I looked at the broken floor below me, realizing that I was an idiot. This wasn't something any sane person would do. In fact, anyone with a measurable amount of common sense wouldn't have come near a place full of rusted metal and broken floors. Looking across the way, the small kitten stared at me, almost as if he were mocking me.
"I hate cats," I muttered to myself. And I did. I had never liked them. They were like tiny demons ready to destroy your ankles, your shoes, and anything else that wasn't made of scratch resistant material. But, I told the little boy I'd get his cat. Could I have simply told him no, that I would go and find his mother? Sure. Again, that would have been sensible and sane. And I couldn't have that, now could I?
"Here kitty kitty," I called, trying to sound sweet and docile. And... the cat hissed at me. He leapt down, clearing the broken floor boards and making it down another hallway.
"Stupid little son of..." I let my profanity trail off before mentally measuring the distance before me. 10 feet. That didn't seem like a huge leap. I was 5'10". My legs weren't exactly short. And I worked out. Some. I had jogged a mile just... Okay, so I didn't work out. But I could definitely make a jump that was only 10 feet. I looked back down. Maybe 12 feet. Nevertheless, I could make it. I knew that I could. Until I jumped. As I fell those 2 stories down to the ground level, I knew, without a doubt, that the cat had done this on purpose, validating my suspicions of their nature.
I awoke, the smell of ammonia making me slap at my own face.
"There you are, miss," a woman's voice said, smiling down at me as my vision struggled to clear. "You just relax. Try not to move too much."
I blinked, seeing her semi large nurse bonnet.. thingie. She looked out of place, like she was wearing a costume instead of a uniform.
"What's going on?" I asked, finding my throat scratchy. I felt dehydrated more than anything. In fact, surprisingly, I didn't really hurt at all. I expected at least to be sore. But I wasn't. I tried to sit up and the nurse pushed me back down.
"Don't you worry, miss." The nurse smiled at me, taking the time to pat the side of my face. "The doctor will be here soon."
Not feeling like arguing, I resigned myself to lying there. I looked around at my surroundings and could feel something not right. I had been to the hospital several times. (No, I'm not that big of a klutz... Okay, fine, I am.) but this didn't look the least bit familiar. The light fixtures, the smells, they were different. I looked around, seeing an empty bed close to my own and staring at the shape and style. It looked like an antique. A new, shiny antique. Looking down at my own body, my gown seemed off and strange.
"Nurse, I..." As I opened my mouth to ask a question, a doctor entered the room. He seemed to be about 40, maybe 45, with just a touch of gray in his hair. But what really struck me was that he wasn't wearing a coat, a set of scrubs. Instead, he was wearing a suit. Not something I was used to in the least.
"What do we have here, Joan?" he asked, walking towards the bed.
"Female, mid 20s doctor. She.."
The doctor cut her off. "Name?"
I opened my mouth to respond, finding that I couldn't remember it for a second. "Jessie," I piped up, watching as he looked at me from behind his glasses. "Jessica, sir."
"She was found at the patient drop-off. She seems to be out of sorts."
"Is that all?" He angled his head, looking at my feet. "Surely there's a reason you summoned me."
"Well, Doctor, she doesn't appear to be married." The nurse patted my hand, making me attempt to pick my jaw up off of my chest. Did I just get belittled about being single? Again? My own mother had taken out ads for me in the local newspaper, convinced I would die a spinster. I wanted to open my mouth and spew that I was only 24, that I just didn't have time to go hunting for Mr. Right, but I was too in shock. "I think her problem may be of the feminine nature."
"Oh, I see," the doctor said, smiling. "Well, that certainly does explain your recommendation that I oversee the case." He walked to the front of the bed, grabbing my chin and looking into my eyes. "Her pupils seem more dilated that I expected." He grabbed my wrist, checking my pulse. "Accelerated heart rate." He grabbed my chin again, looking me dead in the eye. "I need you to answer me truthfully, do you understand?" His voice was stern and set, bordering on fatherly.
"Yes sir," I whispered.
"Are you a virgin?"
I felt my face turn bloodred a second before I pulled my face away from his grip. "Yes sir."
"Very good." He turned, looking at the nurse. "Take her to my procedure room on the the lower level. I need her thoroughly prepared for me." He stepped out of the room, almost in a rush, without looking back at me.
"Ma'am, I don't think I understand what exactly is going on." I looked up at the nurse, almost pleadingly. "I just fell. I don't understand why..."
"Shhh, don't you worry," she soothed, pulling straps across me. I started to protest, to scream, but I couldn't fathom what was going on. What would I have screamed? And to whom? I felt the leather tighten and she patted my face again. She checked them, making sure my hands were secure. "That's a good girl," she said, still smiling. She pulled a blanket over me, hiding the straps. She pulled a release on the bottom of the stretcher, immediately pushing me through the door and down a hallway. I could see other doctors, other nurses, my head still spinning and trying to focus. Nothing was making sense anymore. It was like being in a dream. One that I could smell and hear and touch. Soon we arrived at what can only be described as an ancient elevator. It creaked and squeaked and seemed to be made of glass. I watched helplessly as she pushed the B2 button, sending us downward at a crawl.
"Ma'am, I'm not sick. I just fell. I don't understand what's going on."
"Of course you don't, dear," she said again, still as sweet as ever. "Just relax. You'll feel a lot better soon."
"I don't think you understand what I'm saying. There's nothing wrong with me. I just need to get home."