Remember11

Everyone had only just gotten into position when another contraction hit her harder than the others, the doctor told her to push and faster than she could believe the pressure stopped. A few seconds later she heard a full lunged cry of protest.

"A boy, it's a boy," said Dr. Raine holding the mewling, red face infant up for her to see. Charlie cut the cord and followed the nurse to get him cleaned up.

"It feels weird again," Emily said breathing hard, "that pressure again, is it the after part?"

Dr. Raine smiled wide, "I forgot you didn't know. Charlie did you know?"

Charlie looked over, frowning, "Neither of us knew if it was a boy or girl."

"Well Emily get ready to push on the next one, you are having twins."

"What-," Emily was cut off by the next contraction and pushed, forgetting to breath.

A second cry filled the room moments later, "A girl." The doctor said smiling and relieved by how easy this labor was. This couple deserved a break.

Tears in her eyes, Emily took her baby girl from the waiting nurse, clean and wrapped in a pink blanket. Charlie came to sit in the edge of her bed holding a similar bundle. She was awed, one of each was perfect. A most amazing surprise.

A hour later she was tucked in bed back in her room, a baby tucked in each arm. Charlie had left a few minutes before to call his parents and hers and she found herself falling asleep.

She was driving, there was kids songs playing low on the stereo, there was singing coming from the backseat. She smiled, loving this simple happy moment. Then there was a truck, it was hoing to fast, it looked like it was coming straight at her, turn the wheel she thought. She was slammed, hard and then again. Her vision was fuzzy, lights flashing as she tried to clear her head. A hand to her head showed blood. Boys! She turned around quickly, worried, found them seemingly unharmed. She was relieved, they were crying, scared, she pushed her seat back and squeezed her belly into the back seat. Hugging them both tightly, calming them and her. She tried all the doors, trying not to panic, then saw people coming towards them. Then the hatch was opened and the boys were out. Breathing in relief she felt the ground shake and a rumbling she couldn't understand. Her last thought was to protect Baby then blackness.

Breathless she woke from her very real dream that she was convinced was her memory of the crash. Eyes closed her breathing calmed and she thought about the flash the night before, Charlie and her standing close, her in a wedding dress.  It was a few seconds before she realized that that memory didn't stop. She could remember her wedding! Not just pictures but she could recall all of it! She was amazed and estatic. She had her memories, childhood, her life with Charlie, getting pregnant, everything was there, just as it should be! She opened her eyes and found both babies with eyes open wide, staring at her.

She smiled overjoyed and overwhelmed by the emitions she felt.

Charlie came in quietly, "There's the three most important people in my life!" He kissed her gently as he sat next to her, then greeted the two bundles, "Hello, little Amelia, beautiful girl. Hey there, Jack, how's my little man?" He kissed them both and smiled at her, "And how are you, my love?"

"Never been better, " she said grinning, she leaned into him, turning to whisper in his ear, "I remember."

Remember10

She woke again early that same morning to a sharp pain in her stomach, it came and went quickly. Breathing in, trying to stay calm, she focused just staring at her belly and breathing. When no other pain came she slowly got out of bed and steadied herself on the bed while her legs woke up. She took a step and then froze when another pain hit her, feeling wetness spread down her legs and nightgown. Her water broke, Baby's coming! Smiling she reached behind and pressed the nurses button. Half a minute later her favorite nurse, Tara, was coming through the door. Tara stared for a few seconds then burst into activity, pushing the call button again, taking my arm to move into the bathroom and sending directions out to the responding nurses. In less than five minutes she was in a new gown, the floor clean and both her doctor and Charlie were on there way.

"Emily!" Charlie burst through the door almost colliding with a nurse on the way out.

"Charlie I'm fine, just Baby wanting out." She said laughing and returning his hug.

"The doctor should be here soon, My contractions are about ten minutes apart still but I'm already moving faster than expected."

"It will be okay, Dr. Raine is highly recommended and Dr. White promised to be there in case of any complications." Charlie said squeezing her hand.

She squeezed back then again harder as her muscles contracted.

When it stopped she sighed then picked up the knitting she had dropped when Charlie had come in. Charlie had brought her her knitting supplies and some of the things she had finished before the accident: baby hats, socks, and blankets. She was happy to find she remembered how to knit, glad to have not lost that skill. She was currently finishing a swaddling blanket, it was white with flecks of green throughout.

"Looks like your almost done," Charlie said touching the soft blanket.

"Yes, only a couple rows left, I hope to finish before Baby comes out, I thought I had more time," she said laughing.

The door opened and both her doctors walked in. 

"Hello Emily, Charlie. How are we this morning?" Asked Dr. Raine.

"Alright, hurts a little when it contracts but its pretty quick so I'm not complaining," she said with a shrug.

Dr. Raine smiled, "Alright, let's take a look and see how far along you are."

Charlie and Dr. White moved to stand at the window and Dr. Raine lifted the sheet covered her lower body.

"You are moving fast! It may be only a few minutes before you have to start pushing,"

"Really? Wow, I thought I'd be doing this for hours!" She smiled that turned into a grimace, when it contracted again.

"That was about three and a half minutes," said Tara, while updating her chart.

"Alright, well let's get you moved down to the operating room, we aren't expecting any trouble but with your medical history it's better to be cautious. Okay?" Dr. Raine asked with a look to Emily then Charlie, judging their reactions.

"Alright," they said at the same time.

The doctors both smiled, "We'll see you down there," Dr. White said and held the door for Dr. Raine to preced him.

Another nurse walked in and she and Tara unhooked the wires from her bed and pushed her out the door. Charlie followed close behind.

Remember9

It was two weeks before her due date. She had been awake three weeks exactly and she was still in the hospital. With her date so close, doctors had recommended her to continue her stay until after the baby arrived so they could monitor right away once she went into labor. Twice a day she did physical therapy, once in the morning, with a trainer named Sarah and again in the evening with Charlie. Sarah always seemed excited by her progress, she could walk without help balancing now but her legs still felt very weak after so long stationary in bed. Sarah helped her to strengthen her back and legs but it felt slow going. She wanted very much to see her home in person not just in photos. In the evening Charlie took her arm and they walked in circles around the maternity ward, where they had moved her the week before.

"The sunset is beautiful tonight" she said as they sat on their favorite bench that faced a massive window. 

"Your beautiful, the sunset is so-so," Charlie said with a big smile.

She blushed, very pleased, she felt like a teenager in love. Infatuated and overwhelmed by the love she felt for this man beside her. She knew now they had been together twelve years, and married for five but it felt new and exciting to her. She was happy and much of the time she could on things other than her lack of memories.

He put his arm around her and she put her head on his shoulder, sighing.

"Getting tired?" He asked, always concerned she'd over do it.

"No not all. I'm simply sighing in contentment. It is so nice sitting here with you. I love spending time with you." She said a little shy despite knowing he was her husband.

"I love it too, and soon we can go home, with a new addition even!" He caressed her stomach, smiling and speaking to Baby."You almost ready to come meet your mommy and daddy, little love? We can't wait!"

She placed her hands over his and then felt a kick in response, "Feels like a yes to me," she laughed.

They walked back to her room and he helped her roll into bed. 

Since moving to the maternity ward, Charlie had taken to sleeping at home. Though there was a cot in her room, he found the cats to be missing them both. So though she'd rather he stayed, she knew that if she had her memories she'd be the one urging him to spend more time with them. 

"Goodnight, sweetheart." He said kissing her forehead.

"Goodnight...I love you." She said for the first time since the accident.

He wrapped her in a hug and she held on tightly, "I love you! Oh baby, I love you so much! You can't imagine how happy I am your okay, thank you for coming back to me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I am glad too, I only wish for my memories but I hope that we can get back what we had before even still."

"Better, we will. I love you," he said fervently.

She smiled, "I love you, Charlie."

After Charlie left, she found herself wide awake. She reached for a photo album from the pile she kept on the side table.

This one was white with a satin cover. Their wedding album was her favorite of all Charlie had brought her. In the inside cover was a note she had written: 'Dearest Charlie, for this, our three year wedding anniversary and our ten year anniversary of being together, I wish for our continued happiness, that we always take comfort in being together, best friends side by side through all the bad and the good. I love you and appreciate all that you do. Thank you for always loving me as I love you, with all my heart for all our years to come.'

She must have read this a hundred times in the last few weeks, hoping she could be that girl she used to be.

She woke abruptly, the album still in her lap and the light on. Confused for a few moments but realized she'd fell asleep. She saw the clock said 2am, weird since she'd been sleeping through the night. A flash of something crossed her mind, like a word on the tip of the tongue that you just can't recall. She focused on her breathing, waiting. Another flash a bit longer showed her in a wedding dress. charlie was there holding her close, both smiling. Then it was gone. She wondered where that had come from, it looked like a darker back room. Not a photo she'd seen since those were bright, full of sunshine. Could that be a memory?

Remember8

Her first week awake after a three month long coma-like state was filled with scans and tests. Her scans showed that all the damage from the crash had been healed.  She answered hundreds of questions through a series of tests to determine how well each part of her brain was functioning. She passed them all except for her personal memory. They brought in pictures of her family members but she felt no recognition with any of them. After the tests the doctors told her not to stress, time was usually what it took for people to recall lost memories. But she did stress and worry. She still felt lost. Blank, someone had wiped her clean to start over. She didn't want to start over. The only thing keeping her from being overwhelmed was Charlie. Since waking up Charlie barely left her side, they talked for hours and hours everyday. Her asking questions and him giving detailed descriptions of the life they had made together.

One day ten days after waking up, Charlie came back, from a quick visit to the house, with a heavy box. 

"What's all this" she said laughing as he finagled the box onto the bed within her reach.

"Memories," he said with a smile, "these are almost all our pictures. Most of them you have made into scrapbooks, I think that's where we should start, but there is also hundreds of other pictures. I realized more visuals might be good and the scrapbooks are our favorite memories, favorite pictures. So what do you think?"

"This is amazing, so perfect. Even if I don't remember, I can use these to try and create new memories in my head. The next best thing!" Smiled at him, already falling for him again, wanting the years she had lost back.

"Where do you want to start?" He asked, "the beginning?" At her nod, he grabbed an album out of the box. 

The book was green with twisting vines and leafs scrawled across. It had the words 'Our First Years' across the top and a slightly blurry picture of the two of them kissing. She touched the picture and looked at him questioning.

He smiled, "That is our first kiss. A friend of yours had been taking pictures of the baseball game we had all went to and snapped it as it happened. You always said it looked magical with the big lights putting us in contrast. The perfect timing of it. Even if the picture wasn't perfect, you said it was a favorite."

"Yes, I can see why. Magical." She couldn't stop looking at it, trying to picture the thoughts and feelings she must have felt. She opened the book. Each page had a few pictures, not crowded, so you could really see each one. And each page had captions, sometimes dates or locations, sometimes a brief saying or inside joke. 

The first few pages showed them at the beach, on bike rides, taking road trips. One page was dedicated to the day he told her he loved her through a hand written note. The words slightly shaky, nervous. And a picture of the heart shaped necklace he gave her.

Further pages showed their first apartment, where they lived through college, some of the holidays they had there and the two cats they had adopted.

The last page was dedicated to when they got engaged, the pictures showed a hike up a mountain in the snow and a frozen waterfall. There was even a picture of the ring, simple but amazing. At the bottom of the page was written, 'seven years together, ready for a lifetime more'.

 She shut the book, noticing that there were tears on her face. She looked at him and he climbed onto the bed beside her, wrapping her in a hug. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Emily, everyday from our first to our last. You are my everything. We can make this work, whether you remember or not, I love you and nothing will ever change that."

Remember7

"Well when you first came, you were in that almost a coma state, after the brain surgery we waited for you to wake up. When you showed no improvement we had to give Charlie some options," Dr. White said with a nod to Charlie.

"Your husband, had some tough decisions to make," that one word stopped her, she stopped listening and just stared at Charlie, her husband! She was estatic, this was why she felt so comfortable with him. It made complete sense and she wished she had just asked from the beginning.

The doctor went quiet when he noticed her inattention and Charlie couldn't help grinning in response to her smile.

Charlie explained to the doctor, "Emily doesn't remember anything, she didn't know my name or hers. And you just told her I am her husband. I admit I was afraid to tell her myself in case she was disappointed but I am quite enjoying her reaction," he spoke all this, never looking away. Eyes only for her, overjoyed at her pleased expression. 

"I am glad you are both happy, but I have to ask: you remember nothing? What is the last memory you have?" The doctor's expression was slightly concerned.

"I know what objects and things are, I don't think I have any memories at all. No childhood, no Charlie or being pregnant. Nothing personally relevant," she was frowning now, brought back to reality and the seriousness of her situation.

"Hm, well this is interesting. Total memory loss is not common. In cases like this it is more normal to lose the memories around the accident, not your entire life. It may be that time is all it takes, just a temporary loss and you will get memories back slowly. But I must also warn you that it's possible it may be permanent." His face was grave, trying not to scare her while not adding false hope.

"I understand. I am trying not to concentrate on it, just hearing what happened is helping. Gives me something to focus on." she shrugged not sure how to explain.

"Good, anything that makes it easier is good," the doctor said in encouragement.

Charlie picked up the story, "So once your body had stabilized from the first surgery, they ran more scans and saw that the swelling in your spine where the boulder had pushed was still there."

"Yes, I called in someone I know that specializes in spinal injuries, Dr. Mark Sing. He studied your scans and thought there was a good chance he could repair the damage and let you keep the use of your legs. Charlie thought about it and gave us the okay."

"It wasn't easy," Charlie said, grimacing at the memory.

"No, not easy, not when your babies life was at risk. Another high risk surgery only a few days after the first and the accident, there was no guarantee of the results. You showed no signs of waking up and it was too early to try and remove the baby. Three months before you were due was too risky. So the lesser risk was try to repair the damage so you would have a chance to be whole if you woke up or if it went the other way, to let the baby grow and develop as much as possible," The doctor grew quiet and let this information sink in.

After a few minutes, Charlie gave her hand a squeeze, "Emily?"

She looked up at him then at the doctor, "If I didnt wake up, my body would act like an incubator, until Baby was ready?"

"Yes, just like that. It was the best possible solution at the time."

"So after both surgeries, when I didn't wake up, everyone thought that I never would? The longer I was out the less likely?"

Dr. White nodded, "That is exactly what happened, which is why everyone was so surprised to find you awake. After two months of no change, it was a wonderful surprise...though I believe Charlie, here, never gave up," she looked to Charlie as the doctor continued, "He always spoke to you or about you in the present. He made a few nurses transfer when they didn't express the same hope. Your husband can get a bit intense when he is trying to protect you," They were all smiling now.

"Thanks," she said squeezing his hand, "I promise to do everything I can to remember how wonderful you were before as well as now."

Remember6

"Everyone barely had time to grab the boys and pull away. Police and abulance started arriving but no could get a response from you. By the time the emergency rescue truck got there, they had realized what Sam had been saying. They found my name and Mel, the boys' mom, in your phone. The boys were sent to the hospital to get checked out and Mel met them there. I was closer to the crash so I got there as they were cutting through your door, having already towed away the truck. They held me back, I was  insistent on seeing you, so once they saw your pulse was steady they let me hold your hand a few minutes while they got jacks ready to raise the car roof. You were wedged in the middle, your belly tucked under you. Baby first," he smiled then, maybe remembering something she no longer could.

"You came free pretty easily after they put the jacks up, they were worried about your spine and straped you to the gurney right away. Bob, a friend from work, had been with me when I first got the call  and had driven me. So when they put you in the ambulance I got in too. There was no way I'd leave your side no matter what they said."

They both smiled.

"Sorry to interrupt, I wanted to let you finish your story," said the man in the door way. She had jumped when he first spoke, having not noticed when he had come in. Charlie squeezed her fingers in reassurance and she relaxed.

"That's alright, Doctor White, it was getting to the end." Charlie turned to me, "This is your doctor, Doctor White, he was here when you were first brought in."

"Nice to see you again, Charlie. And you, your awake! How wonderful!"

"That's what everyone keeps telling me, it'd be nice to know how I came to be alseep for so long, 68 days was it?"

Dr. White replied, "Yes, of course, you must have a hundred questions. I have scheduled a couple tests, scan of you head and back to start then go from there. We have a little time before your due down so what can I tell you?"

Relieved to get more answers she asked, "After the ambulance, I came here and then what?"

"You were in a state that was almost a coma but not quite. This usually occurs in a high stress situation, your body shuts down to try and protect itself. The boulder had put pressure on your spine and you had a large contusion on your head. So we did full body scans and found swelling in your brain and your spine. We hoped that both would go down in time but that didn't seem to be the case. The brain swelling was the most dangerous so I drilled a small hole in your skull and the result was immediately noticeable in your test results," the doctor paused to see how she was doing.

She reached up to feel her skull, she found a patch of hair much shorter than the rest on the right side of her head, "You drilled into my head?! Oh my, this is so weird," She couldn't stop touching her almost bald spot.

Charlie took her exploring hand, now holding both her hands, resting them on the swell of her stomach. She felt a quick pressure of the baby kicking and was awed.

"The baby...it kicked!" She was amazed, she knew she was pregnant by looking at the giant belly but now she felt pregnant. There was a little person inside her!

Charlie was smiling as widely as she was, "Baby likes to kick in the morning. I try to sit and talk every morning."

That made her smile, "This is so cool, I can feel he or she moving around. Do we know, is it a boy or girl?" She asked, then realized she was now saying 'we'. Charlie, was he her husband, boyfriend, what?

"We decided when you first found out you were pregnant to let it be a surprise. We call he or she 'Baby' for now. Baby has a green room at home, decorated with owls," he said smiling.

She turned to the doctor, "So you drilled my head, but Baby was fine, nothing from the crash went wrong?"

"All tests were perfect, nothing had changed to much from the tests taken the week before the crash. We watched closely throughout both surgeries. And Baby has been closely monitored everyday while you slept."

"So if the drilling worked, why was I in a coma for two months?"

Remember5

"After you were hit, the people in the cars behind you got out to help, calling 911, checking the driver and trying to get to you. Your car was between a rock cliff and the truck, all the doors were pinned. I spoke to a woman who helped and she told me everything she saw before the police got there. You somehow managed to unbuckle yourself and get into the back seat, the boys were completely fine, scared and crying but not even a scratch.  You told this to the woman through the glass and she said you were bleeding from a gash on your head," she squeezed his hand as a reminder she was okay now and he gave a small smile in response.

"Someone found a crowbar and they managed to open the back hatch. Everything seemed hopeful, it'd be easy to get the three of you out the back, right? Nope, that when the earthquake started." It took a few seconds for her to process what he said and when she did, her eyebrows rose, skeptical.

"Yes, everyone was surprised, how many earthquakes does New England really get, and how many of those actually cause any damage? But it's true, I felt it at work and it caused you to be here."

Confused again, she said "Go on, they opened the hatch and the earth rumbled, what then?"

"Remember that rock cliff? Well there were a few loose boulders the shook free and fell down. Everyone scattered to avoid them but you couldn't. One landed and crushed the hatch, leaving only a couple feet to squeeze through and another right above you." Another breath, another squeeze.

"You had the presence of mind to get low and cover the boys when the shaking first started so when it stopped the people saw you huddled over the two boys. You had squished them between the two carseats. You saved them."

"I don't remember them" she said sadly but urged him to continue.

"They tried to figure the best way to get the boys out, afraid the rock could shift. The ended up bracing the bottom of the hatch with some metal bars. Another call to the police told them it'd be twenty minutes before help arrived so everyone agree to try. Mikey went first, he just turned five and you were able to get him over the seat and they pulled him out. I think you had alreafy realized to wouldn't fit so you gave Sam, he is three, your phone and told him: 'Call Charlie, Call Mel'. They said he just kept repeating it. It was good that you had because it was only seconds after Sam was out that  another boulder fell. Directly over where you were.

Remember4

Silence filled the room as they stared at each other. His face fell, she could almost see the hope and life drain out of him. He hadn't expected that question, thought she knew him as he seemed to know her. She felt terrible for causing this grief in this stranger that didn't feel like a stranger. Her question felt wrong like she should know the answer. She almost knew that she should but when she tried she came up blank. The devastated look on his face was breaking her heart and she wished she could have taken her question back. He composed himself, trying to hide the pain and sat back from the bed, pulling his hands away at the same time. Almost immediately she felt nervous again, unsure and untethered. She wanted to keep his hand in hers and never let go. 

"Charlie. My name is Charlie Maran," spoken quietly as if he didn't want to be saying the words. He seemed to search her face as he waited for a reaction.

"Charlie, she said, testing the sound of it, "I like that name. Now I have another question, that maybe should have come first," she waited for his nod and then continued, "What is my name?"

"Oh, oh my, you don't- ... I mean you can't remember-...you don't know your own name? Or who I am? Anything?" Shock was written on his face as she shook her head to all his questions.

"Nothing, I know nothing. I mean I know this is a hospital, that I am laying in a bed, pregnant, that your cup holds coffee, the sky is blue and birds fly. But I can't recall anything about me, personally. No memories, childhood or recently. Nothing. You want to tell me why that is?" Upset now as these things sunk in and still wishing for his hand.

"First, your name is Emily, and second I don't exactly know. The doctor can explain better but after it first happened he said there could be memory loss. That we wouldn't know the extent until you woke up. I never imagined it would be everything."

"After what first happened?" She asked hoping he would continue to enlighten her instead of waiting for the doctor. She wanted to focus on getting more answers and not on panicing over her memory loss.

"There was an accident." He closed his eyes at the memory. Took a deep breath and spoke quickly," You were driving, you work as a nanny for two boys and you were headed for the playground. There was road work and a detour on a windy road. The cars behind vouched that you were going below speed limit, it was raining a bit and you were being cautious I guess." Another breath. His hands gripped the edge of the seat. "The truck was going at least twenty over the limit and he came around the curve more in your lane than his. You managed to swerve to avoid a hitting head on but the truck hit your door and slammed the car into the rocks on the side of the road. The driver was dead before he hit you, the coroner said he had had a heart attack." He paused, obviously not wanting to go on.

"Please, keep going, I need to know," she slowly reached her hand out, offering and asking for his own. He let out a breath and took her hand, both sighing in the comfort of the touch. 

Remember3

Before she could start hyperventilating, the door opened and a nurse in pink scrubs came in.

"Figured you pushed it by accident but your call light was on, so--" she halted mid-sentence and stared, "you're awake! I'll page the doctor right away!" Then the womab was gone as fast as she'd come.

Clearing her throat, she spoke for the first time, "um... How long have I been asleep?"

She saw his hesitation, but he held her eyes as he told her "..Two months..."

"Two months?! I have been here, in the hospital for two months?!" She couldn't believe it, she must be dreaming or going crazy. 

"68 days today if that makes a difference," he was quiet, almost whispering and she could almost feel the saddness rolling off of him.

"What happened? Why am I here?" She pleaded with her words and her eyes, disparate for answers.

"Maybe we should wait for the doctor..." When she started to protest, he continued, "I want nothing more than to tell you everything, I can't imagine how confused you must feel. But the doctor told me that it was very important to check everything right away before we overwhelmed you with information, if you woke up."

"...I guess, that makes sense. But-- wait 'if', you said if I woke up? Was that in question? Was I not expected to recover?"

Grabbing her hand in both of his, she instantly felt calmer, "Please, breathe. Honey, I'm so sorry, I will tell you everything as soon as the doctor confirms you're okay," he said as he leaned towards her, imploring her with his beautiful eyes.

After a few deep breathes, she nodded, agreeing to wait for the doctor but wishing he would hurry. She was glad for the warmth of his hands around hers, warm and strong but wished she knew who he was. 

"This may sound weird but can I ask..." She lost her nerve and looked down.

He squeezed her hand gently and smiled to encourage her, "It's alright, ask me."

Looking into his eyes and wishing she didn't have to ask, she took a deep breath, 

"Who are you?"

Remember2

She looked around her hospital room. Pale green walls with drab seaside paintings. The right side of the room was filled with windows starting about three feet from the floor and extending to the ceiling. The shelf beneath the window was full of vases of flowers in a few stages of life. Some new, bright and blooming, others wilting and starting to brown. There was a pale pink curtain that could be pulled around her bed for privacy but was currently pushed against the wall. Her exploration eventually brought her back to the man sitting next to her. Still staring in amazement. He was thin but not scrawny, she could see the well defined muscles on his arms below his t-shirt sleeves. He had abandoned his meal to the side table and both of his hands sat on the edge of the bed, clasped together, knuckles white.  He had short, brown hair that looked like it'd be soft and thick to the touch. His cheeks were covered in stubble and there were dark half cirlces under his eyes. His eyes were wide and sparkling light blue and she found herself caught by them, she couldn't look away. 'Who is this man?' was a near constant thought in her head. It battled with the question of 'Why she was in the hospital?'.  Finally she broke eye contact and looked down at her own hands, still holding the cup of water, and realized she was pregnant! Not a little pregnant, a lot pregnant, her stomach seemed huge as she stared at it. Probably near the end. She had no memory of being pregnant, no memory of this man or the hospital or her life. She couldn't remember where she lived, how old she was. Panic rising she realized she didn't know her own name! What had happened to her?

Remember

Blank. It seemed to be the only way she could think or feel. Empty and lost in a vast darkness that continued on for eternity.

Opening her eyes did little to improve those feelings threatening to overwhelm her. The emptiness was wrong, not her normal state of being, and it was suffocating. 

She came slowly aware of a increasing beeping off to her right and turning she saw the heart rate monitor sending out the unsteady rhythm of her heart. The monitor brought awareness of being in the hospital and she tried to focus to slow the erratic beating and shallow breaths. 

The door creeped open quietly but suddenly, erasing her efforts on shutting up the incessant machine.  A man slipped in the door, carrying a cup and a paper bag. He eased the door closed and then froze as he looked her direction for the first time. 

"You're  awake?!" He sounded incredulous and amazed and overwhelmed with just those two words.

She took in a breath and tried to respond but found her throat had dried up. Trying to clear her throat she looked around for a glass of water but stopped at the sharp pain down her back.

The man finally unfrozen and took to couple steps to the bed. 

"We should tell the doctor" he said a bit breathlessly as he pushed to nurse call button above her bed. Then he handed her the cup of water she had been wishing for. She took a big gulp, relishing the coolness.

"Go slow, we'll have to ask how much you can have when the doctor gets here but I think a little bit can't hurt," he said as he sat in the chair to the left of her bed. It had a pillow and a blanket thrown over the back, like someone had slept there. Who is this man? He acts like he knows me. He keeps say 'we'll'. Why is he in my room? Why am I in this room?