Forgot to Remember

Monday midday / Tuesday

IMPORTANT INFORMTATION

The story is set in 2005 (Not that you get confused later);
Ant's dad didn't leave the family until he was 13 (I know it's not true, but I needed his father);
and most impotantly: It goes now BACK to the Monday this story started on (Don't get confused)Dr Adrian Smith and his wife don't know Ant & Dec (They just moved to London from America)

Monday midday / Tuesday

*When will these renovations finally be over?* He couldn't take all that noise anymore. He scrunched up his face, something stinks horribly. The drain pipe must be blocked again; he could smell the disgusting odour right up to his bedroom on the second floor. Who the hell had pulled back the curtains and turned off the heat, he wondered. He felt around for his pillow and pain shot through his arms. He whimpered and slowly gained back consciousness. Reality slowly sank in. He wasn't in his bedroom, lying on his bed. He was lying face down next to a river, covered in mud. He slowly tried to get up. Pain gripped his body but he fought through it and carefully turned onto his back. His eyes were focused on the clear sky, when he heard a relieved yell.

"He's alive! It's not a floater."
It was a man shouting to his companion. A kind middle aged man's face came into his field of vision as he crouched beside him
"Declan?" the confused man hoarsely whispered.
"Son who are you?"
"Declan?" He whispered weakly wondering where his boyfriend was.
"Hi Declan! I'm Adrian. Are you hurt?"
"I don't know." He whimpered
"Okay! It's all right." The man said, gently caressing his hair. "The ambulance will be here soon. Don't fall asleep."
Adrian said and gently shook him to prevent him from nodding off.
"But I'm so tried."
"You can sleep once you're in the ambulance child. Okay?"
"Okay." he said meekly and tried to keep his eyes open.

The next morning he jerked awake from a terrible nightmare. His room was flooded with sunlight. As he took in his sterile surroundings, he wondered how he had managed to end up in hospital of all places.
*I must have fallen out of the tree house again. It was insensible on my part anyway to climb up there. I'm 12 and not a baby. But there was just no other place where I could've sat and studied in peace... I hate my friends. All they care about is football and girls. How dare they make fun of my ambition to become a presenter? Screw them all*
He looked around and saw a strange old man dozing in a chair beside his bed.
*A male nurse in our small hospital?*
He cleared his throat, hoping to wake up the man and ask him to go get his father. The old man startled awake. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the young man lying on the hospital bed.
"Could you please go and get my dad?" the dark haired man requested quietly.
That was a strange request from a grown man. *Definitely brain damage* the gentleman concluded.
"Yes, of course son, we'll call him right now. But first let me check your vitals."
The kindly old man shone a torch in his eyes to check his pupils. He then checked his pulse. Finally he adjusted the bandages on his arm. That's when the young man realized that his left arm was tightly bandaged and throbbing.
*My god, this fall has been worse than the previous two* he thought. *Dad hates having to spend money. He must be so angry. I wish I had an older brother. He could have protected me from his fury. It would probably be best if I just get it over and done with while I'm still in hospital. At least here he won't be able to hit me.*
So again he requested softly, "Sir, please call my dad. I want to see him."
The elderly man smiled. "Of course I'll get him right now. But why don't you take a nap while I go and get him."
The kindly old gentleman adjusted the drip and injected something into it, he then left quietly. The young man felt his eyelids drop and again sleep overtook him.

The next time he woke up the room was dark and his dad was still nowhere to be seen. He stretched and again realised that he had an injured arm.
*Oh no. Dad is definitely going to kill me*
He desperately needed to relieve himself. He spotted the calling buzzer and pressed it. Instantly a smartly dressed pretty young nurse came hurrying in.
"I need to go to the bathroom" he told her shyly. The nurse smiled at him as she removed the drip from his hand. Then said softly,
"There now you're free."
Unable to bear the pressure anymore he almost ran into the bathroom. With a sigh of relief he emptied his bladder. After flushing, just as he started to exit the bathroom he caught his image in the mirror hanging over the wash basin and was stunned. He rubbed his right hand on his cheeks.
*Wow! That's some beard.*
He hadn't ever needed to shave in his life, so it was shocking that he had grown such a heavy beard overnight. And his hair - it was longer. What was going on? It was impossible that he had been in hospital for only one day. He must have been lying in here for months. Like it's shown in movies, he must have been in a coma. But in movies, when the person finally woke up, he would also have lost his memory.
*Hmmm... Let me check
Name: Anthony David McPartlin
Age: 12
Occupation: Student/Presenting 'Why Don't You';
Father's name: Raymond McPartlin;
Mother's name: Christine McPartlin;
Sister's name: Sarha McPartlin;
Nope, no memory loss*

He was just fine. The kindly gentleman he had met earlier that morning entered the room
"It's good to see you have woken up Declan," the gentleman said smiling.
"Declan! Who is Declan?" Ant asked completely puzzled and a frown creased his forehead
"That's your name son, isn't it?"
"No! No, of course not. My name is Anthony McPartlin."
"Okay then," the man wrote it down on the patient's information clipboard hanging at the foot of the bed.
"Now have you called dad? I want to see him."
"I'm sorry I have no idea where your father is."
"Come on, he was the one who brought me in right?"
"No, my wife and I found you lying by the side of the river."
"River? The river Tyne? This is some kind of a joke, right. What would I do there?"
"Tyne River? Son you're in Hammersmith, London not Newcastle and I found you by the side of the Thames."
*How did I get here?* Ant was completely confused. Had he tried to run away? For the life of him he couldn't remember.

"Who are you anyway?" Ant demanded rudely
"I'm Dr Adrian Smith."
"And where did you say you found me?"
"By the river side a few 100 meters from here."
"Oh Man! Dad is going to be so mad." Ant said in fear. The young man's obvious teenage behaviour told Adrian that the boy's location was the least of anyone's worries.
"Son, how old are you?"
"12."
"And what year is it, can you tell me?" Adrian gently questioned.
"Why are you asking me such silly questions?" Ant demanded annoyed.
"Just checking if you have brain damage. So can you tell me what year it is?"
Ant rolled his eyes
"1987 of course."
Adrian was stunned, *that boy has lost 18 years. That's definitely a massive chunk*
While Adrian stood there thinking, Ant had to sneeze loudly.
"Bless you" the doctor said automatically and headed out of the room hoping to consult the brain specialist. Then he would have to contact his psychiatrist colleague as she would be better qualified to inform Anthony that he had lost 18 years of his life. Ant sneezed for what felt like the hundredth time and blew his nose in the tissue but it still tickled causing him to sneeze again. These dry sneezes were driving him crazy. The nurse who had brought him his dinner had cheerfully said with a wide grin
"Someone is definitely missing you terribly. That's the only thing that would make you sneeze like that."