Flickering Memories

Chapter 2

A/N: I wish to thank all of you who are following this story and sending in  your votes and comments. I will try my best not to disappoint.

Third Person POV

Kimmon slowly opened his eyes, pressing his fingers on either side of his head to try to stop the throbbing pain. He didn't need to look around the room to know that he was in a hospital room. How he landed here was what he needed to find out, but first someone had to take care of his pounding headache.

He groped for the call button by his bedside because he could not even afford to turn his side. Any slight movement only served to increase the pain. When he found it, he pressed the call button to summon a nurse.

A lovely young nurse with a bright smile came in.

"Good morning, sir, my name is Juliet. What can I do for you?" she said with a lilt in her voice.

"I need a painkiller fast," Kimmon said with a grimace.

"Where does it hurt, sir?" asked Juliet.

"All over my head," replied Kimmon. "I feel like someone is trying to break it open with a sledge hammer."

"On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most severe, how would you rate your pain, sir?" Juliet asked.

"A hundred and one," replied Kimmon, still grimacing.

Juliet's bright smile dimmed a little. Juliet was not the kind of nurse who fooled around with complaints of pain, especially if the pain was located in the chest. This one was not a complaint of chest pain though but still she was not willing to humor the patient

"Sir, I need for you to give me an accurate pain rating. If your rating were to go beyond ten you would be in cardiac arrest right now," said Juliet, no longer smiling.

"All I wanted to say was my pain is most severe, so please give me the strongest painkiller available," begged Kimmon, still grimacing and pressing his fingers against his head. He wanted to add, 'quit with your interrogation now and go get me what I need!" but he decided that pissing off this nurse was not a very good idea.

"Very well, sir," said Juliet, turning on her heel and leaving the room.

When she got back to the nurses' station, she noticed that the other two nurses present were all smiles and she noticed why.

Dr. K had arrived and was reading the endorsements in the communication book, to update himself on the patients' conditions. He had announced that he was on this floor because he was temporarily taking over Dr. V's patients. He had gone on to explain that Dr. V was going to attend an international convention for psychiatrists in Geneva and had chosen Dr. K to take over his patients while he was away.

While he was talking, the other two nurses were nudging each other and whispering something to each other while smiling self consciously.

All the nurses including Juliet wanted to be chosen by Dr. K to accompany him on his rounds. Everyone had a secret crush on Dr. K. He was very charismatic and it didn't help the nurses' fluttering hearts that he had the cutest and deepest dimples that appeared whenever he smiled at them.

Juliet approached Dr. K.

"Dr. K, I'm sorry to interrupt you but your patient in 603 is complaining of a severe headache and is asking for a really strong painkiller," said Juliet, the hesitation apparent in her voice.

"You haven't interrupted me. I have just finished reading the endorsements," said Dr. K, closing the communication book, "and for as long as you were the last one to see my patient, why don't you come with me while I do my rounds."

"Very well, Dr. K," said Juliet.

The smiles of the other nurses vanished as Juliet grabbed her clipboard.

"The patient in 603 is the young man who got involved in a road accident, right?" Dr. K asked Juliet.

"Yes, Dr. K, he's the one," Juliet replied.

"Very well. Before we go to see the patient in 603, why don't you sign out a Norco 5/325 for him?" Dr. K instructed Juliet.

"Yes, Dr. K, I will," Juliet replied.

"I will go ahead and see him now," Dr. K said. "Just follow me there."

"I will, Dr. K," Juliet said, already unlocking the narcotics drawer and popping out a Norco from the bubble pack after which she proceeded to sign it out in the e-MAR.

As Copter started walking in the direction of Room 603, he remembered how when he first saw Kimmon Varodom, he was mostly lethargic, with eyes closed throughout the room visit and so Copter was unable to ask him any questions that would give him a clue as to what kind of amnesia he was suffering from.

Copter entered room 603 after a brief knock. Oh good, the patient was awake this time. Although he was grimacing in pain, Copter could see how good looking this patient was. What a shame, what a low down crying shame that he had to be in this condition.

"Hello, Mr. Varodom," said Copter, "I'm not going to greet you a good morning because I can plainly see that you're not having one," Copter added with a rueful smile, his dimples appearing nonetheless.

Kimmon looked at his doctor.

"Have I seen you before?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Copter replied. "When I came to visit you yesterday, your eyes were closed the whole time. You were very lethargic."

"By the way, I am Dr. Kerdthongtavee but you can address me as Dr. K like everybody else does. Nurse Juliet informed me that you were complaining of a severe headache so I have instructed her to bring you a prescription pain pill. In fact here she is now."

Both Kimmon and Copter turned their heads as Juliet came in with a small medicine cup containing the Norco tablet. She also carried a small tumbler of water in her other hand.

Kimmon gratefully took both the medicine cup and tumbler of water and quickly swallowed the pill.

"Give it some time to take effect," said Copter, "a half hour at the most."

"I wish it worked faster than that," Kimmon said, his fingers still pressed to the side of his head.

"I'm afraid it takes about the time I told you for the drug to be absorbed by your system," Dr. K explained. "If it becomes unbearable before then, press your call button and I will see about upgrading the drug to one that can be given intramuscularly or intravenously."

Kimmon didn't respond to that.

"Has anyone come in to see you since you were admitted," Copter asked his patient.

"Not that I know of," replied Kimmon.

"I see," said Copter, mentally kicking himself for asking a dumb question. Of course Kimmon wouldn't know. He was in a very lethargic state until today.

Copter assumed that immediate family members might have come in while Kimmon was still in a lethargic state.

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions or are you still in a lot of pain to be able to carry a proper conversation?" asked Copter.

"I would rather wait until I am pain free," Kimmon replied.

"I understand," said Copter, "I will be back in half an hour to an hour. Hopefully the pain pill would have done its work by then."

Copter turned to Juliet, "Let's go see my next patient, Nurse Juliet."

Just as Juliet and Copter were about to leave the room, there was a brief knock on the door and a young man, a very good looking young man burst in.

"Kim, sweetheart!"

"Who are you?" Kimmon asked wide eyed at the newcomer.

Copter extended his hand to the young man.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Kerdthongtavee, Kimmon's doctor. May I know how you are related to my patient?"

"I'm his fiance," the young man answered, taking Copter's hand and sizing him up as if he were a potential rival.