Caged in Paradise (2nd Draft)

The Last Chapter: The End of The Beginning

I dozed off in the creaky, plastic hospital chair. When I woke, Maya stood before me, holding a coffee and handing it to me. Her gentle smile was accompanied by deep bags under here eyes. I felt guilt for keeping them here with me, waiting. Alani had shut me up twice already when I suggested they could go home.

The nurse only came once to give us an update. They mentioned that a portion of the skull had been successfully removed, allowing the swollen brain tissue to expand without excessive pressure. Then they said something that Tarek recalls with impatience and frustration:

"They told us they would be done in 2 hours..." he grumbled. I stood up from the uncomfortable plastic chair, feeling my bones crack a s I stretched my back. "And how long ago was that?"

"Four hours ago," Tarek replied nervously.

"Four hours?!" I exclaimed, feeling a surge of restlessness as I paced the waiting room. Glancing at the clock, I was shocked to see that it was already 2:00 AM.

"Yeah... They began at 12:00 PM, so it's been over 15 hours now," Alani replied, her voice sounding defeated and anxious.

"And they said he was fine," I muttered, my tone tinged with frustration.

"Let's try to stay calm," Sera tries with an anxious tone all the same. "Getting stressed won't change anything now. I'm sure the nurse will be here soon."

Just as Sera spoke, a smiling nurse emerged from the hallway, briskly approaching us with papers on a clipboard pressed against her chest. Her eyes scanned our group before settling on me.

"The procedure was successful," she announced. "It was challenging, but he's stable now. He may have lost a few recent memories, but we expect them to return very quickly."

Her calm demeanor made it seem like it was the most ordinary news. I stammered, struggling to get my words out, "So, wait... does this mean he doesn't remember what happened?"

She paused, shaking her head slightly... taking a deep breath as she considered her words, shifting her gaze between me and the others. "Well, it really depends on the patient," she began. "In his case, it's inconsistent. He doesn't remember up until a certain point, he thinks we're back in the late spring, when a fundraiser happened...?" she explained with a slight frown directed at us.

"Thank you so much, nurse," I responded gratefully.

I wonder if he still remembers our argument. I think he does, based on what he said before the surgery. But hearing that he's inconsistent... Back when the fundraiser happened?! I'm eager to find out for myself. I want to talk to him.

As we all stood up from our chairs and headed towards his room, the nurse hesitated and spoke up, "Wait, please. We can't have this many visitors right now. He needs to rest without too much stimulation. We actually preferred no visitors... He insisted on seeing someone named Koa, though."

I stood there for a moment, my mouth slightly falling open. "That's me," I managed to say.

The nurse pressed her lips together and motioned for me to follow her down the hallway towards his room. I didn't even glance at Maya or anyone else. My mind was racing—what the hell was I going to say to him? If his mind is back before or when the fundraiser happened... that means he thinks he just pulled me out of the water...

As I entered the room, it was quiet. Mr. and Mrs. Thurston sat beside the bed; they had returned to the hospital about an hour ago, looking refreshed and better now. Mr. Thurston stood up with a bright smile as he laid eyes on me.