And So She Slept

Some Comfort

Sitting across the glass conference table from three other individuals, all wearing the same white scrubs, Sadie imagined an orientation to recap four years couldn't possibly take longer than an hour or two. She anticipated new cell phone technology and outdated social media apps to be the main topic, along with how to adjust to telling people why her resumes would feature an odd employment gap.

Politely pressing her lips, she nodded her head at the others.

"Hey, I'm Clover," the teen murmured with a slight shrug. She couldn't have been more than sixteen with her black curly hair pulled into a tight updo.

Sitting to her left were two other adults. The older man was bald, and didn't seem at all interested in making eye contact, or concerning himself with anyone else. The woman next to him looked to be about his age, and said nothing either, but settled at least for a head nod at Sadie.

"Sadie," she responded.

"Hope this doesn't take forever. I just want to get out," Clover sighed as she stretched her arms upward.

"I was thinking the same thing. I can't wait to see my friends. They've been waiting on me for, well, I guess probably about four years or so."

As soon as Clover opened her mouth to respond, two men in all black entered the room. All of the table's members fell silent as the men passed out folders bearing the ACCI logo in silver on the front. Anticipating questions, they began.

"Welcome everyone, I'm Dr. Lewis and this is Mr. Hahn. We specialize in re-entry programs such as these to ensure you get the tools you need to readjust after your suspension. In front of you, you'll find your information packet just to help answer some of the easier questions. We'll spend a few minutes up here and then you'll be allocated some time to read through your folders, as they're personalized to your individual circumstances. So, starting out here, why don't we go around the table quickly and you can each state your name, and briefly why you chose suspension here at the ACCI," Dr Lewis started. He faced the older woman across from Sadie and motioned for her to follow the directions.

"...Hi, I'm Adeline. I was diagnosed with MS and they said I'd be in a chair before my grandchildren were old enough for me to run around and play with them. I heard that advancements in time could lead to better treatment, and when I woke up this morning, it was the first time I wasn't in pain," she said, her voice only quivering once. She made eye contact with everyone the moment she started talking about her grandchildren, signaling that they were the most important part of her life. Turning her attention to the man next to her, she awaited his story.

"Good, thank you for sharing. Hello, Adeline," Dr. Lewis added before the bald gentleman spoke up.

"Wayne. I just wasn't ready to go, sir. I got too many things I want to do, and I had the money so I thought eh, what the hell, you know?"

Chuckles erupted from the once silent and still orientation room. His honesty was amusing to all, but his instinct to only be genuine was touching. Dr. Lewis commended him on his initiative to alter his own future, happy to hear his truth.

"I'm Clover, and my mom signed me up for this. I'm her only kid, and she sent me here when I was hit by a drunk driver. I lost my eyesight and needed a new kidney. Mom didn't want me sitting on some waiting list for years while I was blind and hooked up to machines, so she put me into suspension until I could get new eyes and my kidney. That's it," she answered with another familiar shrug of her shoulders as if to say it was no big deal.

Sadie told her story next. She could feel all sets of eyes on her as she briefly recounted her experience with bad timing and a brain tumor. She paused only twice, trying to remember the details. It was the feeling of trying to remember a movie scene from an old childhood classic film. The moment was there, but it felt like a distant memory now, and she was glad for it. As she concluded her tale, she subconsciously began to try to recall the small features of the two people in her life that meant the most to her.

"Thank you, Sadie. Now that we've shared our experiences, we will move to the next section here. Assimilation. Does anyone remember the date, or at least the year, that they entered suspension?" Dr. Lewis asked openly.

Adeline opened her mouth to speak instinctively, but then creased her brow and paused, realizing that she may still be a bit disoriented. Clover raised her hand.

"2066," she said surely, smiling lightly as if she were in class. Sadie giggled impulsively.

"They must have given you the good stuff," she mumbled through her chuckle. The rest of the room fell silent.

"What's going on?" Dr. Lewis questioned the two girls. Speaking up, Sadie clarified.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just...she said 2066, and I said she must have had the good drugs. That's all. I apologize."

"When were you admitted?" Mr. Hahn spoke for the first time. His voice deeper than she'd anticipated by looking at the slim man.

"2018," Sadie responded with a face that emulated a "so what" look. She could instantly feel the attention of the room shift in her direction as Adeline gasped audibly.

"Dear lord, you're old," Adeline said aloud unintentionally before putting a hand over her lips.

"What are you talking about? It's got to be, what, 2020 or 2021? That's not that old."

"Let's all try to remember each of our experiences are different from the others. We're all here for different reasons. Not all of you are equally aware. Sadie, you are indeed the oldest person in this room," Mr Hahn clarified.

Sadie's eyes shifted from side to side, looking at everyone defensively, as if they were not to be trusted as she did her best to process the information being given to her. Frantically, she tried to do the math in her head without letting herself jump into a panic, but she could already feel the tightness in her chest begin to accelerate her now-shallow breathing.

"Sadie...Sadie, look at me," Dr. Lewis instructed with a slow monotone voice until he could see her gaze meet his.

"When is it? What year is this?" she demanded to know, trying not to let her anxiety raise her voice.

"Sadie, you were admitted into our cryogenic suspension program in 2018 with a brain tumor, days from death. Five years later we obtained the drugs to successfully shrink it. Within weeks, it was eradicated. We'd anticipated bringing you out of suspension, however when a new president was elected into office, a lot of our methods were deemed illegal and had to be put on hold. After the chain of narrow-minded leaders, we had to perfect the method of awakening..." Dr. Lewis rambled.

"What year is it?" Sadie interrupted with a shout as she slammed her clammy palms onto the glass table, startling the others.

"...2071. You've lived here for 53 years, Sadie."

Frozen in her seat, she desperately tried to make sense of the information. She couldn't wrap her understanding around the fact that effectively, she was now in her eighties. Slowly coming to that conclusion, as she gasped for breath, knowing this meant that 53 years had passed for Jack and Krystina too. The thought of them living each day like she was never coming back pushed her over the edge.

Standing up almost too quickly, Sadie flipped her chair and began to rush toward the two men in black at the head of the long table as she shouted with tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

"What the hell did you do to me? How could you do this? Do you have any idea what you've done?" she screamed, reaching out with her arms to swing at the first ACCI employee she could touch.

Dr. Lewis and Mr. Hahn did not flinch. Before Sadie could effectively get in arm's reach of them, the two nurses in blue appeared from the doorway and restrained her. Pushing a needle into her arm, Sadie wriggled and fought as if she were being abducted until everything went black. Apologizing, the nurses carried Sadie back to her room, tucking her gently into her bed, knowing that they could never imagine the shock she felt.

"Maybe this will help bring her some comfort," Rita said as she picked up Sadie's box of belongings from the desk and placed it, lid open, on the foot of the bed. Patting her on the head like a mother, she pulled the blanket up to Sadie's chin.

The fresh air touching it's pages for the first time in over half a century, the Bucket List Binder's edge peered out of the top of the safety deposit box, waiting to be seen.