Fighting Down Memory Lane
Prologue
He opened his eyes, blinking against the bright lights of the hospital room.
Hospital room?
He looked around the white sterile room in confusion, searching for some clue as to how he got here. He didn't recall whatever accident had put him there, so clearly, he had suffered a head injury.
The last thing I remember was…was…
But try as he might, he couldn't remember a thing before he woke up here. No job, no school, no hometown, no friends, no family, not even a name.
Oh, God…
He looked down at his blanket-covered body, spotting his arms resting on his chest on top of the blanket. There were scrapes and bruises on his skin, looking pretty fresh. He took this time to take stock of what injuries he could find.
Most of his body ached for whatever reason. It felt like he had overworked himself or something. His head throbbed sickeningly in time with his heartbeat, making the room buzz around him. Something itched and pulled across his chest just under his left collarbone; he suspected stitches. There was also something hard wrapped around his left leg.
He tried like hell to remember what had led to his injuries, but nothing came to him. He only had this vague sense telling him he was supposed to be doing something right now…something important. And he wasn't really sure why, but he didn't like being stuck in the hospital.
He pulled the blanket away from his torso as he sat up, flinging an arm out clumsily as the room turned on its head. He steadied himself before pulling his legs over to the side of the bed. He barely had time to register the cast covering the lower half of his left leg and knee before the door of his room opened. His head shot up to look at the nurse in the doorway, which was a mistake as the throb behind his eyes worsened. The room spun, and he was pretty sure he was starting to keel over.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mr. Priestly!" the nurse exclaimed as hands grasped his shoulders. "You can't get up right now. You need rest, and you have a broken leg."
"No, I have to go," he told her insistently, ignoring the impulse to shake his head to disperse the dizziness; that would only make things worse. "I have to be somewhere."
"Where?" asked the nurse bracingly.
He sighed in despair at his inability to answer her question, looking her in the eye. "I don't know."
The nurse nodded expectantly as she got him back onto the bed. "Well, you need rest right now. You're really banged up."
"But—" he began.
"Tell you what, today's dessert is apple pie," she told him. "If I get you a slice, will you stay put till the doctor comes?"
He stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Well, who can say no to pie?"
The nurse smiled at him and helped get his cast back under the blankets. "Alright, but stay in bed. Right now, you wouldn't make it to the hall." She turned and headed towards the door.
"Wait, wait," he stopped her, frowning. "What did you call me? Priestly?"
The nurse frowned at him. "You mean your name?" She stopped sadly at his blank look. "You don't know your own name?"
He gave her a serious and scared look. "I don't know anything."
The nurse's eyes grew wide slightly. "I'll get your doctor." She turned to the door.
"Priestly?" he asked. "My name's Priestly?" He shrugged after she nodded. "Not bad. How did you guys know?"
"We got your name off an insurance card," she told him. "It was the only ID you had on you. Your name is Boaz Priestly."
He frowned over at her. "Boaz? Really, Boaz?"
The nurse smiled a little. "I'll be back with the doctor." She turned towards the door again.
"And the pie," he reminded her.
She smiled as she reached the door, glancing at him. "And the pie. But you stay put or you don't get a bite." She turned and left the room.
He looked back down at his bruised and battered body, spotting the plastic hospital band he hadn't noticed before, with the name Boaz Priestly written on it.
Boaz? My parents couldn't have picked a better name? I'd take anything over that: Bob, Randy, Luke, John, Sam, anything.
He was definitely gonna have to start going by something other than Boaz.