Dominic once again found himself waking up in a strange place. At least this time, when he checked, he was dressed. His head pounded, and he lacked that full stomach feeling – in fact, his stomach gurgled in protest to the lack of food. He moved to sit up but couldn’t raise his arms. Fur covered leather bands surrounded his wrists and ankles, and no amount of struggling freed them. The chains on the bands clanked against the bed railing, echoing against the clear, white walls of a hospital room.
He relaxed his head back in frustration, remembering the events of the night before. If it had even been the night before. For all he knew, searching the room for a calendar, he could've been out for a year.
A quick inventory of memories showed him the mad dash into the convenience store, the screams of an elderly woman watching him (or more likely watching his flopping package), and the lunge of a trucker on top of him, tackling him just as he reached for the t-shirts.
He remembered the humiliating wait for the police to arrive, the gray, itchy woolen blanket that hung from his shoulders to the floor, the cuffs, and the standard cliché of having his head lowered as he entered the back seat.
He relaxed his head back in frustration, remembering the events of the night before. If it had even been the night before. For all he knew, searching the room for a calendar, he could've been out for a year.
A quick inventory of memories showed him the mad dash into the convenience store, the screams of an elderly woman watching him (or more likely watching his flopping package), and the lunge of a trucker on top of him, tackling him just as he reached for the t-shirts.
He remembered the humiliating wait for the police to arrive, the gray, itchy woolen blanket that hung from his shoulders to the floor, the cuffs, and the standard cliché of having his head lowered as he entered the back seat.
More memories: the police station, lucid and calm, at least relative to the other felons and petty criminals who shouted threats to every person they passed. They asked him his name, what happened, did he know where he was, so on. He knew most of the answers. When they asked “what happened”, he drew a blank.
His parents. They’d be worried about him. Dominic was a homebody – his stature conveyed an air of toughness and intimidation, but his personality was as soft as the doe he woke up next to. Or killed. And right now, he just wanted to be home. College hadn't been an option for him, so his days were spent on video games and looking for jobs, one being a higher priority than the other. But his parents did take care of him without complaint, and knowing what his other friends typically went through, he couldn't ask for more.
His parents. They’d be worried about him. Dominic was a homebody – his stature conveyed an air of toughness and intimidation, but his personality was as soft as the doe he woke up next to. Or killed. And right now, he just wanted to be home. College hadn't been an option for him, so his days were spent on video games and looking for jobs, one being a higher priority than the other. But his parents did take care of him without complaint, and knowing what his other friends typically went through, he couldn't ask for more.
A woman showed up with a white lab coat, opening the door to the hospital room with a slow creak. Heels clacked on the tiled floor as she strolled to his bed, checked the IV drip, smiled at him. The smile triggered another memory, he had seen that before. The police station. She had asked him if he had any memories whatsoever about the night, and when he shook his head 'no' she had stood up to talk to a police officer in private. He remembers watching her thin, delicate fingers scribble her name on a form clinging to a clipboard, and then she had led Dominic to a…car? A van? The storage shelves in his mind became encased in fog.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile. “So glad to see you awake. Do you know where you are?” Her light, soothing voice had a touch of a British accent. Dominic liked her almost immediately. Her smile showed off perfect teeth, and while he stared at her the smile transformed into a smirk as if she knew what he was thinking, and has had other boys his age look at her the same way. He turned away and blushed.
She laughed. “Ok, I’ll assume that’s a no, or that you’re too distracted to care.” She stood over him and his bed. “I’m Dr. Miles, I picked you up at the police station.” She noticed the restraints and shook her head. “Oh, goodness. I’m so sorry. I don’t think we’ll be needing these now.”
“What happened?” Dominic asked. “Why am I tied down?”
“Oh. At the time they were quite necessary, I’m afraid. You tried to eat the throat out of one of my nurses last night.”
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