Everything hurt.

She didn't want to open her eyes. Even her eyelids begged her not to have to so much as flex. Her mouth felt like someone had dumped fresh sawdust inside. She couldn't begin to form enough spit to make her voice heard to her own ears. The fact a woman had been at her side in seconds, helping her to sit up with one arm and pressing a cup of water to her lips in the other was…startling. She hadn't attempted to look around yet, but she knew she wasn't where she was supposed to be.

The problem was…she wasn't even sure where she was supposed to be.

Everything felt foreign. The fabric that covered her body was scratchy and gapped in the back. There were tubes pushed under the skin of her right hand that hurt like hell, covered in tape like that somehow made it less obvious that there was some strange liquid being fed into her. It hurt to breathe. Her chest felt like it'd been crushed under a heavy weight, and this strange person's arm around her back only seemed to make it hurt worse. They were gentle at least, but that was a small comfort. The movements to sit up only brought further pain to her lower half, where she felt another line of tubing shift. As thirsty as she was, she knew what that led to, and from the amount of pain she felt, she wasn't sure if it was worth it.

"Easy now, Miss. Don't want to get choked. There there, that's it."

Whoever it was, was a woman with a soft voice. She couldn't bring herself to be annoyed as she was spoken to like that. She hurt like hell, and the words could've been condescending if they were from anyone else, but this woman had to have meant it sincerely.

"Where…am…I…" It even hurt to talk, and she'd downed that glass of water. Now that she was once more reclining against the bed, she tried to take in her surroundings past the tubing that was attached to her hand. The walls were a bright cream with white trim. There were a number of rolling carts that sat across the room, probably filled with all sorts of items. A couple square, boxy chairs that didn't appear at all comfortable were against the wall to her right. An end table sat next to them, hosting a plain glass vase filled with wild flowers.

The machine on her left was making rapid beeping noises before it was shut off.

"Sorry about that," the woman smiled. She was an older woman, and the creases around her eyes became more pronounced with the action. "You're at Westside Memorial."

"Hos…pital..?" It made sense. She was in a lot of pain, but…she still didn't understand why that was.

The woman, who then introduced herself as Jo, informed her that she was her evening nurse. "Can you tell me how you're feeling Miss… oh silly me, dear!" She smiled apologetically as she checked her information on her electronic device. "I was skimming your information before I came into my shift this evening and I didn't realize that you were married! My apologies Mrs. Takahashi!"

She could only frown in confusion. Married? Takahashi? She didn't recall being married? And that name…that didn't sound familiar at all? It must have shown on her face that something was indeed very wrong, because Jo began to tap away at her device, frowning herself.

"Oh dear…I owe you many apologies, don't I? You don't know your name, do you?"

She shook her head slowly. It was such a simple thing someone was supposed to know, and the fact that she couldn't… the urge to cry was coming on very strong and very fast.

Jo pulled one of the chairs right up against the bed, reaching into her shirt pocket and removing a packet of tissues. "It's quite alright dear. Waking up in a place you don't recognize, not knowing what's happened to you, not even knowing your name…you get it out. You have every right to."

The tears fell fast, and she knew it was a good thing to let the emotions out, even if the wracking sobs were crushing her chest. The pressure of the headache it would leave behind would linger, along with the way her nose became stuffed up no matter how often she blew mucus into the tissues. But once she could take those deep breaths, regardless of how much that hurt, it felt…better. She really did need that release. "Th-thank you…" she told the nurse shyly.

"It happens," Jo patted her unmarked hand delicately. "You'd be surprised how many patients I've had go to pieces all of a sudden. Or their loved ones. It's all too common. I know that you have a lot of questions, and I will do my best to answer as many as I can. First, however, I need to check to be sure everything is in order."

The side of the blankets and hospital gown was lifted, exposing a gnarly bruised thigh. She couldn't contain the gasp at the sight, or at the tube that lay next to her leg. Seeing…liquid…run through it away from her wasn't very comforting. "W…wait…"

"Yes, dear? What's wrong? Do you feel any intense pain anywhere specific?"

She shook her head. "Can…can I ask…what my…name is?" It felt so humiliating to have to ask a complete stranger for something that she should have known for…well, for however long she'd been alive. She didn't know that either.

Jo squeezed her hand reassuringly, and she felt a little better knowing that that question probably wasn't unheard of either. It didn't ease the humiliation any, but it was good to know that this woman had probably been asked all the things she wanted to ask before and didn't pass judgment. "Your maiden name is Kagome Higurashi. Your married name is Kagome Takahashi."