The Accident

An persistent beeping disturbed my slumber. I tried to ignore the irritating noise, but it seemed to be coming from under my pillow.

“She moved!” someone shouted. “Doctor!”

“Arrrgh,” I groaned, then more voices accompanied the incessant beeping.

A bright light flashed before my closed eyes. Annoyed, I scrunched my face in displeasure.

“She’s responsive,” a voice said with authority.

I pulled myself from sleep, opening my eyes just to tell everyone to shut up. As soon as I moved, pain engulfed my head. Many strange faces surrounded me. All but one wore white doctor’s coats or nurse’s scrubs. Vera stood behind them, looking out of place in a colorful top and jeans. Her red, puffy eyes made her look older than I remembered.

“Why am I in a hospital?” I whispered.

“You were in an accident,” Vera said. “Do you remember?”

I tried to sit up. “Don’t,” the nearest doctor said. “You have a head injury that hasn’t quite healed yet. Let us assess you first.”

I put a hand to my head and felt bandages surrounding it. “What happened?” I asked.

“You were in a car accident on the highway,” Vera repeated.

“Accident?” I said in disbelief. I had no recollection of an accident.

“Her vitals are stable, so we’ll give you some time with her,” the doctor said to Vera, then ushered everyone out of the room.

Vera approached my bed. “Thank God you’re all right. It’s been two months, and I’ve been worried sick.”

“Two months?” I asked with wide eyes. I’d been in the hospital for two months!

“I tried calling Alexander right after it happened. But he didn’t answer, so I sent him a message. You know what the jerk said? That you’re not his problem,” Vera said with a scowl and blatant hatred in her voice.

“Who’s Alexander?” I asked, wondering what this guy did to annoy my friend so much. And why should I be his problem?

“What do you mean, ‘Who’s Alexander?’ Don’t you remember him?”

I shook my head. The name didn’t ring any bells.

Vera went to the door and called for the doctor with impatient insistence. Why? What was the big deal about me not remembering this guy?

The doctor came, and he and Vera spoke in hushed whispers.

Afterward, he approached my bedside. “You took a severe blow to head, Olivia. It seems you’ve suffered some memory loss. We’re going conduct a detailed neurological examination to assess brain function, okay?”

“Okay,” I said softly.

The doctor checked my reflexes, muscle strength, coordination, and sensory responses. Everything functioned well except my memory. With Vera’s help, they determined I remembered my childhood and college years, but the last few years were mostly gone. Specifically, memories of a husband I’d had—the Alexander that Vera had spoken about—were no longer with me.

“Well, it might be a good thing that you don’t remember that jerk anyway,” Vera said.

“Why?” I asked, thinking a husband was definitely something I should recall. However, Vera told me he was my ex-husband, not current husband. I was only twenty-six, and I was already divorced?

“He’s a scumbag,” Vera said. “Trust me when I say you’re far better off without him.”

I gazed at the ring finger on my left hand. A ghostly outline shone where a ring would be worn, and there was a slight indentation there as well. My mind drifted to Leo, the only man I could have imagined marrying. He was such a gentleman when we were in college together. Was it possible he used another name, or maybe his middle name was Alexander?