Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
The next morning I was up early because I couldn’t sleep. I was worried about Neil, I wondered if he was awake yet? I felt like a zombie the whole morning, walking around the apartment but didn’t know what else to do. Lance said he was going to pick me up later that day to go to lunch. I had a few hours to kill so I decided to go for a walk. The city was packed with people as usual but it didn’t stop me from walking. I didn’t know where I was going and it didn’t really matter, I just wanted to clear my head and keep walking. I looked up at the light and it was white so I walked across the street. My mind was somewhere else because I didn’t see the fast car coming at me. I think I heard a few people yell out “Watch out!” But even then it was too late. I felt an impact of the metal car crashing into my side.
I knew it hurt like no other pain and I fainted into the cement. The last sound I heard was “Call the ambulance!!”
I don’t know how long I was out or where I was. Did I die? I know I was dreaming about seeing my family and friends. Ginny was there. So was Daniel. I vaguely saw Lance and I could have sworn Neil was there too. It was a strange dream but I wanted to wake up. I tried to tell myself not to sleep anymore, my family would be very worried about me.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a room with white walls on all sides. There was some sort of machine that was monitoring my heartbeat. The curtains were half closed and I could tell it was getting late. “How long was I asleep?” I asked myself.
“Just a few days.” I heard a voice to my right. When I turned over, I saw a nurse. She smiled at me as she checked my pulse “Your boyfriend will be happy that you’ve waken up. He’s been here every day to check on you.” She looked up at the entrance and exclaimed “Speak of the devil.”
I turned around to see a complete stranger. “Do I know you?” I asked cautiously.
He had the most devastating look on his face “You don’t remember me?”
I tilted my head and stared at him long and hard but I really didn’t recognize him “I’m sorry…I don’t know you. Are you sure you know me?”
He dropped the flowers and ran to my side “Don’t scare me, Niki! You can’t forget me…no, you just can’t!”
I wondered if it was some kind of a joke “Sir, please move aside, let me take a look at her.” The nurse said gently as she looked at my eyes and checked my temperature. “She’s not delusional. Let me call the doctor. We might have to do more tests.” I saw the nurse rush out the door in a hurry while the guy continued to grasp my hand. For some reason it didn’t bother me that the stranger was so worried. Maybe I did have amnesia?
“Who are you to me?” I asked wondering out loud.
He seemed more collect as he smiled sweetly “I am a very good friend, Angel.”
“Angel?” I looked at the bracelet tag that showed my name “It says Nicole on here.” I pointed to the plastic wristband.
“It’s a nickname that I’ve been calling you ever since we met.”
I nodded calmly. It was a strange feeling, you know? For a person to claim that they knew me yet I have no image of their face in my mind whatsoever. “Are you my boyfriend?” I don’t know why I asked that question, it was something that I was wondering.
He chuckled ever so comfortably “No no, but we would have eventually become a couple. Except that guy had to be out of the picture.”
“What guy?”
“You never told me his name.” Did I sense hurt in his voice? “Oh, I’m sure he’s worried sick about you. Maybe you should call him?”
I looked at him strangely “You want me to call someone that I have no recollection of?”
He laughed comfortably “Gosh, I keep forgetting. You just seem a lot more calm than a person who doesn’t remember anything.”
I shrugged my shoulders “You seem harmless enough. What is your name by the way?”
“Neil.” He smiled that same smile that made me feel so warm inside. Maybe I did know him?
“What am I suppose to do with that other guy? Is he my boyfriend?” I asked innocently.
He nodded “I think so, the last time I saw you two were very happy.” I knew he was being very sincere. My instincts told me to trust him.
“Sorry, Mister but you will have to leave. I need to do some tests.” The doctor had come in and was checking on me.
“Yes, of course.” He said politely, he raised his eyes to me “I’ll be waiting outside okay?”
I nodded while I let the doctor probe my face and neck. After another two hours of tests, they diagnosed me with Temporary Amnesia. The doctor began to explain when I stopped him “Sorry, doctor. Can you ask my friend, Neil out there to come in before you go on? I want him to hear this.”
“Sure.” He looked a bit surprised “You recognize him?” I shook my head “Well, the only reason why he knew you were here was because you had an emergency contact in your purse and it was his number. I assumed he was your boyfriend.”
I shook my head “He said he was a good friend.”
“Well, whatever happens. I want you to make sure Neil is by your side. Assuming he is a good friend, he should know everyone around you. Therefore you should be safe with him.” I nodded agreeing to his request “Nurse, call Mr. Cheung in.”
In a few seconds, I saw Neil walking in “Yes?”
“Miss Leung requested that you stay here and listen to her diagnostic. She has something called Temporary Amnesia. There is a Long Term and a Temporary. Obviously long term is something that was caused by some sort of brain failure due to an accident or falling on something and hitting your head. It is like breaking a nerve that allows you to memorize things. Temporary is when it an impact hits her, in this case an accident and at the same time, her mind was working too hard to think about something and the accident caused her to rupture her brain. Causing her memory to lapse. It could be for a few weeks, months or eventually turn to Long Term Amnesia. It will all depend on the patient’s will to remember and it will also depend on her family and loved ones. I assume that you being her emergency contact that you know her family and friends?”
Neil shook his head “Actually, Niki lived very far from her home. She moved out after high school and rarely sees her family. Her friends all went their separate ways, currently I am her only friend.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that because I think the possibility of her recovering depends on those factors. Is there somehow you can find out and tell her family?”
He nodded “Sure, I can look in her apartment.”
“Can I go home?” I asked eagerly. “As much as I love the food and service, I’m ready to go home. Maybe seeing everything will trigger my memory?”
“That’s good for you. I just checked you again, you seem very healthy. Luckily that car didn’t hit you too hard and the impact was more on your thigh then your hip. A little higher and you would have been paralyzed.” The doctor smiled at me because I gave him the most scared look “Don’t worry. I’m sure Mr. Cheung will take good care of you. But before I let you out, you need to do some leg therapy. It might be asleep when you stand up.”
“Thanks doctor.” He nodded at me and walked outside leaving the nurse and Neil there to help me up. My legs were a little weak but after a few rounds down the hall of the hospital, I was okay again. By the end of the day I was ready to go home. Neil was great as he helped me to my apartment, which I did not recognize. I looked around at the place, it looked very homey “Where’s the bathroom?”
He laughed as he shook his head “I’ll take you there.” He walked me down the hall to the right where the bathroom was.
“Thanks.” I smiled gratefully at him.
He closed the door for me and I heard him walk away. When I walked outside, I saw him preparing something on the stove. “You must be starving from all that jello and mash potatoes that they feed you in the hospital.”
I nodded with my hand on my stomach “Actually, it’s been growling since I walked into the apartment. Maybe it knows that I’m hungry?” I joked. Suddenly, my cellphone rang, at least I thought it was my cell phone. “Is that mine?”
He looked up and ran to my hand bag and looked at the name flashing on the screen. It read “Lance”. He held it up for me to see and I shook my head. So he picked it up for me “Hello?”
“…Uh…is Niki there?”
“Yeah, but actually, she’s not herself. This is Neil…”
“Oh! Yes, Niki mentioned you.” Neil’s eyes wandered up to mine as he looked at me. “What happened? I was calling her for a few days now and she never answered her phone.”
“She got in a car accident. A lady hit her while she crossed the street –”
“Oh my God! Is she alright?” I heard the guy exclaim with much concern.
“Yes, yes. But she has Temporary Amnesia. Maybe you should come over to see her? I’ll explain everything.”
“Alright. I don’t know where she lives…”
Neil quickly gave him my address and hung up the phone “Now this guy is your boyfriend. You might recognize him.” He didn’t sound too sure and I was almost positive that I would not.
“Well, how long have we dated?” I wanted to be prepared before he came and saw me.
“I’m not sure, you two just saw each other a day before the accident. Its been five years.”
“Five years? And I saw him and just started dating him? Wow, what kind of a person was I?” I wondered sarcastically. It just didn’t make any sense.
He chuckled and pulled me down to the sofa to explain further “No, silly girl. You’ve liked him ever since high school, but you never had the chance to tell him. A few days ago, we had dinner at this restaurant and you saw him again. You two talked and I’m pretty sure you got together.” He said calmly but surely.
I wrinkled my forehead “What do you mean you were sure? Weren’t you there?”
He shook his head “No, I didn’t want to bother you two, so I left early.”
“Well, that wasn’t nice.” I commented.
“Why not? I gave you two a chance to be alone. It was something you’ve been waiting for Niki.”
I shrugged “Five years is a long time. I mean what if he turned out to be a killer? He would have murdered me and threw my body across the street and then you would have regret it.” I don’t know what got into me, all of a sudden, I was resenting the fact that this friend guy had left me with another guy that I had a crush on for years? I don’t even remember anything that he just told me, what right did I have to be mad at him?
He smiled calmly and took my hands in his “Sweetie, you told me this guy, Lance, was a complete gentleman and that was one reason why you fell for him.”
“Well…It still doesn’t make any sense.”
He sighed softly as he brushed my hair with his hands “I know, but it will one day. Just be patient. You always told me, patience was a virtue that not everyone has. Some people have to work hard to get it.”
“I said that?” I was surprised, it sounded so profound.
We chatted for a while when the doorbell rang. Time seem to freeze as we both looked at each other. Maybe wondering the same thing, if I saw this guy would I remember him?