Chapter 4

Jolting up out of bed, my head felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to it. I let out a scream as I grabbed my hair and squeezed my eyes shut. Suddenly, I felt my stomach turn and I leaned over the bed and vomited. I couldn’t see, my vision was dancing with black and gold dots. My head felt like it was going to explode. Reaching out to the night stand, I knocked over the lamp and it shattered. The sound making me scream again. My eyes were tearing up, but I couldn’t even feel anything past the pain.

Reaching out again, I grabbed my phone and unlocked it with my fingerprint.

“Call Adrian…” My voice was hoarse and gravelly.

“Call Adrian “Butthead” Anderson?” The phone replied.

“Yes!” I screamed again as the throbbing turned into a stabbing pain. I started to cough and I could feel my consciousness leaving me.

The phone rang three times before a tired and gruff voice answered. “Seriously, asshole? Do you know what time it is right now?”

“A…A…rian…” My voice broke apart as the world went black. I dropped my phone, hearing it shatter on the floor as I passed out. 

-

 Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The first thing I felt was pain. My head hurt. Not nearly as bad as it had but it was still the first thing I could feel. I went through the motions. Fingers and toes moved? Check. Shoulders and neck? Check. Legs and arms? Check. Eyes? I squinted as I forced the ton of bricks that was holding my eyelids down to move. The light was bright above me and it sent a searing pain through my head. Squeezing them shut again, I groaned.

“He’s awake!”

“Oh baby! Thank god. Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

“Son, what the hell happened?”

“We should get the doctor.”

“Why aren’t you opening your eyes? Is something wrong, baby? Talk to me.”

I took a deep breath. “Shut up. All of you.” I hissed at them. Their voices were like nails on a chalkboard, only adding to the pain.

I heard a door open and a growl. There was a low voice that angrily came across the room. “I told you to keep this light down and I told you not to say a word if he woke up. Here you are, yelling at him and asking him questions. All of you, out. Out now.”

My lips tugged up into a smile. The forceful and low voice of Dr. Jha was unmistakable. She was kicking everyone out of the room and I had never been so grateful to her. There were some retorts, especially from ‘my future wife’ but Dr. Jha didn’t listen to any of them as she ushered them out

“Jason, you stay. Don’t say shit though, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I felt the lights dim and I tried to open my eyes again. This time, it was far less painful. The blank white walls of the hospital greeted me and I sighed. Looking over at Dr. Jha, she had her clipboard and was filling out information from the machines next to me.

“You were right?” My voice came out as a croak and I watched Jason come forward. He handed me a glass of water and I took a couple sips.

“I have a tendency to be right. Especially with how long I’ve been alive.” She glanced at me before looking back over the machines. “You want to tell me which part I was right about this time, though?”

I smiled. “I decided to rest, as requested.”

“A few weeks later, but I’ll take it. I doubt the rest is what forced the headache.”

Nodding, I took another sip of water. Jason was leaning against the wall, observing me.

“It was a memory. Washed out and blurry but I could tell, it was a cohesive memory. A moment that lasted ten minutes or so. I honestly don’t know how long that moment was.” My eyes narrowed, but when I tried to focus on more of the details, the pain in my head got worse.

“Do you remember it now?”

I nodded again. “The details aren’t there but the scene, their words, what I could see, hear, smell, feel in the dream, I can remember it now.” My face became hard as I looked down at my hands. The blood that covered them as I clutched a woman in my arms.

“What moment was it?”

“I think the last moment. We…a woman and I were being held at gunpoint.”

Jason stepped forward. “Gunpoint? What do you mean gunpoint?”

Dr. Jha shot him a look and he stopped, shoving his hands in his pant pockets.

“We weren’t in Vegas, that’s for sure. We were in Italy or somewhere overseas. They were the Mafia. They were trying to teach my dad a lesson for going after their territory. They were going to kill me. Kill me to teach him a lesson.” I looked up at Jason, whose eyes were wide. “She saved me. The woman I had in my arms. She pushed me back and covered me. I was covered in her blood. I don’t know…I don’t know what happened to her. I hit my head pretty hard on the concrete but I didn’t pass out.”

I looked between the two of them. Dr. Jha was studying me as Jason had a confused look on his face. My hands shook as I gathered the blanket in my fists. “She saved my life and I don’t know her. I don’t know her name. Her face was blurry. I don’t even know who she is to me. She saved me and I don’t even know if she is still alive.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I brought my hands up and buried my face in them. I felt Jason’s hand on my shoulder and I shook my head.

“Something is wrong. How was I in Vegas and also international? It doesn’t make sense. Fuck, it hurts my head trying to think about it.”

“I’m going to give you something for the pain and to rest through the IV. I think your mind needs to heal after the memory. If anything, that might be the most painful one and like you said, one of the last ones before you woke up at the hospital here. It could also be something that happened within those six months. You never know but the trauma matches up with your initial diagnosis. Get some rest, Zachary. I’ll keep the family out of the room as long as I can.”

“Thanks, doc.”

She nodded and smiled. “Jason, don’t bother the boy with useless questions. I’m allowing you to stay in here as a guard and a friend.”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Dr. Jha left the room and there were immediately complaints, and you could hear her yelling even through the door. I smiled and chuckled. Leaning back on the pillow, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

“You scared the shit out of me, Zach.”

“Did Adrian find me?”

Jason shook his head. “No. Adrian was in France this week on business. You scared the shit out of him over the phone. He called me in case the penthouse was locked, which it was. When I found you passed out, it looked like you had had a seizure. I freaked the fuck out. Don’t do that to me again.”

I chuckled. “I’ll try not to, but no promises. According to Dr. Jha, it might happen every time I remember something.”

“Shit, dude.” Jason pulled up a chair and sat down, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t know if I could take that again. I thought you were dead.”

“Do you remember if we went internationally? Or if I did during those months?”

He shook his head. “I think the only time we were separated were those last four weeks. We were in Vegas avoiding going to another one of your father’s board meetings. You met yourself a girl and you ended up staying. I headed back after that weekend ‘cause my parents were coming into town from their European tour. You were gone for four weeks, though, before they flew you back to New York, saying you had an accident.”

“Thanks. I don’t think this is going to be an easy road from here on out. Not if remembering a ten minute segment of time lands me in the hospital. I’ve got six months’ worth of memories to remember.”

“Stacy and I are here for you. Whatever you need. Adrian too. I think he decided to fly back as soon as he could. We will stay close and make sure you have people around.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need babysitters.”

“No. No…just someone to find your dead fucking body on the bed after you relive something.” Jason growled and I exhaled.

“I appreciate it.” I paused and looked over at my phone, the screen had been shattered. “You didn’t happen to grab my laptop, did you?” Jason punched my arm and I grunted, rubbing my arm. “Shit! That hurt!”

“No, of course I didn’t grab your laptop.” He stood up. “Get some rest, Zach. If you’re still here tomorrow, I’ll have Stacy bring your stuff down.”

I nodded and leaned back in the bed, finally feeling heavy. “Thanks, Jason. Seriously.”

“Yeah. What are best friends for?”

My eyes closed and I felt sleep take over.