-

-

There was a flood of activity that came through the small room where Ryan was staying. He really didn't know what all the fuss was about, but apparently there was more to the story than he was being told about. The one thing that he didn't understand was why they insisted on keeping him here when there was nothing wrong with him. He also wondered why no one was here to visit him or why his room didn't have the usual get well cards and balloons that usually accompany someone in the hospital. Did his coworkers and friends really think this little of him to not be able to take the time to show a little compassion?

He decided the next person who walked into the room was not going to be allowed to leave before telling him what he wanted to know or he was walking out of here on his own. He may have been able to handle more time in the room had there been something for him to do. There was no TV in the room and there was nothing to read except for a few romance and spy novels; both of which he hated. But even if there had been something he liked he had a headache that had not seemed go away since waking up, but luckily it had not gotten any worse either.

One thing he was grateful for was that his IV had finally been removed. This allowed him to move about the room more freely. When he went into the bathroom and took a look at himself in the mirror, he was kind of shocked by what he saw. For some reason he looked different from the last time he saw himself. Perhaps the reason for this was the lighting in the room since this could make his hair look longer and his skin look darker. It may even be the reason why his face looked thinner, but the light could not be to blame for the earring he now saw in his left ear. Did someone play a practical joke on him while he was sleeping and pierce his ear? If this was the case, someone was going to be in major trouble when he was let out of this place.

Another hour went by before someone came into the room, but it was only someone bringing him something to eat. That was it, he was leaving. He went into the closet and found some clothes inside. They didn't look like his usual clothes, but they were his size. Perhaps someone just went out and bought some new items for him to wear home.

Once dressed he slowly opened the door, peaking out in the hallway looking both ways. Not seeing anyone he walked out of the room and down the hall to the door marked "Stairs". He didn't want anyone to see him leaving for fear of keeping him here.

Once he was outside he looked in his pocket and found that he had his wallet. He looked inside and was happy to see he had just enough cash for a taxi ride home. He was also happy to find his keys in another pocket. At least making it home was going to be an easy task to complete.

As soon as he was able to flag down a taxi he hopped inside and looked at the driver, "Yeah, I need to go to 4765 Templar Avenue".

The driver started the meter and said "Sure thing pal, so were you here visiting someone?"

"What,,,, oh yeah the hospital. I was here to visit a friend". Ryan leaned back into the seat, anxious to get home.

"Good news I hope".

"Huh, excuse me?"

"Your friend, I hope whatever they are here for has some good news attached to it. I really hate hospitals since they can be filled with bad news".

"Oh yeah, it was good news. They were released today". He didn't really feel like talking to the guy and hoped his questions were done now.

The driver obviously had other ideas "Well at least it looks like a nice enough day to get out of such a horrible place. After that storm we had the other day I thought today would be really hot and humid; glad I was wrong".

Ryan just nodded without saying anything. He thought that if he didn't play along the driver would give up on him and leave him alone. But his wish was not going to be granted. He just rolled his eyes as the driver started up again.

"So, have you lived in the area long? I'm thinking of moving closer to work and haven't made my mind up as to the best place to live. I live in an apartment, but my lease is up at the end of August so that only gives me 2 weeks to decide what to do. Do you know if there are any nice places around here with openings?"

Ryan was only half listening, but as soon as he heard the guy mention that the end of August was in 2 weeks he became confused. "What did you say about the end of August?"

"I was just saying that my lease is up then".

"No, you said something about the end of August being in 2 weeks. I don't get it. It's only June".

"Sorry pal, I don't know where you've been but it's the middle of August". The driver eyed Ryan in his rearview mirror as he suddenly became suspicious. If his passenger didn't know the month, maybe there was something wrong with him.

Ryan didn't say anymore to the guy, but noticed the silence right away. He also couldn't help but notice the guy kept looking at him in the rearview mirror. He first thought was to get home and figure out what was going on. Had he been in the hospital longer than he thought? That would explain why he didn't appear to have any injuries after the bus accident.

Soon he was in front of his condo. He paid he driver and got out of the cab. If he didn't know better the driver was happy to be rid of him. That was fine with him. He just wanted to get home and now he was here. He went toward the building and thought he better check his mailbox. He removed quite a bit of mail from the box and had to wonder how long it had been piling up. Didn't anyone think to have his mail stopped while he was in the hospital? He tucked the bundle under his arm without looking at it and walked toward his front door. Once inside he went up to the bathroom to grab some Advil for his headache. As he walked through his place he noticed some things had been moved, but other than that everything appeared to be cleaned. Maybe someone had come in to clean it and just moved some things around. He was ok with that.

When he opened the medicine cabinet he found something that didn't look familiar. It was a prescription bottle. He picked it up and looked at it to see whose name was on it; perhaps someone just left it here by mistake. What he saw printed on the label confused him. The bottle had his name on it and it was a prescription for "Fluoxetine". The bottle said to take one capsule in the morning to help lighten the mood of the day. He didn't have a prescription like this so why was it in his cabinet with his name on it. When he turned the bottle around to see the date it was filled he almost dropped it. The date on the bottle said August 9th. He had to take a seat on the toilet as this was too much to take in while standing up. None of this made any sense. First the taxi driver says it is the middle of August and now he had an unknown bottle of pills confirming the date. He got up and went into his room to make a call.

As he entered the room he saw that things had been moved in here as well. He also noticed a pile of dirty clothes in the hamper that he didn't recognize. What the hell was going on? He picked up his phone and called the only person he could think of, Alexx.

"Hey Alexx, I'm not sure what is going on, but I think I may be losing my mind".

"Hey baby, what's wrong. I was planning on coming to see you soon". Alexx didn't like the way Ryan's voice had sounded.

"I don't know what's wrong, but do you think you can come over now?'

"Sure baby, I can be at the hospital in 20 minutes and then we can talk ok?"

"I'm not at the hospital, I'm at home Alexx".

The concern in Alexx's voice suddenly became apparent as she said, "They let you out? I thought they were going to keep you for at least another day. I want you to stay right where you are, I'm on my way".

This made Ryan feel a little better just knowing that she may be able to provide answers to the questions forming in his head. He put his phone down and sat on the bed to wait. He really wasn't feeling very good at the moment and he suddenly leapt from the bed and ran to the bathroom. He reached the toilet just in time to vomit in it. He also felt like he could pass out, but managed to rid his mind of the dizzy feeling he was experiencing. He decided to stay right put on the bathroom floor until Alexx got here; just in case he got sick again.

-

Alexx had not been off the phone with Ryan for more than a few seconds before placing a call to Horatio. "Horatio, I just got off the phone with Ryan and we have a problem. He checked himself out of the hospital and is at home now. He called me to tell me he thought he was losing his mind. I'm worried about him Horatio. I'm on my way over to his place right now".

Once he sensed Alexx was done on the phone he replied to her by saying, "I'll meet you there".

-

-