H.I.C.C.

Chapter 14: Lapsus Memoriae

I am lying in a bed. The room is painted white. It seems to be the room of a hospital. I just woke up. There are two people sitting to my left, and four to my right. Their gaze is upon me. I start to feel uneasy. "She's awake.." The woman to my left, holding my hand, whispers that to the man. He has his arms wrapped around her. "I see it. Mornin' sunshine. How're you feeling?" Sunshine? Why is he calling me that? It.... seems familiar. "I..... I'm fine... You?" He stares at the woman. Suddenly the youngest member of the right quartet, it's a girl, speaks up: "You're fine? Don't you..." She gulps noticeably. "Don't you remember what happened yesterday?" I look at her.

"Who are you?"

The words penetrate my heart like a thousand daggers. Words fail me. I realise my mouth is still open, and try to close it, but I can't. Her look is sincere. She isn't joking. She COULDN'T be joking. Not after what happened. I fight a burning sensation rising within me. I can't get angry at her. I decide to just answer the question. "I'm L. Remember?" She looks past me out the window. She seems distant as she replies: "L? Is that your full name?" I gape at her. "No, it's how I want and always wanted to be called." She smiles. "Fine, nice to meet you L." I stare across the bed at her parents. Her mother is close to tears, I can see it. And..... feel it? I can understand her so well right now.

Jen looks to her left again. At her parents. Elias can't believe what just happened. His grip around his wife's shoulders tightens. Kate is shaking. She asks: "Jennifer... Do you know who I am?" Her voice is shaking. And what Jen says next freezes the entire room, as if it had suddenly been transferred to the Antarctic.

"Jennifer? Is that my name?"

Her mother can't hold it anymore. Her grip around Jen's hand tightens firmly as she breaks down into tears. Her father is gently stroking her back as he processes what his daughter just said.
L is too paralysed to say or do anything. Nina simply wraps her arms around her sisters neck and gives her a kiss on the cheek, then pets her head. L's dad looks at his wife. "Would you have thought something like this is possible, Margaret?" She shakes her head. "No Jonathan, never."
Jen's dad suddenly punches his knee with full force. "DAMN IT!" Jen cringes and almost jumps back. The sudden loud noise startled her. A nurse storms in. "Mr. Connor?? Is everything alright?" He shakes his head. "NO DAMMIT! Nothing is bloody alright!" The nurse is confused. "What is the matter?" Elias grits his teeth. "My daughter....." He pauses. "Yes?" He gulps.

"Lost her memory."

Two minutes later, a doctor comes in. He sighs. "This is why I HATE it when non-medical personnel insist on being left alone with a patient when they wake up. You're lucky she's in stable condition." Elias growls. "Shut up, Doc." The doctor shakes his head. "Let me speak to her please." He walks up to the bed. Jen's looking out the window, seemingly absent. "Hello Jennifer, my name is Doctor Spliedt and I have come t-" When Jen turns around to see him get very close she suddenly throws her hands in front of her face, turning away and screaming: "STAY AWAY!" The whole room is surprised at this reaction. Even Jen herself. Her heart is pounding like crazy. The doctor looks at her parents. "What's the meaning of this?" Elias shrugs. "Maybe she doesn't like you because I don't like you." The Doctor glares. Suddenly Kate finds her speech back. "C-Can" she sobs, "Can you get a f-female colleague?" Now the Doc is really confused. "Uhm... Sure..." With an awkward and confused feeling, he leaves the room."

The doctor closes her block with a sigh. "I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Connor... I can't do anything for your daughter right now. According to what you told me, she must've gone through an enormous shock. I can only assume it caused her to develop traumatic amnesia... I can prescribe a therapy, but I can't say if it would help.. I don't know her, so my best guess is she'd regain her memories the fastest if you, as the group knowing her, help her through it. I can really not think of another way. Though I'd like to ask you to leave her in the hospital for now, so we can monitor her for a while, just in case there's been more than just psychological repercussions."
L gulps. "A-about that... Did the... did the culprit succeed?" Doctor Vivian looks at her.
"You mean succeeded in his physical intent? As far as we can tell, not really. We found no signs indicating a successful insertion." L sighs in relief. "Thanks, Doc." She smiles. "No worries. Now, let her rest please." Everyone's getting up. Slowly they start to leave the room. Just before her dad exits, Jen calls out to him: "You, wait." Elias looks at the Doctor. "If she wishes for it, you may. You get ten minutes." Elias nods.

I look to the ground. Now that we left, sadness overcomes me. I feel a warm hand around my shoulder. I look up. "You did great. It was strong of you not to show anything in there. It would only have put Jen in an uncomfortable position, and to make someone with Amnesia insecure isn't the best thing to do." My eyes start to tear up. "I just don't understand. Why did he do this to her?" Nina looks at the sky. "No one can know for sure except he himself. My guess is that he loved her from the start. But through his own insecurities, he didn't want to be associated with her in the way you and at first Michael were. Helping the freak, supporting the outsider. Instead, he started to become the biggest bully. He was obsessed, and his obsession got the best of him." I lean my head against my sisters side. "I'm going to kill that bastard." Nina chuckles. How could she find this funny. "Don't do that, little sister. What would Jen think of you if she found out?" Now I feel ashamed. And it destroys my barrier. I can't hold back any longer. I sink to my knees and start crying.

Slowly, Nina squats and picks up her sister. Through her size, it's easy to carry her in front of her chest. While walking out the front door, a person passes them. But L doesn't notice, and neither her parents nor Nina recognise them. The person walks to the reception. "Heya, I want to visit a patient, that possible?" The nurse looks up from her desk. "Sure, depending on who it is. Here, fill out the formula here so I can check." The nurse hands them a piece of paper and a pen. "Thanks!" The person says cheerfully. Once they're done, they hand it to the nurse. "Ok, let me check." After about thirty seconds she smiles. "Alright, no problem. It's room 214, you can take the stairs or the elevator, then it's the right corridor, fourth door on the left." "Thank youuuu." The person walks to the stairs and quickly ascends them. When they arrive at the top and turn left, they see someone exiting the room they want to go. Surprised, they quickly hide. When Jen's dad is out of sight, they walk to the door and open it. "Hey Jen, how are you?"

I look at the person entering the room. It's the only person I recognise. "Hey, you're the girl that put me under the tree right?" She walks up to the bed and sits down on a chair. "Yeah.. I'm Jessica, but call me Jess, ok?" I nod. Then a thought strikes me like lightning. "You taught me how to skate, right? That's why I was in the skate park, correct?" Surprised, she nods. "Yes. You remember that?" I am getting more and more confused. "Yeah... I do... Why do I remember that, but not who all those people are... let alone myself?" I am on the verge of freaking out. "Does it matter? You had fun skating, didn't you?" I nod. "Wanna do it again once you get out of here?" I nod again. "Okay. Here's my number. Give me a ring when you're ready." She gives me a piece of paper and leaves with a smile. I stare at it. It seems like a magic object. Combined with the events of today it brings me to tears. I don't know if I can keep up with all this.

Just who am I? What the hell happened? I want answers!