Midnight Your in a Nation.

This room is unfamiliar.   I don’t know how I got here.  Where’s my mom, dad, Jill, or Airy.  Airy’s the dog, but maybe you knew that.  White walls.  Doesn’t make sense.  I’ve never had white walls.  Always teal or light green.  Never white.   But, that’s not what I’m thinking about.  I look at my wrist and my watch is missing.  Someone at school stole my watch?   Anyway, I’ll figure that out in a minute.  Right now, I gotta pee, so I start rolling over, but something’s in the way.  Goddamn it.   So, I roll over to my left and something’s in the way on that side, too.  Weird.  But, I I’m young.  Hell, I’m only 12, so I move my butt back in the bed and look at the strange things blocking me from going pee.  But, I see they’re only near the top of the bed, so I butt walk to the bottom of the bed.  I see there’s a bathroom; the door’s open.  So, I put my feet off the side of the bed and stand up.  Then, there’s a deafening cacophony, sort of like a car alarm, but louder like someone put a bullhorn on a car alarm.  

    Then, I see a white woman in a white gown with white hair coming towards me in a walk/run and she asks, “What?   What do you need?”

    I don’t know this woman.   I look at her with dog eyes or like the eyes of a dog when you take them in a car, but they don’t know where they’re being taken.  This woman isn’t my mom?   Maybe a baby sitter!?   The cacophony is still there.   She goes to the window (there’s a window?) side of the bed, feels under the bed, pushes something and the sound stops.  Thank God.  

     “What?  What do you want?”  

    I look towards the bathroom and point.   She rolls her eyes and says, “Yes, go to bathroom and pee.  Do you need any help?”

    I ask, “Any help?   Any help with what?”

    “Peeing.”

     “No, why would I . . ?.”

     “Ok, go pee, then wash your hands and we’ll talk,” she says, but I hear her mumble ‘again,’ under her breath.  

      Am I in trouble?   Maybe this is juvenile detention, jail, or the looney bin?   Is she a parole officer?   I don’t remember doing anything wrong.  To be honest, I don’t remember anything.   I mean I remember my family and the dog.  I know where I live, but this isn’t it.  I shrug, lift the lid, I start to push my pants down, but I’m not wearing pants.   Am I wearing a dress.  At least I have on underwear.  So, I take off this . . . dress?  and pull down my underwear and pee.  It’s a long stream.  It’s relaxing.  The sound of water hitting water, like a fountain.   The stream weakens and stops.   I shake it and a few drips come out.   Then, I pull up my underwear and turn on the water.  There’s only one faucet, but it twists left for hot and right for cold.  I see a pump soap dispenser, push it over my right hand, lather my hands, and rinse it.  I’m sorry.  I’m sure the reader’s washed their hands before, but why is this woman angry with me?   Where are my parents?   Who is this woman?   Maybe I’ve been kidnapped?   But, why wouldn’t they want me to pee if I was kidnapped?  They’d be threatening me, but not to not go to the bathroom.  

     I open the door to the bathroom and this lady isn’t there, thank God, but, as I walk, I see her outside this door (my door?) and she says, “Now, did you wash your hands?” And I tell her the truth, that I did.  Then, I ask, “Am I in trouble?”

    She takes a deep breath and says, “No, but I need to show you something”.

    “Where are my mom and dad?” I ask.  

    “Your mom and dad are at your home in Toledo, Ohio.”

      “Am I in trouble?   Is this juvenile detention?”

     “You got a lot of questions for 2 o’clock in the morning.   But, that’s my job.  This is what I signed up for.   So, first thing is no, you’re not in trouble.   But, if you’ll look at these night guards .  . .”

     “What are night guards?”

      Then, she points to the metal things that stopped me from getting out of bed and says, “These are the night guards.  Think I heard you banging into them earlier, but thought you were rolling in your sleep”.

     “But, why wouldn’t I need . . .”

     “To make sure you don’t roll over and hit your head on the floor,” she says, “ but see this thing that looks like a toilet paper roll?”

    I nod my head.  

    “There’s a button on the top of it.   Now, if you’ll look need something, like to go pee or poop or your hungry or your scared or confused . . .”

    “But, I’m scared and confused right now,” I say.

    “Let me get through this, then I’ll explain more, but listen to me.  You remember what I said so far or do you need me to repeat it?”

    “No, I remember” I say.  

    “What I say so far?” she asks.  

    I have to think, but then say, “There are loud, metal guards next to my bed, that’ll make loud noises if I get up to go potty in the middle of the night, but there’s a toilet paper roll next to my bed and you’re going to get me a bed pan.   Now, where is this place?”  

   She rolls her eyes and says, “This is Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Bowling Green, Ohio.   You hit your head in a football game and had surgery.   They stopped the game after your accident, so no one won.”

    “Why am I in a dress and where’s my watch, my clothes, my . . .”

     “The surgeons had to cut through all of that stuff and throw it out, but your parents said, if you’ll look make it, they’ll buy you new stuff and, don’t tell them I told you this, maybe a dog.   Not that you’ll remember that anyway.”  

      “But, wait, what year is it?”

      She tells me.  

     “Wait, but that means I missed some school and I’ll have to. . .” I start asking.  

     “Yes, more than likely, you’ll have to be held back a year and . . .”

     “But, “

     “You need to talk to your parents or you could let them sleep and wait for tomorrow.   Want a sleeping pill?”