44.

Time moves on at an excruciatingly slow pace. Mandy can almost feel every passing second's tug at her, urging her to do something but what is there to do? At that, the day has also got away from her. Painfully slow moving yet almost gone away too, life playing an irritating game, and this is how life can sometimes be; thankfully the opposite can also be true.

Mandy is alone in room 211 and has been waiting, hoping to receive some sort of contact from anyone of relevance. The room still has this night and two more nights paid for so still with half a hope that something or someone might come to her, Mandy stays within the room for the night to come and before this day comes to a complete end, she attempts to make contact with either of the two group mobile phones via her own phone. This only brings further dismay for one of the group phones in here in room 211 and only rings out; the other phone apparently is switched off.

When sleep finally came, it lasted right through until morning. Mandy woke with both calm and disappointment in abundance. The calm coming from not seeing anyone else within the room either being unconscious or wakened, if anyone had returned then an unconscious state would trigger a hope that sleep may have them that way rather than some kind of collapse, and the disappointment has come for the same reason, no one else had returned to the room while she herself was sleeping.

Slowly, she gathers herself and her thoughts. She must do something, no point hanging around here in the room until its paid time times itself out, for if the seventh paid night were to pass, she would have herself a what then moment. Once she is ready to leave room 211, Mandy begins to make her way to the one place she can think of making her way to and that is to the hospital for surely Maggie and William were taken there once they were picked up from each having individually passed out.

From the moment she leaves the hotel room to the moment she leaves the hotel itself, Mandy hopes, prays, that something good will come her way, she knows having hope is futile and this proves to be true. On the way out of the hotel, the only one who is in any way recognizable to Mandy is a lady working at the reception desk. Mandy has yet to speak to that lady but knows enough that the lady at reception is someone who goes by the name Siobhan.

From feeling hopeless and helpless it only gets worse. At the hospital Mandy makes inquiries, she doesn't have full names and she can feel somewhat sure that the names she does have may not be actual names of those she is inquiring about. She is told that there is no one matching her inquiries currently staying at the hospital.

This is a disaster, what now? She thinks about making inquiries as to if Henry, Archer, Bonnie, and Sue could possibly be here or as to if anyone matching their descriptions are here, but she thinks better of doing this. However, a television powered on over by a near-by waiting area grabs her attention to the point she moves right up to it to take in the extent of a news report in progress. The report tells of an incident which has occurred at the local police precinct.

Twin brothers held in custody over an alleged bank robbery collapsed during questioning. Police are taking heat with inquiries heading their way as to if they had anything to do with causing the collapse of both twins. On the off chance that the twins may be at the hospital, Mandy makes another inquiry and is told that there are no twins currently being seen or treated at the hospital.

What now indeed. Take a seat in the waiting area, that's what. Is this the end of things? Will Mandy not get the answers she hoped to get? Will she not be able to see this through whatever this is? Sander, she hardly knew the guy, hell, he didn't know himself but with no answers then his death is for nothing, he will just be nothing. If she had answers, then that at least would be something. At that, however, Sander's remains have gone missing, so someone somewhere knows something.

As she sits in a trance of her own in a waiting area of the town hospital where three other individuals are also sitting, individuals who more than likely are waiting to see whatever doctor they have come here to see, Mandy is at a complete and utter loss to the point where her mind is a total blank.

She has no idea what to do next, there are little or no options to consider, and her mind really is such a blank that she does not see the arrival to this area of a woman wearing a long white jacket, gold rimmed glasses and long hair tied up upon her head in a bun.

'Amanda McCarty' Mandy hears her own name being called but it does not register with her until it is called again. 'Amanda McCarty.'

'Yes?' responds Mandy regarding the arriving woman with confusion. Mandy has no appointment; she has not come to see any doctor in particular. How odd is this?

'If you would follow me, please.'

Mandy has no time to query this, for this white jacket wearing lady has begun to walk away so Mandy takes a second or two to take this in, then gets up out of her seat and follows that lady into an office. The door to this office is closed once Mandy has entered and she is asked to take a seat, which she does.

'Miss McCarty, I am sure you have many questions but let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Doctor Marian Henley. I am ... William's mother.'

'You what? ... Wanna tell me that again? For I thought you just told me you are William's mother.'

'I did and I am ...'

'Then what the hell? How do you ...?'

If you can give me a minute or two, I will explain, you are seeking answers after all, aren't you?'

'Yes, I am.'

'About a year ago, William was attacked, and this attack left him with certain injuries. He was only fifteen at the time and had the rest of his life ahead of him. There is only William and myself at home, no one else is on the picture, not even his father ...'

'Alright, a difficult situation, I can imagine that ...'

'Sure. You know, just the two of us is difficult enough but with William's injuries, he needed attention, a lot of attention, a lot of care. He could not function completely on his own. I know he looks completely fine to you but there is a reason for that. We were approached by another doctor. He knew of our situation due to the fact that we, both he and I, this other doctor and I, are employed here at the hospital. You may know of this fellow as Sander.'

'What? Seriously?'

'Yes. Because of his own father's situation, Sander had developed a technology which was not being funded or received with any seriousness by his peers. Our department is not even on the map here. He developed this technology over many years. I aided him in his work after he came to me, and we took it to the testing phase.'

'Testing on your own son I presume?'

'Indeed, and it worked.'

'It couldn't have worked all too well if it took William's memory.'

'You should have seen William before his injection.'

'Injection? Just what did you do to him?'

'Nanites, nano technology, micro robotics which enter the blood stream and move to attach to and regulates the brain, it really is amazing. Brain injuries, physical injuries, afflictions, this technology is a leap forward into the future.'

'And the memory loss?'

'Well, that was expected to a degree, but we had to move forwards. The step back was anticipated.'

'What now? Aren't you worried for your son?'

'Of course, I am but there are more than two of us working together, there are others watching, aiding and then those like yourself also lending a hand and what a relief this is to me.'

'But wait, isn't it a failure? Isn't William in danger? Sander is dead, wasn't William better off injured than dead?'

'Oh, this is where you are wrong. Sander is not dead. He is very much alive. The technology slowed down his heart rate and began getting to work, healing him after what surgeons here at this very hospital had done to him. How do you think he managed to leave this place?'

'You?'

'Partly, yes ...'

'And what had Sander's issue been. If a brain injury made your son a test subject, then why is the technology also within Sander?'

'He simply was not going to test something on others with which he was not willing to test upon himself.'

'So, what now?'

'All nine subjects, eight patients and Sander himself, have received an update, as if a computer program has been updated. They are safe for the moment and are currently unconscious. They each are to wake tomorrow morning in perfect health.'

'Sander as well?'

'Yes, and all going well I believe they each will begin making their way back to Room 211 at The Mulberry Hotel with their health and memory intact so if you will and if you like, you can return there at your leisure and greet them all as they make their return tomorrow.'

'I would like that. And you know about Room 211?'

'Of course ...' The lady in the white jacket and gold rimmed glasses, Doctor Henley, stands as does Mandy too and a handshake is offered to Mandy, a hand shake that turns into a hug.

'And thank you Miss McCarty for all you have done.'

'No, thank you, and please call me Mandy.'

'Mandy it is ...'