Chapter 004: Recalling a fragment of my memory for the 1st time

What?! ……Only god knows how badly I want to go back to a coma right now

“What, you mean I purposely came here under a fake identity even after knowing that it is a serious crime?”

“I don’t know anything about that any more than you. And now I really regret telling you all these.”

Saying that he looked at his watch. It must be really late by now.

“I think I must leave now. Take rest and sleep sound if you really want your memories back. Okay?”

“Mmm.” I nodded and obediently tucked myself in. He seemed satisfied to see me follow what he told.

“Goodnight, don’t overthink, just sleep.”

“Yes. Good Night”

He left the room. Soon a nurse came in. While I was watching her enter, my eyelids drooped heavily, and only then I realized how sleepy I felt. In no time, I was fast asleep.

……………..

“Goodmorning Miss Parker!”

Cute Alice waved as she entered. Today she was wearing a pink blouse paired with beige jeans and had her hair tucked up in a neat bun. She was indeed a pleasant sight to look at in the early morning.

“Good Morning Alice”, I found myself broadly smiling at her, apparently unable to resist her adorability. She came towards me,

“Miss Parker, let me help you wash up yourself.”

“Uh, well I think I can do it by myself, I’ll get going right now” I slowly got down from the bed. And went into the attached toilet. As soon as I got in, I saw……

A woman….with a slender figure, heart-shaped face and shiny brown hair cascading all way down to the hips. The remnant area of the forehead which was left uncovered by layered curtain bangs was complemented by a few wisps of hair falling low beyond her rounded eyebrows and ending a little above her large hazel eyes. A pretty, pointed nose emerged between her soft round cheeks. Adorable thin Cupid’s bow lips completed the looks of her face.

It was a mirror.

Literally, I’m looking at myself after 3 years. I was prettier than I expected. But my overall appearance is completely different from my casual style. No say, in short, it isn’t my style at all. What makes it seem so different?.....

Gotcha! When did I even have hazel eyes? Coloured contact lenses?

I didn’t want to risk dislocating the lenses and didn't check them out. But it was indeed coloured contacts.

Suddenly a thought stuck up in my mind.

Did I actually impersonate someone with nothing else other than a pair of coloured contact lenses?

That sounds really ridiculous.

Does that mean the authorities never spotted any difference?

So funny…. Unless she looked exactly like me…….

Good Heavens, this mess is getting scarier day by day. I remember, my life was very simple back then. Why did it suddenly get so complicated during the last 3 years? It seems even more complicated as I don’t have past memories. I have to get them back soon indeed.

I pushed away my thoughts and quickly exited the toilet after cleaning myself up.

Alice was sitting on the sofa beside the windows and seriously reading a file. She looked up and smiled as she saw me coming.

“Breakfast is here Miss Parker, eat it before it gets cold.”

“Thank you, Alice. By the way, you don't have to be so formal.”

“Okay then”, she smiled radiantly. “ Then I’ll call you Laia because when I looked at your files, I realized that we’re about the same age.”

“Really? I thought this sweet girl was younger than me. "Fine, then call me Laia.”

I walked towards the windows to take a look. Immediately, a glamorous structure caught my eye. What else could it be? it was of course the world-renowned Marina Bay Sands.

My childhood memories flashed back along with those lovely days I spent in Singapore during the summer vacation when I was 14.

I was pulled back to reality when I heard the door open. I turned back and found Dr Wei coming in.

“Good Morning Dr Wei.”

“Good morning Laia”, he notice the breakfast which was laid. I forgot that... I turned back soon to fetch it.

“Finish your breakfast quickly because I’m taking you out today”, he said that with a grin.

“Taking me out?”

“On a date”, I froze in my tracks and immediately glanced at Alice who was dumbstruck and almost going to drop the file in her hands.

I turned back at him, but he just stood there smiling. God! It was really awkward. Finally, I broke the silence,

“Huh, Dr Wei you’re joking aren’t you?”

He didn’t say anything but intently looked at me. I was turning red with embarrassment.

He chuckled. Only then I was relieved.

“You actually believed it?” He continued to chuckle.

“Dr Wei, Laia looked actually scared now, we shouldn’t make our patients worried like that. Even I believed what you said.” Alice looked cute even when she made that angry remark.

“Okay, okay. Fine. Today, Laia will take a stroll outside with me”, he turned toward me,

“And you, eat quickly.”

I obediently finished my meal as quickly as possible and then tucked my hair into a messy bun for the morning stroll. It seemed quite awkward to walk around in the patient pyjamas. But it isn’t like I had another choice.

“Okay come with me”, saying that, Dr Wei walked towards the door and opened it for me. I hurried behind him. I saw that Alice was too leaving with us. He turned left and started walking along the corridor. Alice closed the door and headed in the opposite direction.

After a few turns and an elevator trip, we were out. I felt the warm sunlight flooding around me. The fresh air and the warmth of the morning sun were indeed refreshing.

“Feeling good?” Dr Wei asked as he strolled beside me.

I nodded in delight.

I saw patients taking strolls either as pairs or being accompanied by nurses or doctors. Dr Wei kept silent and I certainly felt better that way. I forgot everything else around me and greedily gulped in the fresh air which carried with it the scent of flowers and leaves.

While I was walking down the stretching pathway, there were a few visitors walking either towards or away from the hospital. I ignored all of them and continued to walk while I saw……….

A man walking towards the hospital, which means, towards us. He was really handsome, but that wasn’t the reason why I focused my attention on him. It was because, when I saw him walking towards me, everything else around him seemed to fade into a blur or like out of focus. He shone very clear among all of them. I felt myself walking towards him. As I moved closer, I could see him even more clearly. He looked about the age of Dr Wei but carried the grace of a young schoolboy. He was wearing a steel blue trench coat, white t-shirt and grey jeans with white sneakers rounding out his looks.  He looked like a mixture of cute, cool and trendy. His eyes were reflecting a mischievous look and his lips curled into a slight playful grin. He was walking very leisurely, looking at the hedges along the pathway. Shortly he noticed me. I didn’t know why but I couldn’t take off my eyes from him and continued to stare into his eyes. He too stopped in his tracks and intently gazed into my eyes. He was clearly mystified by my presence and seemed as if he recognized me. To my surprise, he started walking toward me while looking deep into my eyes.

Uh! I’m remembering something!

I saw someone with the same body frame as him in a different location like a grassy meadow. He was stretching his arms wide and was calling me to come to him. And in my memory, it seemed like I was running towards him.

But…..   he was calling- ‘Xue Er! Come to me.’

The same voice I heard when I was regaining consciousness and the same name ‘Xue Er.’

The throbbing in the head returned and I stopped hallucinating. This time the pain was worse and my eyes immediately blurred out.

I could hear Dr Wei shouting out my name.

The last thing I saw was the mysterious young man running towards me as my knees gave away making me fall down unconscious.