And So She Slept

When Are We?

Blinking her heavy eyes once, then twice, Sadie began to allow the white light from her room to break through the darkness she'd been in. Only able to hold her eyes open for seconds at a time, she tried to bring herself to focus on something different each time. A light. A bed. A chair. A window. Disoriented as her body's systems began to restart, she gave in to the weight of sleep again.

The next time Sadie opened her eyes, it was in response to the beeping of the various machines attached to her body. Still weak, she moved her head in the direction of the window and wondered how long she'd allowed herself to blink last, as now the sun had vanished to reveal only darkness. Slowly looking around the walls, she didn't see a clock, only a panel of colorful buttons and a projection of what she assumed to be her vitals. Surveying her room, she also noticed she had no roommate to ask the time.

Looking down around her fingertips for a nearby call button, Sadie found only a small red circle on the side of her bed. Briefly considering the amount of equipment she was most likely connected to, she paused before deciding to press the button. Surprised at how difficult it was to will her arm to move, she was relieved when her fingertips touched the edge to push down on it. Moments later, two women entered her room.

"Good evening, Ms. Leren. Can you blink twice for me?" the older woman asked.

Sadie obliged and blinked her eyes, albeit with a small amount of struggle. Opening her mouth to speak, she suddenly noticed how dry her tongue and throat felt as the tiniest squeak exited. The other woman, also dressed in all blue, placed a hand on Sadie's shoulder in a comforting, and maternal, gesture as she spoke.

"Take it easy, dear. Your system is still adjusting to the flush. We're just getting rid of everything you don't need anymore now that you're awake. You'll regain all motor functions, including speech, within the next day. For now, you just worry about resting while all of that happens."

"You've done a great job so far. You're almost finished with the flush, and then we'll get you eating and walking around tomorrow. Not bad for the fourth candidate awake so far! This is a very exciting time for you, Ms. Leren," the older woman spoke. Smiling down at Sadie, she looked at the drip bags for fill levels.

"Just rest now, dear. We'll be back in in the morning. We're glad to see you awake. It's nice to see you open those pretty eyes."

Unable to find saliva, or natural moisture, in her mouth, Sadie swallowed a gulp of air to speak a few words. It was almost as if her body had forgotten how to move, or how to interpret the messages from her brain to her limbs. Seeing the struggle, the younger nurse leaned closer to Sadie's face to hear the message that was so important.

"Jack...is he...when...are we?"

Underestimating how much of her energy it cost to muster the few words, she laid her head back on her pillow and slipped into sleep before the answer could come. The nurse, leaning back, looked at her coworker.

"Poor thing. They're all so confused."

"Well, wouldn't you be? Her body and her mind are trying to make sense of the shock they've been through. I'm sure it's terrifying," the older woman said as she switched out the plastic bag filled with green liquid with a fresh one, ensuring it pumped appropriately into Sadie's iv.

"It shouldn't be too much longer. Should we go ahead and move her into the Orientation Room for when she wakes up? They probably want them all in the same class."

"I think that's fine. I'll have Sunny grab her safety deposit box and finalize her room prep. I can't imagine this will be easy for any of them," she answered as she pulled out a clear glass panel to enter the instructions and send them to the rest of the staff.

* * *

The sound of the machine monitoring her vitals beeped, waking Sadie up from what felt like a sudden cat nap. She sat up in the small room and wiped her eyes, noticing that she was no longer in a hospital bed, or wearing a gown. In what felt like scrubs, she looked at the bandages on her arms from the several chemical flushes and tests. Glad to be awake, she surveyed the room, which appeared more like a white simple dormitory instead of a hospital.

The room contained a small private bathroom, a dresser, a bed, and a desk. Noticing it was built to be transitional, Sadie deducted that she had woken up from cryogenic suspension and needed to be monitored for a period longer. Wiggling her toes, she felt that her muscles could still be slightly weak, so she chose to stay upright in bed for a little while longer. Hearing the door, she jumped.

"Just me, Ms. Leren. I'm glad to see you up and moving. I'm going to have Rita take you for a walk up and down the halls. Oh, here she is now," the older woman she recognized from her hospital room said.

Walking into the room and over to her bed, the nurse looked at Sadie and smiled. She assisted her in standing upright and holding onto the cane-like walk assist tool.

"Not too...bad after four years," Sadie chuckled. She focused hard on her posture, oblivious to the pressed lips and wide-eyed glances exchanged by the nurses as they knew today was not the day to tell Sadie the truth.