Memory Loss

A nurse in a white uniform was about to change a bag of intravenous fluids when she accidentally noticed the slow motion of a patient's finger, which had been lying there for almost two months. That patient's name was Leah Abigail.

Leah opened her eyes slowly, dazzled. It took a few minutes before she finally got used to the light that dazzled her eyes.

The scent of lavender poured into Leah's sense of smell. She looked around—a large room, a heart monitor, an IV pole—as if she were in a hospital. Leah couldn't remember anything. Everything felt empty in her head. Shortly thereafter, a middle-aged male doctor appeared along with two nurses and a young doctor. They smiled at her while she was staring at them with a hollow gaze.

"Wow, it's a miracle!" exclaimed the middle-aged doctor named Theo in a friendly manner. He was checking Leah's bodily functions from head to toe, and a nurse recorded the doctor's remarks on a clipboard with quick movements.

After that, Dr. Theo stood beside her and started asking basic questions to test her memory.

"Full name?"

"Leah Abigail."

"Age?"

"26 years," she answered.

Doctor Theo blinked twice, a sign that he was quite surprised by the answer.

"What year is it now?"

"2016," Leah answered softly. Doctor Theo cleared his throat softly as he glanced at a young doctor standing next to him.

"Marital status?" asked Dr. Theo again. Leah smiled faintly. "Single," she replied softly. The doctor nodded his head, then continued with other questions, finally asking if Leah remembered what had caused her to be in the hospital. Leah shook her head and replied that she didn't remember anything.

"All right, so far, all your motor functions are working well. After this, we will do a thorough scan," said doctor Theo, and then he nodded at the nurses, hinting that they should immediately take Leah to the MRI room. Leah just gave up. She looked around, hoping there was only one person she knew, but no one was there for her.

*****

The next day,

Leah woke up because she felt someone was watching her. And she was right. Next to her, a handsome man in a black suit with a white shirt on the inside seemed to be sitting and typing something on his cellphone. Leah frowned, confused. She felt like she didn't know that man at all. Realizing that Leah was awake, the man hurriedly put his cellphone back in his inner coat pocket and smiled broadly at her.

"Welcome back, Leah!" exclaimed the man, which made Leah even more curious. "Do we know each other?" asked Leah stiffly. She tried to get up. The stranger wanted to help her, but she refused to be touched.

"I am Jerome Leah, your husband," he replied carefully. Leah didn't react, leaving Jerome confused about what to say. "Leah? Are you okay?" he asked, a little bit worried. Leah smiled and said, "Don't joke! I'm not married yet! Who the hell are you?" she babbled, her eyes fixed on him.

Jerome sighed. "I know this may sound strange, but I'm your husband, Leah," he said earnestly. He didn't look like he was joking at all.

Last night, Dr. Theo did tell Leah that she may have partially lost her memory. Everything she could remember lasted only until 2016. She was shocked when the doctor said that they lived in 2021. She had lost almost five years of her memory, and she had no idea how she would begin to restore the lost memories of her life.

"Is there any evidence to prove that we are husband and wife?" asked Leah stiffly. Jerome nodded and placed the medium-sized, dark blue box on her lap.

She opened the box hesitantly, and she was surprised to find a photo of her wearing bridal attire and smiling broadly at the camera with Jerome standing beside her. Not only did Jerome include wedding photos, but he also included documents and a wedding ring that should have been wrapped around her finger.

She bit her lip hard. She still felt strange about the new fact she had learned. "Just take it slowly, babe. I know you must be feeling weird, but I'll help you fill in your lost memories," Jerome said, his hand moving to touch Leah's hand, but Leah quickly pulled her hand away from him.

"I'm so sorry, Jerome. I know we are husband and wife, but for now you are a stranger to me," Leah said in a choked voice. Jerome swallowed hard and nodded stiffly.

"My family? Do they know that I was in an accident and in a coma?" asked Leah, who had been amazed since yesterday that she hadn't seen her family at all. "Your family? Your sister is in England right now; she came to visit you several times, but she also has family there, so she can't stay with you here for too long," Jerome replied straightforwardly.

Leah frowned. "You mean Jessica?" she asked, confused, wondering why her sister was suddenly in England and already had a family. Jerome nodded quickly.

"My mom and my dad?" she asked again. Jerome stared at Leah for a long time, thinking about the answer. "My mom and my dad? Where are they?" she snapped impatiently. "They died, Leah, two years ago in a plane crash," replied Jerome carefully.

Leah's heart was out of place. She felt very weak. Suddenly, her head hurt so badly that Jerome swiftly pressed the red button, calling the nurse or doctor on duty to help her.

Not long after, the doctor on duty came. He examined Leah and asked Jerome to come out and end his visit. Leah's memory shouldn't be forced, as it would just end up overworking her brain and hurting her more.

Leah fell asleep after doctors gave her sleeping pills. In her dream, she met her parents, who were waving at her from a distance, leaving her crying while hugging her knees in the waiting room of an empty airport. Just then, suddenly, a man appeared and stretched out his hand to her. She felt calm as she touched that hand, but that man was not her husband, Jerome. 'Who is he?'

*****

That night, Leah woke up when a nurse came in to deliver dinner for her. "Hello, ma'am, this is your dinner. Please finish it so that your body will recover soon," said the nurse in a friendly manner. She put the tray of food on the nightstand next to her bed.

"Oh yeah, here," said the nurse, handing Leah a large ziplock bag. "Yes?" Leah asked, confused. "These are your belongings. I thought someone had taken them in the storage locker, but they haven't," replied the nurse before she left the room where Leah was being treated.

Instead of taking the set of food that had been prepared for her, Leah opened the Ziplock plastic that the nurse had given her with curiosity that filled her headspace.

Leah took out an expensive brand-name bag from the Ziplock and hurriedly got its contents out. A purse, car keys, notepads, perfume, and a few other small items spilled onto her lap.

Was that her bag? If judged by the material and shape, it seemed that the expensive bag in her hand was truly expensive. With her former income as ordinary marketing staff, it seemed impossible for her to be able to buy that kind of bag. Or maybe she borrowed it from someone else?

Leah's eyes were fixed on a black wallet, which was also produced by a world-famous designer. Jeez! It felt like things were getting weird for her. It seemed like her life had completely changed. Suddenly, Leah thought of someone who claimed to be her husband, Jerome. Did she become rich because of him?

She quickly opened the wallet, checking its contents. An ID card, a row of debit and credit cards in the name of Leah Abigail, and some cash—she gasped. It turned out that the bag was indeed hers.

Not finding any answers, she got up and tried to stand on her two feet. It worked, even if it was a little bit shaky.

She slowly tried to move her foot, as if the doctor knew she might be scolded. But she felt like she was fine. All of her joints felt stiff and strange, but she slowly adjusted to them.

Her steps were still one-on-one, but she made it to the bathroom. Her goal was only one: a mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt completely surprised by her completely different appearance.

Her hair looked much shinier, and her skin and nails looked very well groomed. Her body, which used to be a bit thin and scrawny, was much more proportionate. Could it be that she was much happier?

When she was about to return to her bed, one step at a time, she almost fell. Fortunately, someone swiftly grabbed her body. She grimaced, holding her head, which felt a little dizzy. She turned her head to try to see the person who held her. A cold-faced, handsome man was staring at her with a gaze that she couldn't comprehend.

"Who are you?" she asked curiously. The man didn't answer, but he continued to help her until she climbed onto the bed, and to her surprise, she didn't refuse at all.

"Who the hell are you?" She snapped and started to get annoyed that her question went unanswered. The man looked surprised. "You don't know me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Should I?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. The man in front of him looked completely dumbfounded; Leah could see his enlarged eyes. "Why? Do we have a special relationship?" she asked again, her eyes wide open. She did not believe that she was cheating on her husband.

"I'm Adrian," replied the man. She tilted her head, looking closely at Adrian's face. "Adrian who?" she asked, confused. Adrian was silent. He wanted to tell her everything, but he knew she wouldn't remember anything.

"This is my business card. Contact me if you remember anything," said Adrian while holding out his business card to Leah. Leah received a business card from Adrian with a confused face. She thought she had seen Adrian before, but she was not sure where.

After standing for a while without saying anything, he finally stepped out of the room, leaving her staring at the business card in her hand.

Law Firm

Parker & Partners

Adrian Parker (Managing Partner)

'So he is a lawyer?'

She closed her eyes, trying to remember something related to the law firm, but not a single memory popped up. Her mind was completely blank.

*****