Glitch in the dimension

Irena slowly blinked open her eyes, regaining consciousness. She could hear the faint beeping of a machine, but it appeared that the sound came from somewhere so distant. The smell of medicine wafted in the air before it hit her nose, as her fuzy vision became more clear and distinct. However, her breathing was laboured, and she felt too heavy to move.

"She's awake! Notify her parents immediately!" Irena could hear a distant voice say.

"What happened?" She wanted to ask, but no words could escape her mouth. All she could do was lie on whatever she was lying on as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

"Alright, can you hear me? You are currently at the hospital. Do you know your name?" She could make out the voice say.

"I... Ire...Iren-na..." Irena said through short breaths.

"Correct, you are Irene," the voice replied. Irena could make out a figure in white standing by her, writing something down on a hard backing.

"N-No... I-ren-na," She corrected. Irena could make out the figure furrowing her eyebrows for a second before her vision blurred more.

"Can you see me? How many fingers am I holding up?" The figure asked once more.

Irena did not bother replying. Whatever this game was about, it was useless to her. She felt tired and sleepy. All she wanted to do was rest.

"Patient is still a little hazy. It seems she would require more time to fully awaken," Irena heared the figure say before she blacked out once more...

Irena woke up once again, a few days later. She could feel hazy, fragments of memories from the previous days slowly flooded her mind. All she had been doing was making small adjustments her machine, which was supposed to save lives. With it, patients who were terminally ill could have a better shot at living, and it was an instrument that could help solve one of the new mysteries discovered in the medical world - kidney failure. However, it just suddenly blew up on her, causing her to fall unconscious. Then, she woke up in this strange new place. One where people mostly wore white as they walked about. One where there were strange tubes attatched to her. One where people called her Irene...

"Sister! You're finally awake again! Don't try to do that again, okay?" A voice sobbed from her side. Irena finally regained all of her consciousness, except her body still felt numb and weak.

"Who... are you?" Irene asked through laboured breaths as she turned to look at the source of the voice.

"Sister! Do you not remember me! I'm Issac, your brother!" The voice asked worriedly. Irena could see the boy had a rather petite appearance, smaller than a boy his age seemed to be. He had dark brown curls and his eyes were a sparkling emerald green, although a little red and puffy from crying.

"Sorry, little one. Did you mistake me for your sister? I can help you ask someone for help," Irena offered, talking to him as gently as possible compared to the other times she conversed with others.

"Doctor! I think there's something wrong with my sister! She dosen't remember me!" Issac cried out as doctors rushed to his aid. Irena stared in confusion as the people dressed in white began to tap vigorously on the machines, adjusting knobs and examining her body.

"It appears that she lost her memory, although she is more or less stabalised by now. Based on our analysis, she attempted suicide by ingesting rat poison, although not in a fatal amount. However, it could be possible some of the poison has been absorbed by the bloodstream and sent to the brain, damaging it and therefore causing her memory loss." A doctor patiently explained. Irena's thoughts were a mess. Everything was happening so quickly, and she had no clue what was going on.

"Will she ever recover her memory?" Issac asked, his voice softer as fear sunk into him.

"Highly unlikely, although not impossible," the doctor shook his head.

"Wahhh! Sister!" Issac cried as he hugged Irena tightly, letting her thin clothes absorb his tears.

Irena's face displayed confusion. Not knowing what to do, she began to gently stroke the boy's back, hoping it could soothe him. The boy's tears soon turned into sobs, before he fell asleep in her arms. She was unsure of what to do, and caught a person in white's attention as she approached the woman on the bed next to her.

"Sorry, could you tell me what this place is?" Irena asked.

"You are currently in a hospital, miss," the person answered.

"You are a staff here in this, 'hospital' yes?" Irena questioned once more.

"Correct. I'm a residential doctor in this hospital," the doctor replied.

"I see... May I ask what this... 'hospital' does?"

"... We treat patients that are sick and injured, as well as ensure their well being in order to be discharged," the doctor asked, a little concerned because Irena did not know what a hospital was.

"So... an infirmary?" Irena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Erm, yes, sort of," the doctor replied, wondering why Irena called hospitals an odd way.

"I understand. Could you help this boy find his parents?" Irena asked the doctor. The doctor woke Issac up, saying, "Sorry, child. We have been asked by this big sister to help find your parents. Are they nearby by any chance?"

Issac woke up groggily, and turned to look at Irene. "Mom and dad will not be comming, but don't worry, I'll be here!"

Irena immediately corrected the boy, "I'm not your sister, do you know her name?"

"You are my sister... you just lost your memories!" Issac yelled before he darted out of the ward, before anyone could react. Irena simply watched his figure leave the room, before she sighed helplessly. What a mess...

The day soon passed, with the second one approaching. Irena still could not make sense of the situation. She seemed to have zapped into an alternate dimension altogether. Was that it? No... Observing the environment around her, Irena could see some of the machines there bore some resemblance to the ones she made. Especially the one next to her. The one that kept beeping as three lines in different colours waved up and down. Irena remembered how she had built a machine similar to this in the past, and it was the very masterpiece that rocketed her to fame and allowed her to get accepted at her university. She remebered she built a machine to record the breathing and pulse of the patient, although it was slightly different to the machine with three lines right next to her.

"I feel cold..." Irena thought. She looked around, to find no windows, no nothing. It felt like she was trapped in a box, with the only exit being the door. However, she ignored everything. Maybe it was just some strange dream? Based on her knowledge of psychology, dreams reflected what people wanted in reality, in one way or another. Did she aspire for the world to be modernised with her technology? It was not impossible... Pushing her jumbled thoughts aside, Irena pulled the blanket up to her chest. It was possible that she could wake up from this dream if she did the opposite - sleep.

"Its time for your breakfast, miss." a soft voice called Irena out from her sleep. Being tired from overthinking last night, Irena simply pulled the covers over her, hoping to drown out the calls. However, she quickly felt the blanket being ripped off her, and she widened her eyes immediately. Her groggy eyes soon fell on a petite figure, with the blanket scrunched up in his arms.