Soft grass surrounded Emily as she laid back, the soft afternoon light playing over her face. Her long brown hair was spread out in the lawn behind her. She was enjoying the warm sun and could hear kids playing ball in another corner of the park. In the distance she was vaguely aware of the annoying beeping noise of a truck in reverse. Sitting up to look around, she felt an unusual sense of detachment to her surroundings. Emily couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Suddenly a woman Emily hadn't noticed spoke up from behind her.
"Oh have you woken up?"
Emily turned to look, a bit startled. Behind her was a sharply dressed lady, her head cocked slightly to the side. She looked out at Emily with a straight face, the barest hint of curiosity hidden behind her wide sunglasses. Emily was taking a moment to respond as the lady had caught her off guard. Looking her up and down she couldn't help but notice the sleek lines of her outfit. The fitted clothing showed off the woman's confident posture, hinting at the toned body underneath. Still foggy from her quick awakening, Emily squinted at the woman in the bright sun, her straight black hair neatly framing her face. Emily couldn't help but think she looked familiar. The woman tilted her head further, expectantly.
"I.." Emily started, but at that moment was distracted by a noise in front of her.
"Hey, you're
waking up
!" Emily's head whipped back around. One of the kids from the park was suddenly right in front of her. How had he gotten there so fast?
Emily shielded her face as the light seemed to be getting more intense. The annoying beeping of that truck reversing drilling into her head. It seemed to be getting louder.
"Wha.. " Suddenly from right beside her ear she heard the lady's voice. The words penetrating into her mind
"Emily,
wake up
"
Emily tried to turn, but her strength giving out she started leaning backwards. Staring up, the crossed image of the sun swirling around above her head. Slowly the park around her began fading out, she could sense only the repetitive beeping in the distance.
beep......... beep........... beep.........
Suddenly the light above her head began fading back in, two images of a light slowly coalesced into one. The soft texture of grass was replaced by the feeling of sheets and pillows. Looking to her right, she saw a person standing over her bed. Emily blinked as the concerned face of the woman from her dream began coming into focus.
"Oh my god you're awake!" The lady stood up in shock. "Please, don't be alarmed. You need rest and relaxation."
The beeping in the background grew faster. Emily looked over the woman's shoulder to the EKG monitor behind her. Noticing this, the woman reached out to take Emily's hand.
"Please, relax. My name is Doctor Lee." She said in a soothing voice. "I have good news and bad news for you. I want to start by saying your treatment was successful."
Emily's thoughts were racing. Her memories were starting to come back to her. 'My treatment... the experimental treatment. Does that mean, my cancer is gone?'
As if reading her thoughts, Dr Kim responded. "Yes, you are in complete remission. Have been for a while in fact. However the treatment was not without.. complications"
Emily stared up at the Doctor. Still feeling to weak to express her thoughts out loud, her mind continued to race. 'What kind of complications. Did she say I've been cancer free for a while? I thought the treatment would take time to be effective.'
The Doctor looked down at Emily, her soft hand grasping Emily's a bit more firmly in a reassuring way.
"Emily, your cancer was cured six months after the treatment was administered, but the treatment caused your body to shut down under the extreme stress. You've been in a coma for the past five years. It's currently January of 2028."
Emily blinked, all thoughts erased from her previously cluttered mind. 'Did she say five years..?'. She looked around, slowly taking more of her surroundings in. She was clearly in a hospital room, but everything seemed far more technologically advanced than she remembered. Sleek monitors and holograms surrounded the room. Slowly, her senses began returning as if they had been missing for a long time. Looking down across her body covered by hospital sheets, Emily could feel her senses returning, causing her body to feel hot. She became aware that the movement of her wrists was strangely restricted.
"There is more.. Emily the treatment had an effect on your body in addition to simply curing the cancer. The aggressive new growth of healthy, cancer free cells was more aggressive than we originally thought. Your body didn't stop at simply replacing those cells lost to cancer, but continued to proliferate. In some cases, producing entirely new bodily organs which you didn't previously have. This effect has slowed over time, but we were unable to stop or reverse any of the changes as they occurred.."
"Wha.." Emily started to respond. It was too much to take in. Her bodies senses all began returning more sharply, everything felt so hot! Why couldn't she move her hands?