It had only been a few days since we had woken up from our slumber properly, and from there things quickly moved forward, though perhaps at a little too fast pace.

  Since that day, we had been forced through a battery of tests to see the progress of our recovery, given only a few hours between each to get some rest before we were pulled into the next.

  Karla even noticed that there were some nurses and even two other doctors who tried to argue to slow down the battery of tests but they were rejected. By none other than the asshole doctor, she couldn't tell if he either had seniority over them or if he was their primary doctor. She didn't know which was worse and she hoped she'd have an opportunity to humiliate him.

  Mary just wanted to get this annoying situation over with, only tolerating it thanks to being able to see their mother again and having her visit regularly. But what helped the most was the presence of her headfriend Karla.

  Though they weren't able to do it reliably, whenever Mary could, she would swap with Karla to get out of doing tests. Leaving her in the space left with her thoughts while Karla took advantage of the switch to process the world.

  She may be Mary and Mary is her, but she as a personality hadn't personally experienced much of this new world. Karla took notes of everything, from the words used, to the things they were testing in particular and to just the general state of the hospital.

  Thankfully, all torturous procedures must come to an end eventually and they now sat in a comfy chair, right beside their mother, and across from them behind a fine wooden desk in a sterile white room, was their primary doctor sitting in a antique chair.

  Which thankfully was not that asshole doctor, though that answered one question and made several worse. But at this point, Mary wasn’t going to bother questioning what was even going on with that. Tuning in on occasion to her primary doctor talking with her mother.

  “From what our tests have concluded, she should be on the way to making a full recovery. Though it appeared she had suffered brain trauma that would leave permanent damage, the only apparent effects she had suffered was to her sense of balance and coordination.

  But her tests are showing that she will regain full use of her faculties given time, rest and regular exercise. I would suggest she doesn't engage in any strenuous physical activity for a few months, so that her body can get its rest to recover fully.”

  “Understood, I'm so glad she'll get better, thank you so much for your work in helping her get on the track for recovery. We can't thank you enough.” Her mother was deeply relieved Karla could tell.

  Though that was hardly a surprise, Mary took it as a given, but she could tell her mother genuinely cared. Karla in the old world knew plenty of parents who didn't.

  “I would recommend that if you feel Mary isn't getting enough exercise, a few physical trainers that I know who would be willing to come out and assist. Though I do also want to recommend that she get another appointment for her mental acuity…”

  “But wasn't she cleared for faculty damage with the battery of tests she was given? Was this something serious, is it required?” Mother Indignantly asked, after all the tests they threw her daughter into, they needed an additional one for something they noticed but chose not to test for? Infuriation was slowly brimming beneath the surface as the doctor quickly replied.

  “No, no, no! It is just something of a mild oddity the doctors noticed and felt it was worth another examination. It can be handled quickly if you'd like.” The doctor tried to downplay it, seemingly concerned that our mother would be terrified to go through with it, but unbeknownst to her, her attempt would fail for a different reason.

  Mother took a moment to breathe softly, settling her emotions as she responded again.

  “Then I don't see a reason that she needs another appointment right now in addition to the others, if it isn't something life threatening.” Her mother declared.

  Karla could surmise her mother likely wasn't against the idea, but she could hazard a guess it was because of their money situation that she decided against it.

  The doctor sighs and nods, getting the files sorted and standing, leaving for a moment.

  After a moment of silence, their mom asked, “are you feeling alright, mary? I could have agreed but you seemed exasperated with all the tests they had you do lately.”

  Karla smiles at her with our body, and replies “yes it was fine, you were right after all that we were getting tired, the lights in the hospital are blinding.” Karla did her best to speak like Mary but she really found it too soft for her preference.

  Their mother notices the use of we, but doesn't really think too much about it, just another sign of our tiredness as she relaxes her posture.

  “When we get home, you'll be free to rest as much as you need. Just hold on a bit longer.”

  Softly cajoling her daughter's spirit just as the doctor returned.

  “Before we let you go though, we have some police folk who want to ask you guys some questions about the case-

  Without giving Karla any warning, Mary took over and stated firmly while panicking, “We didn't do anything-”

  With even her mother joining in on the panic. “I already gave all the information on the case, and my daughter is barely being released from the hospital, can this not wait?! Or are you insinuating that my daughter-”

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Woah woah, wait, wait! To clarify, you guys are not being suspected of anything, we just want to get additional details from the witnesses of the bizarre robbery that went wrong.”

  Her mother frowned, more than a little incensed at the sudden police but before she could respond, Mary spoke.

  “Fine, but please make it quick,” exasperation coloring her tone, as Mary's stress started dipping back down, even as it stayed at half intensity.

  Though it wasn't long before stress forced Karla to the forefront, as she softly grumbles, from the previous swap by Mary but also by the unintended one. She was about to begin theorizing if stress was a genuine factor for an unintended switch when the door to the room opened and the doctor exited.

  While the police officers stumbled in, two in all. One tall woman and one short man, who took a seat and sigh as he opened a Manilla folder and immediately started, without even a greeting or an explanation provided.

  Karla was pretty sure they were supposed to give her breathing room or have this happen in an actual dedicated investigation room, but if they couldn’t be bothered to be professional, it means they likely aren't paying close to that much.

  “What did you end up seeing?” Immediately inquiring as he tried to lean back in the chair, before sitting up as the wood seemingly dug in his back.

  “I saw, and felt a guy bash my face into the wall and run off to try to steal stuff from our home, while my vision was seeing double.” Karla answered concisely while she watched the tall woman softly sigh.

  “Did you see anyone else?” He swung back with another question, without even missing a beat, as his assistant nearby wrote down something, likely their responses?

  “No, by the time I was aware, he was a body on the floor that I passed by to see mom being safe.”

  From there, on and on the police officers gave half-assed questions and Karla gave pretty unremarkable answers, as minutes passed in that state. Before long, an hour had passed and the policeman closed the folder as he stood up.

  “Thank you for your time. Please have a full recovery.” The policeman admitted, clearly bored with being in the room, as both him and his assistant? Left the room with unhurried steps, their steps gradually fading out in the distance.

  Leaving her and her mother alone, as the doctor walked back into the room and gave them the last of the files, concluding their session. As she last mentioned that she would suggest that Mary should get more check-ups.

  Mother acknowledges it in passing but by this point, her patience was wearing thin, with the sudden police officer and just this entire situation in general as she hugged Mary close.

  Meanwhile Karla pondered the battery of tests, finding all of it annoying altogether, as she made a note to remember the asshole doctor if there is a next time.

  They leave the hospital, heading towards their family car, a huge old beat up red Honda, a gift that their dad had gotten mom set up with half a decade into their marriage.

  As Karla limps along with their mother, doing her best to give Mary-like responses whenever the rare moment her mother asks to see if she was doing fine with the physical effort.

  Karla did wish that Mary would come back out now that the cops were gone, but with the short time they’ve been together,she could tell that Mary was uninvested in dealing with the difficulty of walking to the car.

  So with a bit of struggle she trudged on, until her and their mother opened up the car, putting on their seatbelts as she leaned in the seat to rest.

  Their mother turned on the car and began to get out of the parking lot, swiftly joining the road. Her mom took road safety seriously, now with her daughter back together again.

  “For dealing with all of that so well, I will get you some ice cream the next time we go to the store, hon.” She softly suggested to her daughter, still more than a little surprised by how cooperative she was at the hospital today.

  Her mom apparently decided to drive the long way home, as Mary could see her mother’s stress slowly leaving her body as she drove through residential neighborhoods to their home.

  Karla presumes she's thinking about the payments for the hospital or maybe even just their safety as she takes the opportunity to turn her focus inwards, just as Mary quipped.

  “So how are we going to do this?” Mary tentatively brings up, as she sat in an amusement park chair in their mindspace, trying to decide if she wanted to go search for the smoothies Karla found last time.

  “Clarify your question, Mary. I have an inkling of what you're talking about but I need more words.” They had gradually realized they don't naturally share information or memories, necessitating actual conversation in their mindspace.

  “You remember that crazy thing we summoned? I was thinking of how useful it might be, even if that thing wouldn't have looked out of place from a horror movie. Think we'll be able to shoot lasers or fire blades of ice if we keep at this magic thing?”

  “Sure, sure…” Karla meanwhile remembered her concern about what differences they would find with magic here compared to the old world, she hadn't been trying to do a summoning spell and yet it had resulted in that monstrous construct appearing.

  Her worry was palpable as she shifted in her seat, spending a few moments digesting her concerns to finally verbalize them.

  “I am concerned what mess we'll find trying to investigate magic further, we have no idea if we’ll just get another summon popping out or if we will just implode on the spot.” Karla softly remarked, while she tracked the colors of the cars that her mother passed by. She had a feeling that green and white were overwhelming colors.

  “I don't know what our options are in this world and I don't even know where we can start without risking self-harm.”

  Mary creaked on the chair as she leaned into it, deep in thought for a mere second before she chimed again with a suggestion.

  “Hey, so if we are concerned about what magic could do, how bout we wait on that too?”

  “Huh?” Karla was confused, “What do you mean by that?”

  “Maybe it's best if we just, I don't know. Stick to just summoning that freaky fellow again? We afterall have no one to teach us actual magic, and though I'm not sure about magic in general, you make it sound as if magic here could fuck up like it did in the old world.” Mary tentatively suggested, still more than a little out of her element with all the magic.

  Karla debated for a moment, as the scenery passed outside the car, trying to decide how to quip back, more than a little exhausted mentally from having to coordinate their physically weakened body.

  “Heck, we can even summon him in a place with several spots providing cover, so that if it does turn out hostile we can find cover and let it run its course. ” Mary chimed in, even if she let the uncertainty color the words.

  Karla grumbled as she tried to decide if she had anything she could add, delving into her thought process. So deep, she hadn't noticed that the car was starting to be parked, at least until Mary chimed in again in her mind.

  “Hey Karla. Karlaa. Karr-laa. The car has stopped, we're home.” Mary’s words acting like a bell that finally caught Karla’s attention, as she lifted up her head, and immediately noticed the scenery outside the car window as their mother turned off the vehicle.

  Before them stood their house, the car stopped on the side of the road out front, right beside their trash cans and a beaten up mailbox stuck in a rock pillar.

  But what took most of Karla’s focus was the house before them, with trees on both sides of the yard framing the house as the centerpiece of the plot of land. The same house where the burglary took place, their home.