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If Memory Serves
A Maverick story by Deana
Disclaimer: I don't own Bart Maverick or Doc Holliday, (the version brilliantly played by Peter Breck!)

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Bart opened bleary eyes to find himself lying on the ground with a crowd of people looking down at him. He had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there, and didn't know who all of these people were, either.

Another man suddenly appeared in the crowd, looking down at him with a shocked expression. He pushed some of the people out of the way and quickly knelt beside him. "Bart?" the man said. "Are you all right?"

Bart painfully blinked; his head was killing him and his vision wouldn't stay still. "I don't know," he said, closing his eyes. Hands suddenly shook him.

"Don't pass out on me, Bart," said the man.

Bart reopened his eyes halfway. "Do I…know you?" he whispered.

The man's face showed shock again, and that was the last thing Bart saw before he passed out.

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When Doc Holliday saw the crowd of people standing over someone lying on the ground, curiosity had overwhelmed him no differently than it had with everyone else. He never expected the injured man to be his friend Bart Maverick, and when Bart hadn't recognized him, he'd been positively stunned. What am I supposed to do now? he asked himself, while he sat beside Bart's bed in his hotel room. Four hours had passed since that odd scene outside, and he was getting antsy.

Bart was still unconscious, but he suddenly made a noise and his eyebrows furrowed.

Doc sat forward. "Bart?" he said. Realizing that Bart might not know that he was being addressed—since he might not know his own name at the moment—Doc reached over and shook his arm.

Bart groaned, sluggishly raising a hand to his head.

Doc waited, giving him a moment to get his bearings…if that was possible. "Bart?" he finally said again.

Bart opened his eyes halfway and looked at him blearily.

Doc smiled, hoping that he looked friendly. "Hi Bart. Do you know who I am?"

Bart blinked a few times and squinted, as if he was having trouble seeing. "What?" he asked, obviously disoriented. His voice sounded weak.

"Doc Holliday," Doc said, pointing at himself. "That's my name. What's yours?" he asked.

Bart frowned, and for a second, Doc thought that he was going to say something like, 'what is this, a joke?'

But Bart's frown turned into an expression of fright. "I don't know," he answered. He looked around the room before looking back at Doc. "I don't know! What happened to me?" He suddenly closed his eyes with a wince and put a hand on his head.

"That's what happened to you," Doc said.

Bart held his breath as pain pounded through his head. It was a minute before he could reopen his eyes, and he tried to calm himself down to avoid another rush of agony. "I don't know my name," he said. He winced again from the pain, breathing heavily. Eventually, he asked, "What did you call me?"

"Bart," Doc said. "Bart Maverick. Sound familiar?"

Bart sighed and closed his eyes again, hand still on his head. "No."

Doc said nothing for a few seconds, not sure what to say. "Well…uh…I'm sure everything will come back to you. Soon. Uh, someday. I hope."

When? Bart wanted to ask, but he knew that it was a ridiculous question, so he held his tongue. Instead, he rolled the name 'Bart Maverick' around and around in his head, but the name meant nothing to him.

When Bart gave no answer, Doc nudged his arm. "Bart?" he said. "You all right?"

"Do I look 'all right'?" Bart answered, eyes still closed. "Who did you say you are?"

"Doc Holliday."

"And how do I know you?"

"We've known each other for years," Doc said. "Met in Dodge City."

Bart opened his eyes at that. "So you're my friend?"

"That's right!" Doc said, before hesitating. "Well, most of the time."

Bart wasn't sure how to interpret that.

Doc could see the confusion on his face. "We aren't enemies, never were," he said. "Sometimes we just beat each other at our own game, you know."

But Bart didn't know, and that was the problem.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Doc asked.

"I don't know," Bart said, closing his eyes again. "I don't know where to begin." He was so confused that he wished he'd just pass out again.

"Do you remember your brother?" Doc suddenly asked.

Bart reopened his eyes again. "Brother?"

Doc made a face. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

Bart tried to turn his head to see Doc better, but it hurt too much. "What's his name?"

"Try to remember," Doc said. "Your name is Bart and his name is…?"

Bart shifted his gaze as he thought.

Doc watched him. "Bart and…?" He waved his hand in circles. "Come on, you can do it."

Bart tried, he really did, but his mind was blank. His hand was still on his aching head and he lowered it to cover his eyes, feeling overwhelmed.

Doc saw that it was too much for Bart to handle at the moment…he realized that he shouldn't've bombarded him the minute he woke up. "His name is Bret."

"Bret?" Bart repeated. He thought for a minute. "I don't remember him." The notion was upsetting.

"That's right," said Doc. "He's a little older than you; a year or two, if memory serves."

Bart sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If memory serves," he echoed, sarcastically.

"Oh," said Doc. "Sorry. I guess your memory isn't serving you at all right now, is it?"

"No," Bart said. "Not at all." With that, he fell quiet.

Doc said nothing, waiting to see if Bart would speak again.

Bart eventually did, squinting at Doc, who was blurred. "What town are we in? Do we live here?"

Doc shook his head. "No…this is Denver. Do you remember Denver?"

Bart blinked. "Do we come here a lot?"

"I'll take that as a 'no' too," said Doc.

"Why are we here?" Bart asked.

Doc shrugged. "No real reason. I didn't even know you were in town. I arrived just in time to see you lying on the ground surrounded by a crowd of gawkers."

"Oh," said Bart. "So I came here alone."

The way Bart said that made Doc frown. "Well, yeah, you did."

That notion was frightening, when Bart realized that without Doc, he'd be lost right now…in more ways than one. "Are you staying?" he asked.

Doc hesitated. "Well…I'd planned to, for a few days."

Bart looked at him. "Will you help me get my memory back?"

Doc said nothing for a few seconds. It was a shock to see the strong, level-headed Bart Maverick reduced to such a helpless, vulnerable state. "Sure," he found himself saying, even though he had no idea how he was going to do it.

Bart smiled, and it transformed his expression from confused and fearful (which Doc never expected to see on his face) to hopeful. "Thanks," he said.

Doc smiled back. "Anytime, Bart." How the heck am I going to do this? he asked himself.

TBC