Amnesia (Completed, Being Edited)

One: Bad Liar

"That sounds like a load of horseshit," she says giggling. She looks completely amused, but something's off. I can feel it.

"You're angry," I say, just above a whisper.

She raises her eyebrows at me, still giggling.

"I'm laughing, and you think I'm angry?"

I look into her eyes, and under the laughter, I see it; the anger, and worse, the hurt.

"You use laughter as a defence mechanism so that you don't flip your shit. Again, I just know."

"You fücking with my head?" she snarls, all laughter gone from her face.

Oh god. I knew that I would hurt her, but I never wanted her to become so enraged with me.

Think, Caleb. How can you defend yourself? Prove that you're telling the truth?

"You said that I'm a shitty liar. I'm sure that you can tell that I'm not lying."

She looks into my eyes, and just like that, her outraged expression crumbles. Her eyes tear up, and soon tears are streaming down her face.

On instinct, I reach up to wipe them away, but she pushes my hand away.

"Caleb, I have to go," she says sniffling as she stands up.

"Evetta, please—"

"I need to go home and think this over."

"Come back tomorrow. Please. Please," I beg of her, and at that, she smiles a little. Just a tiny bit.

"Okay. I will."

And with that, she leaves me in the hospital room. Alone.

***

Evetta did come back. I half didn't expect her to, but she did. Every day. We talked about everything and nothing, but never anything heavy. Nothing about the past; nothing about my absent memories.

Today, I'm finally leaving this place, and I can feel the freedom as I walk into the car park.

"We're so glad to have you back, Caleb," my mum says with a smile for the millionth time; I don't blame her, though. Having your child in a coma for over a year must suck balls.

"Glad to be back, mum," I say, smiling back at her. I stop and hug her in the middle of the car park.

And she completely breaks down.

Sobbing into my chest about how she could have lost me; how thought I wasn't going to wake up, that I was going to go brain dead; that her worst fear is having to plan a funeral for her child.

My eyes tear up from hearing the pain in my mother's voice; I've never seen her like this. She's usually so joyful and fearless. It's physically painful; my chest is aching for her.

Her sobs eventually quieten and then stop, with her just sniffling. We spend a while just hugging each other there in the parking lot.