“Thank you,” she rasped out.
He held her gaze for a minute but said nothing. Instead, he gently put his hand along the back of her head and leaned in to kiss the top of her head.
After she’d shown regular breathing patterns again, the doctor continued. “Do you know where you are?”
Her throat was dry from all the breathing but she was able to rasp out an answer in the form of a question. “A hospital?”
“You’re at Hampton University Hospital. You were brought in earlier this evening just after six o’clock. You were in a car accident that had a significant impact to your head.” Her hand instantly went to the tight bands above her eyes.
“Judging from your earlier reaction, I will take it that you don’t know your name?”
She shook her head as her eyes burned with tears.
“Your name is Elizabeth Owen.”
“Liz,” the mysterious man corrected. “She…she prefers to be called Liz.”
The doctor focused back on his patient. “Does this name sound familiar to you?”
She shook her head again, as the first tear dropped.
The doctor took a deep breath. “Does this man look familiar to you?” He pointed to the man who identified himself as her husband a few moments ago.
Liz looked at the man again, although she’d already known the answer to that. “No.”
She saw the man swallow hard and turn away.
He spun to face the doctor. “What’s going on—why is she confused?”
“We’ll speak privately in a minute, Mr. Owen.”
The door swung open as two younger males rushed in with a wheelchair. One quickly went to her IV and paused, no doubt because he noticed it unattached. The attendant turned to the doctor who gave him a slight shake of the head.
“Liz, these men are going to take you in for a CT Scan. That’s going to help us determine how severe your injuries are, and why you can’t remember anything.” Dr. Harmon explained.
Liz fought to find her voice but so much was happening around her, she couldn’t grasp it all. She found herself turning to the one man in the room who had defended her when she felt attacked. He was already watching her and as if reading her mind, offered a single blink and nod of reassurance.
The doctor turned to address the two attendants. “I’m moving on to my next ER patient and probably won’t be around when you bring her back,” Dr. Harmon murmured, then cleared his throat “but this is Matthew Owen, the patient’s husband. Please find him in the waiting room to let him know when she’s back in her room.”
Matthew. Her husband. A small spark went off in her stomach. How was it possible that she didn’t remember him? That the handsome stranger was just that. A stranger.
“Can’t I go with her?” Matthew asked, to her relief.
“Unfortunately, they won’t let anyone in the room during the screening and we’ll need you to fill out some release forms for her medical records,” Dr. Harmon advised. He turned to the nurse. “Please page Dr. Tai for me.” He turned back to Liz and Matthew. “Dr. Tai is a neurologist. He’ll examine Elizabeth, look at her scans and discuss his findings and treatment with you.” The doctor nodded.
“Are you not her doctor?”
“I’m the trauma doctor. I examined her injuries when she was brought in. Now that it appears she’s suffering from possible PTA, Post Traumatic Amnesia, we need a neurologist.”
“How long does this last? Could she just snap out of it at any moment?” His hopeful eyes flicked back at her.
“Mr. Owen, I understand you have a lot of questions but until we know how severe her head injury is, we don’t want to overwhelm you with inaccurate details.” Dr. Harmon looked over at Liz, thoughtfully, “Or the patient.” He turned away and motioned the two young men to the door. “Please take her to Radiology.”
With that last order, the attendants wheeled her out of the room and into the brightly lit hallway.
Chapter 7
MATT
Matt couldn’t remember how long he’d watched Liz sleep before he knocked out himself. They’d brought her back from her scans and other tests around three in the morning. Two hours after they’d wheeled her out of there. By the time they’d brought her back, she was asleep again. The doctors assured him they had to give her something to help her sleep. “The overwhelming shock can take a toll on someone in her condition and delay recovery.” They had told him.
He gazed out the window. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but it was getting there. The large window had one of the better views in town. It faced the ocean in the distance, rather than the highway. He’d been in this hospital only once before. A year ago, for his father’s heart attack. The room was small, the food was horrible, and his father complained the entire time. When they brought Liz in the night before, he’d insisted that she get one of the bigger rooms with a better view.
When they brought Liz in.
Everything that had been alive and beating in him had come to a complete halt when he’d received the phone call. For a moment, he had let himself believe the most terrifying unimaginable things. The visions he allowed himself when the onsite ENT’s called him from a mere seven blocks away, were appalling. Even though it may have taken thirty seconds for the specialist to explain the accident and that his wife was alive but unconscious, it felt like a century. He and Ben raced out of the house but found nothing but Matt’s totaled car being cleared out of the road. Broken glass scattered throughout the intersection brought back those same heart-wrenching images.
He took another look at his wife, remembering how he’d found her in the trauma unit. A few scrapes throughout her body that would heal in a week and a wrap around her head that he’d hoped weren’t too far from that. He never imagined she’d wake up not knowing who he was. Or be unable to tell you her own name for that matter.
He took one last look at his wife before picking up the forms and walking out of the room.
Matt walked into the nearby waiting room and found Ben standing by the coffee machine in a daze and clearly not well rested. Matt glanced at his watch. It was only half past seven in the morning. “They let you stay the night?” he asked without looking at his brother.
“No,” Ben replied. “I got here an hour ago. She’s still sleeping.”
“How is Megan?” Matt had broken the news to his family about Liz the night before. He kept it short and warned them about overwhelming her. They had seen her being wheeled out of the room and her confused look when they stood. He had been so wrapped up in Liz’s current state, he’d neglected to ask how Megan was doing or bother checking on her. Being that she was roomed next door to Liz, he’d heard enough to know that she hadn’t suffered any major injuries and that they had just been keeping her there for observation. Francis had even mentioned that the doctors were uncertain whether Megan would even need to stay the night. Had he known that Megan was alone last night, he might have stopped in to check on her and let her know he was around.
“She’s okay. She was a little shaken up mentally. But physically, just a couple of scrapes and bruises. They pulled out some windshield shards off her forearm and right leg but nothing serious, thankfully.” Ben focused on his coffee.
Matt gave a quick, single nod and turned back. A dark-haired Asian man approached Liz’s closed door and pulled out her folder. He wore mint colored scrubs. Matt approached him and glanced at the man’s ID badge that hung around his neck.
“Excuse me, Dr. Tai?”
The doctor looked up, startled.
“Hi, I’m sorry. I’m Matt Owen, Elizabeth’s husband.”
The man’s expression lightened. “Oh yes, Mr. Owen, hello.” He held out his hand. “Dr. Tai, I’m the neurologist.” The man’s voice was deep but friendly.
“Yes, I’ve been expecting you. Umm…Liz is still sleeping, can we speak out here.”
“Of course,” The doctor pulled out some x-rays along with detailed pages and charts. “I’ve been looking at Liz’s s
cans and read her trauma report. I spoke to her briefly in radiology last night, and can give you a brief explanation of what she’s experiencing.”
“Please.”
“It appears your wife is suffering from what we call Post Traumatic Amnesia. This specific type of memory loss can be due to either physical trauma to the head from an accident, or—and this is rare but has been known to be a cause—intense stress.”
Matt’s stopped breathing. “What does that mean?”
Dr. Tai shook his head. “I’m just giving you the definition. Given the fact that Elizabeth did suffer from a blow to the head, we can rule out the stress related cause. We’ve ruled out alcoholism, use of drugs, or any other neurological diseases. We did of course test her for all of those things.”
Matt just nodded. Suddenly unable to find his voice. “How long?” he rasped out after a moment.
“In most cases, amnesia is a temporary condition, lasting from a few hours to as long as a few months. Depending on the severity of the trauma, it’s hardly ever permanent.”
Matt was looking for some comfort by that last part, but he just couldn’t find it. “I guess I never understood this part of amnesia but why is she able to communicate, recognize nurses and doctors or the fact that she was in a hospital?”
“Those are what we call memories of habit, procedural memory. So she can understand, or rather remember the meaning of words and how to use them,” he explained. “What she doesn’t remember, are facts and events, like who you are, how you met, where she went to high school, etcetera. Those are declarative memories. When those more detailed memories of her life return, older memories are usually remembered first, and then more recent ones, until almost all memory is recovered.”
The doctor waited while Matt absorbed this information.
“So most likely,” Dr. Tai continued, “She’ll remember childhood friends before she remembers your wedding day.”
“I understand,” Matt acknowledged.
“As far as severity. In order for me to administer proper treatment, it would help if I knew Elizabeth’s psychological state before the accident. Do you know if she was under any stress…maybe at work?”
Matt focused on the shiny white tiled floor and shook his head.
“What about at home?” The doctor pressed. The question asked as simply as if he were asking if they had any pets.
Matt popped his head back up. “Of course not, we were perfect,” he lied, defensively. Although he believed everything was perfect between them. Until two days ago when he found out their so-called perfect marriage was based on a lie that she kept from him since before they were engaged.
Dr. Tai glanced down at his folder. “I noticed you two didn’t have any children. Perhaps she was struggling with conceiving? Sometimes that can cause an intense amount of stress on a woman.”
Matt had just about had it with this guy. “I’m sorry, I’d like to see my wife now. I’ve already been away too long.”
“Of course. I’ll need to speak to her when she’s awake.” He shut her folder, putting it back on the door. “I have to check on another patient, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” he offered politely, turning the knob as Dr. Tai strode away.
To his surprise, there had been a nurse in there with her. He recognized her to be Nurse Bridgett. The same one from when Liz woke from her accident. She was in the middle of adjusting Liz’s pillow, propping her up gently. Liz was awake. His heart broke to see how weak she looked. He wondered if she’d woken up with any type of memory.
“Liz?” he asked, hopeful.
The nurse turned back at him and gave him a slight shake of her head.
He nodded, with the same subtlety.
“Elizabeth, my shift is over in a few. Nurse Lauren is going to be in and she’ll look after you, okay?”
Liz didn’t respond. She just looked out the window. Matt only imagined that she didn’t care who it was that would watch over her, they were all strangers.
The nurse gave him a sympathetic look before jotting something down in the log and walking out. The room fell silent. There wasn’t much going on while the nurse had been there, but the difference was deafening. Liz kept her eyes out the window, clearly avoiding him. She glanced at him uncomfortably. He realized this was the first time they’d been alone since her accident. Come to think of it, this was the first time they’d been alone since he’d walked out on her two nights before. He remembered the look in her eyes that night. They were filled with so much emotion; love, fear, pleading. He’d even felt her heart breaking. Now there was nothing in her eyes. No memories of the love she felt for him, no fear of losing him. It was pure vacancy. It made him wonder if what the doctor had told him earlier was true. That this could be the cause of any stress she’d been under.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said finally, still standing a healthy distance away from her. He had decided he wouldn’t come closer until he knew she wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, all he knew was that he never wanted to see her struggle to defend herself from harm the way she had the night before. A memory that would haunt him till the end of time. And brought out every protective instinct he had left.
“You’re wondering if it’s proper hospital etiquette to leave you in a room with a stranger,” he continued after she turned to face him.
Liz eyeballed him up and down as if to concur. But still said nothing and turned back to the window.
“I’m not a stranger, Lizzy.”
“Why do you call me Lizzy if I prefer Liz?” she questioned.
He smiled, taking one step toward her. “Because despite what you tell people… you love it when I call you that.”
She gave him a slow weak smile. “Thank you. For stopping them. I was…lucky to have you here.”
“I want you to know that you can trust me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Then how did I get here? He imagined her wondering.
“I’m sorry for my…outburst yesterday.” Her lip curved on one side. “Probably wasn’t my best moment,” she added, surprising him.
He took two more steps forward. She watched him with caution. “Liz, you have nothing to be sorry for. You woke up in a strange place, not knowing who you are or how you got here,” he paused and took in a deep breath. “Or anyone around you,” he added regretfully.
Now that he’d thought about it, he completely empathized with her reaction. People she didn’t know were all less than a foot away from her; one claiming to be her husband while the others trying to inject her with something she didn’t consent to. He couldn’t imagine anything scarier. Not even the thoughts he had in his head about what might have happened to her, could have compared to how she felt when she woke up.
“I know who I am now,” she started defiantly. “I’m Elizabeth Owen. 27 years old. A grade school teacher.”
Matt fell silent. Wondering if she was starting to get her memory back in facts of her life rather than events.
“You’re Matthew Owen.”
Matt frowned. This wasn’t his Liz talking. His eyes strayed down to her waist, just noticing that a file had been stuck to the side of her bed. “You’ve been reading,” he said, staring at the manila folder.
“The nurse wanted to make sure I kept it, in case it turned out that I had one of those conditions where you forget who you are every 30 seconds.”
Matt nodded. He’d seen a movie like that once, never imagining that was a real condition. The reality of her condition hit him more at that moment than it had before.
He wiped his forehead and took a few more steps towards her. “Liz, I am so sorry,” he said after a moment.
She frowned. He imagined she was expecting some reassuring words that she was going to be okay. Confirmation that she can trust the doctors in the facility to take care of her. But she probably wasn’t expecting an apology. She quickly glanced over him.
“Why? Were you driving the car?”
> “No.” He finally took her hand and held it, lightly stroking the scrapes. “But I um…I’m responsible.” His voice turning raspy. “Liz, I know this doesn’t mean anything to you, but…you’re my whole world. If I’d lost you…” his voice cracked and his eyes burned.
“Matthew?”
He burst a short laugh. “Yes, Elizabeth?”
“My head hurts.” She feigned a tired look.
He glanced at the top of her head. “I don’t doubt that,” he said softly. Although she may not have been completely honest about the headache, he was angry at himself for getting so emotional with her so quickly. He should have known better and couldn’t blame her. He gently placed his hand on her head and guided her onto her pillow.
“Liz, Dr. Tai came by to talk to you earlier. I told him you were sleeping. Is it ok if I go find him for you, or would you rather wait?”
“No sense in putting it off, I guess.” She turned back to the window.
With that, he let go of her and walked out the door. Closing it lightly behind him.
Chapter 8
LIZ
Liz really did have a headache. But not physically. Thankfully the pain subsided drastically overnight. What she was feeling now was an overwhelming attack on her brain. She tried desperately to block out all the visions of faces that were flowing in her head. The forceful trauma doctor, the overly hospitable nurses that surrounded her…She’d been hearing them whisper. Liz had not only learned that this type of trauma hadn’t been common for them, but also that the nurses in the hospital must have assumed she’d lost her hearing as well.
Liz shrugged all that off. She didn’t know if she would be the type of person to care what people were saying about her. She didn’t know if she were any kind of person, for that matter. All she knew was her name, age, occupation, a spectacular health history, and based on opinions from more than one of the nurses, a ‘hunk’ of a husband.
Matt was, although intimidating at first, as tender and compassionate as…well, she didn’t know exactly. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him at first. He could be anyone. An imposter posing as someone who knew her, and the thought had crossed her mind when she’d first met him. But then she saw the hurt in his eyes when she admitted she didn’t recognize him. It was too real. Somewhere, bone deep, she felt his disappointment. It startled her to feel anything toward him, but just as quickly, her heart almost broke with his.
Remember Me Page 4