Page 36 of The House Guest

‘Ruth?’ It was Eden.

‘I’m in the bath. Give me a minute.’

With great effort, and wondering if this was what it would be like when she was a very old woman, Ruth heaved herself out of the tub and dried herself with one of the huge, fluffy towels that were folded neatly on the rack. She found a robe on the back of the door, the kind one finds in a five-star spa. Everything she had seen here was high-end. There were definitely worse places to wake up confused and hurt.

Eden was waiting outside the door. She looked more herself now, dressed in a long-sleeved T-shirt with denim shorts and sneakers. Was Ruth imagining it or was there anxiety on Eden’s face? If there was, it vanished in a flash as she showed what Ruth had come to think of as the Eden smile.

‘Nice bath?’ Eden asked.

Ruth didn’t want to discuss the merits of the bathroom. But the bath had soothed her. Given her strength. ‘What happened to me? Why I am covered in bruises? And where are we? And what about my rehearsal? What did you mean when—’

Eden laughed.

‘Sorry. I’ve just ... I don’t understand what’s going on. I can’t remember anything and I feel like I’m going crazy. If you told me right now that we were both dead and this was a waiting room for Heaven, I’d probably believe you.’

‘We’re not dead. Nobody’s dead.’

‘So where the hell are we? What happened? What—’ She stopped herself before she launched into another series of questions.

‘Why don’t you sit down? I brought you some soup.’

When she saw the bowl of soup and plate of bread on the round table by the window, which was still covered by closed blinds, Ruth’s stomach growled. She sat on the wooden chair and began to eat. Chicken soup.

‘Good for the soul,’ Eden said, taking the seat opposite. ‘I knew you’d be starving. You haven’t eaten since Friday.’

‘Is it still Sunday?’

‘Monday.’

Ruth put the spoon down. She’d slept through another day.

‘We thought it was best to let you sleep,’ Eden said.

‘We?’

Eden nodded but didn’t say any more. Did she mean doctors? Was this some kind of private hospital?

‘Where am I?’

‘Ruth, I don’t want you to freak out. I think it’s important first that I tell you what happened, fill in the gaps in your memory.’

‘You’re scaring me.’ Ruth looked around the room. It had to be a hotel or a hospital. Oh God, was it some kind of psychiatric hospital? She’d heard about people getting committed to such places and never getting out.

She got to her feet again and staggered over towards the window.

Eden stood too and blocked her way.

‘I need some daylight. How do you open these blinds?’

‘I can do it. But first, let me explain—’

‘Eden, open the blinds!’ Gathering what remained of her strength, she shouldered her way past Eden and was about to start jabbing at buttons on the wall panel when Eden gently steered her out of the way and pressed the correct button. The blinds opened.

Ruth was speechless.

She had expected to see the grounds of a hospital, a lawn or a courtyard. She had thought she would see other patients shuffling about, nurses and doctors. At the very least she had expected to see the ground.

Instead, she saw the city. A sea of concrete and glass, stretched out before and below her. Rooftops and spires and skyscrapers. There, in the distance, was the familiar towering shape of the Empire State Building. Water shimmered out of focus on the horizon. A helicopter buzzed past, almost close enough to touch.

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