A Flair For The Dramatic
Sixteen
2 weeks later
*Rose*
I can hear Elle again, her voice quiet and soothing. And I can hear Summer - my sister - her voice worrying and distressed. I remember them both, the things we have done together and what we have all been through.
But what I am trying so hard but failing to be clear on is the other voices that fill the room.
I have heard four more different voices, all seeping into my brain and causing a strong will inside of me to remember who they are and what they mean to me. Because I know they mean something to me, I can feel it when I hear their voices, I just need to figure out what.
There is one voice in particular that is absorbing my thoughts and taking up all of my headspace, but it's hard to guess why or how I know that he means the most to me. His voice is gentle and calm, and although I have failed to make much sense of what he is saying to the others, I feel at peace when he speaks. And I think that is how I know that he is of some strong importance in my life...
*Vic*
"The results from Rose's scans have come back, and we have some big news for you all." The doctor comes into the room and speaks in a solemn tone.
"Okay." I say, slightly worried and apprehensive.
"Alright, first of all, you should be pleased to know that there is no permanent damage to the bones or tissue in her ribs and limbs like we suspected there may have been. So in that sense, she has recovered fully and will be able to move about like normal." He says and I smile at the others, who are listening intently. "Second of all, there has been a... complication, in her brain."
My heart sinks and I can feel the colour drain from my face, dread filling me from head to toe. "W-what kind of com-complication?" I stutter pathetically. "She isn't brain damaged is she?" I assume, suspecting the worst possible scenario I can think of.
"No, she is not brain damaged. The damage is centred around the prefrontal cortex, where memories and thoughts are processed. The scan showed that Rose has suffered from a douse of short-term memory loss, and cannot seem to remember a thing since this time last year. Any memory before that time as been recognised by tests that she is responding well to. I am sorry to say this, but any events that have happened in the past year have been completely erased from her memory, and we can't be sure whether they will come back to her or not until we run some more scans when she has come out of her coma."
My heart sinks and my breathing shallows. This is worse than i expected - the past year has been erased from her memory, meaning any trace of me has been wiped from her brain. The others seem to have realized the same thing and look at me with a sympathetic look in their eyes.
"I am sorry about this. Come and get me if you need anything." The doctor says and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"You know what this means?" Mike says softly, looking at me carefully. I nod and try to hold back tears, my throat thick and shaky.
"All of us apart from Elle and Summer are going to be nothing to her." Tony says and it is as if I can see his heart breaking too.
"I'm so sorry, Vic." Elle says and a tear rolls down her cheek. "I hope that she remembers you, I hope that the doctor is wrong." She continues and gives me a hug. I hug her back gently and take a steady breath, trying to compose myself.
I fail miserably, and I break down in front of everyone, collapsing into the chair by Rose's bedside and covering my face with my hands to hide the floods of tears falling down my face. "What am I going to do?" I choke hysterically.
I feel someone's hand on my shoulder and I look up, seeing Summer sitting on the arm of the chair, gently trying to soothe me. "It will be okay, we can help her to remember."
I shake my head and wipe the tears from my face, looking at how peaceful Rose looks just laying there, breathing gradually stronger and and finally gaining some color in her cheeks. I had so much hope that she was going to wake up from this and everything was going to return to normal, but now I only have hope that she is going to wake up from this.
"Summer is right, Vic. We can try and make her remember. We have no choice - I don't think any of us can risk losing her." Jaime says to me and I nod, grateful for his words.
"Look, Vic, I know I didn't approve of her at first - I thought she was bad for you, but I can see how happy she makes you and that is all that I have wanted for a long time. I will do everything that I can to try and help her to remember you and what you mean to each other."
I sigh. "Thank you-" I stop my sentence when I hear movement and rustling from the bed, and my eyes widen as she shifts her head to the right. Her gaze would be directly on me if her eyes were open, and I internally will her to wake up fully and open her eyes. "Guys, did you see that?"
Everybody nods and Elle perches herself on the end of the bed, her breathing loud and audible. "Uh, Rose?" She says and gently nudges her hand. "Oh my god, she's waking up. Guys, she is waking up!"
"What?! How do you know?" I ask her frantically and she looks at me.
"Look at her hand!"
I do as she says and look towards their hands, which are entwined together now. "Shit. Oh my god, have you seen this?! Get the doctor - someone please get the doctor!"
"I'll go!" Jaime says and speeds out of the door, skidding past the window and out of sight.
"Please wake up." I whisper to Rose. And then it happens.
My heart stops as her eyes flutter and open, first looking at Rose and then at me. She parts her mouth slightly and her mouth twists into a tight smile. "Elle?" She croaks and I see tears forming in Elle's eyes.
"I'm here, Rose. God, I'm so glad you're awake." Elle sobs and Rose looks in the direction of Summer, Mike and Tony.
"Summer, I-" She cuts herself off as Summer rushes over to her and hugs her gently, kissing her on the cheek and smiling so hard.
"I have missed you so much." Summer whispers and Rose nods.
"What happened?" Rose says dryly and I am about to answer her but stop myself, too afraid to speak and terrified to see the look on her face when she sees me and doesn't remember who I am.
"You were in a coma, honey." Elle replies and Rose frowns. "It's a long story - don't give it another thought."
"Who... Who are these people?" I hear Rose barely whisper and my heart shatters.
"Uh..." Summer starts but looks at me warily.
"This is Mike, your sisters boyfriend, and that is Tony - a good friend. Jaime, my boyfriend has just gone to tell the doctor that you have woken up." Elle starts. "And, um, this is Vic. He is your boyfriend."
A silence takes over the room and I stare into Rose's eyes as she looks at me intently. It pains me to see her trying to figure out who I am but I can't pull my gaze away from hers - her eyes just draw me in.
"I... I don't remember." She says quietly, her gaze still on me but her words pointedly at Elle or Summer.
"I know, Rose, I know." Summer says softly.
"Why can't I remember?" She says, slight fear in her voice. She is still staring at me, her brows slightly furrowed but her eyes vacant, almost empty.
"You have lost your, um, your memory. Well, some of it anyway. But don't worry, we are going to try and help you remember. You need to remember." Elle says convincingly and I start to shake slightly.
"Ah, nice to see you finally with your eyes open, Rose." A cheerful voice enters the room and I finally look away from Rose and see Jaime and the doctor stood next to the door. "Is it okay if I ask you al to leave the room momentarily, I need to ask Rose a few questions and evaluate a couple of things."
We all nod. "That's fine." I say nervously and leave the room quickly, the others following behind me. Surprisingly, I don't feel the need to cry and Elle walks over to me as I am stood alone.
"Are you okay?" She asks me and I nod.
"I am fine, I guess. It's just hard." I say and let out a deep breath.
"I saw the look in her eyes when she looked at you. She knows you, Vic. Even if she hasn't realized it yet, she knows who you are. I know it." She says and I look down at the floor. "What are you going to do now?" She asks me seriously.
I look through the window and see the doctor talking to Rose. I see her eyes flicker up to the window and I look at her, silently praying for something to trigger her memory when she looks at me. I look away again, back into Elle's gaze. "The only thing I can do. I'm going to try and make her fall in love with me again."
*Rose*
I can hear Elle again, her voice quiet and soothing. And I can hear Summer - my sister - her voice worrying and distressed. I remember them both, the things we have done together and what we have all been through.
But what I am trying so hard but failing to be clear on is the other voices that fill the room.
I have heard four more different voices, all seeping into my brain and causing a strong will inside of me to remember who they are and what they mean to me. Because I know they mean something to me, I can feel it when I hear their voices, I just need to figure out what.
There is one voice in particular that is absorbing my thoughts and taking up all of my headspace, but it's hard to guess why or how I know that he means the most to me. His voice is gentle and calm, and although I have failed to make much sense of what he is saying to the others, I feel at peace when he speaks. And I think that is how I know that he is of some strong importance in my life...
*Vic*
"The results from Rose's scans have come back, and we have some big news for you all." The doctor comes into the room and speaks in a solemn tone.
"Okay." I say, slightly worried and apprehensive.
"Alright, first of all, you should be pleased to know that there is no permanent damage to the bones or tissue in her ribs and limbs like we suspected there may have been. So in that sense, she has recovered fully and will be able to move about like normal." He says and I smile at the others, who are listening intently. "Second of all, there has been a... complication, in her brain."
My heart sinks and I can feel the colour drain from my face, dread filling me from head to toe. "W-what kind of com-complication?" I stutter pathetically. "She isn't brain damaged is she?" I assume, suspecting the worst possible scenario I can think of.
"No, she is not brain damaged. The damage is centred around the prefrontal cortex, where memories and thoughts are processed. The scan showed that Rose has suffered from a douse of short-term memory loss, and cannot seem to remember a thing since this time last year. Any memory before that time as been recognised by tests that she is responding well to. I am sorry to say this, but any events that have happened in the past year have been completely erased from her memory, and we can't be sure whether they will come back to her or not until we run some more scans when she has come out of her coma."
My heart sinks and my breathing shallows. This is worse than i expected - the past year has been erased from her memory, meaning any trace of me has been wiped from her brain. The others seem to have realized the same thing and look at me with a sympathetic look in their eyes.
"I am sorry about this. Come and get me if you need anything." The doctor says and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"You know what this means?" Mike says softly, looking at me carefully. I nod and try to hold back tears, my throat thick and shaky.
"All of us apart from Elle and Summer are going to be nothing to her." Tony says and it is as if I can see his heart breaking too.
"I'm so sorry, Vic." Elle says and a tear rolls down her cheek. "I hope that she remembers you, I hope that the doctor is wrong." She continues and gives me a hug. I hug her back gently and take a steady breath, trying to compose myself.
I fail miserably, and I break down in front of everyone, collapsing into the chair by Rose's bedside and covering my face with my hands to hide the floods of tears falling down my face. "What am I going to do?" I choke hysterically.
I feel someone's hand on my shoulder and I look up, seeing Summer sitting on the arm of the chair, gently trying to soothe me. "It will be okay, we can help her to remember."
I shake my head and wipe the tears from my face, looking at how peaceful Rose looks just laying there, breathing gradually stronger and and finally gaining some color in her cheeks. I had so much hope that she was going to wake up from this and everything was going to return to normal, but now I only have hope that she is going to wake up from this.
"Summer is right, Vic. We can try and make her remember. We have no choice - I don't think any of us can risk losing her." Jaime says to me and I nod, grateful for his words.
"Look, Vic, I know I didn't approve of her at first - I thought she was bad for you, but I can see how happy she makes you and that is all that I have wanted for a long time. I will do everything that I can to try and help her to remember you and what you mean to each other."
I sigh. "Thank you-" I stop my sentence when I hear movement and rustling from the bed, and my eyes widen as she shifts her head to the right. Her gaze would be directly on me if her eyes were open, and I internally will her to wake up fully and open her eyes. "Guys, did you see that?"
Everybody nods and Elle perches herself on the end of the bed, her breathing loud and audible. "Uh, Rose?" She says and gently nudges her hand. "Oh my god, she's waking up. Guys, she is waking up!"
"What?! How do you know?" I ask her frantically and she looks at me.
"Look at her hand!"
I do as she says and look towards their hands, which are entwined together now. "Shit. Oh my god, have you seen this?! Get the doctor - someone please get the doctor!"
"I'll go!" Jaime says and speeds out of the door, skidding past the window and out of sight.
"Please wake up." I whisper to Rose. And then it happens.
My heart stops as her eyes flutter and open, first looking at Rose and then at me. She parts her mouth slightly and her mouth twists into a tight smile. "Elle?" She croaks and I see tears forming in Elle's eyes.
"I'm here, Rose. God, I'm so glad you're awake." Elle sobs and Rose looks in the direction of Summer, Mike and Tony.
"Summer, I-" She cuts herself off as Summer rushes over to her and hugs her gently, kissing her on the cheek and smiling so hard.
"I have missed you so much." Summer whispers and Rose nods.
"What happened?" Rose says dryly and I am about to answer her but stop myself, too afraid to speak and terrified to see the look on her face when she sees me and doesn't remember who I am.
"You were in a coma, honey." Elle replies and Rose frowns. "It's a long story - don't give it another thought."
"Who... Who are these people?" I hear Rose barely whisper and my heart shatters.
"Uh..." Summer starts but looks at me warily.
"This is Mike, your sisters boyfriend, and that is Tony - a good friend. Jaime, my boyfriend has just gone to tell the doctor that you have woken up." Elle starts. "And, um, this is Vic. He is your boyfriend."
A silence takes over the room and I stare into Rose's eyes as she looks at me intently. It pains me to see her trying to figure out who I am but I can't pull my gaze away from hers - her eyes just draw me in.
"I... I don't remember." She says quietly, her gaze still on me but her words pointedly at Elle or Summer.
"I know, Rose, I know." Summer says softly.
"Why can't I remember?" She says, slight fear in her voice. She is still staring at me, her brows slightly furrowed but her eyes vacant, almost empty.
"You have lost your, um, your memory. Well, some of it anyway. But don't worry, we are going to try and help you remember. You need to remember." Elle says convincingly and I start to shake slightly.
"Ah, nice to see you finally with your eyes open, Rose." A cheerful voice enters the room and I finally look away from Rose and see Jaime and the doctor stood next to the door. "Is it okay if I ask you al to leave the room momentarily, I need to ask Rose a few questions and evaluate a couple of things."
We all nod. "That's fine." I say nervously and leave the room quickly, the others following behind me. Surprisingly, I don't feel the need to cry and Elle walks over to me as I am stood alone.
"Are you okay?" She asks me and I nod.
"I am fine, I guess. It's just hard." I say and let out a deep breath.
"I saw the look in her eyes when she looked at you. She knows you, Vic. Even if she hasn't realized it yet, she knows who you are. I know it." She says and I look down at the floor. "What are you going to do now?" She asks me seriously.
I look through the window and see the doctor talking to Rose. I see her eyes flicker up to the window and I look at her, silently praying for something to trigger her memory when she looks at me. I look away again, back into Elle's gaze. "The only thing I can do. I'm going to try and make her fall in love with me again."
Notes
ahh there was a lot going on in this chapter i know but hopefully it wasnt hard to follow?? i hope you are enjoying this because idk i feel like im not really getting a response from this anymore and i used to get such a great response sigh. if you are enjoying it please just let me know in the comments because although i want to finish this story so much i also just feel like ending it whenever i dont get a response because i feel like nobody is really getting into it anymore idk im stupid but it matters to me and if you like this story tell me and then i wont take it down! thank you all anyway ily all a lot ok stay happy :)
pleasepleaseplease update this soooon!
4/15/15