I bit my lip as I looked between my mother and Tony before glancing around the hall, hoping that there was a nurse or doctor close by but of course I saw no one.

“You have nothing to say to that?” Tony asked my Mom, raising his eyebrows.

“You already know my thoughts on you,” my mother retorted.

Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Well, whether you like it or not, Rori wants me around so I’ll be here.”

She chuckled, though it was forced. “Oh please, Rori doesn’t even know who you are.” She said icily.

A hurt look flashed across Tony’s face before it hardened again. “She is starting to, though not with any help from you. You know, you’re only hurting her more with keeping secrets from her.”

“Don’t act like I’m the only one keeping secrets from her,” she sneered.

“I’m telling her what she wants to know when she asks! I’m not just going to ambush her with her life, that’s not going to help her, it’s just going to confuse and overwhelm her!” he responded, his voice rising slightly.

“Yeah? And what have you told her Tony? Have you told her how you leave her alone for months on end while you go out and party all night, or have you mentioned the other girls you’ve been with, or how this whole marriage proposal was a sham?”

“Stop it!” I yelled, closing my eyes and bringing my hands up to my head, trying to soothe the throbbing in my temples. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here!”

“Everything alright here?”

I quickly turned around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and I sighed in relief when I saw my doctor from last week.

“Everything is fine, Doctor Marks.” I said quietly and then gave him a smile.

He raised his eyebrows, not believing me but remained professional. “Okay, good, so let’s get going. How are you feeling Rori?”

He turned and started walking and I immediately followed him, not caring about the two people behind me but I heard their footsteps.

“I’ve been better,” I attempted to joke.

He smiled. “Yes, I’m sure. Well, let’s go take a look at how things are going under the hood, yeah?”

I nodded and followed him into the room until he suddenly paused and turned around and it was only then that I noticed Tony and my mom were both trying to follow us.

“Actually, I would like to see Rori alone.” Doctor Marks said and Tony immediately nodded his head and turned around but my mother paused.

“I’m sure Rori would feel more comfortable if she had some company though,” she tried to say but Doctor Marks held his hand up at her.

“I’m sure Rori will be just fine without you Ms. Hayes.”

“But –“ she tried again but Doctor Marks just closed the door on her and I couldn’t help but try and hide the small smile that formed.

“Alright,” Doctor Marks said as I took a seat on the small exam table. “How are you really feeling Rori?”

I sighed. “I don’t know to be honest, sometimes I feel good, like I'm really starting to get a hang of things but then there are other times where I just feel lost and overwhelmed.” I explained quietly, thankful that he had asked to see me alone.

He nodded his head. “Those are all normal feelings in cases like this. Now tell me, you said sometimes you feel good, when does that happen?”

I pursed my lips. “Well, I guess, most of the time it’s when I’m with certain people.”

“Who?”

“Tony mostly, I feel really comfortable around him and then last night, I ran into an old friend and I sort of remembered him, but I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to explain.”

Doctor Marks nodded again. “And your mother?”

“What about her?” I questioned, though I was pretty sure I knew what he was asking.

“You didn’t mention her as being one of the people you feel comfortable around.” He explained, raising his eyebrows.

I sighed. “It’s not that I don’t feel comfortable around her, I mean, it is my mother but it’s almost like she’s too excited to have me back home, to relive the past. She is constantly bugging me to look at pictures and to tell me these stories from when I was a kid.”

He nodded again – what was with doctors and nodding their heads? “Are you saying those things don’t help you remember anything?”

I sighed again. “No, I mean, they’ve helped a little but more often than not, they just confuse me.”

“Do you know who Tony Perry is?” he asked then, throwing me for a loop.

“Um, well, I’m pretty sure he’s my fiancé.” I muttered.

Doctor Marks chuckled. “He is, you remember that much?”

“Well, kind of, I mean I get these flashbacks occasionally and I’ve just been kind of putting the pieces together.”

He nodded. “Okay, do you know who he is though, outside of your fiancé?”

“Huh?” I asked, confused.

“Do you know who Tony Perry is? What he does for a living?”

“Oh. Yeah, he plays guitar in a band called Pierce the Veil. Vic is the lead singer and then Mike plays the drum and Jaime plays the bass.” I answered and my eyes widened when I realized what just came from my mouth.

“Why do you look so surprised Rori?” Doctor Marks asked with a small smile.

“I remembered.” I said a little breathlessly. “I haven’t even remembered who Jaime was until just now.”

“Tell me about Jaime.” He urged.

“Um…” I said and then pushed my eyebrows together as my mind turned blurry once again. “For some reason, I just remember hair.” I said with confusion.

This caused him to laugh. “Well, it seems like your memory will surely return fully with time Rori, which is a good thing. I also have come to the conclusion that it's more beneficial to you to remember on your own terms.”

“What do you mean?”

“You would much rather have the memories come to you on your own, yes? Meaning that you would rather be brought somewhere that holds a lot of memories instead of being told about these things?”

“Um, I guess so.” I muttered, unsure if I understood what he meant.

“What has your mother told you about Tony?” he asked then, changing the subject.

“Uh, she actually hasn’t told me anything about him. I only remembered him when he came up to me the other night.”

Doctor Marks looked at me in shock. “Your mother hasn’t been telling you things about your own fiancé?”

“No, like I said, she is more concerned about having me remember things that involve her.” I said biting my lip, and even though I was still slightly angry at my mother I almost felt bad, throwing her under the bus like that.

“Hmm.” He hummed, almost sounding annoyed. “Alright, well, were going to take you back to run some tests and see how things are looking from the inside and I’m going to talk with Tony and your Mom.”

I nodded and smiled and we got up then and he walked me out the door where Tony and my mom were and it was obvious by the way that they were both standing there that they had just had another argument. I gave Tony a smile, which he returned, before one of the nurses came and got me.

It was about an hour and a few tests later when I found myself walking back into the room and I immediately noticed the tension that was present as I saw Doctor Marks sitting in a chair, writing things down on the clipboard in his hands. My mother was standing off to the side, looking highly annoyed as she scowled at the floor with her arms crossed stiffly across her chest. I was most concerned about Tony though who was sitting on the exam table, much like I had been before, as he stared down at his hands, fiddling his fingers nervously.

They all looked up when I came in and I couldn’t help but blush because I had never liked being the center of attention. I noticed Tony smirk when he saw my blush which of course only made me blush harder as I made my way over to him and sat down on the table next to him, stealing a quick glance in his direction.

“What’s going on?” I asked quietly as I looked over at Doctor Marks. I heard my mother huff in annoyance.

“Well, Rori, I explained what you told me to your family here and I’ve recommended something that I think will help you out greatly. And I believe you’re ready to take this next step in your recovery now that you’ve remembered quite a few things.”

“Which is?” I asked slowly, fearing what he would say next.

“I believe that the best thing for you right now is to go home with Tony.” Doctor Marks said carefully, waiting for my reaction.

“Oh,” I said with surprise, obviously not expecting that.

“Tony mentioned that you went there last night without even realizing where you were going and I think that is as good a sign as any that you’re ready for this. But, of course, we won’t make you do anything you’re not comfortable with so the choice is completely up to you.” he explained.

I nodded and thought about it. I glanced over at Tony who was once again fiddling with his hands in his lap and I could see that he was chewing the inside of his cheek, clearly anxious on what my answer was going to be.

“I want to go home with Tony.” I said as another blush ignited on my cheeks, though this time for completely different reasons.

I heard my mother sigh but I was too busy smiling at the grin that formed on Tony’s face when I answered and as he glanced up at me and I found myself getting lost in his big brown eyes, I knew I was making the right decision.

Notes

I'm a shitty person and so is this chapter. I'm sorry. *sigh*