In The Blink Of An Eye

Our Memory

As soon as I hung up, I rushed over to the front entrance, signed in my name and ran to my dad's room. As I approached his door, I saw my sister and brother sitting by his bed. I carefully opened the door and walked in. When they heard the door open and saw me, they both rushed over to me as I hugged them. I had never seen either of them so sad and tired. I couldn't allow them to stay here waiting around any longer. They needed to go home and get at least some rest.

"How is he doing? Any changes?" I asked.

"No, he's been in and out all day long. He doesn't even want to eat."

"Have you told the doctors? What are they saying?"

"We have but they keep saying to give him time and that he needs to rest. If he doesn't start eating alone, they will have to feed him through the tube."

"You both need to go home and get some rest..."

"NO! I am not leaving him here all alone" exclaimed Aileen.

"He won't be alone. I will be here with him. You can't stay here and just sit around. That won't change anything. You can come back again but go get some rest and at least a nice shower."

"I feel fine, I am staying here" she responded."

I looked at my brother and he looked back at me. I pointed to the corner of the room for him to meet me there. I had to talk some sense into him and hopefully he would be able to convince Aileen. She was going to end up making herself sick. As Aileen sat there by his bed we moved to the other side of the room.

"You two need to go home!" I exclaimed.

"She won't leave. I have been out a couple of times to get some fresh air but she won't get up from that seat. She is scared the minute she leaves he will die or something will happen to him and she won't be there."

"But she can't help him even if she is staying there. Nothing is going to happen to him. The doctors are saying that it's a normal part of recovery."

"I know that but she doesn't want to listen. I tried talking to her."

"Then you go home and get some rest and she can stay here with me. I have to leave for couple of hours and I will be back again."

"Okay I will go and get some rest and then come back again. Where are you going?"

"I have a meeting with Daron. The man that wanted to hurt Aileen, he found the person that killed Evan."

"What the hell are you serious? You're not going to do anything right?"

"I just want to know where he's at. I need to know and find him. I won't do anything to him don't worry. Now go and get some rest. I will stay here with Aileen."

Once he was gone, I went and sat down next to Aileen. Shortly after, my dad woke up and looked around the room. When he saw me, he smiled. When I saw his smile I felt this peace and calmness come over me because I was sure that my dad was back and that he remembered me. This is exactly what I was hoping for and what I wanted, that smile to let me know that he knew who I was.

However, that happiness I felt didn't last long.

"Are you my new nurse?"

The minute those words came out of his mouth, my heart shattered all over again. He wasn't smiling at me because he remembered me, he was smiling because he thought I was his nurse. My sister looked at me and grabbed my hand as tears fell down my face.

"No dad, I'm not your nurse. I'm your daughter."

He looked at me with a shock on his face. The words that came out of my mouth now broke his heart. He looked into the face and eyes of his own daughter and yet he didn't know who I was. All the pain of everything I had been through so far came down to this moment, the moment where I would look at my dad and tell him that the reason he didn't know who I was, was due to the stroke he had.