All The Hurt Would Go Away

I could smile at the old days...

"Lin!"
"Jon! You're okay!"
"Dang I'm so glad to see someone I know here."
"Are you kidding we're all here! Come on out guys!"
I watched as all my family and friends joined us smiling at me.
"We're so excited to see you back out of that hospital! All better now then."
"I think... I don't remember getting discharged though."
"Oh who cares! You're up and out that's all that matters."
"How long has it been?"
"A month roughly, it's only November calm down."
"November?"
"Yeah. Why you asking?"
"This isn't right... I can't be out yet, you, you're not real. None of you are. This is wrong"
Lin held my hand as I closed my eyes trying to fix this. It can't be November, it was only October 5th yesterday. It isn't right.
"You need to wake up Jonathan."
"Wake up."
"Wake up."
"Wake up!"
"Wake up!"
"WAKE UP!"

"Wha -?!"
Lin burst into tears laughing at the same time by my side,
"You're awake! You - do you know who I am?"
"L-Lin."
"That's right!"
"Y-You took me fishing on my eleventh birthday, then, you disappeared. Where did you go?"
Lin's smile faltered as he pressed a button getting the nurse.
"Where did you go? Y-You left me and I had to grow up without you b-but you never even tried to contact me. How could you?"
"He's awake, his memory is slightly altered I think."
"Thank you sir, we'll take over now. You can see him again in an hour."
"HOW COULD YOU?!"
I cried out as they wheeled my bed away from him. I need answers. How could he just walk back into my life?
"Hello Jonathan, how are you feeling?"
"G-Good."
"Do you remember my name?"
"Doctor, Max, your name is Max."
He smiled,
"Well done. Do you remember why you're here?"
"Lin left me when I was younger. I was 11 and a half. I got upset and -"
I looked at the bandages on my arms.
"Oh, oh my god. Did I do this?"
"In this case, yes, but it was because of what someone else did to you."
"Who?"
"Something happened causing your hospital visit."
"Tell me!"

"He needs medication, four times a day. If any progressive changes occur please drop in for a quick appointment."
"Thank you."
"You gonna get in the car?"
"Not until you tell me why you left me when I was just a kid."
He sighed, after a long silence he spoke up.
"In the workplace I had, I, uh, lost all my faith in my future and didn't want to bring you down with me. Okay? I'm sorry."
He exhaled heavily opening his door and sitting behind the driving wheel. Adjacent to him I got in the car.
"What happened to me that was so bad?"
He tensed beside me,
"The doctor said that I hurt myself because of someone. Who? Not you?"
"No, not me. It's not the type of conversation I want to have while driving though. Later?"
I sighed agreeing to comply, and instead started looking out of the window.
"Why is there so much I don't know?"
"Hmm?"
"Like I can't stop asking questions about things that happened to me. I should know what happened to me. It's my life."
"It's to do with why you were at the hospital."
"Why do I need medicine?"
"It's to do with why you were at the hospital."
"So everything just links to the terrible thing that apparently happened to me. Jeez thanks life. Good one."
He scoffed beside me chuckling to himself. Whilst parking the car.
"Where are we?"
"My house."
"You're rich!"
He laughed, unlocking the door with a set of keys.
"Thank you very much. Wipe your shoes please before entering the Miranda household."
I did as he asked causing him to smile to himself without thinking I saw. He did ask so it's only polite.
"Jon I was kidding, sure I've got a nice house, I've got a nice hoover too."
Taking off my shoes I smiled at him and headed towards the couch.
"What's that?"
"It's just tea."
I nodded sipping the hot drink.
"Are you gonna tell me then?"
"I don't know, when we say it was a terrible thing it's not to be joked about. Neither me or the doctor were kidding about what happened to you, it's affected you greatly."
I leaned closer indicating for him to continue.
"Was there a man who visited you?"
"I'm not sure."
"No Andrew? Andy?"
"Andy?"
"Yes."
"H-He's my friend. He was the only one there for me in hospital."
A silence fell as Lin clapped his hands together standing up to face me.
"I can't go through this any longer. You've partially lost your memory. Some stuff has been forgotten, some has been changed in your head. We never went fishing, that was you and your father. Your father left you because, something bad happened. A-And I was the only one next to you in that hospital, no one else visited. I didn't want them to make you feel crowded when you woke up. I didn't know how bad it'd be."
"S-So what about Andy?"
"He caused you to go to hospital."
"What did he do?"
"You haven't taken your medication yet."
"What did he do?"
"I'll go get your meds and some water."
I followed him to the kitchen.
"What did he do? Tell me!"
"You only need one pill every 3 hours so you'll probably have this then go to bed. You're probably exhauste-"
"- What did he do?"
"Jon, I can't tell you right now. You're still recovering from all this new information I don't want to overwhelm you. You need a clear head and you need to be calm. Right now you're tired from what happened today so just go to bed alright? Perhaps tomorrow I'll tell you, you've got to trust me with this. I know what I'm doing and I'm sorry I can't tell you as soon as you want me to."
I nodded and he helped me upstairs, a toothbrush was already on my bedside table amongst a cup of water and a house phone.
"In case something happens tonight."
I nodded sitting down on the side of my bed.
"You do believe me? Being there in hospital, honestly we never went fishing I'd never leave you alone they had to force me out of the hospital room most of the time."
"I know Lin, where are the kids?"
"Y-You remember them?"
"Ariella and Isaac, three years old. I do!"
"They're round my parents house."
"Oh my god I remembered them!"
He laughed and hugged me tightly quickly apologising afterwards about my arms.
"Goodnight Jon. Keep getting better alright?"
"Alright."