~Storybrooke~
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably upon the desk, trembling breaths passing through her parted lips as the mental images continued to wash hotly over her.
Oh…my God…
It had started as nothing more than a brief glimpse, something she'd dismissed as a mere fanciful thought as it faded quickly from her mind. But then came another image, followed by another. And then another. Another still. It didn't take long for her to realize that these were not simply random thoughts invading her psyche: they were full-blown memories. Memories of a life she'd long-since forgotten, but now rushing back to her with such unrelenting force that she could hardly remember how to breathe.
No, her mind whispered. No…
There was no stopping them. Not the images; not the pain; not the incessant burn that was gradually rising within her chest and consuming all of her senses.
I…remember.
And then her eyes glanced down at the file in front of her, and she felt her throat seize up. Her palms flattened against the desk's smooth surface. Scanning the notes scrawled in her penmanship, she took in the details she'd written about one of her most perplexing medical cases; the man who was in her office at least twice a week, if not more often seeking her assistance. A man she could never seem to refuse whenever he asked for her help.
HARRIS, JEFFERSON, the label on the file read.
Not my patient, she thought in shock. He's not my patient. Dr. Lydia Warner felt the sting of tears behind her eyes as her heart clenched painfully. I remember…
Off with his head!
Hearing the loud slice in her mind, she stood abruptly, knocking her chair to the floor with a loud thud. Luckily, she was the last person left at the clinic, so the noise went completely unnoticed. Releasing a shuddering breath, her vision momentarily blurred before two tears slipped down her cheeks.
I remember everything…
She choked on a gasp when her cell phone vibrated loudly beside her hand, her heart automatically pounding beneath her chest. Picking up the device with a shaking hand, she glanced at the display screen and felt a sense of dread fill her stomach when she recognized the number. She swallowed, trying to take a steadying breath. It wasn't unexpected, but…
Accepting the call, she brought the phone to her ear and breathlessly wheezed out, "Jefferson—"
"You remember," he immediately responded, though she didn't miss the slight quake in his deep voice. A voice she knew all too well. "Don't you?"
So she wasn't the only one. Closing her eyes, she conjured the will to whisper, "Yes."
TBC...