Janek doesn’t awaken so much bob to the surface of unconsciousness. The ceiling is unfamiliar, as are the walls and the bed. On the plus side, there’s a ceiling, walls, and a bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Welcome back.” The voice is speaking Polish, but with an accent that it takes Janek a moment to place. The name is more elusive until the associated face appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Doctor Red.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Ah. Good.” Red looks at something outside Janek’s field of vision. There’s a scrape of wood on wood as he pulls up a chair. A clink of earthenware. A cool, smooth curve pressed into Janek’s hand. “Water?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Janek is suddenly, maddeningly thirsty. And hungry. Red seems to anticipate this. “Food is next, if you satisfy me you can handle it.” His diagnostic battery is thorough but swift. When he’s done, he stands and opens the door. “Jacob? Would you see if Magda can make something for our guest?” A muffled reply and withdrawing footsteps indicate an affirmative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“How bad? How long was I…?” Janek isn’t certain how to finish, or even what questions to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“A few days. Less than it would take in normal circumstances.” Red hesitates. “You may have some short-term memory loss, it seems minor. There are some other factors, which we’ll discuss later. But you’re doing remarkably well for someone who underwent emergency head surgery.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Janek’s head throbs at that. A memory surfaces: a blank face over a threadbare uniform, a swollen-looking Kalashnikov rising — <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Red nods sympathetically. “I assure you, this isn’t how we normally welcome new arrivals to Ponikla.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least the room is in a place with a name. But — “Surgery?” Janek’s skin prickles and bile churns in an empty stomach. Surgery usually involves…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, Red is ahead of the game. “Your name wasn’t always Janek, was it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Janek pauses, weighing Red’s tone. Mild. Accepting. Maybe even understanding. “It’s still not. But it’s a safer name than Joanna.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Red nods. \u201cWe\u2019re in Ponikla now. If you\u2019d rather be Joanna, no one will bother you here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you… but Janek is good for now. At least until more places are safe than just one village.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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