"There's one thing you need to know, sir, before you see her," the vice-director said as Xerxes marched to Xian's room. Sending yet another paralyzing look to the smaller man, he had to gather himself before he spoke again.
"Miss Zhen has presented signs of amnesia."
Xerxes frowned. "What?"
"It appears Mrs Zhen has lost her memory and is showing signs of a delusional disorder."
Without a word from Xerxes, the vice director knew he had to explain further. "She believes she is somebody else."
"Who?"
"Some character she has created, most likely."
"If it's something she has created then she can simply uncreate it. I don't understand why you humour her, that woman is a pathological liar and an award-winning actress. She is playing you all."
The vice director shook his head. "No, it doesn't work that way, sir. This is a situation where your brain can distort your memory if it is too traumatic to handle and that false memory becomes your new reality. Her mind has created this story and past that seems as real as anybody's memories to her. I assure you we have put her through a series of tests and they have all come out consistent with the diagnosis."
Xerxes' jaw clenched in annoyance. "Well, it is something I have to see for myself."
***
Zena spent the entire day with a short, tubby and balding psychiatrist. She spent three hours telling him about her life and all he did was nod and then write in a book. After all of that, he had the audacity to simply say, "That will be all for today Mrs Zhen."
"Wait." She called to him as he walked out of the room.
"Yes, Mrs Zhen?"
Zena frowned at his blatant disregard. A waste of three hours.
"Can I see the babies?" She asked, she did not know what it was but she couldn't stop thinking about those babies.
"You want to see the babies? But they are not yours?" The man retorted with a raised brow. Zena recognized the indignant manner with which he used to regard her, using her statement only when it situated him. She was not deterred though.
"But they came of this body, did they not? Am I not supposed to... breastfeed them or something? Surely they need their mother."
The therapist turned to face her fully. "As I said earlier, no. As you said earlier, you are not their mother. You are too young to have children, isn't that so?"
Definitely, his tone was stupid and annoying. No argument there. But nothing she said was wrong. But why did that make her feel so angry? Why was hearing him state a fact making her so hurt and irked?
"Maybe seeing them might help me remember something. Remember who I really am?" she said, desperately.
"So you agree that the person you just described to me was not the real you?"
"That is not what I was saying! Let me see my children, you twat!" she huffed.
"Your children?".
"Yes! My children!" She yelled.
The doctor stared at her with a pointed look as her intense glare widened into confusion. Zena's lips parted in shock.
"What just happened?"
"It seems you do remember something from your life, the strong affection you feel for your children." The doctor explained. "You are right. Perhaps seeing them would be good for you."
Joy.
That's the emotion that filled Zena when she heard that. She had no mental connection to those babies. They weren't hers. However, she couldn't let the tug at the corners of her lips.
"I will tell the nurse to take you to see your children," he said as he exited the room. Zena was left alone again. She made an attempt to stand and this time her legs cooperated with her. She walked into the bathroom and couldn't help but stop in front of the mirror to examine this foreign body.
Her belly still hurt from the surgery, and she still looked bloated from being pregnant. Her legs were scrawny and her full hips and ass were traded for an extremely curvy waist and a smaller flatter ass. No hips, no those left the chat. And she was pregnant, but her boobs were still smaller than the full chest she had before. But if she was being honest, she was a little overweight, a size twelve? Fourteen? Now she was what? Size zero?
Anyway, none of that mattered, not when kids were involved. If she really transmigrated into this woman, Xian, then that meant she was a mother and she had two little boys fighting for their lives in this very same building. She needed to step up, it wasn't about her anymore, she had kids. Kids that needed her.
***
Xerxes slid open the door to Xian's room storming inside to demand answers, to expose her lies. But- "It's empty, where is she?"
They all looked as confused as he did but thankfully there was a nurse passing by and one of the doctors asked her where Xian was.
"Oh, she went to see her babies."
Her babies? Xerxes thought as a bitter taste settled on his tongue. He had such a bad feeling about this in no time he was marching to the nursery. With a trail of white-clad men following behind.
***