Remembering You [Folive]

2| her caretaker

TWO

Napping in a hospital waiting room chair was not good for Fletcher's back or neck, but he was feeling the set backs of moving boxes up and down stairs in the scorching California heat. If he didn't get some rest, he wouldn't have the energy to deal with Olive's amnesia. So after finding out he was a complete stranger to her, he went to the least occupied area in the hospital and curled up in one of the chairs. Mainly he didn't want people to see him cry. He didn't get much rest because of the wooden arm rests digging into his arms and elbows-though it didn't matter. Olive's parents, the Doyle's arrived at the hospital. They found Fletcher resting in the corner.

"Fletcher how is she?" Mrs. Doyle approached him with a worried look in her eyes. Fletcher opened his eyes and shifted in his chair to a comfortable sitting position. He looked at Mrs. Doyle then Mr. Doyle. Having to tell Olive's parents that their daughter had amnesia was worse than finding it out in general. He pressed his lips together, looking up at them with sorry eyes, like he was guilty, even though Olive fainting and hitting her head was not his fault.

"She has amnesia," he announced, letting out a deep breath.

"Really. How bad is it?" Olive's dad asked.

"Well, she doesn't recognize me," Fletcher told them blatantly. "So I think that answers the question."

Mrs. Doyle's face dropped. "So she won't recognize us either?" her voice shook.

"Most likely," said Fletcher.

"Then should we still see her?" Mr. Doyle wondered.

Fletcher stood up. "Well, I did, even though she screamed at me to leave because I was a stranger to her. But hey, who knows? Maybe she'll recognize her parents."

"Okay then let's go see her," Mrs. Doyle said.

Fletcher suggested he be the first to enter, so she wouldn't freak out since Olive had already seen him before. He knocked on the door lightly, peering inside the room. Olive was focused looking at nothing in particular. Her eyes were squinted as she touched her forehead. Fletcher knocked again. She jerked her head towards the door.

"What are you doing back here?" Olive said, but much calmer than before. Fletcher took short, careful steps into the room. Followed behind him were her parents.

"Who are these people?" Olive asked. "Are they your parents?"

Fletcher looked back at them. He couldn't find his words. "Yes." He nodded. "Yes these are my parents."

"Good. Than maybe you'll listen to them," Olive said. She looked at her parents, who she didn't know were her parents. "Could you tell your son to stop coming in here? It's very weird."

Her mom and dad's eyebrows narrowed and they both frowned. They took a glance at Fletcher who had his hand through his messy, curly hair. For Olive, she was in a hospital room with three strangers. For Fletcher and the Doyle's, they were looking at the girl who just hours before, knew who they were.

Fletcher was struggling to figure out what to do because he didn't want to send Olive's parents off. Their daughter just injured her head and they deserved to see her. But because she had amnesia, there wasn't much they could do.

"Are you guys just going to stand there or...?" remarked Olive.

Her parents exchanged worried looks at Fletcher. "We'd better go," he whispered, guiding them to the door. Mrs. Doyle took one last glance at her daughter on the way out.