Star on the Mantel

One

"Claire?" A woman called. "Oh my God, she's waking up!"
A girl raised her heavy eyelids, staring back at the woman calling a name. Her whole body ached. Limbs were stiff and bruised against the hospital bed. People in white coats and scrubs filled the cramped room. She was in the hospital. Why was she in the hospital though?
"Ma'm, please sit over there." A nurse instructed the woman.
"Why isn't she responding to me?" The woman said in hysterics, "Is she alright?"
"She's just waking up," the nurse responded. "Give her time."
It had been a few hours since the girl opened her eyes. The woman had never left her side, sitting on a chair by her bedside. The woman had long, golden locks of hair like her, only with a few odd strands of gray. "Honey, how are you feeling?" the woman asked, brushing stray strands of hair from the girl's face.
"Alright," the girl said, "What happened?"
"You got into a bus accident a few days ago," the woman responded.
The girl didn't remember this. She stared at the variety of cards and flowers on her nightstand. Cards filled with notes of encouragement for her recovery. Some had pictures, with faces merely recognizable walking down the street.
A doctor came in, holding a notepad. "Hi Claire!" she said, "I'm Dr. Reese. How are you feeling?"
Everything is pounding" the girl responded, her body throbbing more than ever. However, a surge of relief flowed throughout her. These people know who she was, and her name was Claire.
"It's going to feel like that for a few days," Dr. Reese said in a somber tone. "Mom, would it be fine if I talk to Claire for a few minutes alone?"
"Sure," the woman said, leaving the room.
The white walls seemed to have grown as Dr. Reese sat down on the royal blue swivel chair. "Okay, Claire. I'm going to ask you a few simple questions. When is your birthday?"
Claire stared at her left arm, purple and yellow in hue. She didn't know. She didn't even know her age. "I don't know," she mumbled.
Dr. Reese scribbled on the pad, keeping her thoughts to herself. "That's fine. It might take you a minute. Do you remember where you live?"
Claire glanced at the window, an overcast day greeting her. "No."
Dr. Reese couldn't hide the concern in her eyes anymore. "What is your full name, Claire?"
"I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know the woman who just left the room," Claire's voice trembled.
"It's going to be alright," Dr. Reese tried to comfort her. "You're not doing anything wrong. I'm going to talk to your mom real quick."
No more questions were asked. Dr. Reese lightly patted Claire's shoulder as she passed by, leaving the door slightly open ajar. Many scenarios played in Claire's mind. She was dreaming. Some people forget who they are in dreams. But why do the aches and pains feel real? Why was her heart beating so fast and loud? Claire couldn't hear the conversation clearly, but through the door's window Mom had tears staining her flushed cheeks with running mascara. Her voice withered into a sob the longer she yelled at Dr. Reese.
Several minutes later, the door creaked open. Only Dr. Reese stepped into the room. "Claire, I assume you saw what was going on outside that door."
"Yeah," she replied.
"Based on what you said, I think you have dissociative amnesia. Your hippocampus is damaged when it comes to long term memory, but otherwise your other cognitive functions seem fine."
"Will my memories come back?" she asked.
Dr. Reese lost eye contact with her gazing at the window, heavy rainfall engulfing vision of the nearest streetlight. "In your case, I can't be completely sure. You seem to be in the generalized category, which is forgetting who you are and life events. For some people, it can be minutes. Others, years," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"What if they don't at all? Is that a possibility?"
"That is what we have to figure out. It is a concern that you don't know key information about yourself, but miracles happen. You have to give yourself time."
"They have to," Claire stuttered. "They have to."
Mom stepped into the room, wiping the stains from her cheeks with a tissue. A smile spread across her face in Claire's direction. Her eyes were puffy. For the first time, Claire noticed the sleep deprived circles underneath them. For the first time, Claire felt the aches in her heart. She had to remember, for her.