An unbelievable pain startled me back to reality as I let out a moan. My eyes felt heavy as I tried to keep them open. We must be moving because I feel like the world is swirling. Someone's cries made my head throb. The pressure on my abdomen sent streaks of pain everywhere.
"...pressure... going... please..." a feminine voice cried. I couldn't make what she was trying to say. I turned my head to the side as much as I could, my eyes met the back of a seat. Faint honking and curses made me want to smile for some unknown reason.
"Regan... Regan..." why is she chanting my name? I tried to open my mouth to ask just that but nothing came out. The effort was too much so I let the dark embrace me once again. At least there I wasn't in pain or uncomfortable, there wasn't as much noise.
When my eyes opened once more, there was no more darkness. Instead there was a bright light, making it hard for me to distinguish the figures above me. There was still noise and I felt achy.
Then I felt someone's hands on me. No. Several hands on me. I started to feel cold and that's when I came to the conclusion that I was being undressed. I tried to move my hands to stop theirs but it was a failed attempt. Warm tears slipped out of my eyes as I tried to shout at them.
No! Stop! Please stop!
"It's okay ma'am. Stay still, we're not going to hurt you."
"Someone to put her to sleep!"
I don't want to sleep. Stop this. Aaron! Aaron please help me. Aaron!
I kept screaming for him to come but he never did. He didn't show up. He didn't stop the people from doing whatever they were doing to me. He wasn't here.
All thoughts stopped as I, once again, went into a deep slumber.
I woke up to a conversation taking place. My eyes where closed but I could clearly hear them. I heard two male voices and a faint cry. What's going on?
"When will she wake up?" a voice that sounded strangely familiar demanded.
"We can't be sure. The abdomen wound isn't as serious as the one on her head, but still delicate. The knife luckily didn't pierce any vital organs. She did loose too much blood and in her already anemic state... it's truly a miracle she didn't die. But that's under control now. What we're worried about is her head. It seemed she'd already injured it and with this... You should be prepared for..."
"For what?"
"There's a possibility of amnesia. We can't be certain. All we can do is wait and hope for the best."
"Amnesia. Amnesia?! It's been a week and you're barely mentioning this?!" the same familiar voice growled in anger.
"Like I said, we can't be certain of her reaction. She may loose her memories before the accident. Perhaps she'll remember everything before a certain date and nothing after it. Or remember only what her subconscious lets her remember."
"She's going to be fine." another familiar voice, feminine this time, assured.
"Didn't you just hear what the doctor said? There's a high possibility she wont remember any of us! Now tell me, how is that fine?"
"I'm sorry."
And I finally managed to open my eyes. I was laying in a hospital bed, I'm sure it's a hospital from where the conversation went. Plus it smelled like a hospital.
In front of the bed stood a doctor, looking quite annoyed at the man next to him. A man that looked to be trying his best in not committing a homicide. Next to said man stood a worried looking woman, clutching his arm as if serving as a medium to contain.
Then their eyes where on me. Relief, surprise, fear, guilt, curiosity, all of those emotions flashed across the three standing at the foot of the hospital bed. When no one said or did anything I spoke.
"What happened?" as soon as I asked the blood drained from their faces.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor finally asked walking to my side and checking the machines next to the bed.
"My body aches." it honestly did. I felt really sore. I tried to sit up and instantly fell back to bed hissing.
"Don't move." the man came to stand on the other side of the bed, gently trying to make me feel comfortable on the bed, using the pillows to help me sit up just a tiny bit.
The man didn't move, in fact he was leaning close to my face. I finally took in his appearance. He wore a pair of black jeans with a white button up shirt; it seemed he hadn't shaved and also hadn't bothered with his hair which seemed to need a trim. The blue-green eyes looked tired, his mouth was set, his eyebrows drawn together in a concerned frown. I blinked a few times, looking down at our joined hands. The wedding rings startled me at first, I simply couldn't take my eyes off them.
"Miss, do you know why you're here?" the doctor asked, breaking me out of my own daze so that I had to look away from the rings and at his face.
I could feel the tension growing in the room, their eyes boring into me, waiting for an answer.
"I... I'm not entirely sure." I finally replied making the hand that the man interlocked with mine tense. So I turned to look at him. The more I did the more I remembered why he was so familiar. But it still didn't explain why I was in a hospital of all places.
"Aaron? What's going on?" a sigh of relief escaped him, his tense shoulders relaxed and he smiled just a little.
"You remember me." his tone made me believe it pleased him.
"Yes. We're married right?"
"Right." he was tensed again. "What else do you remember?"
I noticed the doctor scribbling down notes, so I decided to give my full attention to Aaron who seemed really worried.
"I sort of remember faces but can't put a name to them." I said testily waiting for a reaction.
"Did you know who Mr. Scarlatti was as soon as you saw him?" the doctor questioned.
"No. He did seem vaguely familiar, his voice was what I recognized more." I explained, hoping he understood that I had to really look at Aaron to know who he was. "What happened?"
"You-"
"We're going to do some tests just to see if everything's alright. We'll come get you in a few minutes." the doctor not so gracefully interrupted Aaron, then proceeded to walk out of the room.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" I asked Aaron who flinched.
"It's better for Laurel to tell you. She was there."
Laurel came to stand a bit closer and took a deep breath before speaking. "We went to get ice cream. When we were walking out to the car you suddenly pushed me, that's when I noticed the man coming at us. He got mad and tried to take your purse but you pushed back, then he gave you a shove and you fell. Your head hit the concrete. There was so much blood. William couldn't get the man. It wasn't until later that we noticed the man had stabbed you. God, it all happened so fast!"
She started crying and went to sit on the small sofa. What bothered me was that I couldn't remember that ever happening. It had to be real, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I shifted my head to look at Aaron who stared at me with a worried expression.
"I'm thirsty."
Aaron's eyes softened, he squeezed my hand and nodded. I saw him disappear into a door and then he came back with a glass of water. I didn't even have to ask for him to help me. He pressed the cup to my lips and tilted it enough for me to take safe sips of water.
"Better?" he asked as he set the cup down on something that was next to me, I simply couldn't shift enough to see.
"Yes." I sighed. "I feel like I just ran a marathon."
"Well you've been laying in bed without much movement. But don't worry, we've kept you clean and gave you short massages to make your muscles ease up a little." I blushed as he explained. The thought of him going into all the trouble to take care of me made me feel warm inside.
The knock on the door startled me and made my head throb. Why did they have to be so loud?
Aaron grimaced as he voiced it was okay to come in. And it wasn't just a person. No, that would've been so common. So thirteen people came in. It eased me a little, just a little, that the room was big enough to not make me feel as crowded.
Oh who am I kidding? I feel invaded. Scared. Uncomfortable. Nervous even.
They didn't speak for a moment and it gave me time to take in their appearances. I simply stared at their faces, trying to see if I remembered them. And it worked. Mostly.
I instantly recognized my parents. Colton and Olivia Bennett, the perfect couple, the perfect looking, the perfect everything. They seemed concerned for me. But for some reason I felt like they were judging me.
Aaron's parents came next. Dane and Nina. They were looking at me with a sad expression that made me feel very small and fragile.
I tried hard to name the rest but didn't succeed. They all looked familiar but I just couldn't place a name to their appearance. It didn't help that all of them seemed genuinely concerned and worried for my well being. My hand found Aaron's and held on as a life line. He made me feel safe, untouchable. I know that if I felt I couldn't handle it, he'll make everyone leave and let me rest.
I hope this thing is temporary. I really do.
"How are you feeling?" my mother was the first to ask.
"Sore." I managed.
"Well, try not to be a hero next time." she accused, to which everyone shifted uncomfortably in their spot.
"We had to fly all the way from France. You gave us a scare Regan." my father filled the awkward silence that had started to form.
"I'm sure she didn't mean to scare any of us." Nina said before my father could continue. "It was a very brave thing for her to do."
"It was indeed. And don't worry, everything will be alright. You'll be better soon." Dane smiled just a tiny bit. "It wouldn't be bad to put some protection-"
"We'll talk about that later dad." Aaron interrupted swiftly, earning a nod from Dane.
"You don't have to worry about school. We talked to all your teachers." a boy around my age assured with a smile. He had eyes that looked nearly black; brown hair that reached down to his neck in crazy waves. Something about him made me ease a little.
"We printed the pictures we took on the trip. Leah made a collage for you. It looks pretty neat." a girl with flaming red hair cut like a pixie's smiled gently at me. Her brown eyes reflected worry as she frowned.
Then the girl next to her, she was short with long hair and eyes that made me stare in awe. They were different colors. One being a deep muddy brown and the other a mossy green. She was blushing as she spoke.
"It wasn't a big deal." I assumed she was Leah. I thanked them for trying to keep things light.
"Look at you, being all modest." a boy with piercing hazel eyes and hair black as a raven's, gave a playful squeeze to Leah's shoulder, making her blush even more.
"Is there anything you'd want us to do for you?" the boy next to the one with long hair, the one who had spoken first, asked. He had shorter hair than the other; bright blue eyes that had me staring for a while. I tried my best to place a name to him but didn't succeed.
"Uh..."
"Maybe she needs new clothes." a woman around my mother's age suggested to the man standing next to her.
"I think that's the least of her concerns right now. Maybe she needs sleep." the man replied.
"She's been sleeping for a week. I'm pretty sure that's the least of her concerns." a man around his mid-twenties told the older man. The girl standing next to him looked very nervous as they went into a debate of what was better for me at the moment.
It all made my head hurt even more. They were speaking too loud, too fast. Not really knowing who they were made everything more confusing.
"Everyone!" Aaron raised his voice over everyone else's making me cringe. He mumbled an apology once he saw me and then turned to look at the people who stared at him. Then he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Do you remember any of them?"
"Just my parents and yours." I mumbled back, trying my hardest not to cry. "Please make them go away."
Aaron pulled away and gave me a reassuring smile. With his hand still in mine he turned to look at everyone with a serious expression.
"I think it's best for all of you to come by tomorrow. Let's give Regan some space."
Eventually everyone agreed and left. They all said their goodbyes and I tried my best to pretend I knew exactly who they were. Hopefully tomorrow my head wouldn't hurt as much. Maybe they won't all come in at once and I'll be able to look more closely at them.
Laurel left, a bit reluctant to do so but she did as Aaron ordered.
Once we were alone, Aaron pulled up a chair close to the bed and sat down. His hand found it's way to mine and I couldn't stop the smile from forming. He ran gentle circles on my hand with his thumb, succeeding in making me nervous.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Just a little bit." I'd wanted to lie and said I couldn't feel a thing but couldn't after seeing his face. He seemed genuinely worried.
"My father had a good point. I'm going to assign you a bodyguard. Nobody is hurting you again."
"I don't-"
"Regan, please. It'll make me feel at peace knowing you have someone capable of protecting you if I'm not there." the haunted look in his eyes made me nod without hesitation.
Then I felt his grip on my hand tighten. His shoulders visibly tensed and it seemed he'd been holding a breath. When his eyes met mine I gasped. They were watery, as if he was fighting back the tears.
"I thought you were going to die." he managed in a raw voice. "I thought I wouldn't see your eyes again. The way you smile and laugh, the way you look at me, or how warm you were. I thought I was going to loose you."
My heart was beating like crazy, the monitor beside me started beeping wildly. I felt happy and pained at the same time. I simply couldn't explain it. Aaron's confession made me want to jump and kiss him but it also made me want to cry.
"I know I haven't been a good husband or a friend for that matter. But I promise to try. I want to try." he let out a shaky breath. "When I saw you laying here, pale and still, with all these things connected to you. . . My heart stopped. I nearly knocked out the doctor for not making you wake up." he chuckled. "You make it hard for me to think straight, Regan. That frightens me."
If my heart was going crazy before, now it wanted to go for a run out of my chest. Aaron grabbed my face gently with his hands, leaning in to touch his lips to mine. It was a soft and gentle kiss that had me feeling all warm and tingly.
Of course the moment had to be ruined by the doctor as he came in with two nurses. Aaron reluctantly pulled away, placing a kiss to my forehead before turning to look at the doctor.
"Sorry to interrupt but we need to make those tests." he informed to which Aaron walked a few steps back to let the nurses do their thing.
"I'll be here when you get back." Aaron assured me once he saw me panic a little.
True to his word, Aaron was sitting on the couch waiting. He was on the phone with someone and seemed a bit agitated. The nurses helped me back on the bed and promised to bring me something to eat. Once they left, I glanced at Aaron who was now pacing.
"I can't go right now. Have somebody else sign them... I'm telling you I approve but I can't-- fine I'll be there in ten minutes." he hung up and placed his phone back in his pocket.
"Is something wrong?" I asked as he came near with a pained expression.
"I have to run quickly to the office. I'll be back in less than an hour."
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Go do what you need to do." I reassured. He still seemed reluctant to leave but he had to. With a quick touch of his lips to mine, he left and promised to be back before the hour was over.
While he was away I decided to try and think hard to remember things. So I closed my eyes and began replaying the memories I had. The doctor said that everything seemed to be normal with my brain, that maybe this was a temporary sort of thing. And I really hoped he was right.
Now that I really thought about it, I could remember my wedding clearly. It was a sad thing to remember. When it was happening I was excited and happy, afterwards I'd felt miserable. I remembered the fights with Aaron. Then I enrolled in school. I remembered the faces of the five teenagers in the cafeteria. That was pretty much it. No names. No other events.
A knock on the door was followed by a nurse carrying a tray with food on it. Hospital food. I have a strange feeling that it wont be good. I said nothing as she placed the tray on the roll in table. She helped me sit up enough to eat.
"You need to drink these after you eat." she placed a small cup with pills in it. "These ones are vitamins. These are for your headaches and these ones are to counter attack the infection. They might make you sleepy, so don't panic, it's normal."
I nodded letting her know I understood what she'd said. After saying to call if I needed anything, she left. I sighed and began eating. The food was bad but I ate every bit of it.
Aaron was coming in just as I started taking the pills. He frowned as he closed the door behind him.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. The nurse told me to take these after I'd finished eating." I explained and then took the pills one at a time.
Aaron took a seat on the chair next to the bed. He kept looking at me as if expecting some sort of negative reaction to all the pills.
"How are things at the office?"
"Good. They're good. I just had to sign some permits and contracts." his hand found its way to mine and I couldn't hold back the smile from forming.
"The doctor said I could be out in two days." I informed. "I really want to go home."
"Regan..." Aaron trailed off.
"Yes?"
"You do know we live together, right?"
"Of course I do." I frowned and he sighed in relief. "The doctor said this was most likely temporary. I should be able to remember things if I start living the way I used to. You know, following my usual routine and the sort."
"That's good. The school gave you another week to recover. When you get back, you should remember more things." he wouldn't look at me now. It had me thinking, did we ever spend time together?
"Aaron."
"Yes?"
"I'm glad you're here." I smiled as my eyes started to close.
"Regan?!" he began to panic. I managed to squeeze his hand just a little.
"It's the medicine. I'm fine." I yawned. "Please don't leave me."
"Never." I faintly heard him say as I let the sleep hold me.
When I woke once again, Aaron was fast asleep with his head resting on the bed while he sat on the chair. He looked so adorable. His expression relaxed and his lips parted. His cheeks a little red and his hand gripping mine.
I shifted a little on the bed to get more comfortable. A nurse came in to check on me and then left saying that my food will be here shortly. I took the medicine she left behind and hoped it'll stop the throbbing ache at the back of my head.
It was so frustrating not remembering people that I shouldn't forget. It was quite strange to be honest, and the doctor had no explanation. He just thought it was temporary. But still I couldn't place names to faces and I suddenly had these memories and they'll be gone in a flash. I could clearly remember my parents and my wedding, moving in with Aaron and then everything went blank.
I would be getting visitors today and I didn't want to see the hurt or disappointment in their face when they noticed I couldn't really remember who they were or how we even met.