Memory Loss
Chapter 1: The Awakening
When Niles opened his eyes after 12 hours of induced coma, doctors and nurses were already betting among themselves on what he would do, once the closest to wakening up he had reached before was getting restless and grunting something that sounded like 'I'm late'.
(That gave him the distinction of being called Mr White Rabbit by the hospital staff.)
So, all eyes and ears were on him when he opened his eyes and blinked to focus on the unfamiliar faces.
'Hi, there', an experienced nurse got closer and greeted him softly, in order to prevent him from panicking.
(Half the crowd was disappointed the woman did not ask 'How long is forever?' just to see if he would answer, 'Sometimes, just one second'.
But, well, they were professionals.)
Niles looked at her, at his surroundings, lifted his head a bit to see the vial on his arm and breathed deeply.
The moment got suspended.
Seemingly calm and oriented, he licked his lips and spoke in a raspy but levered voice that put all hopes of creative answers away, 'I see I'm in a hospital room. What happened?'
xxx
In fact, no one really knew what had happened.
It was Wednesday; the children were at school; Fran was shopping with Val; the business partners were attending, separated, a long list of meetings through the city; Niles was by himself at the mansion.
In the middle of the afternoon, when the Nanny was back in time to get refreshed and rest her feet for a while before the children arrived, she found the house eerily silent.
(She hoped Niles forgave her for telling the Police she was surprised that her friend would not be singing loudly, dancing, drinking brandy with his feet up in the living room or anything else that displayed his elation at having the house to himself for so much time.)
So, Fran went looking for Niles, and found him unconscious on the floor of the butler's pantry, lots of kitchen utensils scattered around his body.
She called for help and soon he was taken to the hospital, with a crack on his skull and creating the mystery of what had happened for him, such a skilled person, to get himself hit in the head by a casserole.
xxx
Unfortunately, the mystery remained alive even after he woke up, all examinations were made and the Doctors made sure he had no obvious side-effects from the trauma.
No, there was no motor discoordination or mental confusion, Niles was able to sit and walk without assistance, and was speaking clearly and coherently.
He passed with flying colors on the memory issues evaluation, too, being able to answer correctly to questions about himself (name, age, profession) and the Sheffields (family names and dates). He could express personal opinions and talk easily about general topics, from current world affairs to common knowledge.
(He got a number of fans among the nurses, by the way, being British and a butler and cultured and having such a charming accent and blue eyes.)
However, he didn't remember a single thing about that Wednesday.
xxx
Feeling safe enough to permit visits, but not safe enough to admit the small crowd that had gathered on the waiting room (or to start with a very worried and nasal Jewish woman), the doctors chose Maxwell Sheffield to be the first to see Niles in the next morning.
The dark haired man entered the room and was a bit taken aback by the sight of his longtime friend with a bandage on the back of his head and some wires appearing from under the hospital garment and connected to a machine.
'Don't worry, Sir', Niles spoke drily when he realized the other man's startled reaction, 'They just want to make sure the problem in my head is not reaching my heart'.
Maxwell tried to smile and failed, while whirling his hands nervously, 'I'm sorry, Old Man. I must confess after that disturbing Heather Biblow affair I can't deal well with the idea of… loosing anyone'.
Touched by the rare emotional words from his boss, and by the unspoken mention of the losses of Sara and Fran, Niles softened, 'I'm all right, Sir. You really don't need to worry'.
'I'm glad to know', the producer now smiled in relief, finally approaching to stand by the side of the bed. Then, embarrassed by the display of affection, he cleared his throat and patted Niles' arm, 'And how is that hard head of yours?'
The other man shrugged, 'When it pounds too much the people in white give me some amazing pills', they shared a look, 'I suppose I'll be back at work soon', then, always the drama queen, he looked away and spoke in a fragile voice, 'Three months, tops'.
More than happy to see Niles back to normal, Maxwell took the bait, 'Let me cheer you up, then'.
Niles squinted, 'And how would that be?'
Maxwell crossed his arms and asked, in all seriousness he could muster, 'May I call the children? They're waiting outside, crazy to tell you how much they miss you and your food'.
The butler sighed dramatically, 'I'm honored they came to see me, and I'm sure they will understand that I still get tired very easily', he pouted for better effect, 'And, once I have hit my head, I consider rather ungracious of you to use the world crazy'.
Now Maxwell had a teasing twinkle in his eyes, 'You're right, I'm sorry. But what about Miss Fine? She is in the waiting room, too, anxious to tell you in detail what a terrifying thing finding you like that was'.
The butler threw his friend an unimpressed look, 'I'm sure it will be a very entertaining story, even if her voice may aggravate my concussion and get in the way of my recovery'.
'Have I mentioned Sylvia and Yetta are waiting to see you, too?'
The butler raised his hands in surrender, 'All right, I'll behave!'
Both men chuckled.
Lowering his hands, Niles asked, genuinely touched, 'Is everybody really here?'
'Of course they are!', Maxwell beamed at his friend's shy smile. Then, he uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his pockets, adopting a condescending tone, 'I mean, not everybody. I couldn't find a way to convince CC to come'.
The moment Maxwell said the name of his business partner, the machine connected to Niles' chest showed his heart accelerating quickly.
Worried, the producer put a hand on his friend's shoulder, 'Is there any problem, Old Man?'
Niles frowned deeply, 'Who is CC?'