"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."
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