Stranded Memories (Gabenath)

Two

Gabriel showed up to Nathalie's apartment early in the morning, he was ready to mend their current situation. She hadn't answered any of his calls or messages all night long, and although Gabriel knew she was angry, he found it strange.

The first knocks on her door weren't urgent at all. But after a couple of long minutes, Gabriel begins to bang on the door, but there's still no response. He is starting to worry, he knows Nathalie would never deliberately ghost him.

Something isn't right.

"Excuse me", Gabriel calls the security guard who walks through the hallway of the building. "Have you seen if anyone has left this apartment today?"

"No sir, I haven't. I was here all night, and no one has entered or exited that apartment in hours."

Gabriel feels his heart drop as he hears the man's words. "Someone needs to open this door now!", Gabriel desperately says. "I think something happened to her."

The security guard gives him a quick nod and minutes later returns with the manager and a key to unlock Nathalie's apartment. The moment the door opens, Gabriel begins to frantically call her name.

"Nathalie my love, where are you?"

But it's obvious she isn't there. He's searched every inch of this place, and there's no sign of her. The two individuals help him search, while Gabriel gets to her bedroom, and searches through her drawers and closet. All her clothes appear to be in its place, and nothing in the apartment seems out of the ordinary.

He enters the bathroom, and his eyes land on a small white and blue object resting on the countertop. His heart seems to skip a beat as he grasps it tightly into his hand. He then clutches it against his chest.

"Where are you, my Nathalie?" He whispers with tears leaving his eyes.

———

"Henry! Henry, come quick, we need your help!" Yells Alba the instant she and her husband step through the door of the small cottage.

"What's the matter?" Asks the man from behind the pantry door, he's absolutely confused with all the screaming.

But when he enters the living room, Henry sees Tim holding an injured and unconscious woman in between his arms. He immediately runs to him in order to have a look.

"Oh my goodness!" He utters as he takes her from Tim's arms. Henry walks them through the yellow curtain located in the living room.

Behind the curtain is a small consulting room where Henry receives his patients. But never before has he had such an injured patient like the woman in between his arms. He's afraid he might not be well equipped to take care of her.

Henry places her onto the examination bed, then takes his stethoscope and begins to listen to her heart. He hears the woman mumble a few incoherent words and whimper in absolute agony.

"Where did you find her?" He asks Alba and Tim.

"At the bottom of the hill, it appears her car rolled off the cliff", answers Alba.

With Alba's help, Henry removes her jacket and lifts her undershirt. He presses onto her bruised rib cage, attempting to feel for any broken bones.

"It's a miracle she's alive", says the doctor. "It seems the impact was very strong."

After examining her entire body and cleaning up her wounds, Henry notices the blow onto the left side of her head.

"This injury is severe, but we won't know the consequences until she wakes up."

He then decides to draw some blood from her, and send them off to the laboratory in town. He knows the results can take a few days, but he must verify she has no infections.