Disclaimer: I do not own Haven. I wish I did…
Amnesiac
She woke up to the sounds of machines beeping, slowly and rhythmically. She tried to turn her head and realized that her head and neck were immobilized. All she could see were white walls and she realized she was in a hospital when she saw the medical equipment. She gripped the rails of her hospital bed and tried not to freak out.
The machines started beeping rapidly as she panicked. She tried to tear at the tape holding her breathing tube in place but couldn't get it off. A nurse rushed in and tried calming her down.
"Calm down, sweetie." She said soothingly. "Just breathe. A doctor will be in soon."
She let the machine breathe for her until the doctor came in. After a few minutes of questions, the doctor advised her to take a deep breath and then exhale. He pulled the tube as she started choking. The nurse held her hands to prevent her from ripping at the doctor's hands. She started coughing but inhaled for the first time unassisted in who knows how long.
"Where am I?" She asked Nurse Annabel. The words were garbled and unrecognizable.
She didn't recognize the harsh and raspy voice that came from her own throat. She drank a little of the water offered to her by the nurse, soothing a little of the pain from her throat. She looked at the tube in dislike. It felt like it had completely peeled a layer of tissue off the inside of her esophagus. She cleared her throat and tried again.
"Where am I?" She asked again.
"Saint Joseph's Hospital." The doctor injected himself in the conversation.
She must have looked completely blank. "Bangor, Maine." The nurse finished.
The doctor wrote a few things in her chart. "You've been here for 72 hours. You received a nasty knock on the head and ended up in the hospital. The policeman said that you were mugged but a witness scared the guy off before he was able to steal your purse. I just need to ask a few questions to evaluate you. What's your name?"
She opened her mouth to reply then paused. "I don't know."
The doctor shared a glance with the nurse. "That's ok. Sometimes with the kind of accident you had, it can take a little time for answers to come to you. What year is it?"
She was able to answer most of the doctor's questions. The year was 2012 and Obama was president. No, she didn't know how old she was or where she was born. She successfully recited the alphabet backwards and proved her motor skills were functioning just fine. She couldn't remember anything about herself or her family but the rest of her memory was working just fine.
The doctor sat back with a sigh. "So, it looks like you have amnesia. We'll have to perform some further tests to see if it's temporary memory loss. Your id says your name is Alexandra DeWitt and you live here in the city."
The newly named Alexandra frowned. "That name doesn't sound familiar at all. Neither does the address."
The doctor finished scribbling in the chart. "Well, we will leave you to rest. Let us know if you remember anything."
She nodded and watched the two of them walk through the door. She watched as they spoke to each other. The nurse nodded and they split. The nurse moved towards the station and the doctor headed down the hall to evaluate more patients.
The staff was careful of her for the next few days. They were helpful but tried to keep the stimuli to a minimum so that she wasn't overwhelmed. She still couldn't remember anything about herself or her family but eventually she was well enough to get around on her own. The police offer that caught her case interviewed her and took pictures. Luckily the witness had identified her attacker and they had him in custody. They advised her that she might need to testify in the future if it went to trial. Alexandra agreed. She definitely didn't want this guy to be roaming free. They discharged her when she was well enough to get by on her own.
She stood in the living room of her empty apartment. There was very little there. There were no personal touches, pictures of anyone besides herself or any hints of who she was. The apartment had come furnished or so she had been told by the landlord. Officer Hendricks had already given her the bad news that he couldn't locate any family members, a boyfriend and there were apparently no close friends either. She had found her last paycheck stub and had gone to check out where she worked. She was surprised it was a bar but her coworkers were friendly but distant. They had told her that she had only been there a few weeks. She was disappointed to learn that she had given her two week notice before the attack. Worst of all, they had already hired a replacement.
She sat down on the couch with a sigh. She booted up her laptop and started looking up her browsing history. She clicked on a few links and discovered she loved listening to music. Her playlists were eclectic, full of classic rock and roll, artists like Usher and Rihanna and even some country. She clicked play and let the music roll over her as she checked her email.
There was a lot of spam promising to improve her sexual performance by increasing her testosterone levels. She snorted and deleted them. A few were rejection letters from jobs that had already filled positions. One caught her eye. She clicked on it and they advised they had an open bartending position and would love to interview her.
The city name made her senses tingle and she googled it. It was a small town that wasn't too far away. Pictures of the town showed a town that was beautifully scenic and hauntingly familiar. She made a decision that she would go and check it out. She would apply for the position and see if the town brought up any memories. Her car was old but well maintained. It would get her there and hopefully she would get some answers.
Two days later, she parked her vehicle and got out of car. She leaned against it as she studied the building in front of her. It was a large grey two story building perched in front of a beautiful view of the water. The second story had its own entrance through an outside staircase that led towards a wraparound deck for outside seating. Alexa waited for something to happen. Wasn't she supposed to have a wave of memories or a general feeling of recognition towards anything, anyone? Instead all she felt was the same sense of déjà vu that she had since she had seen the pictures of the town online.
Still feeling a little frustrated, she straightened herself up and took a deep breath to calm herself. She had aced plenty of job interviews in the past. She just had to be her friendly, competent self. Despite her general disappointment in not getting any memories, she knew that she had this. Her clothes and makeup were perfect and it was a little after one. Perfect timing for an unplanned interview, she thought. She walked to the front door and let herself in.
"Hello?" She called.
Her eyes adjusted to the gloom around her. Typical pub set up with a bar along the back wall and seating for diners. Looked like a nice place though. It was well kept and clean, the health inspector probably had the owner on his Christmas list.
A man popped up from behind the bar then turned around. He was tall, dark and the bad boy kind of handsome that made father's want to lock up their daughters. He had an interesting face with a prominent nose, dark eyes and just enough facial hair to make you want to grab ahold of but not enough to gross you out. Down hormones, she ordered herself.
He dropped his clipboard when he saw her. He looked shocked but there was definitely recognition there too. Alexa's heart began to beat faster and suddenly she was a little afraid. What if he did know her? What if she learned things that she didn't want to know about herself or her past?
"Audrey?" He whispered then seemed to get ahold of himself. "I'm sorry. You look like someone who used to live here in town. My name's Duke Crocker and I am the owner of this fine establishment."
"Alexandra DeWitt." She shook his hand. "I had an interview with you for the bartending position."
"You're a little late." He said with a twinkle in his eye. "That was last week."
She shrugged. "Sorry, I was in the hospital. I was unconscious for a few days."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Duke looked concerned.
"It's one of the reasons I'm here." Alexa explained. "The bump on my head made me lose my memories. I came here to see if anyone here remembers me. What about this Audrey person. Do you think she might know me?"
Duke's eyes widened. "Huh. It's possible. You and Audrey look so much alike that you could be twins. She took off about six months ago but there are plenty of people around here that knew her. It might take some time for people to talk to you though. Townsfolk aren't too keen on talking to outsiders."
"Oh." She was disappointed.
"But in the meantime, I'm still short a bartender." Duke gestured to the bar behind them. "I'll give you the job if you can pass the practical test. I'm more of a trial by fire kind of guy."
I bet you are. I wonder if you can pass my trials. Inner Alexa purred. "Sure. Let me familiarize myself a bit with the set up back here. I'll show you how I roll."
After asking a few questions about set up and reviewing the drink specials, Alexa was ready. She did a few tricks with the bottles as she poured shots and mixed drinks. She correctly answered the questions Duke posed to her about health and sanitation policies.
Duke stood up from the stool he had been sitting on. He picked up his beer and saluted her. "Congratulations. You've got the job."
"Awesome!" Alexa did a little wiggle.
I've got a private party going on tonight." Duke sipped his beer then sat it down. "Are you up to helping me out?"
"Sure!" Alexa smiled. "I just need to find a place to crash then I'll be back."
Duke ran a hand through his hair. "Well, there's a studio apartment upstairs. Haven't had any luck renting it since Audrey moved out. You interested in taking a look?"
Alexa considered it. "Sure."
"Ok, hang on a second. Let me lock up first." Duke went into the kitchen then came back with a ring of keys.
Alexa followed him up the outside stairs she had noticed earlier and eyed the fine view of his behind as he unlocked the door. It was a nice place, she decided but the beaded curtain definitely needed to go.
"It's fully furnished and I promise the mattress is new. You're welcome to change things but I would appreciate letting me know so that I can store the offensive object." Duke paused. "Questions?"
"I like it." Alexa decided. "How much?"
"You aren't sure you're going to stay long term, right?" Duke asked. She shook her head no. "Then let's say a hundred a week? Utilities are included but don't make me regret that by taking hour long showers."
"What if I'm really dirty?" She tried playing innocent. At Duke's choking noise, she grinned. "I'll try my best to not abuse your hot water heater. You've got a deal, boss."
"Great." Duke shook her hand. "You can pay me for the first week tomorrow. Want a celebratory shot?"
"Not yet." She eyed the room around her. "I need to unpack and do a little cleaning before I start my shift later. Do you mind if I use the washer? I think the bedsheets are hiding a colony of dust bunnies."
"Nah. It's all yours." Duke pulled the apartment key off the ring. Here. I've got another one at home but I promise that barring emergencies, I will give notice before inspection."
"Just knock if you come to visit." Alexa advised. "Oh and by the way, you can take that beaded monstrosity with you. I'm not a fan of 70's décor."