Obligated

As she opened her eyes, she sensed something familiar but the surroundings cleared the sensation from her thoughts.

Maroon, royal blue and goldenrod stripes held up the walls. Beeping sounds echoed around the room and drew her attention to the tubes dangling off her.

Where am I?

The room whispered 'hospital' in tiny letters. Easy guess but why?

She sensed that familiar thought again.

What is it?

No response.

Who am I?

No response.

She felt an itch and scratched her nose. The sensation pulsed in her brain again.

What is this?

More sensations flooding her brain with no memories or other comparisons with which she could discern their meaning.

Am I dead?

The room whispered 'hospital' in tiny letters. Easy guess but why?

A change in the sensation preceded a gentle knock on the door.

"Hello, Adelyne. How are you this evening?"

Adelyne? "I'm Adelyne?"

"Oh yes you are. Can you remember your full name?"

"Full name?"

"Guess we need to lower the pain medication. I'll just note that for the doctor."

Scribbling sounds.

"How are you feeling today?"

"I feel fine. Only..."

"Yes?"

"Why am I here?"

"The doctor'll be here later today to explain all that. I'm Megan, your floor nurse. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Do I have to wear all this plastic tubing?"

"Well, Adelyne, until the doctor gives the say-so, we can't do anything unless you have a drastic change in health. Is any of it making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"All of them."

"Oh, I see. Well, again, let's wait until the doctor arrives before taking anything out."

"At least tell me what they're for."

"Dear, you're not lucid enough for that. Let's just say you had a serious fainting spell so we're giving you fluids and medication to restore your equilibrium. How's that?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Good. I bet you can smell dinner by now, can't you?"

"Dinner?"

"Yes, indeed. We've got fresh fried chicken, mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas. Your favorite, according to your mother. Mmm-mmm...doesn't the smell of dill just ride up your nose?"

Adelyne took a deep breath. She felt sensations but nothing that matched the words dill, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, plastic tubing, starched scrubs, clean sheets or anything else she'd seen or heard about. What's the matter with me?

"I can't 'smell' anything."

"Oh, that's right, honey. Well, the doctor will explain all of that to you in good time. You just enjoy your dinner and he'll be here in a jiffy. Okay?"

Adelyne nodded. She sniffed the air. Lots of sensations but nothing that 'smelled.' She remembered the word smell and knew it meant the passing of chemicals from the air to the membranes in her nose and then converted to signals sent to her brain. But that was it. No memories of the moment in which one experiences the verbal sense, "to smell."

Adelyne ate in silence, enjoying the food in ways she'd never let herself, rolling pieces of chicken from one place on her tongue to another, pushing the peas against the insides of her cheeks, savoring bites in more than just masticating and swallowing.

Another knock. "Ah, Adelyne. You are fully awake. Very good. I'm Doctor Shah. I'm your hospitalist."

"Hospitalist?"

"Yes. You had a very bad event but you have recovered well. You have lost some brain function but we believe it will return. We will run more tests and then..."

"Bad event?"

"You had a cerebrovascular accident."

"A what?"

"Very sorry. I forget myself sometimes. You had a small stroke."

Stroke? Like what an old person has? "A stroke?!"

"Only a very small one. Your motor skills are completely unaffected. However, according to tests we ran yesterday, there is a small area of your brain that does not function at this time. You may not recall certain memories at this time. Other functional deficiencies may include the loss of taste and smell."

"But I can taste this food just fine."

"You can? Very good." More scribbling. "Would you describe your taste as good or worse than before."

"Better."

"Better? I see... And your sense of smell?"

"Umm...I don't know. I know what the word means but I can't seem to grasp the concept of smelling, as if..."

"Yes?"

"I don't know. That's my problem. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be 'smelling.'"

"Uh-huh. Well, we will see about that. In the meantime, the nurse mentioned you are having problems with the IV. Since you are eating your first real meal, I believe I will order the removal of them for now."

"Thank you, Doctor Shah."

"My pleasure." Doctor Shah sat on the end of the bed. "Now, as part of our new hospital procedures, I must explain your situation. For you to receive full health insurance coverage of your visit, it is your obligation to show to us before you leave your ability to return to full functionality, including your sense of smell."

"My what?"

"Yes, you see, full coverage means that upon your discharged you display no abnormalities or disabilities incurred before entering the hospital. Your voluntary admission to the hospital means you agree to become a regular citizen again, complete with all functionality returned to normal."

"Huh? You mean if I had a major stroke and couldn't return to normal, it'd cost me extra?"

"Adelyne, let's not worry about the details of what you are not experiencing. You have all of your rational faculties and bodily functions, minus one or two small issues that we fully believe we can clear up before you leave. I will let you finish the rest of your meal with your tastebud functionality at or only slightly above normal parameters. Further tests tomorrow will determine the timeframe in which you are obligated to recover your capability to smell."

"But, Doctor, I don't understand. Why does it matter if I can smell or not?"

"That, Adelyne, is a question you answered yourself. Your CV shows that you are a tester for the Everlasting Perfume company. Your company health insurance specifically states that coverage will be fully provided if and only if you can return to your job as a perfume tester. Otherwise, you will be expected to pay your hospital fee yourself. But let's not worry about that right now. You need to eat your meal and get a good night's sleep."

"But what about the new universal health coverage? Doesn't it pick up where my company's coverage left off?"

"Adelyne, I'm a medical doctor, not an insurance expert. However, I believe the government agreement with private insurance companies for universal coverage excludes overriding denial of services if the insured cannot fully recover or refuses to meet one's obligation to fully recover from illnesses contracted that led to one's hospitalization."

"My goodness. Is that all?" She laughed to herself satirically, thinking this was some absurd dream.

"We all are obligated to serve one another in full health, Adelyne, you as well as I. I came from a family who worked hard to put me through medical school, sacrificing many long hours for my good success. Not once did my family call in sick or have any excuse to stop working for me, operating both a small convenience store and hotel 24 hours a day. Their example should be an example for all of us. I am not worried about your small problem. You will smell many wonderful things before you know it. I am confident in your future." Doctor Shah patted Adelyne's feet and stood up.

As Doctor Shah walked out, Adelyne bent over her food tray and took deep sniffs. Okay, that one has a different sensation than this one and that one...