Forgotten (Stardew Valley Fanfic)

SEBASTIAN: CHAPTER THREE

"RETROGRADE AMNESIA..." the physician stated coldly as we gathered in the dim hallway.

The smell of hydrogen peroxide lingered throughout the humid air, stinging the inside of my nose ever so slightly.

"What the fuck is that?" Abby positioned herself as a barrier between the doctor and us three, hands planted firmly on her hips.

She sneered up at him with slivers for eyes, casting an intense scowl. Had we not been in the situation we were in, it would have been almost comical watching Abby exert her authority like this. The doctor was at least two heads taller than Abby and he gave a disinterested glance towards her aggravation.

"If you would be so kind as to let me finish my sentence, young lady," the doctor scolded, mimicking 'finish' in the exact tone he perceived Abby. Her shoulders tensed upwards.

The five of us were crammed into the tight hallway that seemed to extend for an eternity. Nurses shuffled in and out of the hospital rooms, flipping through documents and wheeling out medical technology that Maru would have had a field day over.

All I wanted was to be back in our hospital room again with June by my side. I longed to be anywhere but here, my claustrophobia and social anxiety slowly rippling in, gnawing at the gates of my mind.

I could feel Alex's warm breath, the scent of pancakes and garlic, hit the back of my head. My nose scrunched at the whiff. He was too close for comfort, but commenting on that wouldn't help anyone. I simply settled for a frown.

A flustered Sam stood next to me, his cobalt blue jacket partially ruffled from when the nurse had to drag him out of the room. He seemed agitated as well, but something told me his mind was searching for the last drops of optimism he could muster up. 

Sam would try to use whatever hero-induced speech he could create to reconcile us all after this nightmare ended. He was good at that.

Returning my glance back to our fourth counterpart, I saw her shoulders still in their tense position as if she was prepared to take the doctor down in hand-to-hand combat. Softly, Sam's hand rose to rest on Abby's right shoulder.

Had his hands always been that calloused and cut? He played often for June, but not enough to have caused those marks. He must've been practicing at home...

The teal bow shifted up then down as Abby's form relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. The tension dissolved just for a moment, allowing the physician to start on his speech.

"Retrograde amnesia is a common side effect for patients who experience trauma to the head," he paused as his eyes focused on something in the distance. It was like watching a robot compile information from a database, recalling a perfect textbook definition that required no empathy upon delivery.

Apathetically, he continued, "This form of amnesia causes patients to lose the recent memories they have created. It is quite likely that Ms. June does not remember the past few years of her existence, however memories from her childhood and adolescence should be retained. We will have to conduct more tests to understand what she can remember, as well as a test for anterograde amne–"

Our demeaning doctor continued on with his explanation but my thoughts were elsewhere. Gazing to my left, I studied June's room through the enforced glass pane that fit perfectly within the light oak door.

A nurse was picking up a chair we had knocked over in the commotion while holding a clipboard in her other hand. With a brisk nod of her head, the nurse swept up the chair from its feet, made a dramatic scribble on her board, and began to walk over to June, her mouth moving as she disappeared past the soft beige curtain.