More Than Meets The Eye (Tyler Seguin Fanfic)

Chapter 17: Sober Up

It was if the world was falling apart around me. I bit my lips together in efforts to hold back tears. I was the reason I wasn't getting better. I was the reason for the havoc in my own world. I wanted to blame those damn bottles, but I was the one who consumed them. I let them take over my body. I was letting them ruin my life.

But there was a glimmer of hope because I could be the hero of my own story. All I had to do was stop. But how did I explain that to tyler and Jamie? That me drinking was the reason I couldn't remember. I was making myself depressed.

"Listen Nicola, I can't help you if you are not willing to help yourself. I-"

"I'll stop!" I almost shout "not an ounce of alcohol I swear, just please help me" I pleaded.

"Alright, in two days you'll be back here and we'll start with some exercises. If those don't start to improve your memory than we have one other option.... surgery" he paused and pondered his thoughts and in a whisper he says "Even that can't guarantee your memory"

I walked through those hospital doors and was greeted by a warm wind and sunlight. Jamie was parked across the street, his hair pushed back and dark sunglasses rested on his face as he leaned against his car. When he spotted me, he slowly took of his glasses and smiled. I made my way across the street and into his passenger seat.

"How did it go?" he seems eager, he seemed hopeful

"I'll be back in two days, my memory is so delayed because of... the alcohol poisoning" I almost say in a whisper.

"Nic as long as you can get it back-"

"He said there is no guarantee, if these exercises don't work than I'll have surgery but not even that can guarantee my memory" I cut him off

Two days later I was back in the hospital. I sat in the back room with the doctor, puzzles and games scattered around the table.

"We're gonna start an 1,000 pieced puzzle, we'll work on it for a half hour today and hopefully in the next few visits it will be finished"

Easy I thought to myself, boy was I wrong. I felt my self frustrated at myself for the inability to piece together more than the damn corner of the puzzle. Doctor Ollins had finished two whole corners by the time the half hour was up. The next thing we did was a memory game on the iPad. The cards would turn over for 10 seconds before they flipped over again and you had to match them. I almost ripped my own hair out in frustration for not being able to get any right, it came to the point where I just hit cards randomly until they matched.

I felt stupid, almost useless as the visit wrapped up.

"Nicola you can not get so discouraged, your memory is like a muscle and needs to exercised. I promise you these will begin to get easier as time goes on"

I sighed at him, I couldn't get to mad at him because he was trying to help me. After the torturous two hours I was driving home with Tyler and telling him what had happened. He hands rested at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel of his red truck as we drove though Dallas. The windows cranked down and his thumb thumped to the beat of the horrible country song that was playing. He purses his lips as he stares at the long road ahead.

"Nic have you thought of getting the password to your laptop from Jamie? Maybe theres stuff on there that could help spark your memory"
"He had given me a book of poems I had written but those haven't helped" I sighed as I ran my fingers through the top of my hair.
"It's worth a shot"

I readjust myself, for being slumped over in the chair with my feet on the dashboard as we drove was uncomfortable. The sunset from the car was absolutely breath taking as the sky turned beautiful orange and yellow colors.

"I don't remember the road being this long" I giggle
"That's because this is a different road"
"I attempted to remember" I rolled my eyes
"Well you did see that it was longer than normal so that's something!" he says excited.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see" he smiles

We where still driving when the sun was completely gone from the shy and replaced by the moon and the stars. The stars, they where shinning so bright, illuminating the dark sky.

Finally the truck came to a stop at the top of a hill and Tyler jumped out and went to back to grab something. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out to stretch. When Tyler finally came back around he as holding a big blanket and a had a smirk plastered on his face.
"Come on" he says holding his hand out to me and without hesitation I take it.

He lays the blanket down on the edge of the hill and invites me to lay down with him. I oblige, the view of the sky was breath taking.
"I've been wanting to do this for a long time" laughs Tyler as he crosses his arms behind his head.
"This is beautiful"
"You know you have the same twinkle in your eye that the stars have in the sky? and it hasn't left since the day I met you and you gave me the dirtiest look" he chuckled lightly. Tyler wasn't as tough as he always came off to be, he was sweet and genuine. He was real.