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Author's Note: Hey you lovely people who are reading this book, who excite me for so doing. I'm really quite ecstatic today. I'm receiving so much love from you people and it's amazing. I'm reminded of my sister's (Perez_Kay) reaction at the end of chapter 24 because of the cliffhanger. It was comical, but it just proved to me that y'all are loving the book. I really appreciate the reads.
I'm dedicating this chapter to the readers who aren't anonymous, Perez_Kay, NaniLedwaba, ThandekaDlamini4, and ThembiSizani. You ladies are amazing. 😘😘
Anyway, let's get to the next chapter, right? I'm excited. Vote... Share... Comment... Enjoy.
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Chapter Twenty Five: I Don't Remember
Thando's Point of View
(In the hospital)
I woke up on a hospital bed, feeling groggy and my arms and legs were painful. Also, there was a hand holding mine tightly, but not enough to hurt me. Before I could freak out (because I had no idea why I was in hospital) I followed the trail of the hand holding mine.
His hand and arm had protruding veins. The shirt he wore was folded at the sleeve, and looked mostly disheveled. He laid his head on the other arm that was folded over the bed. He looked all kinds of uncomfortable, so I moved my hand slightly to try and get him to wake up. He stirred in his sleep. I cleared my throat.
"Lindo... Baby... Wake up", I spoke, but the projection was off because, my voice was gone. What could I possibly have done to damage my voice? "Lindo...", I said a little louder and he sat up quickly. He looked a little confused, until he saw my face. His face lit up, and he smiled.
"Baby, you're awake! This is amazing", he said. I smiled back. "Are you okay?" he asked. I shook my head. "What's the matter? Should I call the nurse?" he asked almost deliriously. I shook my head.
"No... I just don't know why I'm here. I can feel my legs and arms are painful... And... My voice is damaged... But, I have no clue as to why", I explained. He frowned at me.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, I am pretty sure when you asked me out yesterday, you weren't bringing me to a date in the hospital... So why am I here?" I asked. Lindo looked like he couldn't believe what I was saying. His mouth hung open as if he was in shock. "What?" I asked. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head.
"Baby, let me get you the doctor, okay? I'll be right back", he said, looking unsure of the situation.
"Lindo, I can call the nurse and they'll get the doctor", I said pointing at the nurse call device. "I don't exactly want to be left alone here", I told him. He nodded, came back to sit next to me and I pressed the button.
"Are you in pain?" he asked.
"I know it's there, but I feel numb. I mean, my hands and arms are covered in gauze and so are my legs. I see the blood, but it's just numbing", I told him. The nurse walked into the ward.
"Good morning you two. Thando, how are you feeling?" she asked. I frowned because, first of all, I didn't want this woman in the ward. Secondly, I had no idea why I didn't want her there because, I don't know her. I squeezed Lindo's hand. He looked at me, and then from the look on my face, he looked like he recalled something. He cleared his throat.
"Sorry ma'am... Don't you by any chance have a male nurse available right now?" he asked. My frown deepened. What was wrong with me? And what did Lindo know?
"Oh yes... I'm sorry, I forgot. I'll get him right away", she said hurriedly.
"What was that about?" I asked my boyfriend. He shrugged.
"I think it's best we wait for the doctor, yeah?" he replied. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Am I dying or something? You're being very strange", I commented. He tried to laugh, but it didn't come out like a laugh, but more like a light-hearted scoff.
"You're not dying. I just don't want to do or say anything that'll trigger something bad", he admitted. Right...
A few minutes passed, and instead of a male nurse walking in, a male doctor (whose name tag read Dr. Watson) walked in. He smiled at me and crossed the room quickly.
"Morning Lindo and Thando. I'm Dr. Watson", he introduced. I smiled.
"Morning", both Lindo and I said.
"Doc, before you do anything, Thando doesn't seem to remember what happened. I think her memory extends to about the time I asked her out on a date yesterday", Lindo said.
"Is that true, Thando?" the doctor asked. I shrugged.
"Well, I don't remember how I ended up on this bed, or how I got the bandages on my arms and legs. I do remember that Lindo asked to take me out yesterday after I was on the phone with a friend of ours Perfect", I said. "There's a huge gap between that time and now", I added. Dr. Watson scribbled something on his paper board.
"Okay... Let me first check your vitals, and we'll continue from there", he said. I nodded. After he was done, he spoke up again. "Alright, I'm going to ask you a series of questions to try and gauge where your memory extends, okay? Please try and answer as truthfully as you can, alright?" I nodded.
"Okay doc", I said. He nodded.
"Alrighty then. What's your name?" he asked.
"Noluthando Starr Magagula-Thabede", I replied confidently. Lindo chuckled.
"Alright... What's the date today?" he asked. I raked my brain and smiled.
"October fifth, 2013", I said. He nodded.
"Did Lindo tell you where he'd take you for the date?" he asked. I shook my head and smiled.
"He refused to tell me; said it was a surprise", I said.
"Did you go to the Recreational Club yesterday with your parents, best friend and her fiancè?" he asked. My heart stopped. I shook my head.
"I don't remember", I whispered.
"Do you know why you felt uncomfortable when a female nurse came into the ward this morning?" he asked. I shook my head again.
"No, I don't... But I know I felt scared for some reason, but I took comfort in knowing Lindo was here with me", I said. "What's wrong with me doc?" I asked.
"Nothing is wrong with you. From what I can tell, you're suffering from temporary memory loss, or amnesia. You went through a traumatic experience, or maybe you might have hit your head, but because you do not recall what happened, you may not be able to tell us if you did, in fact, hit your head. So what I'll do is, I'm going to check for any head injury right now, and if I find one, I'll have to order an MRI scan. Is that okay?" he said gently and I nodded.
He then touched around my head, and as he touched the back of my head, I winced. He pressed his gloved finger into the spot that hurt, and retracted his hand to show me the dried blood on it.
"I'm assuming the medics didn't notice this because, your locks soaked up the blood", he said. "I'll get to ordering that scan, in the meanwhile, do not try to force yourself to remember anything. Let it come naturally, or else you'll overwhelm yourself, which is highly unadvisable", he said and I nodded. "Also try and rest as often as you can. A nap can help you subconsciously remember what happened", he added. I sighed and nodded. Lindo squeezed my hand reassuringly. "I'll see you later", he said as he packed up and left the room.
"Thanks doctor", I whispered. "Hi baby", I said to Lindo.
"Hi; how are you feeling?" he asked. I shrugged.
"Confused really... You?" I responded.
"I'm glad you are alive and well", he said and he laid a tender kiss on my gauze covered hand. Just then, our families walked in.
Lorraine looked like she had been crying. I wanted to hug her, but I couldn't exactly get off the bed. I looked at Kuhle and she smiled at me and sent a little two-finger wave. I smiled back. Lindo's parents came to hug me, and my parents hugged me after them. Kuhle and Lorraine kept their distance, and I wanted to ask why, but I let it go. They were probably walking on eggshells around me as well. I sighed.
"How are you feeling, ntomb'yami?" asked Lindo's father. I smiled.
"Apparently, I'm supposed to be grateful to be alive and well dad", I said jokingly. Everyone, except Lorraine laughed. "But honestly, I'm very, very confused. I don't remember what happened or how I ended up here. The doctor said I shouldn't try remember forcefully, but I can't help raking my brain for clarity. This huge gap between the time I was in the house with Lindo and now is frustrating", I admitted.
"We understand, my Starr, but it'll come to you, and when that happens, we'll be right here to help you stay sane", my mom said. I nodded. Lindo's mother and Bryan put two baskets on top of the counters, while my mother put down an overnight bag next the bed.
"We've brought you fruit and food, and juice. We've also brought you clothes and toiletries", Lindo's mother said. I nodded.
"Ngiyabonga mama", I said. She smiled and ran a hand on my shoulder. The doctor and two male nurses came into the room.
"Good afternoon everyone. I need to take Thando for an MRI scan. Kindly clear the room, please", Dr. Watson requested kindly.
"We love you baby", Lindo's mom said. I smiled.
"I love you more", I replied. Lindo kissed my forehead, and lingered.
"I love you so much, Ndo", he whispered.
"I love you, Ndo", I whispered back.
I got prepared for the MRI scan. The nurse removed my earrings and necklace, and since those were the only metals on my body, I was helped onto the scanner. My heart raced. The radiologist handed me ear plugs after telling me what would happen during the scan, and advising me to keep still.
After about 20 minutes, the table moved, and I was out of the scanner. There were other doctors in the room now, and luckily for me, they were male. Dr. Watson approached me and helped me sit up.
"I'll try and hurry the results as fast as possible. Your parents are paying huge money to make sure you're treated well. The nurses will help you to your ward. Are you alright?" he asked and I nodded. "Alrighty then", he said.
The nurses helped me to get back to the ward and Lindo was already sitting there. He looked cleaner and calmer; he even got a change of clothes. He smiled immediately when saw me being wheeled into the ward.
"Ndo, you're back", he said and I smiled back.
"Yeah... And I'm hungry", I told him. As if on cue, a lady entered with a tray of food.
"Good afternoon. I'll leave this here. I'll come get it after you're done eating", she said timidly. So it seemed that everybody in that hospital knew that I didn't want any of those females around me. I tolerated my mothers, Lorraine and Kuhle because, they were family... Other than that, I didn't want any woman next to me.
"Let me grab that for you, babe", Lindo said, as he got up and got the tray.
"It smells like restaurant food", I commented frowning slightly.
"Yeah, well... That's because, you're being given special treatment. Your parents paid big bucks for your hospitalisation", he told me. I shook my head. I patted the space next to me on the bed.
"Come sit here", I asked. He nodded. He placed the tray on his thighs and started feeding me. "It's delicious", I said, taking another bite of the lasagne. "But it's too much for me... And you know how I feel about wasting food, so please eat with me", I said.
"You're so unbelievable", he said shaking his head.
"You love me", I said, sticking my tongue out. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"I do", he admitted.
Once we were done eating, I laid my head on Lindo's shoulder. I yawned feeling really sleepy. He rubbed my cheek.
"Go to sleep, baby. I'll be right here", he whispered. I sighed in contentment.
"I love you", I mumbled. He kissed my forehead.
"I love you", he whispered, and I slipped into unconsciousness.
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Author's Note: I hope y'all enjoyed that. Check you next upload.
Love Thaby. ❤