What if they were wrong?
Matthew Andrews woke up in a hospital bed. Confused, he tried to move his hands, then feet but found that something held them down. He looked straight up and stared at the sterile hospital ceiling above him. He felt tired and slowly drifted back to sleep, still puzzled as to why he was there.
“I see we’re awake now.” A soft voice called out, causing Matthew’s eyes to flutter open. He turned his head to the side to see a medium-sized man in a white lab coat. “I am Doctor Cassidy.”
Matthew’s eyes narrowed and he tried to say something, but his mouth felt bone dry and he was unable to manage anything over a hoarse whisper. Doctor Cassidy smiled and nodded after a moment.
“You have been here for about four days.” He smiled with relief, “We were worried for a while.”
Matthew looked puzzled, Doctor Cassidy continued, “You had a nasty reaction to the stun darts the EMTs got you with. For a while, we thought we had lost you.” Matthew’s mind was racing, stun darts? EMTs? What was going on, his mind screamed. He coughed and his eyes bulged out in pain from the effect it had on his dry throat. Doctor Cassidy held a plastic cup with a straw up to Matthew’s lips. The cold liquid felt amazing on his parched lips and dry throat. He sipped ravenously. Finally, he looked back over to Doctor Cassidy.
“What happened to me?” Matthew managed, his throat still aching, “Where am I?”
Doctor Cassidy’s eyes narrowed for a second and then smiled. “You don’t know?” Doctor Cassidy shook his head and then looked at his charts.
Matthew added, ‘And why the restraints?”
Doctor Cassidy looked back up, ‘It’s standard procedure here.”
Matthew huffed, “And here is?”
“Why the Harris County Hospital for the Criminally Insane,” Cassidy remarked without emotion. Matthew looked at the Doctor with his eyes wide with horror. Surely it must be a mistake, his mind screamed out.
“Why?” Matthew’s mind raced with all the possibilities. What had occurred? What had happened?
Doctor Cassidy looked on nervously, “The Justice of the Peace will be here later to diagnose and judge your case later.”
Cassidy said above a whisper before leaving, “But the charge is sedition against the State. Try to get some rest.”
Matthew just stared at the ceiling his mind trying to absorb some of what he had just been told. He heard the door open again, he looked up to see a nurse walk over to his IV and inject something into it. Before he could say anything, he grew tired and in seconds was asleep.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.