Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles (3 page)

NYUHC Intensive Care Unit

Sunday, February 12, 2006

“Elsie.”

Elsie became vaguely aware of someone calling to her.

“Elsie, ye need to wake now.”

Nay. Her head hurt, but she couldn’t move it. Her body hurt. It hurt to breathe. She wanted to sleep.

“I know ye can hear me, child. Be a good lass, and open yer eyes.”

Elsie blinked. The face of an elderly woman with white hair and kind eyes came into focus.

The woman smiled broadly. “There ye are.”

Elsie looked around. She had no idea where she was. Just moments ago, Drummond was dragging her through the village. Now, she seemed to be in some sort of bed. Something was around her neck that prevented her from turning her head. Likewise, her left arm was bound to something rigid. The room was oddly bright, but she saw no torches or candles. Strange noises accosted her ears. Nothing was familiar. How had she gotten here? “What…where…,” her voice sounded strange to her ears. She tried again, “What…”

The old woman leaned over Elsie and gently stroked her hair. “Sweetling, look at me. I know this place is strange to ye, and ye have a lot questions. I am going to try to help ye understand what has happened. But I need for ye to stay calm, and focus on what I’m telling ye.”

Afraid to hear the bizarre sound of her own voice, Elsie nodded as much as the thing around her neck would allow.

“My name is Gertrude. I am...an immortal spirit. One of the ancients.”

Elsie frowned. “An angel?”

“Aye, that’s one way of understanding it.”

“Have I died?”

Gertrude smiled warmly. “Nay, ye haven’t. But yer soul has switched places with another.”

Elsie became agitated. “What kind of sorcery is this?”

Gertrude stroked her hair again. “It isn’t sorcery, lass. Far from it. Please try to stay calm while I explain. Will ye do that for me?”

“Yes,” she whispered. Her voice sounded less strange as a whisper.

“I know this is hard to believe, but as I said, yer soul has switched places with another. Yer soul and memories have entered the body of a woman named Elizabeth, many years in the future. And her soul and memories have entered yer body in yer time.”

“How?” she whispered again.

Gertrude reached in her pocket and pulled out a thick, gold disk attached to a chain. “This is called a pocket watch. It’s a tool for marking hours that hasn’t been invented yet in yer time. But this isn’t an ordinary pocket watch. This unassuming device allows a soul who so chooses to temporarily change places with someone else.”

“But I didn’t choose this.”

“I know, pet. Several unusual things happened this time. Normally, the person who accepts the pocket watch goes to sleep at night and then enters the body of someone who has made a choice that will result in their death. The time traveler whose soul enters their body does something immediately to change that. Then the time traveler has sixty days to experience and learn from a different life.”

Gertrude pushed a button on the thing she called a pocket watch, and the disk opened. Inside was a white circle with markings around it. It also had one slender, black piece that pointed to a tick mark. “There are sixty marks around the face of this watch. Every day the hand moves forward one mark. The time traveler has a special word that he or she must say before the time is up in order to return to their home.”

“And the other person goes back to their own body too?”

“Nay, pet. Normally, because that person was about to die, when the sixty days is up, their soul moves on. They are not even aware of what happened because while sixty days have gone by in the past, only sixty seconds—a single minute—pass where their soul is.”

“You said,
normally
. Is that not what happened this time?”

“Nay, things were a bit different this time. Elizabeth was in an accident and lost consciousness instead of going to sleep. She also landed in yer body a bit earlier than intended.”

Elsie could scarce take it in, but she understood the general idea. “So she stopped my death? What had I done?”

“That is another interesting wrinkle. Ye hadn’t done anything…yet.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I believe at the moment yer soul was brought forward, ye had been summoned by yer laird?”

“Yes, but I didn’t know why.”

Gertrude explained. “Shortly before Drummond came for ye, a group of men sent by Laird MacKenzie had spoken with yer laird. Ye see, Laird MacKenzie’s wife has been pregnant four times, but each time the baby came much too early. She’s pregnant again, and they want this baby so very much. Laird MacKenzie heard that Laird Macrae had an extremely talented midwife in his clan.”

“My Aunt Dolina.”

“Aye, yer Aunt Dolina. Laird MacKenzie hoped that Laird Macrae would let Dolina travel to Carraigile and see if there was anything she could do to help. Well, Laird Macrae believed there was absolutely nothing that could be done, but he thought he could fool Laird MacKenzie into thinking he was helping by sending someone else.”

Elsie was shocked. Laird Macrae was not known for his kindness, but it was hard to believe that even he would be so callous.

“By yer expression, I can tell ye don’t approve. But here is the worst part: he intended to pass ye off as yer Aunt Dolina.”

Elsie frowned. “Me? I could never have done that. I couldn’t pretend to be a midwife. I wouldn’t give the poor woman false hope.”

Gertrude smiled and nodded. “I know, pet. Ye would have taken the moral high ground, but he would have beaten ye severely for yer defiance. That punishment would ultimately have caused yer death. It may be the reason why the pocket watch didn’t work quite like it usually does. It would have been tragic if yer noble choice had resulted in such a terrible outcome.”

“But I still don’t understand what happened.”

“Like I said, normally, the watch goes with the person to whom it was given. Then for every day that person is in the past, only a second passes here.”

“That didn’t happen?”

“Nay, it didn’t. The watch is here with ye, and time is equal. One day here is the same as one day in yer own time.”

“Exactly where am I?”

“Ye’re over seven hundred years in the future. It is about three o’clock,
none
that is, on the twelfth day of February in the year of our Lord, two thousand and six.”

“Seven hundred years?”

“Aye, pet. Ye’re in hospital, in a city called New York, across the sea from Scotland, in a place called America.”

“In Elizabeth’s body?”

“Aye. Elizabeth Quinn. She’s a very skilled doctor. I will tell you everything I can, but there is one thing you must know first. Even as far in the future as we are, most people are unaware of the possibility of soul exchange. The people who are caring for ye don’t know what has happened.”

Panic rose in Elsie. “How do I explain not knowing anything about who I am? They’ll think me possessed or a witch.”

“Nay, lass, they won’t. Most people here don’t believe in such things. What’s more, ye were in a bad accident and hit yer head. Head injuries can result in complete memory loss. It’s called ‘amnesia.’ Other things can cause it as well. Time travelers have faced this for years, and when they encounter doctors, the doctors always manage to find a satisfactory explanation.”

“Gertrude, I want to go home. Can’t we just switch back?”

“Elsie, ye said ye would have accepted Laird Macrae’s punishment rather than lie to the MacKenzies about who ye were.”

“Aye, I would have.”

“Well, the reason Elizabeth was sent into yer body was because she is a very special kind of doctor. She knows all about pregnancy and birth. She didn’t refuse Laird Macrae’s command because she has the knowledge and skill to possibly help Lady MacKenzie. But she hasn’t had a chance to yet.”

“So we must wait until she does?”

“The choice is yers, pet.”

Elsie didn’t know what to think, but her heart went out to the woman who had lost so many bairns. “If Elizabeth can help, I want her to.”

“I was certain ye’d feel that way. So, ye must stay here, at least for a while, and pretend to have amnesia.”

Elsie tried to nod again. She became aware again of how much she hurt. She raised her right hand to touch the thing around her neck. There were clear flexible tubes attached to that arm. “You said I was in an accident. What happened? What is all this?”

“In this century, they have conveyances that people use to move from one place to another very quickly. But sometimes, those conveyances run into each other. It’s called a motor vehicle accident or a wreck. People can be very seriously hurt when that happens. You were in a car that wrecked. Ye’re left arm is broken. The doctors have splinted it to keep it still until they can put a cast on it and allow the bones to knit properly. This tubing,” Gertrude motioned to the thing on her right arm, “is attached to a much smaller tube that goes directly into yer vein and the other end goes into a bag of fluid, see?” Gertrude pointed up and behind Elsie.

Elsie looked and saw the tubing went into a strange box. Hanging above the box was what looked like a clear wineskin full of liquid.

“This machine is called a pump. It pumps the fluid directly into yer body. Doctors in the twenty-first century have wonderful medicines that they can give ye this way.”

“Why does my voice sound so odd?”

“Because it’s Elizabeth’s voice.”

“And everyone here speaks Gaelic?”

“Nay. They speak English, but even it has changed a lot.”

“How will I understand them?”

“Even though ye have yer soul and memories, some of Elizabeth’s memories are still in her body. The language she speaks is one of them. Ye understand, and are able to speak English because of that. It will feel no different to ye than Gaelic. We’re speaking English now.”

“Really?”

“Aye. Ye may experience other strong memories from time to time as well.”

“What is this thing around my neck?”

“It’s called a cervical collar. It was put on after the accident, just in case ye had broken a bone in yer neck. Ye didn’t. I expect they’ll take it off soon.”

“Where is the light coming from and what are those noises? Everything hurts so much. Can’t I have some willow bark tea?”

“My sweet lass, I’m sorry ye’re hurting. They don’t use willow bark tea anymore, but they do have good ways of reducing pain. Unfortunately, the longer I stay here and answer questions, the longer it will be before someone can help with yer pain. I know it’s all a bit overwhelming, but ye’ll be fine. I’ll come see you again when you need me, and we’ll have another chat.”

“You’re leaving me? I don’t want to be alone. Here.” Elsie fought desperately not to cry. “I’m afraid,” she added in a whisper.

“I know ye are, sweetling. But I promise, everything will be fine. I have to leave, but ye won’t be alone for long. And I must warn ye, don’t mention my visit to anyone. Ye see, no one actually needs to know that I’ve been here.”

“Won’t they see you leaving?”

“Nay, I have a way of coming and going unnoticed. It’s a gift that serves me well. Also, I must tell ye the special word, the return word.”

“But I agreed not to change places yet.”

“Aye, but that is a choice you have made by your own will. You are always free to change your mind.”

“I won’t. Not until I know Elizabeth has done what she can.”

“Still, you must know the word, even if only to ensure you don’t say it accidentally. It is a most strange word and I think that unlikely, but we must take precautions. The word you mustn’t say, until you are ready, is,
nintendocore
.”

Elsie nodded. “I’m sure I won’t say that by accident.”

“I thought not. Now, you’ve made a courageous choice. Hold on to that, and the universe will unfold as it should.” With that, Gertrude left the room.

As she stepped through the door, it was almost as if she faded into a mist and disappeared. If it hadn’t been for all of the other fantastical things Elsie had learned over the last few minutes, seeing such a thing would have been terrifying. But really, disappearing was mild in comparison to having one’s soul yanked into someone else’s body.

A woman with blue breeches and what appeared to be a short tunic out of the same blue fabric entered the room. “Oh, my goodness, Dr. Quinn, you’re awake. You were in an accident and you’re in the hospital in the ICU. My name is Jennifer. I’m your nurse. I’m going to get a set of vitals and then I’ll let the doctor know. She’ll want to examine you.”

Although Gertrude had said Elsie would understand English, most of what Jennifer said made no sense. Elsie certainly didn’t know how to respond, so she opted for silence. Jennifer pushed a button on one of the—Gertrude had called them machines—and a band that was wrapped around her upper arm began to tighten. It became uncomfortable and frightened Elsie. “Get it off. It hurts.”

Jennifer touched her shoulder. “It’s all right. It’s just the blood pressure cuff. It’s already going down.” Her voice was calm and reassuring, but her brow was furrowed. “There, see? It deflated.” Jennifer tilted her head to one side. “Do you remember what happened, Dr. Quinn?”