Lost Pride

Twenty

Justin's POV

"It's your favorite show," Maverick announced as he sat next to me on the couch, rubbing my arm gently. I let out a sigh, not of exasperation or frustration. I was simply tired and a bit numb to Maverick's attempts at cheering me up. Since coming home from the hospital, I hadn't felt the need to do anything of value and spent most of my days in bed, wiling away the time until Dr. Daniels deemed me ready to begin my treatment. The treatment was all I could think about over the last four days.

I thought I was going to continue with my daily task of lying in bed all day when Maverick and Jason barged into my room with determined gazes. Their mission was apparently to get me out of bed and while I knew that I could have stayed in if I really wanted to, I had decided to humor them. But now I was almost regretting that choice.

"Come on, you liked this stuff," said Maverick as he pointed the remote to the TV screen which happened to air a gossip reality show about Handlers and Consorts.

"Liked..." I said slowly, pursing my lips.

"I mean...before you were taken," Maverick whispered as he looked at me apologetically.

I didn't blame him for the past tense, it just caught me off guard. And I wanted to tell him so but I just couldn't find it in me to be bothered. So much of my life had been stolen from me. I had no idea who I was or what I used to like and having both Maverick and Jason pushing hobbies down my throat was getting far too annoying than I liked. I was a shell of my past self, whatever that was. I just felt tired.

I let out a huge sigh and laid back down on the couch, earning a groan from Maverick as he had spent the past thirty minutes trying to get me to sit up and at least do something. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Can we do something else?" I asked instead, not wanting to hear him groan in exasperation for the tenth time since he arrived at my parent's house. "Anything but a reality show. I've had enough of those," I said and just when I said it, the presenter on the TV mentioned a name that perked up my ears.

I quickly sat up and turned to the screen, listening.

"It seems Emile Jackson and his Consort have split for reasons unknown to us, but from what we've heard from our inside man, the Consort, Justin Campbell had not been seen with the Handler for the past three months. Our inside man believes that their split was due to Justin's inability to have children-"

"Turn- turn it off! Turn it off!" I screamed when my face appeared on the TV screen. I closed my eyes tightly and covered my ears with my hands. I could almost hear the sound of my heart beating rapidly against my chest.

"It's gone now, Justin," maverick whispered as his arms came around me and pulled me close. I allowed myself to fall into his embrace, trying to calm down because I knew I couldn't do so on my own.

How was this my life now? After hearing what everyone had to say about me before I was taken, it pained me to know I had been turned into a sobbing mess by one little gossip panel on TV. This was not me. I had lost myself and I wanted my life back. I wanted me back.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the doorbell rang and my brother, Jason, went to open the door. As soon as I saw who it was, my entire demeanor changed from the man who was lost and unable to find himself to someone willing and hopeful for a new beginning. I took in deep breaths as I watched Dr. Daniels walk into the living room with a familiar briefcase in hand. I'd waited a week too long for this and I was honestly at my endpoint.

Dr. Daniels had given us a grace period of a week after I told him I had given him my decision. It wasn't because he didn't trust that I could make a proper judgment at that moment, but to see whether my memories would start coming back. But when after four days nothing had happened, he decided it was time, which was why he was now here in my parent's living room with his briefcase opened on the center table.