Aaron couldn't believe it. Grace had already begun to cry. Her eyes. Her beautiful, bright blue eyes. How he had missed them. He was the first person she looked at with those beautiful eyes, and for that he was thankful. It left no time for tears of his own to emerge. She looked at him, but her eyes were blank. Aaron became worried fast. "its me." He said. He cupped her cheek in his hand, and smiled kindly at her. "its me." He repeated, more anxious this time. Grace looked up from her phone. She had called her father. Hope furrowed her brow, and looked deeply at him. Aaron smiled again softly, and her eyes lit up in recognition. "Aaron!" she laughed and she put her hand on his, which had drifted to the edge of the bed. "you had me worried there!" grinned Aaron. They looked into one another's eyes, and Aaron knew she remembered him completely.
"do you remember me?" Grace asked softly. She was shaking. Clearly the thought of her baby sister not recognising her was proving a great strain. Hope narrowed her eyes in concentration, as the nurse took her temperature once again, and took her blood pressure. Then the light of recognition appeared once again, only it was fainter now. "grace?" she asked. Grace laughed happily and wiped away tears as she hugged her little sister. It was only now that the nurse spoke: "Hope, I'm nurse Clark. I'm just going to shine this in your eyes, it won't hurt, I just need to check that your sight is ok." The nurse issued a few more instructions, and was just about to leave when Hope's father came in. He got halfway into the room before he noticed Aaron. His face hardened. "Get. Out." He snarled. Aaron stood. "I have every right to see her." He said, his fist and mouth both clenching. A muscle twitched in Mr. Winter's cheek, and his face was growing red. The nurse was about to intervene when Aaron felt a soft touch to his fist. He turned and looked at Hope. She was looking at her father, but with a look Aaron had never seen before. "I want him to stay." She said.
Her father panted slightly, but then saw the nurse's stern face, and he held up his hands in defeat. As the nurse went to get the doctor, Mr. Winters sat down beside Hope. Grace had given him her chair. He had not thanked her. He looked into the eyes of his daughter and smiled softly. "How are you sweetie?" he asked. Aaron thought this was an incredibly stupid thing to ask, but he didn't say anything. Aaron felt his hand get squeezed again, and then he saw. Hope's eyes were not of recognition, but fear. Her father smiled again at her, oblivious to her thoughts, but getting slowly irritated by her non-response. "Well?" he asked his impatience mounting in his voice. Mr. Winters was not known for his patience. Hope watched him thoughtfully, and then said slowly, "Who are you?"
Her father leant back like he had been slapped in the face. "Amnesia!" he gasped. He looked at Grace. "No point you talking to her then if she won't remember you." Then he looked at Aaron and started chuckling. "Or you!" he laughed, pointing.
"Actually, Sir," said Aaron, "Hope remembers us just fine." He smiled down at Hope, and she took his hand happily. Aaron's thoughts went blank for a moment as he remembered how much he had missed her soft little hands in his. Unfortunately, Aaron couldn't stay long in his dream state, as Mr. Winters aimed a punch at Aaron, which caught him right in the nose. Aaron was knocked to the floor. He didn't know what to do. Every 19year old urge was screaming at him to fight back, do worse damage to his opponent, but the new, 20year old brain who had been affected by too much violence didn't want anything to do with it. Luckily for Mr. Winters, Aarons' brain controlled his fists. And Hope controlled the distress button. It only took a minute for several male nurses to arrive and escort Mr. Winters from the ward.