‘Give it a minute,’ the man said, his tone placid. ‘Your eyes will get used to it.’
‘What’s going on?’ Shaun asked, his tone gaining a desperate edge. ‘Where am I? Why can’t I move? Who are you?’
‘You’re in my OR,’ the man replied. ‘On my operating table.’
‘Operating table?’ Shaun shot back, his eyes blinking open for a split second before he squinted, the light still too strong for him to be able to fully open them. ‘This is a hospital? Was I in some sort of…’ his voice croaked at the implications ‘…accident? Oh God, what happened? Please tell me that I’m not paralyzed… please.’
The man paused, as if pondering what to say. He decided to go with a question instead of an answer. ‘What’s the last thing you remember, Mr. Daniels?’
Shaun heard the man’s footsteps go around him to the other side.
‘Umm…’ He tried to think, but his headache seemed to have built a fortress around his memory. ‘I… I can’t really recall. My head is pounding so much it feels like it’s going to blow.’
‘Take your time,’ the man said, his voice now coming from Shaun’s left. ‘You’ve been sedated. The headache, the dried throat, the numbness, the blurred memory… it’s all quite normal.’
Right then, Shaun heard a new sound, something like metal clunking against metal. He breathed out and blinked again, his eyes finally calming into the brightness enough for him to be able to semi-open them. As soon as he did, they immediately moved from right to left, trying to take in as much as he could.
Due to his inability to turn his neck and the position of his head – its back lying flat against the operating table – Shaun wasn’t able to see much.
The ceiling was painted all in white. The walls were tiled, also in white, and, from what Shaun could see, they looked to be squeaky clean. The smells that he couldn’t quite identify earlier began making a little more sense then – cleaning agents, antiseptics, disinfectants… the typical odd combination of scents that usually came with every hospital.
‘Umm…’ Shaun closed his eyes and tried pushing his memory again. The headache was proving to be a very worthy opponent. ‘My head is a mess… and it hurts like hell. Could I maybe get something for the pain?’
‘That wouldn’t be a good idea,’ the man replied. ‘Painkillers don’t work well with the sedative you were given. Please, just try your best.’
What do you think I’m doing?Shaun thought, his eyes shooting left.Singing ‘Mambo Number 5’ in my head? I’m doing what I can here, buddy.He took a deep breath and fought throughthe headache until flashes of something began coming back to him, but they didn’t amount to much.
‘My memory is as hazy as a meth hooker,’ he said, once again blinking against the bright light. ‘But I… kind of remember going down to my local bar for a couple of drinks.’
‘Where’s that?’ the man asked. ‘Do you remember the name of the bar? Do you remember where you live?’
Shaun hesitated for a quick moment, his memory misfiring like an old engine.
‘Umm… I live in South LA.’
The man waited but Shaun offered nothing else.
‘Can you be a little more specific?’ the man pushed. ‘Can you remember the neighborhood in South LA you live in?’
A single-second pause.
‘Yeah,’ Shaun replied, as things finally started taking shape inside his head. ‘I live in Lomita – at the corner of Eshelman Avenue and 250th Street.’
‘That’s very good, Mr. Daniels,’ the man said, finally stepping close enough for Shaun to be able to see him for the first time.
The man towered over the operating table, but from a lying-down position and with the light shining down straight into his eyes, it was impossible for Shaun to even guess how tall he really was. The man’s hair, if he had any, was completely tucked under a teal-colored scrub cap. His nose, mouth and chin were also hidden behind a standard-issue surgical mask. All Shaun could really see were the man’s eyes – dark and deep-set behind a pair of operating goggles.
‘Anything else you can remember?’
Shaun pushed his memory a little more.
‘Umm… I think that I was having a chat with someone. But I can’t remember who.’
‘In the bar?’
‘I think so, yes.’
‘Good. Can you remember anything else?’
