Bits & Pieces

3

Sara said goodbye to me and walked out.

 “Anyone ring any bells?” the doctor asked.

“No, sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You can’t help it. I’m thinking you should be good to go home by Friday.”

“Awesome.”

“Okay, so now I need to do a physical examination…”

*

My parents came in Thursday afternoon and sat down next to my bed.

“We need to discuss your living arrangements,” my mom said. “You can live with us, until you get everything figured out and have another place to live, or you can move back in with Josh.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“This is up to you. If you feel uncomfortable around Josh, then maybe you should come back with us for a little while.”

I could tell she was hoping I would, but frankly, I felt as uncomfortable around them as I did around Josh. They were all strangers to me.

“I-I sort of want things to go back to the way they were before. Like, maybe if I go back with Josh, things will go back to normal. And if I’m around the things I was around before the accident, maybe it will trigger memories.”

“Of course. That makes sense,” my dad said.

“We’ll be here to see you off tomorrow,” my mom added. They both kissed my cheek and left.

Josh came in a while later. “Have you- have you decided where you’re going to live?”

“I’m going to go back with you. I’m hoping living with you, like I did before the accident, will slowly but surely make everything normal again,” I said uncertainly.

He grinned. This was the first time I had seen him smile. “That’s great.” He placed his hand on top of mine. “I’ve talked to Dr. Hall a lot. I understand that I can’t make you feel anything towards me. Just because you’re living with me doesn’t mean you’re going to feel some spark that makes you want to be with me like you were before. I’m not going to pressure you into anything.” He leaned closer. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything I can to make you love me. It worked once before, and I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.” He smiled a little wider. His smile was adorable.

I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my chest. “Okay. Thank you.”

He kissed my cheek. “We’re going to start over from zero and work our way right back to the top.”

*

Dr. Hall came into my room to talk to me one last time before I could go home. “A little bit of information,” she said. “Hopefully, you’ll start getting your memory back soon. It might come in little chunks at a time. Some of my patients have said that they got bits and pieces through dreams. Or you might get it all back at once. There’s always the depressing possibility that you won’t ever get it back, but I think you will. You’re young and resilient. Enjoy life while you still can. Ready to go?”

I nodded.

“You have to go out in the wheelchair, sorry.”

She helped me into it and wheeled me out into the hallway where Josh, Mollie, and my parents were waiting. “Drink plenty of water and sleep a lot. We’ve arranged a doctor’s appointment for you next Tuesday at 10 AM. Good luck, hon. Bye.”

I waved as she walked away. Josh took hold of my wheelchair and wheeled me out to the car. He helped me up and into the passenger seat.

“We’re only a drive away,” my dad said.