the nurses leaned over the table and closely examined the badges, she pointed to the room where Ava had been staying.  Then she pointed her hand over to Sora and I. Both our eyes met with the officers and they proceeded to approach us.

the female officer was the first to greet us, “Hello, officer Suarez. You called about a possible missing person?”

“Yes.” Sora jumped up, interjecting before I could get a word in.

“He found her passed out in front of his home with a fever last night. The Doctor told us she may have emotionally induced amnesia, but she is not showing any signs of amnesia. She does think it’s the year 2562 instead of 2013. She did say she remembers being with her Professor at MIT also.”

The Officer looked at me then asked, “Is that true? Um, -”

“Julian, and yea that’s what happened.” I cleared my throat as I let the words escape my lips. Though I  hadn’t done anything wrong I felt my stomach flutter with nerves. In order to show some confidence in the face of the officers I let my chest puff up slightly.

“Did she tell you the professor’s name?”  The male officer pulled a notepad from his coat pocket.

“No.” Sora and I both chimed at the same time.   

“Did she say anything else?” the male officer continued to question. Sora and I both firmly shook our head back and forth. The other took a moment to finish jotting down his notes.

“alright,” He drawled out.

“We’re going to ask her some questions.”  

Sora stood beside me with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. I nodded my head and watched the officer stuff his notepad into his back pocket then walk off into the direction of Ava’s room.

“Whooo,” Sora sighed once the police had reached far enough for their ears to no longer hear.

“Soon this will all be over.” She smiled at me and playfully gave my left shoulder a quick squeeze.

“Yea, all over.” I mumbled robotically not thinking too much about the words which were leaving my mouth.

Sora took a seat while I continued to stand, pacing from her seat back to my empty one. My patience was  wearing thin, and it felt like the police had been talking to Ava for hours. Sora was captivated by whatever daytime talk show was playing in the waiting room television, while I let myself get lost in my own head. My eyes were fixated on the door of Ava’s room, and when  I saw the female officers foot slip through the opening crack in the door I let out a breath that I had been holding in for possibly thirty minutes. I rushed over to them before they could reach the edge of the waiting room.

“So?” I asked, my voice was slightly on edge.

“She said she doesn’t remember how she ended up in Maryland, and doesn’t have any family to call. We’ll try to pull up some files on her, but for now there isn’t much we can solve right now. The doctor said they will keep her here for now and run some more test.  Much as I can tell you're free to leave.”

“Are we allowed to see her?” I asked.

“You’ll have to ask the doctor that, But I don’t see why not.” the male officer chimed happily. I quickly thanked the officers, and we gave each other some short goodbyes.

“You’re really going to see her before we leave.” Sora questioned once the officers had left.

“I don’t see why not. We are the only familiar face she’s got right now.” I shrugged.

Sora ran her fingers through her jet-black hair pushing her side-bang from  her eyes. “Well you can go ahead, Just tell me when we’re leaving.” She quickly turned away from me and stared right back into the screen positioned right in front of the chair which Sora was sitting in. She

absorbed herself into whatever daytime programming she was watching.

I knocked on the door, but barged my head between it before she could answer. “Hey.”

She was laid in the bed motionless with her head tilted up to the ceiling. Her eyes were closed, but from the way her body rose  and fell I could tell she was not asleep. Next to her bed was a chair and  in it was a clear plastic bag were Kat’s clothes lay neatly folded in it.  It wasn’t until I began to approach the bed that she calmly opened her eyes and turned her head for her gaze to meet my own.

“You never mentioned the police.” Her voice was calm and in my opinion eerie. Her unflawed brown face was expressionless. It was impossible for me to know what she was feeling.

“ I told you, I can’t talk to the police.” Ava was a little more rallied up now. Her deep-brown eyes were panicked.

“Look,  I don’t know what you did but I am sure the police-”

“Huh!” She laughed.

“No one believes me!” She said to herself.

“I’m from the year 2652! I don’t have amnesia, and if I stay here any longer i’m going to be stuck here!” She groaned shaking her short asymmetrical bob. I stare on at her in silence completely lost for words.

“I know shit is crazy and all-”

“AAHHHH!” She shouted in frustration. I didn’t bother to continue or even properly end the conversation. I turned around and quickly walked out the door.  

“You good?” Sora asked as I approached her. There was no pause needed between my strides, she came up right behind me just as much ready to leave as I was. I had touched the doors to the entrance of the emergency room when a nurse came rushing behind me.

“Sir!” She shouted. I paused, turning on the heels of my converses.

“The patient you brought in has no emergency contact. We just needed to know if you could be her’s?”

I looked to Sora who shrugged. “I don’t see why not,” is what her eyes said.

“Um, Sure.” I shrugged.

She shoved over the clipboard and a blue Bic pen. With my poor penmanship I quickly scribbled down my contact information and handed it back to her.

“Have a nice day,” She smiled.

+

the following day life had fallen back into routine. I woke up, hit the gym for an hour or two, then speed to work. Clientele at the office was slow, which was nothing new for a friday. I had little to do to keep my mind busy and like second nature as I was sitting at my cubicle I pulled out my galaxy to call Kat.

Kat and I are Done.

I mentally punched myself when I remembered we had broken-up.

Fuck! How can I forget that again?

I wasn’t emotionally capable of dealing with break-ups, especially the fucked up way this one ended. I was at that phase  where if I thought about it too much I’d risk getting drunk and in a drunken rage curse her out over the phone at two in the morning.

I went back into my phone, scrolling through my contacts just approaching Kat’s name when my phone started to vibrate in my hands.

It was the hospital.

“Julian here, Hello?”

“Julian, This is Patrice Norwood from the hospital. I’m calling because you are the emergency contact for Ava Forman.”

“Yea, I am. What’s going on?”  My back was rested against the leather black swivel chair. I casually  lifted my back from the chair to sit up right  becoming more attentive to the phone call.

“We just wanted to let you know that Ms. Forman has disappeared from the hospital. We have already contacted the police, but you need to know aswell just in case she happened to come to you.” There was no inflection within the tone of her voice. You would have thought she was calling to confirm an annual check-up as opposed to a missing patient.

“How long has she been missing?”

A moment of silence took over the phone line then she finally answered, “The Nurses noticed she was missing this morning, so possibly some time last night.”

It was now four in the afternoon.

“Thanks, I’ll let you know if I hear from her.” I hung up before she could say goodbye.

I shut my laptop and stuck it into my case. I slide my chair over to the white flimsy walls of the cubicle and peeked my head over the hedge to call out the name of my co-worker in the cubicle beside mine.

“Tell anyone who asks, I gotta leave to take care of an emergency.” I said once I had his attention. he nodded but I could tell he wasn’t really listening. I didn’t bother to repeat myself. I slide my chair back over to my desk and tossed up my car keys.

I was out of work in no time.