The Boy I Can't Remember

Chapter 3.

Darkness. That's all I see, nor can I hear anything. It felt like something incredibly heavy was holding me down and I could not move a single limb. Then it happens, a beeping noise going off every second. It's a machine. I am too terrified to open my eyes but I feel someone's hand holding mine tightly and I feel a sense of comfort. I flutter my eyes open, the walls are a soft grey and I am lying in a hard bed. I turn my head slowly and see my mother, my hand in hers, her head rested on my bed.

Using all my energy to open my mouth "M-mom" is all I manage to get out.

My mom pops her head up, my heart breaks as I see that she has dark circles under her eyes. She leans over and kisses my forehead.

"Oh sweetie," She says and she hugs me firmly.

My throat is dry and I'm confused, I don't understand anything that is happening. Why is my mom worried? Why am I lying in a hospital bed? Did I get sick and fall into a coma for a week?

I'm scared but I desperately need answers, "What happened?"

RYDER'S POINT OF VIEW

"Late again Mr. Hudson," Mrs. Simmons says as I walk through the school gate, skateboard in hand.

I'm pretty sure the principal makes her stand at the entrance to catch out all the students who break the rules. This is the third time in a week that she has tried to scold me about being late to school. I really couldn't give a fuck, the worst that could happen? Suspension. Apparently the appropriate punishment for showing up fifteen minutes late is to make us not show up at all.

"Won't happen again miss" I lie because I fully know I will be late again, I almost start breaking into a jog just to escape another long lecture.

I'm on my way to legal studies when I catch sight of students from my year striding out the assembly hall, none of them look happy, some look shaken actually. I wonder what for. I spot my best mate Will in the midst of other students.

"Did someone die or something?" I joke.

But he doesn't laugh or even grin, he looks at me blankly, "Almost" He replies.

I realize that there is something really wrong "What happened exactly?" I query.

"Last night Carson Reynolds and Lily Larkin were in a serious car accident."

I gulp nervously.

Will continues "I don't know the full details but Lily has a few broken bones and apparently Carson has more critical injuries"

I don't know how to react, I mean yes I was a dick to Carson but truthfully she's not a bad person at all and everything I have ever done and said to her was not deserved and I can't believe that I'm only now seeing this. My personal issues in my fucked up life made me want to degrade the people around me, I'm so god damn stupid. To make it worse I went and fucked her best friend Lily.

"I mean you probably don't care much. You don't even like Carson."

Wrong. So wrong, I do care.

CARSON'S POINT OF VIEW

A bright light was shone into my eyes and the doctor instructed me to follow the light which I did.

My mother informed me about the car accident I was I was the driver of with my apparent good friend Lily and that we are currently in Arizona. The last thing I remember of my life is packing my boxes back in my room in Seattle to move all the way down to Phoenix but the past six months are a total empty blackness. I haven't a clue what Lily is like or what she even looks like but I am relieved that she only has a broken arm and bruises - Clearly, I don't have the same luck as her.

The doctor or 'Dr. Nguyen' has a concerned look on his face and writes something in his notepad. My mom sits next to me and places her hand on my arm.

"Is it bad news?" My mom asks inpatient.

"Well," The doctor starts "Looking at the right pupil, it is more dilated than the left. The right also doesn't respond to light as fast as the other. Since you have memory loss and the brain scans have come back abnormal I'm sad to say that you have a traumatic brain injury. You will need to stay in the hospital for the next couple of days."

I shift uncomfortably in the bed "When will my memory come back?"

"Unfortunately there is no definite answer, people usually recover from TBIs in three weeks after the trauma occurs but you need to be prepared that your memory not coming back is a very real possibility." He responds.

I am going to have a break down right now. "What's going to happen next?"

"When you go home you have to be closely monitored, introduce yourself slowly to school, try doing things normally again, you can surround yourself with familiar places and people to trigger your memories but don't stress yourself out." Now he starts scribbling something down again "You're currently on diuretics, it is important you attend your appointments once a week."

I nod slowly but I am still digesting all this information. All I want is to go home but the only home I know is 1400 miles away.

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