(Author's Note- Thank you for reading "I Am Not Miriam", my first Degrassi fic. Please read and review. Even flames are welcome. Just tell me what I need to do to become a better writer.)
Disclaimer-I do not own Degrassi. I don't own any of the characters that you know in this story.
(Another Note- For those who are confused...anything in italics is what Emma is thinking)
WARNING: The whole story will have Degrassi spoilers.
I Am Not Miriam
By: Mousecat08
Emma woke up with a bolt. Where am I she thought to herself. Surrounded by the smell of gardenia's and rubbing alcohol, she began to remember. My anorexia, the panic attack--I'm in the hospital.
"How are you Miriam?" said a man in a white coat that Emma assumed was a doctor.
"I'm just fi-whoa. Wait. Who's Miriam?" Emma said confused. She knew she's had a hard fall, but her hearing was still ok.
The doctor shook his head, and turned to a middle aged couple Emma did not recognize. "This would be a side effect from the wreck," said the doctor. "She doesn't remember who she is." The woman gave a sob, as her husband tried to console her.
Wait a minute," Emma said, attempting to get out of bed. "I know exactly who I am."
"What a relief," said the doctor, "Maybe there isn't as much damage as I thought."
Emma stood, staring at these strangers. The man was tall and blonde, not unlike herself, and the woman had deep brown eyes. Who are these people, Emma wondered. Where's mom and Snake?.
"Miriam, Miriam!" said the doctor "You should stay in bed for a while. Just because you feel fine doesn't mean that you are."
By this point Emma was getting really mad. "Will you please quit calling me Miriam! My name is Emma! Emma Nelson!" Feeling for the phone by her bedside, she picked up the reciever and dialed rapid fast.
"What's she doing!" said the woman to the doctor.
"I'm calling my mom, that's what I'm doing," Emma yelled to the people.
The doctor was over to her side unplugging the cord, faster than she could say 'hello'. "What did you do that for?" Emma yelled. "I was trying to call my mom!"
"But Miriam, honey, I'm right here!" said the panic stricken woman. "Who's Emma Nelson?"
"Darling," said the man "I believe it's her character on Degrassi. Speaking of which, we'll have to call the producers to tell her that she won't be able to come to work for a while."
"Huh?" asked Emma. "My character? What are you talking about? I am Emma."
"I'm afraid if she doesn't start remembering who she is, we're gonna have to send her to Pathways." said the doctor.
"Pathways?" asked the woman. "Not that mental institution? You can't send my baby to that crazy place."
"I want my mom!" screamed Emma, who ripped the IV from her arm, and ran to the window. "I'm NOT Miriam!"
The man held Emma back and placed her on the bed, while the doctor injected her with some substance that looked like amber fluid. "I'm afraid we have no choice", said the doctor, as Emma began to fade away. "We're...gonna...have to...sent her...away. Emma drifted off, hoping when she woke up, she'd wake up from this nightmare, and be home.
Emma awoke again to the familiar white walls that incased her. No, not hospital walls Emma thought, a prison. Little did she know, however, that this hospital was the least of her worries.
"Hello Miriam," said the voice that Emma recognized as the doctor she had seen earlier. "I'm Dr.Pince. We didn't get along too well earlier, but maybe now that you're calm, we can talk." Emma nodded, not because she agreed, but because she didn't have the strength to argue. Whatever that amber fluid was, must have been some sort of sedative.
"Now, I'm not the bad guy here, but we are gonna be forced to send you away if you don't snap back into reality. Ok?" This time Dr.Pince didn't wait for Emma to answer before he went on. "I'm gonna ask you a few questions to determine your mental state. Firstly, what is your name?"
It took a moment for the question to register in Emma's mind, and another moment for her to answer. "Emma Nelson," she replied.
"Ok," Dr.Pince said, taking a second to write something in his notebook. "Secondly, who are your parents?"
Emma was quick to answer this one. "Spike an-," but Emma caught herself. Replying that her parents names were 'Spike and Snake' would do nothing for her case. "I mean Christine and Archie Simpson," Emma said, sighing.
"Yes," said Dr.Pince. "And lastly, what school do you go too?"
"Degrassi," Emma said quickly. Dr.Pince seemed interested in this piece of information, and took for what seemed like an eternity to write something down in his notebook.
"Ok, now Miriam, I'm going to go out into the hallway now, but I'll be right back. Just hold tight." The doctor left the room, and shut the door behind him.
Emma was now alone in the room, and quickly crossed the room so she was next to the door. Through the small crack, she noticed the couple from earlier. "Bob, Judy," Dr.Pince said looking at both of them, "I'm afraid we are going to have to send her to Pathways. She's thinks she is in the show. She seems to think she is actually this 'Emma' character."
"Isn't there another way? That place is horrible." said Judy. Dr.Pince's only reply was "Not if you want her to get better."
"Then we'll do it," said Bob. "For our daughter's health."
"Can we say goodby? I know they have a 'no visitor's' rule." Judy asked on the brink of tears.
"She will be allowed to have visitors, but only after two weeks, so yes, you better say good bye now," said Dr.Pince, walking towards the door.
Emma quickly ran to her bed, and pretended to rest. I don't want to go to this place Emma thought, though she knew she probably didn't have much choice in the matter.
"Darling," said Judy, rushing by Emma's side. "You're going to go away for a while. It's all for the best." She kissed Emma on the head, as her husband drug her from the room. "Mommy loves you," where her last words before she disappeared into the lighted abyss of the hallway.
"I have to go now too Miriam. You're not my only patient, you know. I'm going to give you another shot, and your going to go to sleep." Hearing this, Emma began to squirm, trying to find a way to get out of this. "Now Miriam, if you don't calm down, it's gonna hurt like it did last time." The doctor promptly pulled out the syringe and quickly pricked her with the needle. She was out like a light.
Emma could not move. She was getting used to waking up dazed and confused, however, she was not expecting this. Attempting to raise her arm, she realized it was bound to the bed. She opened her eyes, not to the familiar hospital room, but a smaller room with puce walls. There was a small chest of drawers in one corner, and in the other, a modest sized desk and miniature chair. To her right, there was a regular looking door, except the small detail of a missing handle. To her left, was a prison style window, complete with bars. Whoa, Emma though. What's going on?
She attempted to move the rest of her limbs, but it seemed the only mobile part of her body was her head. Looking at the twin sized bed she was in, she saw there were old fashioned leather straps vertical across her body. This looks like something from a Frankenstein movie. She thought to herself. Though, she didn't have much time to think, because her door was opening. A sinister looking woman crossed the threshold of the door, and it took every ounce of courage not to scream. The woman was wearing a back dress that reached the floor, with a high collar that looked as if it strangled her. Her grey hair was pulled back in a severe bun, with streaks of white peppering the woman's head. What Emma noticed the most, however was neither the woman's strange garb or oddly quaffed hair, but her lips. Pursed tightly, they showed a deep red lipstick that leaked onto the wrinkles outside her mouth. It looked unnatural, like a child playing dress up with her mother's makeup.
"Good evening," the woman said in a deep voice that flowed off her lips like honey. "My name is Claudia. I am the administrator here at Pathways. I hope you are not too affected by the straps. You'll find it's only a slight precaution we must take with all new arrivals. You see, some of our patients are very dangerous." Emma nodded, as Claudia continued.
"I've read your charts, and I've deemed you as harmless. There will be someone in shortly to take you bindings off." As she stopped to take a breath, Emma interrupted. "Well, couldn't you just take them off, since you're already here? I mean, there's only a buckle and," but she was cut off by Claudia's voice.
"Absolutely not! I am the supervisor here!" Claudia said in a shrill voice. "Surly you can't expect me to work like some common riff-raff. I own this place, but I do not work here." Claudia turned a left, mumbling something about 'proper woman' and 'hard labor'. Well, Emma thought to herself, What do I do now? This is extremely boring. I can't even move. "One, two, three, four..." Emma said, as she began to do the only thing she could—count the tiles on the ceiling.