I walked into Eli's room 6 am. I get here at the same time every morning. I check his vitals, I empty his Catheter bag, and wait till he wakes up to answer the same question he has asked me for 9 years now. Who are you? I hate that question because every time he asks me that question it pulls a piece of my heart out.
I'm in love with a man who will never remember me, who will never remember our daughter or son, but i fell in love with him after his accident so if there is anyone to blame it's myself.
"Hey sweetie, how are you doing today?" Eli's Mom Kate asked me.
"I'm good Kate. How are you? How was Eli through the night?" I asked her.
"He was good through the night, he didn't wake up once." Kate answered me. "How are my beautiful grand kids?"
"Their perfect. Max looks more and more like Eli everyday and Ellie is excited about the 2nd grade." I said with a tear in my eye. I quickly wiped it away, "You should come over to see them, they miss you."
"I can't believe Ellie is 7 already and Max is going to be 2. I'll stop by tonight after work." Kate said hugging me, "I wish he would remember them, but it's better to keep the kids away. I see how hard it is for you to introduce yourself everyday, it would be tough on the kids."
"This is the life I chose. I love him and if i spend the rest of my life answering the question "who are you"? I will." I took in a shaky breath and wiped my eyes, "I'll do anything for him."
"I know you would." Kate said, "I'll see you later." then she walked out of the house leaving me alone with Eli.
An hour later Eli woke up and looked over to me as I sat in a chair reading a book. Here we go.
"Who are you?" Eli asked me.
I placed my book on the nightstand, "I'm Samantha James. I'm your nurse." I say this every morning.
"Why can't I move my legs?" Eli asked with the same scared expression on his face i'm so used to.
"You were in a car accident Eli." I tell him.
"Were's my girlfriend Krista?" Eli ask and it breaks my heart every time he asks for her, but never remembers me.
"She isn't your girlfriend anymore Eli, that was years ago." I tell him.
"I just saw her at my friend Dylan's pool party." He shot me a dirty look, "How is she not my girlfriend from yesterday till today?"
"That pool party was 9 years ago. You're 25 now." I told him.
"NO! I'm 16, so stop fucking lying to me." He yelled at me.
I walked over to his dresser and picked up the mirror I hand to him every day so he can see his refection in it and know that he isn't 16 any longer.
"Here you go." I placed the mirror in his hand and when he seen his refection he gasped.
"How do I not remember 9 years of my life?" He asked still looking in the mirror touching his stubble.
"The car accident caused frontal lobe damaged that affected your short term memory. You can remember everything and everyone from before the accident but not after." I explained to him, then reached into his nightstand drawn and pulled out his journal. He started it when he was 18 after we made love for the first time. We knew he wouldn't remember it the next day, so he wanted to put the memory on paper. Every night before he goes to sleep, he writes in his journal about the day, then when he falls asleep all the memories are gone from his brain forever.
"You started this when you were 18." I handed it to him, "You can read it while I get everything for your shower ready.
He took the book and opened to the first page and I started my day.
YOU ARE READING
Forgetting you every night
RomanceEli Cameron was the popular football player in high school. He had everything going for him until the night he crashed his car. Every morning he wakes up to a beautiful nurse Samantha James, who has to tell him about his accident and why he can't...
