Memory Fragments [Completed]

# Fragment 15: Decay

2010, 8th of January

It seemed like a normal day in winter, since it was cold and snowing outside. This winter had been unusually icy, the snow being really thick. No wonder Melody had caught a cold.

Despite her protests, I managed to convince her to stay at home by talking her out of it. My argument that convinced her eventually was that she could infect the children at the orphanage she still worked at, often just once or twice a week in case her condition was getting worse, which was thankfully not the case.

Although lately, she had been really weird. Sometimes, when I woke up before her and woke her up afterwards, she looked at me as if I was a stranger. She didn't seem to recognise me at all, looking at me with big eyes. But as soon as I left the room to get dressed for work and returned a couple of minutes afterwards, she seemed completely normal, putting something back beneath her pillow and greeting me softly with a smile. It was weird, but I didn't question her behaviour as I assumed  she was just confused by being woken up so suddenly by me. And this happened only sometimes.

I returned earlier than usual from work, because there was nothing left to do. To be given this opportunity came in handy, since I could return home to look after Melody. When I left the house this morning she had looked really tired and ill, coughing and covering her shoulders with a blanket, because she felt cold. I hoped that she followed my advice to get some rest and take it easy for the day until I would return. But knowing her, she probably took it too lightly, overestimating her own condition.

Finally, I arrived at the house after work and unlocked the entrance with my key. It was so cold I could see my own breath as I exhaled.

"I'm home.", I announced while I placed my leather case next to my shoes.

There was no answer.

Slightly worried, I entered the living room. Melody was laying on the sofa, a blanket covering her body from feet to shoulder. She must have been asleep and that must have been why she didn't answer. But then I heard her unsteady breathing, which made me worry a little since it didn't sound normal.

"Melody?"

I approached her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed me, her eyes widening in surprise. Her skin was pale. Really pale. And she was tired because she was rubbing her bloodshot eyes.

"Oh, you're home. I didn't notice.", she whispered, while trying to stabilize her body with her elbows, but she didn't manage to stand up. Instead, she flinched after her attempt, causing her to touch her chest. Seemingly, she was in pain. Quickly, I touched her forehead with my hand.

As I assumed, she had fever. It felt like her forehead was burning.

"You have really high fever. That's not normal.", I pointed out.

"No, Adam, I'm fine. Really."

Somehow, she managed to stand up by herself. The warm beige blanket still covered her shoulders. Her arms were a little swollen.

"See? You don't need to worry.", she tried to reassure me, "It's just a little cold. Nothing more."

Even though she tried as hard as she could to hide her condition, I could see her legs trembling just from standing alone. If she tried to walk right now, she wouldn't manage without shaking. Her breathing got even worse and more erratic.

"Did you already take medicine against fever?", I inquired, pushing her gently towards the sofa, so she could lie down again. Despite her claims, I knew that she needed rest. Yet, she dodged me and stood in front of me, suddenly tilting her head. She was thinking and blinking a little more often than normal. Then, she answered hesitantly:

"I ... think."

"What do you mean you think?", I asked in confusion, "You know, as of late you seem to forget many things ..."

Now I was getting suspicious. At first, I had thought it was because of all the stress and us moving into this house, but her bad memory remained, even a year later. That wasn't normal. This couldn't be normal. Her eyelashes began to flutter and she suddenly touched her head. Now her cheeks took on a red colour.

"Melody? Is something wrong?", I asked, grabbing her cold hand. As she grabbed my hand, she couldn't stand herself any longer, which is why I felt part of her weight as she leaned against my shoulder. Again, she touched her chest. I was alerted. There was something wrong.

"I ... I'm fine." Her voice was but a whisper. Quietly, she gulped.

"There is something wrong. You're in pain. I will drive you to the hospital."

"No ... I'm fine."

After denying it, I could see how she closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't open them again. She had fainted. As fast as I could, I drove her to the hospital.

They kept here there, because of her critical condition. And they would keep her there for longer, I learned.

She didn't tell me that the cancer was getting worse. Instead, she had lied. A doctor told me that she was already at the last stage, the disease already spreading to the bone.

Then and there, I was told that she already had been losing her memories for the past year. It explained her weird behaviour as well as the diary I wasn't allowed to look into.

This night, I drove back to pack her belongings, since she would stay there from now on to get treatment. I took her black diary with me. But I was too afraid to look into it. What if she was hiding other things from me? At the time, I was too shocked to be confronted with anything else.

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Thank you so much for reading and 200 reads! :3
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Sincerely,
Krisha_Grim