Tandem

Raechel Harchey

Raechel's eyes felt heavy as she willed her eyelids to open. Despite lying down, she could feel her head spinning as though she were about to fall over. Her throat was dry and sore and she found herself craving a glass of water. She eventually manged to force her eyes open to look around the room. Every single wall surrounding her was covered in canvas pictures with quotes written on them. She was lying on a small metal bed, with a thin blue blanket draped over her. There were two soft lamps turned on in opposite corners of the room, giving it an almost homely feel. Apart from the bed, the lamps and the canvasses though the room was almost bare.

She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked closely at the writing on the canvasses. One of them read 'Healing begins with help' whilst another said 'Your new life begins at the Gauze'. So that was where she was, right where she'd started.

"Something definitely began, that's for sure,' she gently lowered herself down onto the floor. The linoleum flooring felt cool underneath her socks. She didn't remember taking her shoes off when she'd been at the old café. She looked around the room again and noticed that her shoes had been neatly placed together by the door. She walked over to them, all the while casting her eyes across the walls and corners of the ceilings, searching for cameras. If there were any they were well hidden.

She slipped on her shoes and reached for the door handle, expecting the door to be locked. To her surprise, the door opened. She peered out into the hallway and saw a lady sat on a sofa just a little way along. At the sound of the door opening, the lady looked at Raechel and stood up to walk towards her. It was then that Raechel saw that she was in what looked to be a nurse's uniform.

"It's Raechel isn't it?" the lady asked. "I'm Candice."

"Yes it is," Raechel croaked. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep for but it was long enough for her throat to feel hoarse and dry. "Am I in the Gauze?"

"Yes, you are."

"How did I get here? And where are Holt and Jack?"

"I wish I could tell you but this whole thing is a bit beyond me. I'm just an intern. I don't really get included in all the exciting stuff. Please rest assured that your friends are both absolutely fine though. There's no need to worry."

"What do you mean by exciting stuff?"

"You know what I mean, the big stuff."

"No I don't know what you mean."

"I'm not really the best person to explain it all. Besides, I'm under strict instructions to escort you to where you're meant to be. I was told that the minute you woke up, I was to take "

"Can you tell me anything about what's going on? Anything at all?"

Candice shook her head with an apologetic look on her face. "The quicker we get you where you need to be, the quicker you'll get your explanation. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"It's ok," Raechel followed Candice as they made their way along one of the corridors. Doors were dotted along the walls, each with their own metal plaque in the centre with a number written on it. Raechel couldn't remember which room she'd been in during her treatment at the Gauze. She did remember the smell though, the fumes from the bleach and cleaning products was a hard scent to forget. The lighting was still as harsh and bright as she remembered it to be, a far contrast to the soft lighting in the room she'd just come out of.

"Did you say you were an intern?" Raechel asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes I am," Candice turned around and beamed at Raechel; it was clear to see she was proud of her job.

"What's it like working here?"

"It's amazing. I used to dream about one day having a job where I could help people and now I'm here. My mum has been a nurse for as long as I can remember and my dad recently retired from the fire service. I've grown up with people around me having jobs where they save lives and make people better, I guess that rubbed off on me."

"How long have you worked here?"

"Not long at all."

"Months? Weeks? Days?"

"If you're asking because you want to know if I was a part of your transfer then I'm sorry to disappoint you. I started here a few days after you were discharged."

Raechel nodded. Candice was practically glowing with positivity and happiness as she walked along the hallway. Raechel couldn't help but feel that this girl didn't belong in a place like the Gauze. Her carefree nature seemed completely out of place but it put Raechel at ease and for that she was grateful. The Gauze had always put her on edge.

"Who asked for me?"

"Now, that I can tell you. It was Zadicus who asked for you."

"Why would he want to see me?"

"You tell me. He's been nothing less than obsessed with your case since you came for treatment. It's all I've been hearing about since I began working here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Only a select few of us know your name but we know it all the same."

Raechel was in utter disbelief. Her mind was whirring a mile a minute as she followed Candice through a doorway leading to yet another corridor.

"Sometimes I still get lost even though I've walked these corridors a thousand times a day. Don't worry though, we are almost at Wing C."

"Wing C?"

"Yes that's right. Wing C."

"What on earth is Wing C?"

Raechel stopped dead in her tracks. Candice turned around to face her. "It's ok. I promise it's nothing bad or scary."

"Can you tell me exactly where I'm going," Candice turned around to continue walking but stopped dead when Raechel spoke again. "Please."

"My instruction was to escort you, not explain things but I can understand why you have so many questions."

Raechel took a step towards Candice. "You have to understand where I'm coming from. I have absolutely no idea why I'm here or where my friends are. I'm in a strange place filled with people I don't know and nobody can offer me an explanation. I just want to know where I'm going."

"Ok. If you want to know so badly before we get there I'll tell you."

"Thank you."

Candice sighed. "Wing C is the prison building." 

"The what?"

"I know it's not what you were expecting to hear but it's where I was told to bring you."

"Are you saying that Zadicus wants to lock me up? Is that where Holt and Jack are?"

"No, I was telling the truth when I said that it wasn't anything bad or scary. Neither you nor your friends are being locked up. There's something there you need to see Raechel, or should I say someone. I know little more than you do about all of this but as I say, the sooner we get you to Wing C the sooner everything can be explained. I really am sorry I can't put your mind to rest just yet but if anything I say can reassure you then let it be this. Nothing bad is going to happen to you here. Zadicus ordered everyone who works here to keep you and your friends safe and that is what we will all do. Now, if you're ready we should probably continue on our way."

Raechel glanced over her shoulder at the winding hallway behind her. Despite only just walking through it moments before it still looked completely unfamiliar, as if she'd never seen it before. She looked back at Candice who offered her a gentle smile.

"Ok," Raechel nodded. "Wing C here we come."