Lean On You (DNF) Book 2

When the White Bird Sings

His head hurt, and his body was numb. But there was a distinct aching in his heart. It felt like throbbing. It didn't hurt, it was just uncomfortable, it was a feeling he just couldn't name. The longer he stayed away, the longer he studied these feelings. Pain blossomed in several points about his body, some piercing, some aching. 

Clay didn't want to open his eyes, he didn't want to know where he was. He could hear the sound of distant footsteps, soft beeping of medical gadgets, whispers of worrying family members, and whispers of saying goodbye. He went to take a deep breath, his lungs felt clogged and there was a heavy weight on his chest. Clay felt like he couldn't breathe - like he was drowning. When he did manage to breathe, he inhaled nothing but metallic and chemicals. 

What happened?

The last thing he remembered was snow, the sensation of feeling cold - no - freezing. But he didn't feel cold anymore. He just felt empty. He could remember the vague smell of blood and gasoline. He could remember a girl's screaming. 

He opened his eyes. 

He was greeted by the unforgiving brightness of hospital lights, it blinded him for a second. Clay squinted his eyes, giving them a moment to adjust. He went to turn his head to look around but was stopped by the plethora of wires and tubes connected to his body. He groaned in both annoyance and discomfort. 

"Clay?" The soft, weak voice of a woman spoke to him. He shifted his eyes to his right side to see his mother. "Clay, my baby?"

"Hey... mom..." His voice was raspy and unused, his throat dry. He smacked his lips together and smiled. "What happened?"

His mother couldn't contain it, her cheeks were wet with tears the very same second. She reached over and clasped his hand tightly in her own. "Oh sweetie," her other hand was placed on his face, rubbing his cheekbone with her thumb. "You were in an accident, do you remember?" She asked, her words shaking.

His words got caught in his throat, unable to escape. An accident. He thought long and hard. 

"No." He answered truthfully. 

His mother cried out a bit. "Okay, that's okay baby." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Nurse?" She turned, calling out into the hallway. 

Within a few moments, a nurse came walking in, her pink hair tied up neatly into a bun. "Yes, Mrs. Blocc?" She asked before her eyes landed on Clay. "Ah, you're awake. My name is Nurse Lizzie, I'll be looking after you. Do you know where you are sweetie?" She asked, her voice thick with an accent Clay couldn't place. She walked over, reaching for a clipboard at the foot of his bed. 

"The.. hospital?" He muttered. 

"Okay, and so you know why you're here?" 

"An accident?" 

"What's your name?" 

"Clay Blocc." 

"And how old are you?"

"Eighteen," Clay answered without any hesitation, getting annoyed with these silly questions. Nurse Lizzie and his mother shared a confused and worried glance. He wasn't eighteen. 

"What year is it?"

"2020...?" He blinked, growing more and more confused by the second. His mother clutched her hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs. "Did... did I say something wrong?" He asked, shifting to sit up better. 

"Clay, it's 2021. What is the last thing you remember...?"

He furrowed his brows and frowned. "I don't understand, aren't I here because of football?" He glanced down at his leg, the one he broke a year prior. "Someone stepped on my ankle, is it broken? C-can I still play?" He demanded. 

His mother exploded into soft cries and whimpers. 

"Clay, you've been in a serve car accident and were in a coma for a week. You are experiencing some memory loss." Nurse Lizzie looked down at the clipboard and scribbled something down. "Let me go get the doctor, I'll be right back." She announced and left the room. 

"Mom..?" Clay whimpered. "C-car accident...?" 

It took a moment for her cries to subside. "Yes baby, you were in a car accident, black ice. You were coming back from seeing George, and you didn't know. It wasn't your fault." 

He paused for a moment, taking in every word she was saying and letting it settle in the pits of his stomach. "I..." He struggled to find the right words. Where there any right words for this situation? He looked at her and opened his mouth. 

"Who's George?"

A very sad looked overcame his mother's face, a sadder look than she already had. "Oh, my baby boy..." She sighed. "He's-" 

A sudden and abrupt knock cut her off, and in the doorway stood a man who should have been familiar, but he just wasn't. Scruffy blonde hair and a soft Scottish accent, he announced himself. "Hello there, Clay." He walked in. Thankfully, the familiar face of Sapnap was behind him. He looked worried. "I found your friend on the way in." He stepped to the side, allowing Sapnap in. 

"Dream, dude, you're alive." Sapnap sounded tired. 

"I hear you are having trouble remembering, do you know who I am? We meet a year ago when you broke your foot. Dr. Scott Major." 

"Year- Wait, that game was a year ago?!" At this time, Clay shot up immediately, ripping out several tubing from his body. 

"Clay, calm down-"

"You are suffering from long-term amnesia. In time, your memories might return, and they might not." 

"I'm missing a year of my life? And I might not get it back?" He was growing more and more aggressive with frustration. Burning tears found their way into his eyes. 

Sapnap flinched. "What about George?" He asked Dr. Major. "I can go get him, he's downst-"

"Who the hell is George?" Clay erupted into anger suddenly. "And why is everyone keep talking about him!" Clay's outburst silenced the room immediately. 

He was alive but he had lost his lifeline. And the worst part was - he didn't even know. He was so upset, caught up in his own little world of regret and anger, he didn't even care. Not about this George, not about the accident. He just wanted to go home. He wanted that year of his life back. 

-

Everyone thank Cracker for blackmailing me into writing

and thank you to Egg for telling me how to spell gadgets