Chapter 5: Who's Mr. Grace?

Misha

I wake up to a soft white light blinding me. Huh? Is this heaven? No, there is no way an assassin can go to heaven. What is this light? I blink my eyes a few times to try to focus. Finally, I'm able to see something. The surrounding room becomes more apparent. The light fades away as a nurse talks to me; I can't hear her, though. My ears feel like they are muffled. A faint whisper finally breaks through the silence.

"Can you hear me? My name is Mindy. I'm your night nurse. Can you repeat my name back to me, please?" The nurse says as she helps me sit up on the bed.

"Huh? Oh, uh, Mindy, the night nurse?" I say, unsure why she asked me that.

The nurse walked to the other side of the bed and started looking at the machine with my vitals. When she moves, I see a handsome, elegant man in a gray suit sitting in a chair across the room.

OK, so I'm in the hospital. What the hell is going on here? This doesn't make any sense. There is no way I survived a gunshot to the head. I make eye contact with the terrifyingly handsome man. He scoffs while getting up and walking over to me. He starts to look me straight in the eyes. For far too long, I might add. Wow! His eyes sure are pretty—beautiful blue eyes, like a clear sunny day's sky. Just as I find myself lost in his gaze, the man speaks.

"You seem fine to me. Next time, don't run in front of my car. I will be handling the bill. Take care, Mr. Grace." Then, the handsome but rude man walks out the door.

Just before the door closed, and I had time to react, another, more academic-looking man entered. He struts over to my bed, pulling a card out of his pocket.

"I'm Anon Quin, the crown prince's valet. Here is my card; if there are any other problems, please get in touch with me." He begins to walk away.

Huh? Hold up. This doesn't make any sense. Why do these people keep walking away before I have a chance to speak? I reach out and grab the man's sleeve.

"HEY! What's going on? Who is Mr. Grace?" I say in a sharp tone.

The man and nurse look at each other in confusion.

"Sir, You are Mr. Grace. Rin Grace is your full name. We found a wallet on your person and confirmed it." Anon says while removing my hand from his sleeve.

I don't understand. This is all too much. I look at my body and notice my hands. They don't look right. These aren't my hands. I feel around my face and head. I see my head is wrapped in bandages. What? WHAT? Who?

"Rin Grace? I have no idea what you are talking about. That guy said I ran out in front of his car. I wasn't shot?" I say in a panicked voice.

OK, I'm getting freaked out. I have to get out of here now. I jump out of the hospital bed, ready to run. The nurse grabs my arm and tries to push me back into bed.

"Sir, please calm down and remain in bed. You have a head injury and a couple of cuts and bruises, but not a gunshot wound."

I stare at her in complete shock. I look over at the man, who is confused and uneasy. If I wasn't shot, then what is going on? This doesn't feel right. This body doesn't feel right. I have to see for myself. I dash into the bathroom. I close the door behind me and lock it. I walk over to the sink and look into the mirror. Huh? WHAT? NO…NO WAY!!! This isn't my face. These aren't my eyes. My hair is black and longer. This can't be real. I died, right? I know this has to be a dream. Ya, that's it—a dream. OK, Misha, calm down. Breath. You have to stay focused, even if this is a dream; I can't let my guard down.

After about ten minutes, I decided to leave the bathroom. The nurse walked over to me and helped me to the bed.

"The doctor will be here in a few minutes to talk to you about your condition. Please stay in bed. I will be back with some water."

She goes to leave, but before she does, she leans in closer to the man and whispers something. The man looks at her and nods.

"Do you know what day it is?" Anon asks.

Um, why did he ask me that?

"October 21st?" I say with a confused expression.

Anon shakes his head.

"No, sir, it's May 4th."

What? Was I asleep for that long?

"How long have I been here?" I ask as I look out the window.

This isn't Teradi city. There is something different about this place, but it's subtle. I can't put my finger on it. Anon leans back in his chair, crossing his legs.

"You've been here for about half a day. I'm not sure what happened, but you suddenly ran in front of the prince's car, and I hit you. You were lucky I wasn't going the speed limit."

OK, I wasn't asleep for months.

"That dude was the prince or whatever, right?" I ask.

"Yes, he is the crown prince of Dalmane, Jay Fenrick," Anon says while getting up from his chair.

"I have things to attend to. If you need me, you have my card. I hope you get well soon. Goodnight, Mr. Grace." Anon reaches out his hand and shakes mine.

"Ya, Goodnight, Anon," I say as I watch him leave.

So this guy was hit by a car just before I woke up here. Well, if I think of this like a TV show, it seems when I died, I replaced the owner of this body. If I try to explain that, though, everyone will think I'm a nut job. I have to play dumb for now. The doctor comes in and does an examination. He asks me all kinds of questions. It seems like he is trying to confirm if I have memory loss. I don't, but I will let them believe I do. It's for the best. I know nothing about this place. If I try to act like I do, it will only make me look suspicious. So, for now, I'm Rin Grace, a 26-year-old who lost his memory in a car accident. I have to stay in the hospital while they run some more tests, but I have no clue what to do after that. This could be dangerous. I'm in an unknown land with nothing but a wallet and clothes. I know nothing about this dude, either. Does he have any enemies? Does this guy have anyone who cares about him? Will anyone come looking for him? I hope not. It will be too hard to deal with a stranger's heartbreak. I also don't want to see their sympathetic stares, either. I can't deal with sympathy. Besides, it's best if no one cared about him because….

I'm better off alone.