I Went in For Tests

Out of the Dream challenge - The Prompt: Write a horror story inspired by a nightmare, ending with the character waking up in an unexpected place.

It was years of living life without nightmares, when this one came along. I could see myself in a coma, laying in a hospital bed. I jumped as my ex-husband came over to me, pretending to be my doctor.

I jumped and started to scream. "No, don't let him near me." I quickly realized no one could hear me. My face was covered with a mask and my hands were tied down. Then I woke myself up and I was in my own bed.

This became a recurring nightmare. I wasn't sure what it was about, other than maybe I couldn't trust my ex-husband. I was at the point of going to someone to get my dream interpreted when I developed what the doctors' thought was bronchitis.

First, I was told I had bronchitis, then pneumonia, and pneumonia again. Then I was sent for more tests and it was determined it was cancer. First they thought Ovarian cancer, and sent me to that specialist, then Pancreatic cancer, and finally non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

By the time I had the tests for cancer, I could hardly walk a block without being all out of oxygen. I knew I needed to work out more to get into better shape, but this was something else.

I told every medical person I came in contact with after the pneumonia diagnosis that I was sleeping sitting up as when I would lay down, I would not be able to breathe.

After the diagnosis, I was told they wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy, and a PET scan. Sounded right. So, the day came and I was ill at ease. It meant laying down for the scan, and for the bone marrow biopsy.

The PET scan was scary as I had to lay down but they had a fan blowing in my face the entire time, helping me to breathe. For the bone marrow biopsy, the doctor came in and said they would be giving me a sedative to relax me.

I told them that I was very sensitive to medications and reminded them that I was sitting up to breathe when sleeping. I don't remember anything that happened with that test as I passed out and was moved to the ER.

I remember vague thoughts and conversations about how I would be tortured during treatment for the bone marrow biopsy. Someone I knew had a bone marrow biopsy and said she would have liked to have been put to sleep.

Was this what my nightmare was about I thought as I went about my day. Then I went to bed and again, I was in that same place where my ex-husband was standing over me and I couldn't move. I was frozen with a mask over my face and my hands tied at my sides.

I couldn't scream for help, or fight. I was so afraid, and as I could feel the tears streaming down my face, I could hear my friend saying, "You are going to be alright! Just take your time and open your eyes slowly. We are here with you!

As I opened my eyes I could see three old friends, my daughter and a man sitting next to me. I wasn't sure who he was, but my husband wasn't there.

I could feel myself relax and then nothing. The next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed, without a mask and I wasn't restrained. The man I didn't know was sitting next to me. When I asked about him, my daughter told me that the respiratory therapist looked like my ex-husband.

That explained it. This strange man was my husband that I had been married to for ten years. As soon as she explained what had happened, I knew my husband. I can't say that I remember all that we did in those ten plus years as I have gaps in my memory.

I had a respiratory code and died for a short time. I was sure glad to come out of that nightmare. And I haven't had that nightmare again since then, now 13 years later.