"Well, that's the thing I'm afraid. It was technically your brain."
"My brain?!" you squeaked. Having definitely not been prepared for this. "You... You transplanted my brain into someone else's body? I'm someone else now?"
"Sort of, yes."
"Sort of? What do you mean sort of?"
"It's difficult to explain," Kerry sighed. Looking towards the other doctor. "In fact, even we don't know really know how it happened."
You were growing frustrated now. "How what happened?" Pretty much begging now, "Please, just tell me what's going on?"
And so he did. Explaining with some trepidation how, although you were "fine now", the impact of the truck that hit your car had initially caused severe brain damage in both you and a passing pedestrian. Trauma that apparently could not be healed by conventional medical procedures. "Fortunately myself and Dr. Saunders have been researching in the field of brain transplantation for nearly twenty years now. We knew that there was a chance, a slim chance, that using an experimental procedure that I devised, we could quite possibly save both your lives by removing the part of the brain where the damage had occurred, attaching it to the still functioning part of each others brain and then trick it into stimulating self repair once it was inside. Something which was only possible through a transplant."
This all pretty much went straight over your head. Not really having any clue what he was talking about. The only bit that really stood out being the fact that they had seemingly taken out a part of your brain and put it inside this other person's head. This realization causing you to gasp. Having written off what they had been arguing about earlier as being little more than a drug induced hallucination. It no longer seeming the case at all.
"Oh my God... You mean my... my brain was actually inside someone else's body?" This being a particularly difficult concept to grasp.
"Yes, and vice versa," he said, rather casually given the circumstance. This clearly not being as big a deal for him as it was for you. "There simply wasn't time to try it any other way. The part of the brain that we removed would die if it was left on its own for long. It was a very risky operation, I'm not going to lie, but it was also the only possible way to save both of your lives. Otherwise you'd both have been left completely brain dead, and then there would have been nothing we could have done. Thankfully, it seems to have worked..." The look of pride in his eyes quickly fading and changing to discomfort instead. "...Or at least partially."
"What do you mean partially?" And why did your voice suddenly sound kind of funny, like it wasn't yours?
"As we said before, there were complications. The damage to the other patient's brain was far worse, and it seems that while it was in the process of stimulating self repair, it began to physically mimic part of the 'Tim' brain. More specifically memory function and thought process. Creating, if you will, a sort of duplicate 'Tim'. Which rather unfortunately seems to have, on the surface at least, wiped what was previously there clean. Essentially making them 'Tim' as well. Or at least an almost exact mental clone."
As insane as it sounded, you knew what he was saying was true. Kerry not looking like the sort of man to make up something like this. Getting a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach as he spoke. Realizing that as he was explaining this bizarre and seemingly impossible story, he'd very clearly stopped referring to you as Tim. Leading you to leap to the most obvious conclusion.
"Oh God. I'm the clone, aren't I? I just think I'm Tim."
He nodded. Both doctors looking very regretful indeed. "I'm... I'm so very sorry. I know this must be a lot to take in. But yes. Although you have the exact same thought patterns, memories, synaptic impulses as the real Tim Connors, you're not actually him. He's across the hallway doing perfectly fine, with no side effects at all."
"Jesus..." you whimpered. Feeling like you were going to be sick. Your entire world having just been shattered with one little nod of the head. You weren't you. You were just some cheap copy.
"I know this must be difficult to take in," Kerry continued, "and believe me, if there was some other way we would have taken it. But on the plus side, look at it this way, you're still alive and there have been no further complications. Your body is in perfect health. You'll be back on you feet in a couple of days."
This was something you supposed. Though the reference to "your body" did make you wince. Still having no idea who it was you now were. The drugs they were giving you making it all but impossible to sit up and see for yourself. Asking Dr. Kerry then, "And just who am I exactly?"
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Get MORE!
Shop Memberships
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
