Feb 28 Prompt: Your protagonist awakes in a hospital bed, chained to a gurney.

What was I drinking last night…?

"I think he's waking up."

Okay… what's the last thing I remember?

"Mr. Chadwick, can you hear me?"

What is this…?

"Mr. Chadwick, are you awake?"

Who's this Chadwick guy?

"Mr. Chadwick? You're in the hospital."

What?

I struggle with consciousness, fighting to open my eyes, find out what's going on. A harsh white light fills my vision, causing a brief flash of pain, before it fades, and shapes moving around me start to take shape, until I can make out clothes, faces.

"What's… going on…?" I manage to mutter, through lips that feel strangely dry.

"Mr. Chadwick, I'm Doctor Ingram. Do you remember what happened?"

"Who… not Chadwick…"

"I'm sorry?"

"M'name… not Chadwick. 'S'Rogers. Jake Rogers."

"Interesting."

"What's going on?"

I try to raise my arm, but feel a tugging at my wrist. I twist my neck, trying to get a look at what is causing it, and my eyes widen as I see a handcuff, small chain links trailing over the side of the bed I am laying in.

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

I try to think, even as I pull a bit at the cuff, trying to see how much give I have. This situation has suddenly turned very dangerous.

"No."

"Anything at all?"

I get some flashes. A party. Music. Dancing. Drinks. A blonde. Laughing. Drinking. Handing me a drink. Dizzy.

"No."

"Mr. Chadwick, you aren't helping yourself by not helping us." A new voice. Older. Gruffer. I look. Definite cop. "Tell us what happened last night."

I was drugged.

"I don't know."

It was the blonde.

"I don't remember anything."

"Uh, huh." He doesn't look as though he believes me. "Mr. Chadwick, you were injured last night in a fight, shot. Which ordinarily, bad enough, except you were doing some shooting of your own."

Thanks. That really clears that up.

"Told you, name's Rogers. Not Chadwick."

"That’s not what your ID says."

Great. Now he's looking sharper. Thinks he's on to something. I try to think. What ID was I using last night?

"It's not mine."

"Sure looks like you."

What happened? I was drugged. What then?

"Mr. Chadwick, or, Rogers, whoever you are, you are also currently under arrest for murder. Now, I'll ask again, do you remember what happened last night?"

The blonde. Drugged me. She drugged me. Dizzy. Going to a quiet place.

"Come on. We can find a room, get some time to ourselves."

Ourselves. Right. Because a couple of thugs with bats counts as ourselves.

"Mr. Chadwick?"

"No."

He sighs. It's for show.

"Right. There's a guard outside the door. Keep him in, keep anyone other than you or your nurses out."

He turns away, then turns back.

"Last chance."

A fight. Thug #1 comes at me with a bat. I punch him in the face. He was an idiot. Not expecting a fight. He's out quick. Thug #2 is marginally smarter. He swings his own bat at my head. Duck. Cover. Grab the other bat. Block. Swing. A gunshot. Pain, in my side. I look at the blonde. Cool eyes, steady hands, a revolver. She's ready to shoot me again. I rush Thug #2, use him as cover, twist, throw him at the blonde, knock them both off balance. Pull my own, aim, fire, fire again. Thug's dead. Blonde's trapped under him. Still trying to shoot me. I shoot her instead. Everything blurs. Blackens. And now I wake up here.

"Sorry."

"All right."

He does a quick pass through my rights, then turns and leaves. Doctor does a couple more things, then follows him. This leaves me alone, trying to figure out just what went down last night. Sometime between shooting the blonde and waking up here, someone must have planted this "Chadwick" stuff on me. Why?

My name is Frank Werner. I'm currently known as Jake Rogers. I'm under arrest as something Chadwick. And I have no idea why someone who is willing to have me shot would be willing to have me arrested after killing my would-be assassins instead. In fact, I don't even know who would be after me right now in the first place.

This may or may not be the time to mention that I used to be a secret agent.

This should be fun…

The End

Word count: 720