There was fire, and there were people whose faces I had never seen before; they were armed. My dress was covered in blood, and I could not move. I can hear screaming; people are begging for their lives, but the armed ones were ruthless as they slashed them up and put bullets in their heads. I watched them all die. But then a man with strong arms picked me up from where I stood; he shook my frail and small body.
"Let's get you out of here, Katarina!"
The dream was cut off from there; I woke up catching my breath. This has been going on for weeks now. It had been years since it happened, yet it was still haunting me. My cold feet dragged me into my kitchen. I poured myself some warm water in hopes it could calm my breathing, but to no avail. My eyes then roamed around this big old house, which had been standing strong since my mother and father were married. It took me long enough to have full rights to this house, and I stopped anyone who tried to sell it off to make a fortune. This was the only thing that my parents had left for me, and I will not let anyone take any more from me.
I have lived in this house all by myself, and I really wanted to give myself a pat on the back for it. It was not easy, but it sure was worth it if I were to think that I did all of this to protect what my parents could not when they were still alive. I had been doing well and fine until these strange dreams started coming. The murder of my family was not at all new to me; however, that one person calling for my name—it never happened before. Why are my dreams suddenly changing? I wonder who that person was and what relationship he has with my family or me. No one has ever tried to save me during that time. I truly believed I was going to die.
"Are you okay?" A touch on my shoulder caused me to jump and squeak; my head turned to the back where I heard the voice—it was Riley. He removed his hand. "Oh, sorry. You seemed to be in deep thought; you almost ran into the pole." My eyes looked up, and he was right. I must have been absent-mindedly walking around here in the hospital. Wait. I grabbed his shoulders.
"What are you doing here? Are you sick?" Riley threw his hands up in the air with a soft smile across his face. His hazel-brown eyes were looking down at me with sincerity; that is when I remembered that this man still remembers me even after all the years that have passed since our first encounter. I tugged on my white gown and cleared my throat. "I'm sorry. Um, I'm a doctor, and patients should not roam around in the hospital. My name is Dr. Katarina Do."
He chuckles. "We've met before, right?" My heart starts to beat faster. "A few days ago." He finished, and I let out a relieved sigh. I would not want my first love to remember our first meeting any more; it was pretty embarrassing. "And... six years ago, am I right?
"You... really do remember me?" Riley's fingers dug into his dark hair as they ran down to the back of his neck; he wets his lips with the help of his tongue and then goes down on my level, but I back away a bit. He stayed in that position for a minute; his eyes kept staring at mine, making it impossible for me to breathe in the normal way. His eyebrows danced before he backed up and gave me another sweet smile.
"How could I forget you? You were that girl that was on the road in the middle of the night, weren't you? And we gave you a ride." The glass that was inside of me shattered; my first love really does remember how we first met. I am so embarrassed; I wanted to turn into vapor and disappear. "To be honest, I did not expect to see you here, let alone think that you've become a doctor of the minds of people—a psychiatrist. Good job, Katarina." I was too stunned that the man for whom I have waited for years is now speaking casually to me and in front of me. "Where are my manners? I'm sorry. I'm Riley Martins, and—"
"I know." I cut him off. "I know very well who you are; I was your fan back in the day. That's... how I ended up waiting outside the venue for a taxi to come by." My head was turned down; I was looking at my shoes. Although I could feel his gaze on me, staring at his face, which I had wished for so many years to see again, was just too much for me to handle right now. Then I saw a hand in front of me, and my head sprung up.
"I am no longer the Riley Martins you knew from before; the band has now been long gone. It already disbanded, and I've never tried making music since then. So, if you would like to get to know Riley Martins that is not an artist, please take my hand." The last line sounded like a plea, and it made me wonder if he had tried looking for me throughout these years and that meeting him here at the hospital was not much of a coincidence. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? There was no way that an artist as big as himself back then would ever try to search for an ordinary girl that he had just met on the road one late evening. I looked down at his hand that was still waiting, and I thought that I could never have this chance again if I let it pass.
"Yes, of course. I would love to get to know you, Mr. Martins. My name is Katarina." My fingers brush against his long ones; they are warm to the touch yet give me a strange feeling—as if I had held this hand a long time ago.
"Katarina! Hold my hand! Do not let go!"
"Dr. Do, are you alright?" My knees have turned into marshmallows all of a sudden. Riley has me in his strong arms and has helped me get up on my feet. "What's wrong?" I shake my head while he tells me to sit down for a minute and relax. My head is throbbing; this has never happened before. Why are these things popping into my mind?
"Would you like some water?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you."
"Are you sure?" I nodded my head. Riley remained by my side no matter how many times I told him that I was okay; he never left, but then I did not tell him to. He sat beside me, all quiet, and had not ever asked anymore why I became like that. Even I am not sure... It was strange. Was there something that I didn't know about the past?