When Life Comes To A Full Circle

"Don't you remember me?" Ella kept staring at him with wide eyes, disbelief stirring inside her. Five years. She waited patiently for five years, by his side, holding onto the weak sliver of hope that he would wake up someday, turn his beautiful eyes toward her, and whisper comforting words to her, somewhere along the lines of- Hey, I'm here now, ain't I? 

First the accident, then the devastating news that he had slipped into a coma, and now this. The blank look she got from that one person she once felt safe with. Oh, how she shivered.

"Trust me, I'm seeing you for the first time, madame." The same voice, the same face, the same French accent mixed in his speech, the same person, yet not the same person. Everything had already taken a toll on her. The lump in her throat grew into a giant rock, hindering her breathing, and her thinking. She tried to keep strong, but a few tears trickled out. She pressed her palms to her eyes and tried comforting herself. This is temporary. This is temporary. He will soon remember everything. Soon. She kept repeating to herself. 

The man stared at her, surprised to see her crying. He didn't know how to react. Should he pat her head? Hug her? Uncertainty smothered him. He had never seen her before, had he? 

Ella took a deep breath. "Timmy, please. Don't tell me you've forgotten everything." She kept her voice firm. Timmy just stared at her, a blank look back. Just then a doctor entered the hospital room, "Mrs. Pattison, please accompany me. I'll...explain." The doctor had a thick Australian accent. Ella stood up from the chair and followed him outside to the cool hallway. 

"Mrs. Pattison, this is a case of permanent amnesia."

"What?" Ella wasn't sure she heard that right.

"Yes ma'am. I- I am afraid Mr. Timothy Pattison won't be regaining his memories. His head got injured quite badly in the car crash and the memory part of his brain was severely damaged. Can you please inform his relatives?" 

She looked down at her feet. Her head suddenly felt quite light. She was swaying on her feet. She clutched at her head, trying to calm the shitstorm of emotions going wild inside her. "Ma'am..." the doctor started. "Timmy doesn't have any relatives. He is an orphan and he only had me. Now..." She whispered, trying to find the right words, but couldn't. 

"I'm sorry. This is the best we could do. He doesn't have any memories now, so there's a chance his personality may have changed. As you said, if he's an orphan, then right now, you're the only person he can rely on. Please help him, Mrs. Pattison. Miracles happen when you hope." Saying so, he tightened the white coat draped over him and went over to another room in the far right of the hallway.

"Just like eight years ago," Ella mumbled. Nobody was listening to her though. She collapsed on the bench behind her and sighed, tilting her head up and looking at the ceiling. 

Just like that time, she closed her eyes, tears streaming down her red freckled cheeks as her mind went back to the yesteryears agone. A strong deja vu feeling crept up inside her. Eight years ago. Hadn't this same thing happened? 

It was raining hard that night, eight years ago. Ella Bethany was driving her SUV down the roadway. Raindrops consistently slapped her windshield and the windshield wipers had a hard time wiping away all the water. Visibility was low due to the rain and heavy fog that had settled over the city of London. Headlights were on and she relied on her hearing to check if there were cars nearby but all in vain. The pitter-patter of the rain hindered her hearing and her heart was in her throat as she drove. 

At first, she thought going at minimum speed would be safe. But then she realized she wanted to reach home already. So, she drove at high speed.