Phantom in my Heart

Chapter 2

"I missed you so much." The soft voice seemed unfitting coming from a tough looking man. Though the man had handsome features, his aura exuded power.

The boy was confused at the moment.

Who was this tall handsome man? He acts as though they knew each other.

"Why?" His question was supposed to be Who. Who was the stranger but the wrong word slipped from his mouth.

"You are my most important person."

"Oh" The boy responded indifferently and closed his eyes.

The room fell into silence.

"Eirian. Are you alright Eirian?" The man asked in panic.

"I'm alright Uncle." The boy opened his eyes and scrutinized the stranger in front of him.

The older man had cold grey eyes with streaks of light brown. He had a light stubble and a high aquiline nose. His hair was blond. His broad shoulders and thick arms were hidden by a white dress shirt. He filled his clothes well. He was twice the size of the boy on the hospital bed in terms of bulk.

Uncle? Did he hear it right?

"Uncle what happened to me?" The boy asked.

The stranger took a deep breath. He called him uncle. This boy really did.

"Eirian, do you remember me?"

The boy blinked his eyes and shook his head no.

"I'm Albert." Seeing no reaction the man stood up.

"You had been comatose for four months Eirian. I thought I would lose you." The grey eyed man covered his eyes with his large hand. His tear filled eyes did not suit him. He looked like a strong man, a man who never cried.

Four months. That was long. The boy wondered what had happened throughout all the past few months.

He was about to start the first of his many questions but he was brought into a halt as the door opened revealing a tall man with a white lab coat. He was a lean man with olive skin. His salt and pepper hair was swept to the side neatly. His clean shaved face made him seem to look younger. But his age was betrayed by the crow's feet near his eyes.

"Hello Mr. Lopez. It's good to have you back. I'm Doctor Ramirez your attending physician," the olive skinned man said when he entered the room.

"We are going to perform a few tests to check how you are doing." The doctor explained the procedure. "Do you feel pain anywhere in your body?" The doctor prodded.

"No," the boy said in a soft hoarse voice.

The grey eyed man noticed and went to the boy's side. He filled a paper cup with water and brought it to the boy's mouth to which the latter accepted gratefully.

Once the boy was able to quench his thirst Dr. Ramirez proceeded with the other tests.

He picked a penlight from his scrub suit pocket and flashed a light on the boy's eyes one at a time. He placed the cold end of the stethoscope on his chest which startled the boy.

All results seemed favorable.

Next, the old doctor lifted the blanket to expose the boy's feet. He poked his big toe with his pen and asked the boy if he felt something.

But the boy seemed unaware as he shook his head.

"Tell me if you feel this." The doctor repeated the test on the other foot.

But again the boy showed no reaction.

Next they tested his memory. After series of careful questioning, it seemed that the boy lost his memories.

The doctor shifted his gaze to the other man inside the room and ushered him to accompany him outside.

Left alone in the room the boy pondered on what could be wrong.

Out of earshot in another room the doctor did not shy away from the truth.

Due to the accident the boy suffered multiple bone fractures. The damage was so severe that amputation was also considered. Fortunately there was no need to do that since they found a way to restore the boy's legs. The treatment would be stretched through a series of surgeries to facilitate healing. When asked how painful the treatment would be the doctor hesitated. He couldn't foresee how his patients would fare during the treatment. With this in mind the raven haired man asked if they could keep the boy asleep as he undergoes the most painful parts of the treatment.

The doctor pondered on the risks of the man's suggestion and decided that the benefits outweighed the risks.

Thus for four months they put the boy in a comatose state during the treatment to prevent further trauma. The initial surgery went well and the bones were recovering just fine.

But despite the treatment Dr. Ramirez could not assure that the boy would be able to walk normally again.

The little test that was conducted after the boy was eased off his coma showed that there was a sensory problem. But the doctor was quick to assure that they should not conclude right away after all the patient just woke up. They would have to conduct a test again to be sure.

With regards to the patient's memory they have to repeat the test again after a couple of days. It might be that the patient is still disoriented since he just woke up.

At the end of their conversation the man shook Dr. Ramirez's hand.

Dr. Ramirez excused himself.

The older man stared outside the window for a while. The view was nothing special, just a lone bench and a few flower beds. His mind was empty but at the same time troubled. It didn't make sense. Nothing did. Nothing but guilt.

For a while he stood there staring at nothing until he found himself trudging along the hallway that lead towards the boy's room.

When he opened the door he looked anywhere but the person on the bed.

He thought he would be successful in his attempt at ignoring the boy but he couldn't resist to see the brown orbs that he missed so much.

When he finally mustered the courage to look athis beloved, he wished he never did.