4

"Hello Joe. How are they treating you?"

"Hey Jack, what are you doing here?"

Jack settled into the single vinyl-covered easy chair, draped in an intern's jacket over a plaid shirt and slacks. His lanky legs crossed and seeming at ease in the hospital chair provided. "Well, your name came up on a list, so I thought to drop by as soon as I got a break."

"Working you hard here?"

"No more than usual. I'll finish up in a couple of weeks and then I'm going back to the books for awhile before they let me out again. I'll appreciate some regular sleep then."

"Ooh, that's spooky - so you guys running on fumes are making all the decisions around here."

"Yep, that's the way it runs, apparently. But you're in good hands otherwise..." His beeper interrupted him. "Darn, that again. Have to go. See you."

One swift wave and a motion, then he was gone. Leaving me to wonder why he was here at all. My history with him said he was last in a corporate set-up, trying to rise through the ranks. This dream was a weird one.

Looking around, I found the thin robe and slippers we were allowed. Shrugging this on and tying it with the single sash allowed, I kicked into the slippers and started toward the door. A mirror on the wall showed me to be in my 30's with no gut and a few days of stubble. Hair tousled, but not overly long. A full head of hair with no gray. Nice. Of course, all those curls wouldn't stay flat unless I wet them down - but I was curious about this new world I'd been sent to.

I entered the hall, pausing to look both ways and take in the scene.

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