Chapter 2
Castle looked up at the white ceiling for what seemed to be the thousandth time. He had been there for a little over an hour and already he was bored out of his mind. He turned his gaze to the door, when he heard a soft sob. Standing there, talking to his doctor, was a young girl, probably mid-teens. She was being held by an older woman who seemed to be containing her cries, most likely to comfort the younger girl. Beside them were the people he had been with earlier. Strange, he still didn't know their names. Whatever the doctor was telling them must have been bad. They all had tears in their eyes, some unshed, others unable to keep them from falling. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes. He began to hum some random tune that was stuck in his head. He had no clue what it was, but whatever the song was called, it was catchy. He looked over as he heard the door open. In came his doctor, along with the several others he saw in the hallway. He smiled as his doctor walked towards him.
"Hey Todd!" he said. The doctor smiled at him.
"Hey Rick. You remember anything yet?" he asked with hope. Rick shook his head.
"Nope, but I DO know that there are 5 300 holes in the ceiling!"
"How many tiles?" the doctor asked.
"212," Rick answered in a matter of seconds. The doctor smiled at Rick's way of entertainment. He was just about to ask how many holes per tile that would be, but he heard someone clear their throat. He turned around to see Rick's family and friends standing by the door. Remembering that his job came before pleasure, the doctor turned back to face his patient.
"Alright," Rick said. "I know that look. That's your doctor look. So what's wrong with me?"
"You have amnesia," the doctor explained. Rick simply nodded, as Todd told him the basics of what was happening to his brain and how there was no way of knowing when his memory would return. He watched the reaction of the people standing by the door. Wondering who they were and how he knew them. Todd saw him staring and beckoned for them to come forward.
"Rick, there is nothing else we can do for you here," Todd began. "So we're going to send you home. Okay?" Rick nodded.
"Just one question," he said. "Where is my home exactly?" Todd smiled. He knew how well Rick was taking this and how hard this must have been for the people beside him.
"Rick, there's some people I would like you to meet," he said. He pointed to the teen girl with the bright red hair. "This is your daughter, Alexis." Rick's eyes widened.
"I have a daughter?" he asked. He looked down at his hands for a ring, but didn't find any traces of one, so he gave up. He looked back at the girl and smiled. "Nice to meet you Alexis...again." The girl gave a smile and a small laugh. He could tell she was trying to be serious, but he wasn't going to let her. Todd cleared his throat, gaining Rick's attention.
"This is your mother Martha," he explained, while gesturing to the woman who earlier held his daughter. Rick smiled at her and said hello. Todd then introduced the remaining people in the room as Lanie Parish, Javier Esposito, and Kevin Ryan, to each of which, he said hello.
"We're going to let you go home now Rick," Todd told him. He then explained to Rick's family how he was going to have to come back for a check-up. They all agreed to bring him back for his appointment.
"Well," Todd said. "You're free to go."
"Although I appreciate that fact," Rick began, "I would rather not walk home with my back side showing." The others laughed. His daughter dug into her bag and pulled out several articles of clothing. He gladly grabbed the bag and started off towards the bathroom. He came out wearing his blue button-up shirt and black pants. He handed the bag back to Alexis and smiled.
"Shall we go?" he asked. Alexis nodded and moved to hold his arm. They walked down the hallway, arm in arm, followed by the others, each secretly praying that his memory would return sooner than later.