the dumping ground // one shots

circles // drabble

warnings - sad but i've written worse; amnesia

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"what's anterograde amnesia?" ryan asked solemnly. may li bit her lip softly as she took his hand, noting the way he held onto hers just a bit too tightly. she knew this was coming, but knowing didn't make anything easier.

"well..." she began slowly, unsure how to word her answer without upsetting him further, "sometimes, when you receive trauma to the head," she gestured to ryan timidly, hoping he wouldn't react much, "your brain finds it much harder to create and store new memories so you forget them easily."

the care worker watched the crestfallen look overtake ryan's features, if only for a second, before it was replaced with a blank stare, "...i can't make any memories?" he asked wearily, not wanting to hear may li confirm his worries.

however, before she could reply, the door to ryan's hospital room opened with jody and tyler stumbling inside. the boy couldn't help but smile to himself lightly, of course they would come together.

"hey." jody said breezily, walking over to the foot of the bed and sitting down. tyler waved quickly and followed after her, choosing to pull up a chair beside ryan and opposite may li.

"how's everything?" jody queried, portraying a casual exterior, despite the nervous butterflies in her stomach. god, she hoped he would be okay.

tyler subconsciously leaned in at the question. he braced his arms on the bed and glanced between ryan and may li, unsure how to feel. after all, ryan looked okay, so surely he would be fine?

may li flickered her gaze between the two awaiting teenagers. she couldn't lie to them, but she didn't want to worry them either. they would, of course, find out at some point anyway. amnesia certainly isn't something you can hide easily.

she had heard of cases where patients would slowly regain their memories or ability to make them. it could take months or years but, eventually, they could gain them back.

no, she couldn't rely on a chance. this was real and the other kids needed to know. with a slight sigh, she began explaining ryan's condition, the boy himself curious to hear. (she couldn't bring herself to tell him that the doctors spoke with them merely hours earlier.)

"he's got a few scraps and bruises from the actual fall and a nasty bump on the head," may li decided to hide exactly how bad, it wasn't important at that moment in time, "the real problem is what's going on inside his head." she admitted, waiting to see their reactions.

the trio tensed almost simultaneously. jody crossed her arms over herself, pointedly looking away from them all and staring at the clock on the wall.

tyler pulled himself closer to ryan's side. he was still sitting on the chair but may li thought that, considering how close he was to ryan, the boy may as well have been lying in the bed with him. if they weren't in such an awful situation, she may have found his protectiveness cute.

as for ryan, the boy just looked down, fiddling with the sheets until tyler grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly, letting go with a tiny smile. ryan met the care worker's gaze, "my head?" he asked quietly. may li nodded, wishing she wouldn't have to elaborate.

"what's wrong with his head?" jody questioned, finally turning back to meet may li's eyes. both the boys glanced up as well, vulnerability sparkling in their normally bright eyes.

suddenly, the idea of spilling the news to them became much harder for her. may li steadied herself before answering jody's question, "about two hours ago now, ryan's doctor came by to tell us- me, to tell me his condition. she told me he had something called anterograde amnesia."

the care worker hoped no one picked up on her slip up, but from the way jody was staring at her, she knew she had a fifteen year old to answer to when they were back at ashdene ridge.

she heard ryan fidget slightly on the bed and faced him in time to see a frown forming on his face.

the young boy turned to may li from his place on the hospital bed, confusion ebbing its way into his expression. it seemed life forever before he finally spoke up again, "what's anterograde amnesia?"

may li bit her lip.

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okay i think i put too much faith in myself when it comes to requests.

i get them done eventually, just... eventually.

(also 'circles', geddit? 'cause it's a circular plot i'm so creative [no it hasn't taken me a month to write this trash what])