Vivienne

Casey lay on the stretcher within the ambulance, listening to the paramedics talking between themselves as they rushed to the closest emergency room. “Ma’am?  Are you able to speak ma’am?”  The young EMT asked Casey loud enough to be heard over the siren.

Pulling off the mask that covered her nose and mouth she replied, “Yes.”

“Do you know where you are?”

Casey knew the man was testing her memory and played along with the questions, “In the back of an ambulance with a very cute paramedic type.”

The man smiled and turned a light shade of red. “Very well, Ma’am.  Can you tell me your name?”

Nodding and biting on her lip for a moment, “We can trade names.  I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours, is that fair?”  Casey winked.

Catching the dreamy brown eye wink, the worker in the back stammered an answer. “J-Jason, my name is, um.. Jason.”

Casey purposefully blinked her gooey chocolate eyes for Jason, “Alright, Jason.  I am Karen Collins.”  She reached up and clasped his hand, “What else would you like to know, cutie?”

The driver laughed and yelled to the back, “She must have some kind of damage to call you cute, Jay-man.”

Jason used his free hand and flipped his companion the finger, then looked back to Casey. “Sorry about that, Ms. Collins.  He deserved that.”

“It’s okay, it was funny.”

“I would like to keep asking you questions, we are close to the hospital so I can give them my evaluation.”

“How else will you get to know me, Jason.”  She squeezed his hand and smiled. “Ask anything you want to.”

Jason blinked and shook lightly as Casey’s hand tightened around his. “A..um, okay.  I can tell that you have some use of your hands.  Can you maybe wiggle your feet and tell me something about your past?”

Casey giggled and widened her smile until her pearl white teeth were exposed, then wiggled her feet. “See cutie, they wiggle just fine.  The last thing I recall before the accident was that I had just come back from Sweet Swirl Ice Cream, you know the one across from the Lilly?”  She watched as Jason nodded his head. “I was eating a..Pink Dream.”  Casey closed her eyes and licked her lips softly.

Jason gulped and blinked nervously, unable to look away from Casey’s light pink tongue. “I..I guess that should work for the doctors, Ms Collins.”

“Please call me Karen.”  She amended as the ambulance backed into the door. “Do me a favor and leave your number in case I..need.. To call you.”

Turning another shade of maroon the young EMT nodded his head and started typing on the electronic pad for his notes and looked once more at Casey. “I will leave it just in case you have any questions about, um.. The ambulance.”

Casey watched as the young man shook and turned away from her as he realized how silly the last thing he said was.  Turning to look at the driver as he left the cab of the ambulance, Casey followed the sound of him walking and opening the doors to the truck. “Ms. Collins, Jason has to buckle you in a bit while we transport you inside.”  He pointed to the junior medic. “Go on, cutie pie.  Let’s get her inside.”

The Emergency department Casey was wheeled into was in chaos.  All the seats in the waiting room were occupied, a line at the main window had no less than twenty people standing just to be heard.  People were complaining so loud that it drowned out the television displaying the news about the fallen hotel.

“This is Karen Collins. Pulled from the rubble of the Ocean Lilly.  She is aware where she is and who she is, she can move her fingers and toes.  We only saw minor cuts and bruises.”  Jason rattled off to a nurse that approached.

“We are dealing with multiple gunshot wounds from a gang fight just by the border with Norfolk.  Is there any pressing injury that I need to be aware of?”

“Possible head injuries, we rushed her here from the scene directly.”  Jason answered coolly

The nurse looks to Casey. “Um, Ms Collins.”  She looks over the notes and takes a quick look over the small scrapes on the ward’s forehead. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a bed I can put you in.  I do have a private cubicle with a chair you can sit in.”  She shakes her head.  “I will get a doctor as soon as one becomes free.”

“Sure thing.  Just lead the way to that chair.”  Casey warmly replied.

“I don’t even have a wheelchair to move you, so you have to lean on me so you won’t fall.”  The nurse sighed. “Just put your arm around me and I will walk you over.”

Casey complied and hopped off the gurney, waved a dainty goodbye to Jason and let the nurse lead her to the small private curtained chair. “Thank you..um..”

“Nurse Jacqueline White.” She responded as Casey stammered.

“Thank you.  Truthfully, Ms White, I would prefer to leave.  I feel fine.”

“I can’t make that decision Ms Collins.  Our lead doctor on the floor or your own personal doctor would have to make that determination.  I will say that typically with a possible head injury, many doctors admit against a person's will for seventy-two hours for observation.”

“Is there a phone I can use then?”  Casey inquired.

The nurse points to the wired phone beside the chair. “Feel free to call who you need to.”  The nurse turned abruptly as three more heavily bleeding people came bursting through the doors and the doctors started yelling for more assistance. “Someone will be here to take your vitals.. When we get the chance.  Until then, hold tight.”

Casey showed off a fake smile and raised her eyebrows, before nodding.  The nurse scurried off, closing the privacy curtain.  The ward picked up the phone and dialed her mistress.

The news van slowly circled the small emergency room looking for a place to park.  Slamming her fist on the dash a couple times, the red headed news anchor yelled at her crew. “We lost her, damnit.  What was that unit number, did anyone see?  Damnit.”

“Thirteen I think?” Her cameraman offered.

“No, I am sure I followed the number sixteen this whole way.” her driver offered.

Wendy unlocked her phone and scrolled through the names she collected while she was on site. “I know the person’s name is here somewhere.”

The cameraman swallowed the part of burrito he was chewing and blurted, “Karen, Karen Collins.  You had the microphone open and I heard it.”

The reporter started to dial her home station, “Let’s just see if we can find out anything on this Ka…” and her phone started ringing.  She stared at the number for a moment and looked at her two crewmembers worried before she pressed the green button. “H..Hello?”

“Wendy Richards please.”  The gentleman on the other end spoke clearly and concisely.

“This is her.”  She darted her brown eyes to the others and shook her head partly confused.

“Hold please.”  And the line went quiet for a few seconds before another voice, much deeper and serious came through. “Miss Richards.  The Darla has instructions for you and some footage that has been enhanced.  Sending now.”

Wendy watched as an app named “The Darla” was pushed to her phone, its icon a black heart with a sliver of red in the middle as if a hole were punched through it. “What is…”

“..You are to listen, Miss Richards.  Karen Collins is not a real name.  We have determined that it refers to a young lady named Casey Rivers.  You are to watch and report her every move.  Do not engage, do not get discovered.  When you see the video you will know why.”

“How did you..”

“...I will let you know when to speak.  The Darla has plans for what is to come.  Watch the video and be prepared to do the duty you swore when you took your vow.  Is that clear?  You may speak now.”  The gruff and deep voice commanded.

Wendy’s features grew agitated as she looked at her crew.  She was raging inside, being treated like nothing but a pawn in the story that she’d discovered.  Now, The Darla wanted to take over. “No, it isn’t clear.  I found her, I should be the one leading this.  The Darla hasn’t stopped what is going on everywhere else, why am I unable to lead my team and decide?”

The line went dead for a few seconds more and another voice rang out.  Feminine and wise. “Wendy?”

“Yes, Loved one?”  Wendy knew her voice instantly.

“You are the leader of your team, darling.  I am just taking a personal interest in what goes on there now.  I have every confidence you will understand why, when you see the video.  Have I lost your faith in the path, Wendy?”

“No, Loved one. You have not.”  

“Good.  The path will bring everything back to balance, my dear.”  The soft voice reassured Wendy.

“Yes, Loved one.  I will do as you ask and report my findings.”  The reporter affirmed and the call disconnected.  She punched the button for the app and watched the video that the bystander filmed.  She shook her head watching the video, “We saw this already, you have it on camera and we played it live.  Why would she ask us to wait…” She stopped talking as the enhanced video captured the upper right corner of the hotel as it went up in flames. “The Darla is right, friends.  Look at that.  Nothing human can do that.”

The other two nodded in unison. “That is quite amazing.  Carrying two people and leaping that far?  Too bad we can’t see her face.”

Wendy started tapping the screen frantically. “That one..right there..See it?” She points to the outline of a leather vest, then the arms.  She slid the screen so it showed the arms a little more clear. “Yes, that’s him!  No wonder she wants to be delicate.”

“That’s who?”  The cameraman questioned.

“That is the guy that only goes by ‘Drake’, like it's some great thing for a band named, of all things The Flying Cannibals.”  Wendy closes the video and her phone. “This just got interesting, boys.”