NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Hospital
I slowly woke up, feeling the softness of the sheets against my skin. The white ceiling, lit by cold, dim lights, welcomed me to an unfamiliar place. "I got my ass kicked on my second day in this world," I thought, trying to sit up in the hospital bed where I lay. A dull pain in my leg reminded me of how bad things had gotten, though it was far less intense than it should have been. The cast wrapped around my leg was uncomfortable, restricting my movements, so I decided to stay still, focusing on my powers in case something else happened.
The room was the typical hospital room: white walls, impersonal furniture, the constant hum of the monitors, and that overpowering smell of disinfectant saturating the air. I looked around, searching for my glasses, which rested on the small table beside my bed, along with my clothes—left in a deplorable state after the fight. As I tried to adjust to the situation, the door opened with a soft creak, revealing a tall woman with dark skin and a few scattered gray hairs in her black hair. Her expression was calm, professional, and she wore the signature white coat of a doctor. I didn't recognize her at first, until my eyes landed on her ID badge: Priyanka Maheswaran.
"Adrián, don't panic," I told myself. "Come up with a convincing excuse to explain your lack of credentials or record in the government system."
"I see you're finally awake," the doctor said with a firm yet calm tone, checking the devices connected to my bed and writing something on her clipboard before examining the cast on my leg.
I swallowed hard, pretending to be nervous. I already had a rough plan in my head, but I needed to be convincing. I had to act weak, harmless, and nervous for it to work. Giving myself an anxious look was crucial, so I made my hands tremble slightly and wore a wide-eyed, unsettled expression.
"Where am I?" I asked, feigning confusion. I brought a hand to my forehead as if trying to remember something important, adding a subtle touch of psionic power to my voice to make it sound weak and pitiful.
Priyanka watched me with a mix of pity and professionalism, trying to calm me with her voice. "You're at Beach City Hospital. We found you unconscious a few hours ago with a fractured leg and several bruises. You had no identification on you," she said, pausing for a moment as her eyes fixed on me expectantly. "Could you tell me your name for the record? And how you broke your leg?"
I paused for a second, pretending to hesitate. "I-I don't know," I replied with a shaky voice, just convincing enough to avoid suspicion. "M-my name is A-Adrián de la Rúbrica, but beyond that... everything's a blur."
My gaze was filled with confusion, still somewhat wide-eyed. I brought my hands to my head as if trying to recall something in vain. I knew I had to look disoriented, and I wasn't going to fail at my performance. Priyanka furrowed her brow slightly.
"That's an unusual name, but... you don't remember anything else? Where you live? Your parents' names, or any family?" she asked. Her tone remained calm but professional—I had to give her that.
"N-no... ma'am, everything's blurry. All I remember is a lot of pain, and then being here," I added with a sigh, lowering my head in a calculated gesture of frustration.
The doctor observed me silently for a few seconds that felt like an eternity. Finally, she let out a sigh as she wrote something on her clipboard. "Well, that complicates things a bit, but the good news is that your fracture is minor. We'll keep you under observation for another week, but you should make a full recovery by then. Rest for now; a nurse will come by later with some food."
I nodded slowly, trying to show relief as she left the room. The click of the door closing behind her gave me a moment to breathe. "She bought the story... for now," I thought. But I knew that any slip-up could unravel everything I had built.
Now alone, I began to process the information. "This doesn't make sense," I reflected as I looked at my immobilized leg. The damage that Gem monster did to me was far worse; I saw my leg break at an angle that shouldn't have healed in weeks, and now it's just a minor fracture. "Did the Gems heal me before bringing me here? And that Gem monster, as real as this world feels, that kind of horror shouldn't exist here," I wondered as paranoia and suspicion began to settle in my mind.
"This is bullshit," I muttered, running my hands through my hair. But I forced myself to calm down. "These useless thoughts won't change anything," I murmured before my expression turned deadly serious. "I have power now... and I won't die, no matter what."