Ana decided a good hot shower was what she needed at the moment. She gathered some fresh scrubs from the dresser, and paused when her eye caught the curious little book again. She opened the book to the middle and ran her fingers idly over the intricate characters. A fragment of memory came to her. She knew it to be a part of her training, but it was more of a proverb than anything physical. She spoke it aloud.
“Know your enemies and know yourself.”
She was beginning to learn more about herself, but what she really needed to know was more about her enemies. She knew there were others seeking the book, others who would do anything to unleash its power, but she was unable to picture them. She didn’t even know how many there were. Perhaps things would become clearer in a few days when the more powerful drugs left her system. She decided to give the doctor a little time to see if he could help her uncover anything, but all the while she would be vigilant, watching for opportunity. The next time she attempted to escape she vowed it would be successful. She knew she would have to be willing to kill. She had done it in the past, and if necessary, she would do it again.
***
“Time to see the doc, Ana.” Joe held the door open. He seemed to be more at ease with her today. She even picked up on a little gleam in his eye. Ana knew she had an affect on men, but her condition and present location had never afforded her the opportunity to pursue romance, nor did she feel it to be a worthwhile distraction, unless it could be used as a means to an end.
“Thank you, Joe.” She brushed her shoulder on his chest as she passed through the door. She thought she detected the slightest bit of color coming to his face.
“You’re welcome, Ana.” Joe grinned, but stopped when Hans shot him a look.
Joe picked up his pace, walking ahead of Ana and Hans. She could see Hans out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her, studying her. She thought he must still be trying to figure out how such a small and dainty woman had managed to knock him out. The mere possibility of his bewilderment made her smile.
Joe swiped his security badge at the first set of doors along their route to Doctor Gabriel’s office. Again he held the door for her and closed them after she and Hans had passed through.
“Tell me, Joe, why are there three sets of secured doors in this ward?”
Joe started to speak then looked to Hans. When Hans gave him an approving nod, Joe continued.
“There are three classes of patients in this ward. The most troubled are housed closer to the security offices past the third set of doors.”
“So I’m considered one of the least troubled in this ward? Makes me wonder about some of the others here.” Ana laughed.
Her laughter even got a snort out of Hans, which seemed to lighten the mood a little. Joe was still laughing quietly when a side door opened and one of the janitors stepped out with a mop and bucket. His back was to them as he plunged his mop into the water.
“Hey, Lee,” said Joe. The man turned and nodded at Joe and Hans, going on with his work.
Ana locked eyes with the man for a split second. Was there a hint of recognition? She knew she had never seen him before, but she couldn’t escape the feeling that she knew him from somewhere, but where? He was only slightly taller than Ana, but even under the khaki jumpsuit, his body looked taut. What had really startled Ana were those eyes. They were jet black just like his shortly cropped hair, but there was a depth to them like someone way beyond his years. The moment passed and the man went back to mopping the floors.
“Who was that?” Ana craned her neck to look back at the man, but he had turned his back to her.
“That’s Lee. He just started working here a few weeks ago, but they’re already giving him more hours. He’s a hard working little guy. Korean, I think.”
“I haven’t seen any of the janitors since I came to this ward.” Ana looked down at the floor. Joe nudged her shoulder gently.
“Sam said to give you his best.”
Ana looked up into Joe’s eyes. “So he’s not mad at me?”
Joe chuckled. “Far from it, Ana. He’s just worried about you, wants you to get better.”
“Do you think I could see him sometime?”
Joe shook his head. “Not any time soon. Sam doesn’t have security clearance for this part of the hospital.”
“He was my only friend here for a long time.” Ana stared ahead down the hall.
Joe opened the next set of doors. As she passed through, Joe whispered to her.
“I can probably pass him a note though.” He winked at her. Hans didn’t seem to notice.
They walked the rest of the distance to Doctor Gabriel’s office in silence. Ana thought it would be nice to see Sam again, but something told her that would probably never happen.
“You know the drill, Ana, third door on the right.”
She smiled at Joe and waved to Hans. If Hans noticed, he didn’t give any indication. Just as before, they left her on her own in the hall and locked the security doors behind them.
She still checked the other doors before opening Doctor Gabriel’s.
***
Doctor Gabriel sat at his desk shuffling through a stack of papers. He picked them up and tapped them several times before placing them in a drawer.
“Please sit down, Ana.” He motioned toward the couch. “You can even lie down if you’d like.”
“Thanks.” She plopped down on the couch. Again, she marveled at how few personal belongings were on display in his office. Her other doctors had a gaudy array of bric-a-brac and homemade art; as if someone else’s personal items could make her feel at home. She had no home.
“So tell me, Doc, how long have you worked here and where are you from?” He seemed somewhat surprised by her questions.
“Not long actually, Ana. I’m on loan, so to speak, from an institute operated by our parent company in Berlin.” He looked around the top of his desk before opening another drawer and pulling out a pen. Had he noticed the other one was missing?
“Germany? I thought this hospital was owned by the state.”
“It is owned by the state, but they farm out administration and staffing to contractors. The company I work for, Deutschemedica, has run this facility for the last two years.”
“So why did they bring you all the way from Berlin to a hospital in Maryland?” Ana rested her elbow on the arm of the couch. She enjoyed asking the questions for a change.
“They were in need of several specialists. When the former contractor lost the bid they took all of their staff with them.” He shifted in his chair. “They really only left the hospital with a janitorial staff and a few nurses.”
“I guess that explains Hans.” The doctor laughed at that remark.
“Yes, I guess that does explain Hans. He’s really quite good at what he does.” He folded his hands together, studying Ana across the desk.
“Not good enough.” She arched an eyebrow and smirked.
The doctor nodded and smiled again. “He was until he met you. I think once he finally relaxes a bit around you, you’ll find him to be quite an amiable fellow.”
Amiable fellow, the phrase sounded odd to Ana. It didn’t seem to be something a man of his generation would say.
“How old are you, Doc?”
“Okay, enough with the twenty questions, Ana. I’m supposed to be asking you the questions so we can start getting to the root of the problem.” He flipped a page in his notebook and clicked his pen several times absently.
Ana shrugged. “It’s your show, Doc.”
“Alright, Ana, we’ll forego talking about your family for the time being, although I would like to get back to them later.” Ana nodded and he continued. “According to your files you’ve been much more tight lipped in recent sessions than when you first arrived here. Why is that, Ana?”
“Opening up never really got me anywhere. As you can see, I’m still here.”
The doctor shook his head. “It�
�s a shame that this facility reassigned you to so many different therapists over the years. I’m hoping to break that pattern. In that light, I want you to feel comfortable sharing and opening up with me.”
“Forgive me if I’m skeptical, Doctor. Do you really think anything productive is going to come out of this? It hasn’t in the past.” Ana folded her arms and sat back in the deep cushions of the couch.
“I understand your hesitancy, but I don’t think any of the others have shared my approach.”
“What makes you so different, Doctor?” She looked directly at him.
“I’m not all that different, just my methods.” He flipped back through his notebook. “First, why don’t we start with your dreams? I understand you were several different people in past lives.”
Ana studied him for a moment. He seemed to be earnest, but surely he was just toying with her.
“You mean to say that I had hallucinations of past lives, don’t you, Doctor?”
“I’m not convinced that they were hallucinations. For all I know, you had very vivid dreams that are based on suppressed memory. Perhaps some sort of traumatic event, such as…the death of your father.” He looked into her eyes, waiting for a reaction.
Ana fidgeted with her pant leg. “You can’t be serious. Do you really believe that?”
“Don’t you really believe it, Ana?”
“I don’t know what I believe. I just know that I have these dreams and visions, and for me, they feel as real as anything. As real as you and I right here.”
“What if we were to go at this another way? A process of elimination if you will.” He folded his hands again.
“Process of elimination? I’m afraid I don’t follow, Doc.” Ana leaned forward.
“Has anyone ever attempted to research any of the people that you claimed to be in the past?”
Ana tilted her head. “No. I don’t think it ever occurred to anyone, and, to be honest, it never really occurred to me either.”
“That seems strange to me. I would think that might be the first thought of someone in your situation. I guess I can see it from the point of view of my colleagues though. They truly believed you to be delusional, so naturally, they wouldn’t want to suggest anything that might send you mixed signals or feed into perceived fantasies.”
The doctor scribbled a few notes and seemed to be giving her a few moments to process the idea.
“I never really had the means to research any of the people that I’ve been. Besides, I don’t actually remember all of the details, like last names or their home address.” She realized the last part had sounded a little more sarcastic than she meant it to, but the Doctor didn’t seem to notice.
The doctor stretched his arms out and placed his hands behind his head, rocking back gently in his chair.
“Tell me about some of the most vivid memories. Which personalities have left a lasting mark?”
Ana wasn’t sure she was ready to parade her laundry list of crazy out for the good Doctor. Would he be like all the others?
“I can see you’re hesitant, Ana.” He leaned across his desk and spoke in low, gentle tones. “Let me assure you you’re in a safe place here. There’ll be no judgment. I want to help you, but to do that, I need you to let down your guard. Don’t worry how it sounds.”
Those hazel eyes of his held so much more than what she could see on the surface. Again, there was a sense they were kindred spirits. He was both foreign and familiar. Perhaps she could trust him enough to let down her guard a little.
“Well, some of the earliest memories that I have are of a Chinese princess, at least I think she was a princess. She was like me, small but strong. I’ve seen the book through her eyes.” She noticed a spark in the Doctor’s eyes.
“Tell me about the book, Ana.” He rubbed his palms together. “I’ve seen entries in your file about it, but I’m a little hazy on the details. Is it an actual book?”
“I only know that it resembles a book, not a book like you’ve got on your bookshelf, but it has a cover, albeit one made of metal. I think it has actual pages too, but the book has always been locked when I’ve seen it. I know it’s a key to some ancient power, but I don’t know of its source.”
“That’s interesting.” He did that thing where he pinched his ear lobe between his fingers again. “I wonder if the book isn’t symbolic of your inner turmoil.”
Ana shook her head. “I don’t think so, Doc. It’s a physical thing. I have memories of holding it, of its weight in my hands.”
“Alright, let’s set that aside for a moment. Can you tell me about any more recent past lives? Maybe someone that lived in the not so distant past. Someone there might be a public record for.”
Ana frowned and thought for a moment.
“Like I told you before, I don’t really have concrete names. Just visions of the people I’ve been and some of the places they lived.”
“Think hard, Ana. Any details you can remember might give us something tangible we can work with. If there is enough we can search for, we might be able to prove or disprove your visions.”
“So you don’t really believe they’re real?” Ana folded her arms across her chest.
“I’m not making judgments, Ana. Like I said, this is a process of elimination. If we can find real answers, something based on fact, maybe we can peel back the layers and get to the root of your troubles.”
Ana concentrated, doing her best to put names to the faces and places. “I have memories of a woman in Europe. I don’t know for sure where, but I associate a name with her.”
The Doctor leaned closer to her. “A name?”
“Hannah.” Ana smiled. “Yes, definitely Hannah.”
“Very good, Ana. How about a last name?” He smiled. “Europe’s quite a big place.”
“Hannah…um…Hannah. I want to say that it’s a short last name, but I just can’t remember.” Ana put her head in her hands.
The Doctor came around his desk and placed a hand on her shoulder. He kneeled down beside her.
“Don’t work yourself up, Ana. I think we might be able to help you to remember.”
She looked up at him.
“Have you ever been hypnotized?”
Ana laughed, then she stopped when she realized he was serious. “Sorry, Doc. No, I haven’t. At least not that I can remember.” She laughed again then covered her mouth.
“I know it sounds kind of hokey, and I certainly won’t force you to try it if you are uncomfortable.” He paused.
“I guess we could try.”
His eyes lit up. “That’s great, Ana. I think this just might help us get beneath that protective layer you’ve built up.” Her eyes went a bit wide. He seemed to notice. “Don’t worry, Ana, if you decide it’s too much for you, we won’t continue with that approach.”
She nodded and touched his hand.
“Shall we start?”
She looked into his eyes. “Right now? Here?”
“No time like the present.” He patted her hand.
“Okay.”
He helped her to lie back on the couch, and then he dimmed the lights. Ana heard him cross the room and turn on a fan. She felt the cool breeze oscillating across her body. There was lavender in the air and maybe just a touch of pine.
“Alright, Ana, I want you to just relax. Clear your mind and let my words wash over you. Let this place fall away and replace it with what you will.”
Hannah
“Please take a seat. I’m Lieutenant Wozniak, but you may call me Henryk.” The slender officer pulled out a chair from a formidable looking table and gestured for her to sit.
Sixth Seal Page 4
