Domestic

Jase kept his eyes closed as he lied in bed. He felt like this was the best sleep he had in weeks and he didn’t want to disturb it just yet. He could afford to sleep in on Friday mornings. The only thing on his agenda was an evening class, he could stay in bed all day if he genuinely wanted to. Despite his urge to stay in bed, his will to get up was stronger. This was very out of place for him. Normally, he woke up groggy every morning. But on that day, he felt well-rested. He pondered what caused his body to suddenly get used to his sleeping habits and began to fear the worst. What if he slept through Friday without realizing it? The fear of this was enough to get him up. He had to check his phone to see what day it was. Jase opened his eyes and reached for his bedside table but had a sense of disorientation when he realized he wasn’t in his room. He was in a hospital bed surrounded by get-well-soon cards. The cards were more surprising than waking up in the hospital. They were stacked high on the side tables and filled the two visitor chairs. Jase wasn’t sure he even knew this many people. A nurse walked through the door with a clipboard in hand and gave Jase a cheerful grin. “Well, well. Look who’s finally awake,” the nurse said. “How are you feeling?”

Jase felt dumbstruck. He couldn’t recall why he was there. “Okay, I guess.”

“Let me tell the doctor that you’ve woken up. I’ll be right back.” When the nurse left the room, Jase examined himself to find his injuries but could see none. He was perfectly intact aside from an itch on his head. When he went to scratch it, he realized his head was bandaged. The nurse returned with the doctor, an older gentleman with perfect posture and bright expression. “Finally,” the doctor said. “You were beginning to worry us. Can you tell us your name?”

“Jase,” he answered. “Jase Benjamin.”

The doctor stepped forward and shined a flashlight in Jase’s eyes. “Do you know how old you are?”

“Twenty.”

“Very good. Now, can you tell me what happened?”

“Doctor, I don’t have the slightest idea.”

The doctor nodded. “I thought not. A slight case of amnesia was expected. We’ll tell you what happened in due time, but right now I want to focus on you. You were out for quite longer than expected and I would like to perform an MRI scan now that you’re awake. To ensure that all the gears in your noggin are turning properly.”

“Sure, I guess,” Jase shrugged.

“Excellent, the nurse will take you to the MRI room when you’re ready. Do be careful. It has been quite some time since you used your legs.” The doctor stepped out and Jase sat up slowly. The nurse helped him get out of the bed and stand. He wobbled his first few steps as if walking were foreign to him.

“Are you experiencing any dizziness,” the nurse asked.

“No,” Jase answered. “It just feels like my legs don’t want to work.”

“That’s what happens when you don’t use them in over a week.”

``

Jase heard an argument walking into the hallway. The doctor was having a confrontation with someone. “We need to take things slowly with him,” the doctor said. “Please, wait until I get the results from the MRI scan.”

Jase saw that it was his roommate, Antonio, arguing with the doctor. “Jase,” Antonio called out, ignoring the doctor in his path. Antonio walked up and gave Jase a giant bear hug.

Jase didn’t have enough time to react before he was stuck in place with the breath getting squeezed out of him. “Damn Antonio. You know I only like you as a friend, right?”

“Don’t get excited you son of a bitch,” Antonio said, letting go. “If you didn’t wake up before rent was due, I would’ve killed you in your sleep.”

“What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Jase shook his head.

“Can this please wait until after the MRI scan,” the doctor intruded. “This could potentially affect the results.”

“I’ll be right back,” Jase said to Antonio. “We’ll talk after.”

“I’ll be here,” Antonio said as Jase and the doctor walked away.

The doctor reviewed the results after the scan. “Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. I suppose you’re just a heavy sleeper after all.”

“So, I’m free to go?”

“If you feel you’re well enough to leave, we can’t keep you here. Though I would prefer it if you’d stay here so I can monitor your condition.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, doc. But I don’t like being stuck in a hospital when I don’t have to be.” There was nothing that Jase didn’t like about hospitals. He just couldn’t stand the atmosphere. It was like there was a smell in the air that he found displeasing.

“I completely understand,” the doctor said. “Just take it easy for a couple of days and contact me if you feel unwell in any way.” The doctor handed Jase his card and the nurse retrieved a bag with all of Jase’s belongings, including a hefty sack with all his get-well cards.

Jase accompanied Antonio and they walked into the elevator. An awkward silence took hold of them as the elevator doors closed. “Well,” Jase finally said. “You going to tell me what happened.”

Antonio gave a smile. “A bomb went off at Millennium College.”

“What?”

“That’s right, classes are canceled.” Antonio left the elevator and entered the parking garage with a smile.

“Was anyone hurt,” Jase asked as he followed.

“Oh, yeah. A shit tone of people were injured and like ten people died.”

Jase grabbed Antonio’s shoulder to pause his walk. “Who?”

“I don’t know. No one we knew. The school’s online chat room has been going nuts about a professor that died though. Some prof. Gregory.”

“London is dead!”

“Damn,” Antonio continued walking. “I didn’t realize you were on a first-name basis with her. Respect.”

“She didn’t like to be called professor. She wanted us to be more comfortable talking to her, so she demanded we call her by her first name.”