I was starting to feel lightheaded, but I blinked furiously and looked back to Church. This was insane. I just… I didn't even know what to think.

"Leo, can we leave this place, please?" the whiteness of the walls was blinding. Everything looked too perfect. Too clean. "Can we just go?"

"Sure," he said. "The nurse just needs to check up on you a little more and we can head out. The only thing that's wrong with you is the amnesia, and I'm sure we can get that fixed soon enough. I just have to reintroduce you to your life."

Oh, God. That sounded so weird.

The nurse re-entered cheerfully, stating that my vitals checked out and that I'd just need a quick examination.

"The doctor will be here in a moment," she said. "You should thank him, too, dear. He's the one who saved you."

"I wouldn't say that," a figure answered her as he walked into the room, chuckling. "I was just helping out the great nurses here."

"Oh, don't be modest," the nurse replied, making room for the man. "You're the best doctor in the city! Do you know how many lives you've saved?"

"All right, that's enough," the doctor strode past her, smiling. "I was just doing my job."

She exited the room and the doctor approached me. He wore a purple lab coat.

"Hello, Ellen. I'm Dr. Frank Dufresne, but everyone around here calls me Doc." He held out his hand to me and I shook it. I recognized the name, though I had never met him before. The Reds and Blues had mentioned some sort of medic from a long time ago in Blood Gulch, but I didn't really know much about the guy. His handshake was unwavering and confident. "You were in quite the situation a couple weeks ago. I'm glad you made it out with just a mild case of amnesia. That should be remedied soon enough."

I nodded. If he really had saved me, I supposed I should be grateful. "Thank you for what you did."

He waved me off with a smile. "Like I said before, I was just doing my job."

"Thank you on my behalf, too," Church spoke up before exiting the room. I didn't want him to leave, but, on second thought, I really didn't him watching any sort of physical examination. "If you hadn't helped her, she would have died."

Doc nodded at Church as he shut the door.

"How are you feeling physically, Ellen?" he asked me.

"Uh, fine, I think," I said, looking down at myself for the first time. I was wearing a baggy hospital gown and couldn't really see myself. I wasn't in a lot of pain, but the side of my head hurt where Meta had punched me. I reached up and searched for a bruise. I couldn't feel anything.

"If you could remove your gown there, I've just got to go through your final examination."

I complied and removed it, and Doc began checking me over.

"Did I get injured in the crash?" I asked him. My body looked completely normal to me.

"Well, yes, but in your time here, you've recovered really well. The only scars you have are from your torn up ribs, but that didn't even happen in the crash."

I looked down at myself again. The right side of my rib cage looked exactly as it had since it had healed from my injury. Noticeably deformed underneath the skin.

"It's hard to believe that you've recovered so well from the crash, but that high school incident is still visible," Doc commented.

I frowned. "High school?"

The doctor glanced at me, sighing in what I imagined was sympathy at my supposed amnesia. "Yes, Ellen. You went through quite an ordeal in high school and sustained your terrible rib injury there."

I raised an eyebrow. Sure I did. "I see."

Doc continued my examination with confidence and steadiness, both characteristics of a skilled doctor. I felt completely secure in his care, even though I still didn't know what was going on. At least I was comforted that he knew what he was doing.

When he had finished, he dismissed me and brought me some of my own clothing that Church had retrieved from wherever I lived. It was a pair of jeans and a simple sky blue blouse whose color matched my armor. Finally, something I recognized.

Doc bid be a good day and left. When I was done changing, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror. This was me. I looked completely the same as I had in Blood Gulch.

Church was waiting for me outside and smiled as I approached him. I certainly didn't feel as though I had just suffered from a terrible car crash. The side of my head was still hurting, though, but that didn't happen here. That had happened on a planet far away from Earth…

"All right, Ellen," Church was saying to me as we stepped through the parking lot. "I'll drive you over to your apartment now. That should help you remember more things."

"Okay." As we reached Church's car, I saw a man standing in the parking lot, watching me intently. He wore an impeccable suit and a small smile on his face. I looked away from him quickly, not wanting to make eye contact. I didn't know him.

Brushing the thought of the staring man from my mind, I stepped inside Church's car and we left the hospital behind us. I looked out the window and observed a city I had never been in before, but it was certainly on Earth. I wondered how far I was from the CIA Headquarters. If I could get there, maybe I could figure out what was happening. First, however, I needed to convince the people around me I wasn't insane.

"Ch—Leo, can you tell me about yourself?" I asked him as we made our way through the town's streets.

"Well, I'm your brother, Leonard. But you already figured that out," he smiled. "I'm glad you woke up on the weekend. I would have had to schedule another substitute teacher if I had to come get you during the week. I'm a preschool teacher on the other side of town."

Church. A preschool teacher.

"You don't have the patience to teach a bunch of little screaming kids!" I replied, amazed.

"Are you joking, Ellen?" he asked me, hurt. "Come on, people have always told me how patient I am and stuff."

"Yeah, and what a good temper you have?" I asked sarcastically.

"Exactly!" Church said, relaxing. He thought I was serious. "I knew making you remember wouldn't take so long."
I knew that arguing with him wouldn't help anything, so I shut my mouth and continued to listen to him talk about how much he loved working with the toddlers.

"Ellen," Church said suddenly after his happy rant had ended. "I brought something with me that might help you remember more. It's in a black box in the glove compartment."

I nodded and took out the small velvet box. It didn't look familiar, so I opened it.

A glittering diamond ring lay inside.

"Wait, are you married?" I asked, frowning. I glanced at his left hand, but no wedding band was present.

Church glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "Why would Allison's ring be in here? I'm pretty sure I would have told you if we decided to get engaged while you were out cold."

Allison. Oh, Jesus. He was dating Tex.

"I—you're dating Allison?" I asked. "How—how is that going?"

He smiled lovingly. "Same as always. She's such a sweet girl. We still have never gotten into a fight."

Okay. Right.

"Then… then what's this ring doing in here? Whose is it?"

Church sighed. "It's yours."