"Oh, thank God you're here. Look, we're swamped, can you drop an ekg in 14 and then meet Sonia in 9? Thanks." The nurse tech walked briskly away off to attend to her triage no doubt.<br/><br/>"Never a dull moment." Alex commented to himself. Tonight he was on Er. Which wasn't so bad when you considered the nice differential he received in his pay. Plus, to be honest the constant action was good for him. Quickly donning some gloves and pushing his cuff back, Dr. Collins strode in to room 14. "How are we doing...Ms. Nagle?" He questioned curiously, referring to the chart he had been given by the nurse tech.<br/><br/>"Never been damn better. What do I need to do now doc? They've been poking at me and spinning me all around for hours!" Ms. Nagle was an 84 year old woman that had a history of strokes and might possibly have a gastro problem. "Why did they make me drink that crappy water, and how come I've been waiting so long!" She half screamed. The crappy water or oral contrast as she was referring to was necessary to complete the PE study they would be doing for a Cat scan. After drinking you needed to wait an hour and a half for the contrast to move through your body, and then once on the CT table, you generally received the IV contrast through a quick power injection.<br/><br/>"We just need to get a look at your intestines Ms. Nagle. I think itâ€™s important that we get a few pictures of you so that we can find out if there is anything wrong with you. I'll just need you to sit on that table and look pretty."<br/><br/>"Well there's a lot wrong with me!" She quipped, ignoring his veiled compliment. "Starting with this damn place." She finished, looking around at the patterned wall and monitors she was set up with.<br/><br/>"Ms. Nagle, I like you so much that I don't ever want to see you back here again. Why don't you just come with me and we can get this done and over with and back into your nice warm bed?" Alex spoke with a voice meant to soothe and calm, but apparently the older woman didn't hear much past 'like you so much'.<br/><br/>"Oh! Well aren't you sweet." She commented. "Why don't you take me on down there and I can get back my bed."<span style="font-style: italic">Hmm...so she was listening.</span>The rest of his day went as expected; only two more crazies, a paranoid schizophrenic, and a handful of sweet hearts. He arrived during the busy hour when his shift started at 4pm and ended at 4am. Luckily, he was able to get off a little early and so arrived back home around 4:02.<br/><br/>"I'm home!" He called, knowing the others would most likely be up getting ready for their shifts. His call was met with no response. "Guys?" He pressed further. Setting down his bad, Alex made his way further in the apartment. There was no one. The place was empty.<span style="font-style: italic">Odd...</span>He thought. Generally when they left without letting each other know there was at least a note or something for the others just making sure they were okay. Entering the small kitchenette he saw what he was looking for on the island. A small envelope emblazoned with his name was sitting quaintly in the center of the cleared space. "Well I know I didn't clean that." Picking up the letter he read the words in the center:<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Dr. Alexander Collins</span></span><br/><br/>"Pfft. I'm getting punked." He chuckled comically, opening the envelope with his finger. Seriously? An envelope. Kay, this was just too much. Alex pulled out a very rough and thick piece of paper, unfolded it, and turned it over. But nothing was there.<span style="font-style: italic">Okay...</span>He thought strangely. "Funny way to tell me you're..." But his mind went blank. He no longer knew where he was or what he was just doing. Images swam on the surface of his eyes. He was relieving happy memories of his days back in summer camp.<span style="font-style: italic">That was a long time ago...</span>He thought in some strange place, he couldn't be sure...but there were his old friends playing in front of him. They were running together in a forest--like a half remembered dream. Suddenly, reality slammed back with a force that felt as though the wind had left his body, except, it was all in his mind. He thought for a moment the green stone on his cuff was glowing faintly, but no, that was his imagination. Whiplash from the episode.<br/><br/>"What the..." He began, unsure of quite where he was. Alex's hand was outstretched, reaching as he previously thought towards his old friends, his other hand still clutching the letter.<span style="font-style: italic">Letter?</span>Holding up the previous blank note to his eyes he saw there was indeed words scrawled across them in a rather ordinary fashion. Summer Camp? Well's Summer Camp...that was the camp he had gone to as a kid. The very same from which his memories seemed to pool from the letter in his hands. Odd was an understatement, and yet...the sensation he had just experienced. It was exactly like the flashes he was getting so often. Only this time he didn't even have a moment to realize it was coming on. Just then he heard steps around the hall. He had only just turned around when--<br/><br/>"There you are! We were looking all over for you." It was Myla, shortly followed by Steven. "Where did you go?" She asked concernedly.<span style="font-style: italic">What are they talking about?</span>He wondered confused. When he didn't answer, she spoke again. "The hospital said you left two hours before your shift was up, how long have you been here?" She added when he was completely taken aback.<br/><br/>"I...have been here for hours?" He asked, as though still unable to believe...but the only thing on his mind...<br/><br/>"Yes, hours!" Steven said. "And it should come as no surprise!" He dropped the letter, moving quickly towards the door. He had to get to that camp. He had to know what it was he was seeing. Myla moved in front of him.<br/><br/>"What were you doing? Thinking? And whats with that scrap of paper?" She looked around him, watching as Steven picked up his letter.<br/><br/>"What are you..." And then he saw it. The blank piece of paper he had sworn he'd held before! That cinched it.<br/><br/>"What are you doing???" She half-yelled after him.<br/><br/>"Let it go..." Steven spoke. "He's gotta find his own way." The last thing he said, or maybe he only thought it as he left the flat:<span style="font-style: italic">...Need to know...</span><br/><br/>***<br/><br/>A hotel stay and day later and Alex was standing outside his old summer camp as though it was...well as though it was yesterday! He walked up the long path, past the old big yellow sign he was surprised he could even remember. He ended up wandering to the top of a tall hill overlooking a main portion of the camp. Alex couldn't help but feel like a part of him, if only a small one was complete again. It was something he had but...he'd only just got it back. It was a good feeling, the first in a long time.