5 Years Later
Dr. Lavernne stumbled into the hospital, fifteen minutes late as usual. She knew it didn't really matter- the patient she checked on first every morning had been in a comatose state for five years.
She began running the usual tests, sipping a cup of coffee. Doctors were not allowed to consume food or drinks in a patient's room, but with hers in a coma, who would really know?
She had set down her cup of coffee and was checking the patient's heart rate when his eyes flew open.
"Coffee," he stated, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Dr. Lavernne jumped and nearly knocked down her cup of coffee in shock.
"Sir! You're awake! Do you remember what your name is?" She had recovered slightly from her surprise and was running the required tests.
"Mia!" the man suddenly shouted.
The doctor was quite flustered. "No, sir. Uh…that's not your name," she stammered.
"I know who I am," Diego replied quietly. "But tell me, doctor, what happened to me?"
"I hope you can stay calm," Dr. Lavernne said uncertainly. "You were poisoned and fell into a coma on August 27th…five years ago."
Diego took this fact surprisingly calmly. "Doctor…what do I look like? Am I completely unrecognizable after five years of sleeping?"
She bit her lip. "It's nothing too awful…but your hair turned white."
"Oh…I wonder what Mia will think about that," he muttered to himself.
"I should go report this to administration. I'll come back to check on you soon." Dr. Lavernne started heading out of the room.
"Doctor, one more question… Why can't I see?"
"You…can't see?" Her voice sounded strained.
"I can see that it's brighter when I open my eyes and I can make out a few silhouettes of darker objects, but otherwise, I can't really see anything else."
There was a pause.
"This is only temporary, right, doctor?"
Flustered, she stammered the only response she could muster. "I…I think so."
