When I opened my eyes, I was alone. Apparently, they had moved me to another room because there was no sign of the carnage from earlier. And the room was different somehow. The walls had wainscoting below and dark green paint above. The window had long, floor-length drapes and green mini blinds that were partially open. I could see that it was dark outside.
I was also hungry, and I needed to pee really bad. Since there didn't seem to be any restraints, I swung from the bed and looked at the open door to the bathroom. However, I found that there was a needle stuck in my arm with a tube leading to a drip bag hanging at the head of the bed.
I finally decided to go for it and grabbed the bag off its hook. Then I made my way to the bathroom. I had just finished flushing and was trying to decide how to wash my hands while holding the drip bag when I heard someone enter the room. I took my time washing my hands and then opened the bathroom door. There, sitting on the edge of my bed, was a blond goddess in a short skirt, medium heels, and a white lab coat. She even had the obligatory stethoscope draped casually around her neck and was looking over a clipboard loaded with paperwork.
As I opened the door, she paused in her reading and just stared at me. She was neither friendly or mean, mainly just curious as she looked me up and down.
"Not too bad for a dead guy," she quipped with a slight European accent.
I just looked at her as I tried to decipher her last comment.
"Let's get you back in bed," she said smiling. "I'd like to check that IV and look at the burn on your left hand, okay?"
"Who are you?" I asked, "And where am I?"
"I'm Dr. Rappeneau, and you're in my clinic in Cannes."
"Can ... Cannes? As in Cannes, France?" I asked as I felt the shock going through my body.
"Oui," she replied. "And before you ask, today is April 2nd."
"April 2nd? That means I've been asleep for another ten days?" I thought before the darkness came and I collapsed to the floor.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in bed, and the blond goddess was still there. Only now, she had her stethoscope to her ears as she took my blood pressure.
"Oh, good. You are awake," she said in that beautifully accented English of hers. "Next time, please be so kind as to get into the bed before you pass out. You are très lourd ... sorry! You are very heavy to lift."
I just stared. Somehow, I got the impression that she knew how beautiful she was and what kind of effect she was having on me. She probably had that same effect on most of the young boys she treated.
She noticed my staring and smiled at me.
"Damnit! She DOES know!" I thought.
I did a quick survey. Blond hair that hung just past her shoulders, high, Slavic cheekbones on a slightly narrow face, dark eyes, maybe brown, with small laugh lines at the corners, thin lips that seemed always to be smiling and an overall air of poise and confidence. If I wasn't careful, I'd be in love in a few minutes.
"You feel ... a ... better?" she asked with a gentle compassion.
"I think you know what you do to me," I told her.
She looked at me as she parsed out what I had just said. Then she smiled.
"Oui. I think you are healthy American boy!" she pronounced.
"And you are beautiful!" I blurted out.
"Why, thank you," she replied seductively. "My husband says the same thing to me every day."
"Shit!" I replied. "I'm sorry. I wasn't meaning to come on to you."
"What means come on to me?" she asked.
"You know ... flirt with you," I tried to explain.
"You have ... how do you say it ... made my day? Oui. You have made my day!" she said as she smiled again.
Refocusing on the situation at hand, I asked her, "Can you explain how I got here and why I am here?
"No. I am sorry. I do not know how you got here. However, I know that wherever you came from, you were in great danger for your life."
"Danger? For my life?" I asked.
"Oui. And the lives of your family were also at risk," she added.
"Wait! I need to call my parents and let them know where I am. Can I use a phone? I'll pay for the charges," I said as I began to panic.
Suddenly, the lights in the room began to flicker and Dr. Rappeneau quickly moved to the head of the bed and wrapped her arms around me, crushing my face to her bosom.
"Please, my little one. Do not be scared. Your mama and poppa sent you to us to keep you safe. We will soon find a way to get you back home again. Please, do not fear."
I don't know if it was comforting or stimulating, but I quickly forgot my fears for the moment and reveled in the closeness of her touch.
"Alex, you must listen to me now," she started. "Please do not be upset or afraid. My name is Carina De'bushe Rappeneau. I'm a gynecologist. My husband is Dr. Henri-Roland Rappeneau. He is one of the foremost psychiatrists in all of Europe. You were brought here to hide for a while and see if there is anything that my husband can do to assist you. Can you remain calm, Alex? And not destroy my small clinic like you did the hospital in the states?"
"But why? And why here?" I asked her.
"I do not know the full story, but it appears that your government somehow learned of your ... er, accident and want to incarcerate you to study you. Dr. Weinstein is the grandson of a dear friend of my family, who went to extraordinary lengths to protect my family from much evil during the Great War. So, we owe him, and by extension, his family. He called me a little more than a week ago and asked me to hide you until we can find a better solution to your ... er, situation."
"But a woman's clinic?" I asked.
"What better place to hide a boy than in a clinic for women?" she asked saucily. "Besides, you will only be here until we have determined you have recovered enough to leave."
"Then what?"
"Then I will take you to my home. I have a daughter who is almost seventeen and a son who just turned fourteen. I'm sure they will help you to be comfortable while my husband helps you search for a solution."
"One more thing," I said. "Is it possible to get a message to my family?"
"Not at this time, I'm sorry. I should see Dr. Weinstein at a conference in London in three weeks. I'll be glad to deliver a message at that time."
I heaved a big sigh as I realized that I was really alone.
"You are not alone, Alex. We will be here for you and do whatever we can to assist you. Please, mon chérie, do not be sad."