12 Seconds (#1 in Military series)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 

 

“Does your father know about this?” Doctor Barter asked Julia as she stood in his office for the second time in two days.

As soon as she had found the programme online she immediately knew she had to do it.

She was scared and it was useless to deny it. Despite the fact that she had been a trained marine for almost five years she didn’t remember a second of it so the prospect of going into a war zone made her terrified like any other civilian.

You heard of people dying over there every day and she didn’t even know how to defend herself but she also knew that it might be her only chance of getting any parts of her memory back.

And surely, once she got over there and remembered being a marine then she wouldn’t be afraid anymore, wouldn’t she?

“Of course he knows,” Julia lied, keeping her face straight as she stared Dr Barter down with his straight nose and narrowed eyes. She could tell that he was suspicious.

“He never mentioned this yesterday,” Barter looked back down at the form amongst dozens of others.

“He didn’t get the chance too,” Julia looked away sheepishly, acting the part.

“Well, I’m sorry Julia,” Dr Barter sighed, leaning back in his chair, “But I can’t give you my signature on this. I don’t think a veteran rehabilitation programme would be the best thing for you right now,”

Julia tried to keep her anger inside her chest but it still showed as her hand fisted by her side.

“Do you remember what I said about it being dangerous to flood your memory again? You could forget all the progress you’ve made,”

Progress!? Julia thought, what progress had she made!? She saw images of blown up bodies and shot soldiers; she couldn’t remember anything of significance.

“But doctor-” Julia started to speak, taking a step forward when there was a knock on the door and a young nurse stepped in.

“Sorry, Dr Barter, but theres a rather determined young man here to see you,” The nurse smiled apologetically at Julia.

“Can you ask him to wait please?” Barter turned back to Julia but the nurse hadn’t moved.

“I’m sorry, doctor, but I really don’t think he’s going to wait,” The nurse bit her lower lip and Julia got the sense that she was frightened of this young man who had suddenly appeared.

“Excuse me, Julia,” Dr Barter got to his feet, leaving the form on the desk, “I shall be right back,”

Julia watched him leave as another one of her hopes was written off.

The Rehabilitation programme took wounded veterans back into combat to help them overcome their pasts; Julia had thought it was the perfect thing to help her make sense of what happened.

No one in her family knew about this and she didn’t want to tell them in case it never happened and now it looked like it wasn’t.

Walking over to the desk, Julia was simply going to take the form and leave but as she stepped around the table and picked up her form she realised that all she needed from him was a signature.

And there were already more than a dozen signed forms sitting on his desk.

Taking out her phone, Julia clicked on the camera and took various snapshots of his signature.

Julia had forged her mother’s signatures on enough of her school sick notes to do this and with a few hours practice she would have his signature down to a t.

Looking up through the window in the door she saw that Dr Barter was still preoccupied with the distressed young man and would be for the next couple of minutes so, she picked up her file and headed over to the photocopier by the window.

It would always come in handy to have a copy of her files to hand.

* * *

Hunched over her desk, headphones in Julia copied out Dr Barter’s signature for what felt like the hundredth time.

She thought she just about had it right; there was an awkward swirl he did towards the end that she had to figure out but once she had that down then she would be away.

With Daughtry blasting away in her ears, she never heard her bedroom door open or the footsteps walk across her creaky wooden flooring.

So as a hand suddenly clamped around her shoulder, Julia’s reflexes kicked into action.

Gripping the person’s wrist on her shoulder, she yanked them forward off balance as she spun her chair around and aimed the tip of her pen up towards their throat.

Julia froze, her eyes growing wide as she beheld Marc, staring down at her with shock and a slice of annoyance.

As if this wasn’t the first time she had done something like this to him.

Julia dropped the pen and released his wrist with shock as she pulled the headphones out of her ears.

“I am . . . so sorry!” Julia gasped as she realised what she was about to do, “Wait,” Julia frowned, “who let you in?

“I’m glad to see that some things are coming back to you,” Marc muttered absentmindedly as he bent down and picked up the pen she had almost stabbed him in the neck with.

Julia still couldn’t believe that she could do that.

“Not everything,” Julia looked away, “Only small things- hey, what are you doing!?” Julia shouted when he pulled her out of the way on her chair and looked at what she was writing.

“Who’s Doctor Barter?” Marcus sighed, “And why are you forging his signature!?”

Julia snatched her papers away from his gaze, “None of your business,”

“Well now that you’ve said that,” Marc stood up straight and reached for the papers once again but Julia just pulling away, “They are definitely my business,”

Julia narrowed her eyes at him before she finally gave up the papers.

“These are your hospital files,” Marcus frowned, “How did you get these?”

Julia looked at her feet sheepishly, “I might have-”

“-Stolen them?” Marcus raised an eyebrow.

“Temporarily photocopied and stolen,” Julia bit her lower lip thinking he was going to be mad at her but he simply started to chuckle that deep throated laugh that made her shiver to her bones.

“You’re- You’re not mad at me?”

“Jules,” Marcus shook his head as he flipped through her files, “After being with you this long I’ve learnt that there are just some things I can’t stop you from doing. Even in the marines you were . . . Sorry,” Marcus put the papers down when he realised he was speaking of something she couldn’t remember.

“It’s alright,” Julia stepped forward, “I’m hoping to change that,”

“How?” Marcus frowned, “Have they found a new medical procedure that will help you get your memories back?”

“Not as such,” Julia arched an eyebrow as she turned her laptop around to show him the programme, “It’s more of a military run procedure,”

Julia watched Marcus’s face as he read the paragraphs.

She just hoped he would understand. 

****** Sorry its such a short chapter. ********