Chapter five

"Something has changed, finally" said Louis as I sat down next to him at the bar. "My fingernails were digging into the palm of my hand I was so tense!" He was talking about his missing fingernails from his missing fingers digging into his missing palm from his....You get the point. "I've been getting this sensation for a long time now, and I think it's gone for good!" there was a 20 second pause "no, it's back again, forget I said anything."

Just when you think you've got a perplexing problem licked, and you have that feeling that you're over it for good, well there it is again. It's like seeing and talking to dead people, you go 2 or three hours without it happening and you start thinking it's all over then suddenly "BAM" you look up at the wall mounted TV screen and there's Peter Jennings giving the news. Only he's not giving the news, he's complaining that he wasn't the guy who wrote the DaVinci Code.

After I was swallowed up in the tornado and Russell put me in the ambulance, he squat down next to me and began talking to the hospital to expedite my entry into the emergency room. "Tempest central, this is unit 52... I have a male patient with a head injury, about 5'7.."

"Eight" I added. "Eight."

Russell continued "about 5'8", 150 pounds, average to slight build, he's alert, and he has an object sticking in his head." he paused. "Over!"

"Uh unit 52 this is Tempest, did you call?"

"What's your name soldier?" why he called me soldier I do not know to this day.

"Marty." I replied

"Marty what?" his eyes were looking in two different directions

"Oh, my name is Martin, I mean my name is Clark..I mean" I had the same problem everytime somebody asked me my name.

"Tempest, we have a male with a head injury, named Marty Clark, he is disoriented and confused. Over!" his lips made a straight line as he pursed them.

"Unit 52, Russell, is that you? Could you try to hold the button down the entire time you talk, we're not getting everything you're saying."

"Roger that Tempest, we are in route with a tornado victim, can you advise any treatment at this time... Hey Randy why are we stopping!" He screamed with authority.

Randy opened the back door "We're here Russell, we were only two blocks away."

"Right!" chimed Russell and they whisked me into the emergency room. They put a saline IV drip in my arm, and different Doctors came rushing in and out of my curtained space asking me the same questions. Russell came in with a disposable camera he bought from the gift shop and was about to take the picture that hangs over the cash register at the "Pecker" when my final Doctor pulled back the curtain.

"Hi I'm Doctor Granger, you must be Marty, I'd recognize you anywhere!"

"Hey Doc, have you ever seen anything like this?" Russell exclaimed

"Oh yes, many times sir! I'm very familiar with this. " he was carefully moving my head to the side and eyeballing my wound. "of course I've never seen it in somebody's head before.." With that he laughed a deep staccato laugh and turned his head all the way around so his face and mine were side by side. "Big smile for the camera Marty!"

Russell fumbled with the disposable camera, he had his glass eye up to the viewfinder, backed off a bit and once he had his real eye there snapped the legendary photo.

"Is this extra crispy or original?" asked Doc Granger

"Neither" said Russell. "It's chickin lickin, it says right on the box that it's broasted!"

"Would someone tell me what is going on?" I screamed

"You mean nobody in these hallowed halls of healing has told you yet?" Doc said with a smile in his voice. "Sanders, if that is your name, go find Marty a mirror. "now listen to me Marty, what you're about to see may surprise you, and by all intents and purposes, it really should." he laughed that laugh again. "But we are going to treat this just like any injury we see in here, with the utmost dignity and sobriety."
Russell returned with the mirror and held it over my face so I could get a good look. His hand was shaking and I was only getting a blurred picture. Doc Granger slowly put his hand around Russell's and steadied the image.

I was trying to get the words "Oh my God!" to come out of my lips, but only the word shapes came and air fizzled through. "Wha..the fu..?" was the first recognizable words to come.

Doc Granger calmly and firmly spoke "It's a piece of fried chicken, most likely a leg, fully cooked and from the looks of it, very tasty. Normally I would be very excited to see such a magnificent example of southern cooking, me being a man of color and all, but seeing as how it's found it's way into your skull, I am more than just a little concerned over your prognosis," the sounds of gasps, including my own filled the room. "Now don't you worry Marty!" his cavalier look changed to one of deep concern. "I've already eaten no more than an hour ago, your chicken is safe with me." laugh.

With that I passed out cold. I left the bed and flew into the skies above the United States, it was getting dark on the east coast. I traveled into a very bright light and I could see a figure waiting there for me. It was my Uncle Howard. He died when I was 17 from a heart attack. He beckoned me closer, and he whispered into my ear. "It's not your time yet Marty, you are going back. When you get better, buy one of those razors with the 3 blades and the vibrating action. Let me know what you think."