Chapter 16 – Losing Everything
Have you ever woken up thinking that everything was okay? Like you had control of your own life and nothing could go wrong? As if you woke up to a fresh start to a new day, forgetting about anything that happened before you shut your eyes? But as soon as the haze of sleep clears away, the secure feeling begins to change and reality hits you in full force?
Well, that was pretty much how I felt when I woke up in a stark hospital room.
I woke up thinking that all I had was just a major hangover from some party the night before. And when I heard the voices around me, I figured I was just passed out in the middle of the room or something. Little did I know, I was far from being hung over like I had originally thought.
In a way, I was passed out in the middle of a room… just not the way I thought I'd be.
The moment I opened my eyes, I sort of knew that I definitely hadn't passed out from drinking. First off, I wouldn't have had six different people hovering over me like some kind of coma patient. If I had passed out from drinking, nobody would have given two thoughts about it. Second, I highly doubt that I'd be passed out in a room that looked highly sanitized and I wouldn't be lying comfortably in a bed. And last, I'd have some kind of memory of getting drunk the night before; glimpses, flashes, anything… But when I began to regain my senses, I remembered diddly squat. Nada. Nothing.
At first, it didn't scare me all that much. If anything, everyone around me was freaking out more than I was…
"Um, no offence, but who the hell are all of you?"
That was the precise moment when I knew something was definitely wrong. The room fell silent, except for the insistent beeping of the heart monitor. The girl who had thrown herself onto me had stiffened like a piece of wood and I swear to God, she looked like she was going to pass out.
Hell, they all looked they were going to pass out. It was as if they saw a ghost in the place of my body.
After a few more moments of silence, the balding man finally spoke up with a solemn, quiet voice. "Hailey, do you remember what happened?"
I blinked at him. Good question…
I knitted my brows together and stared up at the ceiling, trying to remember what happened. Try all I wanted, I didn't know what he was talking about. But as I tried harder to remember, I found that I could find nothing. I couldn't remember what happened… Nor could I remember anything else.
That was the precise moment when I started to panic.
I couldn't remember who I was or anything else that made up my life. I could only conclude that my name was Hailey since that was what they were all calling me. As for my age, my parents, if I had any siblings, what day it was… I just…
I didn't know.
"Hailey? Are you okay?"
Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned my attention to the balding man again.
"W-who am I?" I rasped, panic settling in my chest.
"Hailey, its okay… I'm… I'm you're dad. Everything will be alright," he said, taking another step forward. He took my hand into his and squeezed it, as if to reassure himself of what he just told me.
Unconsciously, I squeezed back, tears falling down my face. I wanted to know what was wrong with me. I wanted to remember. I wanted to know who I was. I wanted to know who everyone in that room was. And I wanted to hit myself repeatedly on the head so that maybe, just maybe, I'd remember something.
"I'm going to get a doctor," the Hooters girl murmured before rushing out of the room.
In the corner of the room, the boy with the black eye had backed away looking as if he might be sick. "Oh God, I'm so sorry… I never meant to... It was an accident." He brought a fisted hand to bite back his apparent guilt. "Hailey, I'm so sorry…"
The blonde standing beside him gave him a slight nudge and placed a hand on his shoulder before giving it a squeeze.
As much as I wanted to be mad at this boy, I couldn't. I didn't even know what he did. I didn't know who he was or if he held any importance in my life. It was just all too much at once. I didn't know how to handle this, let alone who to trust.
"What's wrong with me?" I choked out, "Why can't I remember anything?"
I wanted someone to explain to me what had happened. I wanted to know why I couldn't remember the faces in front of me, yet alone my own. But all around me, the answer was silence. A silence that was so disheartening that it was as blank as my memory.
But as fast as the silence came, it went with a rush of sounds and voices. Footsteps echoed outside the room, approaching at a quick pace. Soon, voices were right outside the room in hushed sounds.
In seconds, the Hooters girl re-appeared with a thin man beside her who had a sleek of black hair that was combed back. Concern was etched into his face that was already creased from years of stress and work.
Biting her bottom lip, the girl urged the doctor forward. "In here, doctor… She doesn't remember anything. Something's wrong with her…"
"Alright, calm down," he said with a reassuring tone. "Let's take a look."
It was like the clearing of Red Sea as the doctor approached. The bodies that had surrounded my bed backed away, retreating towards the stark, white walls while the man walked towards me in all his power and glory.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. I'm Dr. Daniel Friedman," were the first words that came out of his mouth.
I don't exactly think that it was the best thing to say to me at the moment. I wanted answers, and calling me Sleeping Beauty irked me. Unconsciously my eye twitched in annoyance. I brushed the tears away from my face and brought my chin up to look at him.
"What's wrong with me?" I blurted out quickly.
He quirked a small smile and sat at the edge of my bed. "I'm not sure yet but we'll find out." He paused. "So tell me, can you remember what happened to bring you to the hospital?"
"No."
"Can you remember anything at all?"
"Nothing. I can't even remember who the hell I am, let alone what happened. I just… I really don't know anything," I swallowed back the panic that started to rise again.
There was something about not being able to remember anything. It was a scary thing, and it made me feel so alone despite all the people that surrounded me.
"Alright Hailey, I'm going to take you to get an MRI done of your brain to see if any damage was done," he said, not only talking to me but the rest of the people in the room. "We're also going to visit my co-worker and brain specialist, Dr. Angela Pisanto. Does that sound okay to you?"
"Yeah, let's go," I murmured, sitting up while ignoring the aching pain in my bones and head.
Much later, I was exhausted after having an MRI done followed by an appointment with the brain specialist. Doing only these two things had lasted an excruciating five hours. You see, what my doctor hadn't realized was that there were other people who had appointments with the brain specialist and there was a line-up to get MRI's done.
The MRI was probably one of the freakiest things that I have ever seen. As if I hadn't felt lonely earlier, the MRI had made it worse. I was left in the room alone, while the thing I was lying on started to move my head under a giant halo. And the only thing that connected me to the outside world was the intercom in which the technician told me not to move an inch.
It wasn't very comforting for someone who was so disconnected with her life.
But after the twenty minute ordeal with the MRI, she was sent to the brain specialist with her supposed dad for an appointment that lasted about an hour. The appointment itself had helped me understand more of my former life. For example, I now knew how old I was, how many siblings I had, what school I went to, and… how my mother died.
The appointment was more or less my father talking, filling in the blanks. Of course, I was questioned, but it wasn't the same psychoanalysis my father was going through. For me, it was more of how I felt, physically. Where my head hurt, if I felt tired, if I felt stressed… questions that didn't delve into a life I didn't know about.
After the appointment, I was brought back to my room where only two people remained; my brother and sister.
"Hales, you're back," the Hooters girl approached, concern etched in her face.
"Liz?" I asked tentatively. I turned to the other guy in the room and bit my lower lip. "Tyler?"
The duo looked at me in surprise.
My brother was the first to speak, "You remember?"
I looked back at my father and shook my head. "Um, dad told me," I hesitated. It was weird calling a complete stranger your father and even weirder trying to talk normally to two people who have known you all your life yet you can't remember them at all.
Their faces fell at my comment, but Liz' expression quickly rid her face of any emotion and nodded. "So do we know what's wrong?"
Just as I was about to open my mouth to say something, there was a knock at the door, revealing Dr. Pisanto. She had a folder in her hand and an exuberant smile on her face that seemed to be plastered on most doctors' faces.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to speak to you all," she paused as she noticed that she already had everyone's attention. She edged forward towards the bed and looked at our faces, one by one. "So, the MRI didn't reveal anything abnormal about Hailey's brain, but after reviewing my interview with her, it's evident that she has amnesia. To me, it looks like she has dissociative fugue amnesia, which is a type of amnesia that makes an individual forget their past life entirely."
Hailey's dad took a step forward with a creased forehead. "But it's just amnesia, so she'll get over it… right?"
"She will, but it will take time. There's no definite time in when she'll remember. It could be a couple of hours, or even months."
Taking a deep breath, I parked myself on the edge of my bed. I have amnesia just because I conked my head on the ground. It made me wonder if I could regain my memory by running head first into a wall.
"We're going to get you to come in for appointments every week for some psychotherapy to help regain your memory. Just take it one step at a time. Don't try to force it. You'll just end up mentally tired and frustrated." The doctor looked around the room once and nodded her head as if dismissing herself. She backed out of the room after saying, "I'll leave you guys alone then. You can contact me if you have any questions."
I let out a long breath and gritted my teeth together. I figured I had amnesia or something like the sort. But hearing it in words seemed to put the seal on the deal. If anything, I was more frustrated than before knowing that there was nothing I could do to regain my memory but wait.
It sucked.
Author's Note: This chapter probably would have been up days earlier but I got a bit tied up in the Harry Potter craze. All I have to say is that the book is hella good.
So, yes, to all of you who are in disbelief… I fooled you all! xD So anyway, Hailey has amnesia. Not much of Lucas and Tristan in this chapter, but don't you worry… There will be more of them in later chapters. But basically, Hailey getting amnesia gives Tristan and Lucas clean slates. Either one has a chance now… Or maybe a new boy? Who knows? Well, I do.
And there will be a long delay for the next chapter because I'm going on vacation for two weeks soon. D
Anyway, I'd like to thank those who haven't given up on my story. This one was for you guys. It means a lot to me knowing that there are still people reading this. Thanks a bunch. Read and review!