Field Trip

Chapter 4

The first sense to return was her hearing. She lay motionless, listening to the sound of air blowing through a vent. From somewhere, she could hear muffled voices, but the words were too quiet for her to make out. Curious to know where she was, the girl opened her eyes slowly.

The first thing in her line of vision was a stark, white ceiling. Long cracks in the ancient plaster traced shapes along the ceiling and starting down the wall. A steady beeping sound caught her attention, and she turned her head slightly to see several monitors along one wall. They were attached to her, and she guessed that the beeping sound was her heartbeat. Turning her head the other way, the girl saw a large yellow smiley-face balloon grinning at her as it dancing over an air vent. A book lay on the small table beside the bed, along with several magazines and a small pansy plant. Purple pansies. She reached out with a shaky hand and touched one of the petals. It was silky soft to her touch, and as she drew her hand away, the petal dropped from the plant. Suddenly feeling sad, the girl picked up the fallen petal and held it tenderly in her hand. She felt so sad, so alone, and yet she didn't know why.

The door to her room opened, and she jumped, startled. A man had entered the room. He was tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. When he realized that she was awake, a smile spread across his handsome features. "Joanna!" He hurried to the side of the bed and bent over her, tenderly brushing a hand across her forehead. "We've missed you, honey."

The girl drew back from his touch. Something in his voice was familiar, but she couldn't remember why.

Jon Baker saw Joanna pull back and he frowned inwardly. Dr. Bracket had told him that there was a chance that Joanna might have some memory loss when she came out of the coma, but Jon had refused to believe that could happen. Now, looking into his niece's frightened eyes, he could see that Dr. Bracket had been right.

Joanna watched him with wide, confused eyes. "Who are you?" she asked.

Jon sat down in the chair where he had been sitting for the past five days. As he sat, he reached out and gently took Joanna's hand. "I'm your uncle," he replied quietly.

Joanna drew her hand away, and then she looked toward the heavy cast on her left leg. "What happened?"

"You were in an accident a few days ago," Jon said gently.

He tried to hide his feelings as he watched Joanna struggle to remember. Finally, she looked at him. "I...I don't remember," she said, her voice betraying her fear.

Jon patted her shoulder. "That's okay, sweetheart. Just rest now. It'll all come back to you."

Joanna sighed and allowed her weary eyes to close. Jon pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders, and then he glanced up to see Dr. Bracket and Nurse McCall enter the room. Dr. Bracket walked quietly to the bed and began to check Joanna's vital signs.

Jon looked at Nurse McCall and she noted the weary expression on his face. "She didn't remember me," he said sadly. "I...I was hoping..." his voice trailed off and Dixie nodded.

"That's not uncommon," she said. "Hopefully, her memory will return within a few days. Sometimes though, it can take longer."

Jon ran his fingers through his thick, blond hair and sighed. Just then, the door opened and Bonnie Clark stepped in. "Jon, I'll stay with her for awhile if you'd like," she offered.

Jon started to reply, but Dr. Bracket cut him off. "I think it would be best if she was alone for awhile. She's asleep now, not unconscious, and sleep is what she needs to heal."

Bonnie looked confused. "Asleep? But I thought she was..."

"She woke up," Jon explained. "A little while ago. She didn't remember anything."

If Bonnie was upset by the news, she hid it well. "Well, if sleep and quiet are what she needs right now, then lets go and let her have them. You could use a rest too, Jon. There's a couch in the waiting room that has your name on it."

The patrolman was too tired to argue. He allowed Bonnie to lead him out of the room and into the large waiting area. Officers Grossman and Baricza were there already and they stood up when Bonnie and Jon entered the room. "Joanna woke up," Bonnie told them.

Grossie let out an excited whoop. "That means she's gonna be okay, doesn't it?"

Bonnie nodded as she shoved Jon toward the couch. The weary police officer sat down, and then at Bonnie's prompting, he laid down. Barry Baricza glanced around the waiting room and then he started toward the door. "I have to leave for awhile," he said, looking at Grossman.

The blond, heavy-set officer nodded. "That's fine. I can stay. Are you staying, Bonnie?"

The woman shook her head, making her blond curls bounce. "No. I have to get back to the station now, but I'll be back later. And I'll bring some real food."

"Oh boy!" Grossman clapped his hands softly, and then settled back to finish his book on Roman culture.

Baricza followed Bonnie to the elevator. When they stepped inside the empty capsule, he looked at Bonnie. "Joanna's okay, isn't she?" he asked. "You seem like something's wrong, and Jon's not very happy either."

Bonnie sighed. "Jon said that she didn't remember him, or anything else. Dr. Bracket said that this might happen, but I don't think Jon believed him. Now that he's seen it for himself, I think he's just not sure what to do."

Baricza looked thoughtful. "Will her memory come back?"

Bonnie shrugged. "We hope. But I don't think even Dr. Bracket knows the answer to that one. It'll kill Jon if it doesn't, though."

Barry nodded.