Dessert - Jack Hughes

41

"What- what do you mean?" Megan asks in disbelief.
"He's on the lock screen of my phone. And he's been here the entire time I've been up. But I've never seen him before" Elyssa explains.
"Um. He uh" Megan stutters, not knowing what to do. "Do you remember you're birthday? Or- or summer. Do you remember what you did this past summer?" Megan changes the topic.
"Didn't we go clubbing for my birthday?" Elyssa recalls.
"That was your 21st. What did we do for your 22nd?" Megan clarifies.
"I, I don't know" Elyssa tries to remember.
"Ok" Megan tries to keep it cool. "Look it's like 4 in the morning. Why don't you close your eyes. We can talk about it in the morning" Megan tells her. Elyssa agrees, making herself comfortable before going to sleep.
The next morning Jack wakes up to find a stressed Megan sitting on the other side of the bed.
"Hey can I talk to you outside?" Megan gets up, leading Jack to the hall.
"What's up?" He asks.
"So last night elyssa woke up. Like woke up, woke up." She tells him.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" He asks, disappointed.
"She doesn't know who you are." Megan tells him flat out.
"Wh-what?" He breathes.
"She doesn't remember like anything. She doesn't remember the summer, or her own birthday. But she remembered that she missed teddys birthday." Megan tells him. Jacks feels actual pain in his chest.
"She doesn't remember me. She doesn't remember anything" he mutters to himself, trying to take in what Megan just told him.
"I'm sorry" Megan's eyes gloss over. Almost perfect timing, Elyssas doctor makes her way to her room.
"You know how she woke up last night?" Megan tells doctor Davis. The doctor nods her head. "She told me she doesn't know who Jack is. They've been together for 10 months" megan tells her.
"Ok" Davis takes the information.
"She doesn't remember like anything from the past year" megan sighs.
"Ok. So what you two can do is take it slow with her. Reintroduce yourself" the doctor tells Jack, "you can tell her stories, that may help her remember. I know this is hard. We will run some tests but I'm sure it's not permanent amnesia." The doctor tells them before entering Elyssa room.
"I'm gonna go to the rink. I don't want to freak her out" Jack tells Megan in defeat.
"It's gonna be ok." Megan tries to comfort him. He gives her a forced smile before walking away.
Megan reenters the room once the doctor leaves.
"Heyyy. Where'd the cute guy go?" Elyssa asks from the bed.
"He uh, he had to leave for work. He'll be back" Megan tells her.
"When?" Elyssa asks.
"Probably later today" Megan tells her.

"She doesn't know who I am. I'm a stranger to her." Jack paces around the living room. Luke and Ty sit on the couch, listening to Jack. "The past few months, almost a year. It's gone. It's nothing. She doesn't remember anything. Like none of it ever happened." Jack rambles.
"What did the doctor say?" Ty asks.
"She said it's probably not permanent. What the fuck does that even mean!" Jack yells in frustration.
"Maybe once she gets home and settled she'll feel more comfortable and she'll remember" Luke suggests. Ty snaps his fingers, emphasizing what Luke just said.
"Yeah maybe" Jack shrugs.
"Alright" Ty sighs, getting up, "we got practice."
The three guys get ready and make their way to the facility. Jack is more himself this practice. The tone of practice is more normal. Once practice got started, Jack felt more loose. His frustration of the past weeks were coming out. He was being unnecessarily aggressive toward his teammates on the ice. Checking them for no reason, slamming his stick into the ground and yelling for no reason. He stayed on the ice after practice, taking time to take more shots and work on his game.
"What was that all about?" Ruff asks Jack as he passes him a puck. Jack shoots it into the net.
"I'm just frustrated" Jack taps his stick on the ice, requesting for another pass.
"Doesn't mean you can take it out on your teammates" ruff tells him.
"Coach, she's awake." He stops messing with the puck and turns toward Ruff.
"That's a good thing" Ruff says in return.
"She has no idea who I am." Jack tells him.
"Oh. Yeah I can understand the frustration." Ruff nods.
"It's like I can't catch a break. I know that I'm not the one directly going through it but still." Jack complains, "I'll go apologize to the guys." Jack begins skating off the ice.
"Jack, it'll be ok. Just give it time." Ruff tells him.
"Thanks" Jack says, stepping off the ice, heading toward the locker room.
"Hey guys. I just want to apologize. I got shit going on and that's no excuse to act how I did today. I'm gonna get my shit together." Jack stands in the locker room. Everyone sat in their stalls, listening to Jack. He receives different responses. His teammates tell him it's ok, they understand, and they're there for him.

"You going back to the hospital?" Ty asks Jack. They're in their apartment after practice.
"Not right now" Jack shrugs. Ty doesn't pry, not wanting to push boundaries. That night, Jack slept in his bed. For the first time in weeks, he doesn't spend the night at the hospital.