Chapter 1

She opened her eyes and the world around her gradually came into view. The smell of antiseptic filled her nostrils and the low beeping sound of the heart monitor seemed oddly calming. The room was empty except for a small chair to her right and a table that swung over the bed with a pitcher of water and a small plastic cup. The sun was beaming through the tiny window across from the bed and it warmed the room.

"Where am I?" thought Caitlin.

She shifted in the bed and felt a light twinge of pain in her side. She reached and touched a small bandage near her hip. Her head hurt and she felt another bandage wrapped around it, her red hair protruding on each side.

"What's going on here?" she thought.

Within minutes, a large woman wearing brightly colored scrubs came into her room and brought a tray of food.

"I see you're finally awake," she told her. "The doctor really wants you to try and eat something."

"Where am I?" asked Caitlin.

"Memorial Hospital," replied the woman.

"What state?" she asked, continuing her questioning.

The woman smiled. "Why, Florida of course."

"Oh," replied Caitlin.

"The doctor will be in to see you shortly," the woman instructed. "Try and eat something. You need to get your strength up."

Caitlin looked at the food in front of her. She wasn't hungry but she tried to take a few bites. The food was bland but edible.

When the doctor came in, she couldn't help but stare at him. There was a familiarity about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Well, I see you are finally awake and attempting to eat," he said. "Can you tell me your name?"

His question startled her. Not that he asked it but because she was shocked that she couldn't answer him.

"Uh, I don't think I know," she replied while trying desperately to remember. "Do you know my name?"

He stared at her a moment. "I'm afraid not," he replied. "We've checked all the local missing people reports and not one person has come forward to claim you just yet."

"What happened to me?" she asked while shifting uncomfortably in her bed.

"We think you were mugged," he replied. "You had no identification or purse with you. You were shot in side but the bullet just grazed you. Whoever did it hit you on the head with some sort of blunt object. You are lucky to be alive."

"Am I going to be okay?" she asked softly. "Why can't I remember who I am?"

"Well, it looks like I need to have you speak with a specialist," he replied. "Sometimes the mind blocks out traumatic events. That could be the case here or it could be a result of your head injury."

Caitlin sighed. "Do you think I'll get my memory back?" she asked.

"The brain is unpredictable," he replied. "I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you. I'm sorry, I wish I did."

The doctor could see the worry and fear in Caitlin's eyes. "Just to make things easier," he said. "Let's call you Mary for now. Does that sound okay?"

"Sure," she hesitantly replied.

"But I don't feel like a Mary," she thought.

"Okay, I'll be back in to check on you later this afternoon," he said. "Try to eat something and get some rest."

"I will," she replied as she watched him leave the room and shut the door behind him.

After taking a few more bites of food, she reached for the television remote and turned on the small monitor that hung on the wall across from her bed.

The local news mentioned several accidents and talked about a local fishing competition. She watched intently, hoping that something would spark her memory or at least seemed relatively familiar. But after watching for over an hour, she felt more lost than ever.

"Who am I?" she said to herself. "How in the world did I get here? Someone has to know. Someone has to know me."

Feeling scared and alone, she pulled the covers up to her shoulders and turned on her side before drifting back to sleep.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After leaving the hospital, Caitlin's doctor went to the hotel room he was staying in and made a call.

"Okay, I'm in," he told the person on the other end. "You sure are good at pulling strings to get what you want. She's safe and I gave her the drug as instructed. She doesn't remember anything at this point. I'm still trying to understand why you need me to do this. I know you said you can't say but the whole thing is making me nervous. I wouldn't want to hurt Caitlin for anything."