Key to His Heart (Sequel)

I Can't Breathe

"Please, doctor, can we talk later? I want to see him right now, I've waited for so long and come from far away," Hope pleaded, and then sighed in frustration when the doctor stepped in front of her again. She was about to knock him over if he kept standing in the way of her getting to Jake.

"I understand, miss, but there are some details you need to know before you see Mr. Haddock."

"But quickly, please," she conceded reluctantly.

"Mr. Haddock was in good health before his gunshot wound, so his body has recovered well for the most part. However, he has some residual nerve damage to his left shoulder and arm. This may go away over time or perhaps it will be permanent; the physiatrist and neurologist are leaning toward it being a permanent problem at this point. He reports some numbness, tingling, and occasional shooting pain, but they don't seem overly troubling to him." Hope nodded impatiently; that wasn't good, but she knew Jake was tough and could find a way to live with it. He was also right-handed, so it wasn't so dire as if his dominant hand had been affected. It wasn't the worst possible result of his gunshot...that would be death.

"Jake remembers nothing of what happened before he woke up in the hospital here. Furthermore, he seems unable to retain some memories since he woke up, so we suspect there is some permanent brain damage. We've seen patients' brains heal 18 months or more after an anoxic brain injury like Jake's, so there is still time." The doctor paused and took a deep breath. This must be the worst part of the news.

"The most significant issue is his emotional health. Although it isn't unheard of, it's unusual for a patient with this type of injury to have complete memory loss. His psychiatrist suspects there is a psychological component to his amnesia, which is why she's been gatekeeping his communication with you. If his memories come back in an uncontrolled environment, it could be very traumatic for him. That's why we wanted you to come first, so we could manage his reaction. He's already very agitated when he doesn't remember things or gets confused, and sometimes gets violent."

"Has he injured anyone? Or himself?" Hope queried.

"No. He shouts and throws things, which is a common reaction for patients with brain injuries. It's an expected symptom and our staff knows how to handle it. It might be safer for you to have someone in the room when you meet with him first."

"He won't hurt me," she replied with conviction. "I would rather see him alone."

"Alright. We'll be close by if you need us. He's just finishing up an appointment; you can wait in his room for him to come back."

Jake came out of the OT's office feeling frustrated. His body seemed to remember how to do most of the things it needed to, but with his memory gone, he felt like half a person. And he was running late, which made him angry. He was told that his girlfriend, the one who sent him lovely notes to read, was going to be here soon, and he wanted some time alone to prepare. He was nervous about meeting her.

He rushed into his room and found a petite, beautiful woman sitting in the chair by the window. She was looking out, and she was crying. He shut the door behind him and she turned at looked at him. "Are you Hope?"

"Yes, Jake, I'm Hope," she smiled wanly. "It's so good to see you. Are you alright? Your hands are shaking." She stayed where she was, but watched his hands worriedly. He flexed them and sat on his bed.

"I am anxious about this meeting," Jake explained. "I'm very sorry, but you don't look familiar," he swallowed and sat on the bed near her chair. After a few breaths, he could look at her again. Hope was looking at his hands still. She wanted to reach out to him, but she didn't know how he would react. He made no move to touch her, so she stayed in place, a pang in her chest the longer she had to wait for him to come closer. Finally, his hands stilled, and she looked up to see him watching her closely.