I wake up on some kind… bed? I’m not sure. A young woman, around Justin’s age, is looking at me. Behind her, that ceiling! I’m in a hospital!

I try to get up quickly, “Where am I? Joy? Master Mind?” 

I see Suzy’s face looking at me. “Shhh,” she says. “Lie down.” 

“Oh, my, my,” the woman says. “You were very lucky, Walt. The bullet went right through and didn’t hit anything major.” 

“What’s going on?” 

“The doctor was just in,” Suzy says. “He took care of you. He dressed your wound. You should be fine.” 

I see Master Mind behind Suzy, in the corner of the room. This is still confusing. “The doctor? I thought we were going to see Sandra.” 

“This is Sandra,” Suzy gestures at the woman, who I now realize is dressed like a nurse. 

“Don’t be silly, Suzy, he knows me. He’s just a little groggy. After all, I’m the mother of your grandchild. Right, Walt?” 

“Pfah!” I hear Joy’s voice in the back. 

“Which grandchild?” I say. There’s Tommy, Angela’s boy, but what does that have to do with Sandra? What’s happening here?

“Luis,” Sandra says, seeming concerned. “You do remember him, don’t you? You remember me, right? Justin and I are over to your house every weekend for dinner. With Luis.” 

“Who’s Luis?” 

Sandra puts her hand on my forehead. “I think something’s wrong with him.” 

Suzy shakes her head. “He’s very groggy, but he’ll be fine. You know,” she looks straight at me with a knowing look, as if telling me a secret she can’t say. “Sandra is married to Justin. And they have Luis. You remember, right?”

Oh! We’re in her dream, not in a real hospital! This is somehow her delusion! And she knows Justin and us… but isn’t married to him, right? And she doesn’t have a kid or he would have told us?

“How old is Luis now?” I ask, thinking that maybe Justin married Sandra in the last year and a half, after I was recreated in his dream. 

“Oh, here’s Luis!” A handsome boy with black hair appears in her arms. He does seem a bit like Justin did when he was a child! But he’s at least five, if not six. ”Say hi to Grampa Walt, Luis!” 

“Pfah!” I hear Joy’s voice. 

“Hi, Grampa Walt!” 

Suzy looks at me with her eyes too open again, her face showing stress and her voice friendly, “It’s a family reunion!” 

(To be continued…)

—Told by Grampa Walt