Close Call

“Go to the hospital!”
Scared stiff, Sara swung around. Who had spoken? She was alone in her apartment. And yet, she had heard a voice, loud and clear, coming from right behind her.
She calmed down, decided that her imagination had played a trick on her and proceeded with her preparations. Today was the day she would visit her son and she was eager to leave.
In the second she put her hand on the doorknob, ready to leave, the voice spoke again, “Go to the hospital!” This time, it sounded even more determined.
‘Who is there?” she said aloud. “Who is talking to me?”
Only silence surrounded her.
*
In the car, Sara was pondering what had happened. How could a voice, coming from her own imagination, sound so real?
She set out on the highway in the direction of her son, trying to focus on the traffic.
After a few minutes’ driving, she heard the order, “Go to the hospital!” again, this coming from the back seat. She almost swirled off the road, again shocked by the mysterious voice.
This time, she decided to obey.
*
As she walked into the emergency department, Sara wondered, “What am I going to say? There is nothing wrong with me. This is ridiculous!”
“I have a terrible headache,” she told the receptionist, feeling embarrassed for telling a lie.
*
After having studied various lab tests and examined her carefully, the doctor sat down with Sara.
“I’m sorry, Mrs Svensson, but we just can’t find anything,” he said. “I suggest that you come back later if your problem persists. It could be the effect of stress or weather changes.”
*
Next thing she knew, she woke up in a hospital bed. Feeling a thick bandage over her skull, she slowly opened her puffed-up eyes. She saw her son sitting by the bedside with a worried look on his face.
Sara made an effort to speak, “What… happened?”
“Mother, you had a very severe rupture of a blood vessel in your brain. If you hadn’t already been in a hospital, nothing could have saved you!”