Don’t Forget to Remember Me by Kahlen Aymes Page A

in on you. I wanted to introduce myself since we may be
spending time together.”
    “Are you a physical therapist?” I wished he
would just cut to the chase already. His methodical prodding wasn’t
my style. “I’m having some difficulty moving my toes, but I can
feel my feet. I’m supposed to be getting up for a walk, so it makes
sense that you’d be…” He shook his head and so I stopped
talking.
    “I’m a psychologist.”
    My deep intake of breath caused a sharp pain
to shoot through the left side of my chest. “Why? Do they think I’m
crazy?” I asked, wincing.
    Dr. Moore shook his head. “Not at all, but,
if there is no physical problem, they just thought talking a little
might help you remember.”
    I snorted unconsciously. I’m sure he found
it insulting because his face tightened slightly. “Well, thank you,
but I hit my head. Surely, that’s the reason I can’t remember,
right? I have more than enough people to talk to. There are nine of
them, at last count.”
    “No one is insinuating that there is
anything remotely wrong with you, Julia, but I’ve dealt with cases
like this before. I’m only here to help.”
    I regretted my snarkiness but, I was
skeptical. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s all a
little overwhelming.”
    “Well, that’s why I’m
here. You might feel more at ease talking to someone impartial.
Your family and friends might be more emotional and you don’t need
to take that on right now. You need to concentrate on what you need
to do to heal, okay? Focus on
yourself.”
    “I’ll try.”
    “So, Dr. Brighton will
call after your MRI this afternoon and let me know the results,
alright? I’ll stop in tomorrow and we’ll
see how you’re doing.”
    “Dr. Moore, on your other cases, how long
did it take for them to remember?”
    “I’ve only had two others like this. It took
one about a month and the other one…well; he never did get his
memory back completely.” My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open
in surprise. “But, he’s built a new life and he’s perfectly happy
now. He has new memories.”
    His eyes dropped to my left wrist that I had
closed my right one around. I couldn’t seem to stop touching it and
rubbed back and forth. My damned eyes welled again and threatened
to spill over. I didn’t want to lose eight years of my life.
    “Why are you doing that? Are you in pain?”
Dr. Moore asked.
    I stopped immediately and
pulled my good hand away. “No. It doesn’t hurt. I guess I’m nervous
or something. I’m sad that I can’t remember, and losing all that
time, and people , hurts. I feel
isolated.”
    His eyes narrowed slightly but he smiled
gently. “Is there anyone or anything in particular that makes you
sad?”
    I licked my lips nervously, not really sure
how much I trusted this new doctor. “Uh…yes, I guess. I mean Ryan,
Aaron and Jenna, mainly. Supposedly, we were all very close
friends, so not knowing them is upsetting.”
    Especially Ryan. I
wanted to know everything about him and exactly what our
relationship was.
    “Well, you’ll probably remember them all in
time, but it may not come back all at once. Do you remember your
job or where you were living?”
    I shook my head.
    “Well, don’t fret so much, okay? So, I’ll
see you tomorrow. Try to rest as much as you can.”
    He left me alone and I
closed my eyes. The medicine was making me sleepy. So sleepy. The nurse came in to take my blood
pressure, but when she closed the blinds and left, I drifted off to
sleep in the quiet room.
     
    *****
     
    The room was darker. The
sun had changed position and was casting long shadows from the
window. That meant I’d slept for hours and probably missed my walk
with Ryan. I wasn’t really sure why he intrigued me, other than how
gorgeous he was. Even though I had no
memory of him, I found myself looking forward to seeing him. My
heart sped up at the thought. I yawned and brought my right hand to
my mouth as I glanced around