Chapter 21

Scarsdale Hospital

1 Day Later

"Excuse me, nurse? I was just wondering. Is there a phone around here that I can use, just for a second? I have to make a call."

"Well, I have to ask permission first. I'll be right back." said the nurse named Mimi.

"Thanks so much."

Dixie said as Mimi left the room. It had been a day since she had woken up and she was still totally confused about who she was. She did not for the life of her recognize the name Misty. That name, that life, seemed totally foreign to her.

But the one thing that had registered in her cloudy train of thought as real, the one experience that essentially forced her to turn around and live, was the vivid memory of a man telling her who she really was. But nobody even considered that possibility to be true, that her name was Dixie. Here her revelation about her true identity was considered to be a side effect of medication, nothing more. But what she feared the most was that it was all a fantasy. That she was this Misty person like everyone said.

"Miss, they couldn't spare the phone.."

"Oh okay, thank you Mimi."

"Um, miss I was just wondering. Is, is everything all right?"

"Well you're the nurse; shouldn't you be telling me that?" Dixie said jokingly.

"No I don't mean it like that. Health wise, you're making tons of improvement. It's just you look pretty down compared to a few days ago when I checked on you. No offense though, I just wanted to see..."

"No, no none taken, it's just the environment, you know. I mean how many days can a person be in good spirits when they're stuck in a hospital bed."

"No I see what you mean. Cabin fever, I get it."

"Yeah well..."

"Your sudden change in demeanor wouldn't have anything to do with a certain guy not showing up as often as usual would it?"

"Well..." Dixie said glumly. As far as she knew Del was the only member of her family she actually made contact with. She hadn't seen him since he bolted from her room yesterday and hadn't been able to get in touch with him yet.

"I knew it. Wait here!"

"Mimi? Mimi what are you..?"

"I got it!" Mimi said with excitement as she ran over with a slip of paper and pulled a phone out of her pocket.

"What in the..."

"When your friend brought you in he was totally worried sick about you, so I went over to ask if he needed anything. We got to talking and before I knew it I asked for his number!"

"Oh my God Mimi you're a life saver. Oh and don't worry about me if you wanna go after him."

"But I thought..."

"No don't worry; Del is well, like a brother to me. Nothing more. If you're interested in him go for it."

"Oh good to know! Thanks! Go ahead and call whoever."

"Thanks again Mimi."

Dixie said as she anxiously dialed the number, practically on the verge of tears. This call would lead her to her fate; it would either prove her to be sane or nothing more than an incoherent woman too drugged up to think straight.

"Hello? Oh my God. Misty?"

"DDel? Oh thank God. Look I have to ask you something, it's really important alright. I'm, I'm not doing too great right now. Physically I'm, I'm fine. But my head's a mess right now. I mean I had, I had this dream, but it seemed almost too real to be a dream. And in that dream, out of body experience, whatever you want to call it, it told me I was someone else. Not, not Misty..."

"Oh my..."

"Del, I have to know. Did you have another sibling besides Di, another sister?"

Dixie said tears streaming down her face as she waited for Del's response.

"Del? Are, are you still there?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm, I'm here."

"Well?"

"Yes I, I did."

Del couldn't believe what he was hearing. Del had never even mentioned Dixie to Misty at all. But it would explain some things, how he felt a connection to Misty since the first time he saw her at the park, but nothing really romantic. How they acted around each other like siblings more so than anything else.

"Del? In my dream I also remember that the man told me I have a family. He said you; you were my brother and that, that I had a little girl? A daughter?"

"Oh my God. Kate!" Del said in shock. He remembered how Misty felt an instant connection to his niece, and how Kate felt the same way about Misty. They even looked alike with the same type of eyes. But he knew this was all crazy, he couldn't imagine it. He couldn't accept it that easily just based on how he and Kate felt about Misty. He couldn't determine this based on a dream she had. He had to get some real evidence here.

"Okay, look I need you to check, your chart at the hospital. You have a heart condition right, and just one kidney?"

"Yes! Yes Del I do." Dixie said in tears.

"Del? Was your sister named...? Dixie?"

On the other end of the phone all Dixie heard was sobbing. She knew at that minute she was right. She wasn't crazy or having freaky med side effects.

'Del? Are you still there?" Dixie asked still sobbing.

"YYeah sis. Dixie. I'm right here. I can't believe its you. That crazy old man was telling the truth!"

"What?"

'No, no never mind. God Dix, I'm so, so sorry for running off like that on you at the hospital, I was just,

I don't know too scared. I thought I saw you, but I just chalked it all up to a lack of sleep and took off. I guess I should've stuck with my gut after all!"

Del said laughing and crying at the exact same time.

"Dixie? Do you remember anything about what happened to you? Do you remember any of your relatives at all? Anything about your life besides me and Kate? Dixie? Are you there?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm here."

"Well?"

"Oh God Del, I'm just so, I have no idea, I can't remember a thing."

Dixie choked out. "I'm so sorry..."

"No, no don't apologize. No. Now look I'm halfway to the hospital already, I'm gonna make sure you're okay, get you out, and then we are driving to Pine Valley. We're going home Dixie. We're gonna get your memory back and we'll go on home where you..."

On the other end Dixie's heart stopped as she heard a loud scream, tires screeching, glass shatter and then nothing but static.

"Where I what? Del! Del are you still there. Del!"

Dixie yelled into the phone, when suddenly a nurse rushed in.

"Miss? Miss just calm down now. Just relax."

The nurse said as she gave Dixie a sedative.

"Nurse what happened?"

"Oh Doctor, I just came in to check on the patient and her vitals were spiked. I gave her a sedative that seemed to do the trick."

"Well, they seem normal now. What set her off?"

"I think it was the call she received. Something must have happened, something major."