Authors Note:
Feeling a tad disheartened by this now, but thank you for your patience.
The review has encouraged me to continue for now. I'm hoping that by re-writing the first two chapters I will encourage more followers.
Usually my stories have a few more reviews/followers so its hard to tell if anyone is enjoying this or not.
ANYWAY!
Here we are back to Jim's side of the story, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Three
Jim squeezed his eyes together tightly before opening them slightly. All he could see was the brightness of the ceiling before anything came into focus.
Where… where am I?
Why can't I remember?
He wanted to move his arms so much, but they were stuck. He wiggled around but the tightness made the grip tighter.
Why can't I move?
Has… someone got hold of me?
His vision began to focus. He didn't recognise where he was at all, he looked around the unfamiliar room. The brick walls were painted in a white glossy paint, the one window was very small and had bars on. He rolled his head to the side, realising he was laying on the cold hard floor. He looked at the large metal door, there was no chance of getting out of that if it was locked.
He lifted his head, to realise nobody was restraining him after all, but he had been placed in a restraining jacket. His whole face ached and throbbed and he had no idea why, nor could he even remember why. He tried to think back, but there was nothing in his mind but darkness.
A young woman opened the door slightly, "Jimmy, are you ready for something to eat?" She peeked into the room, realising the bed was empty. "Jimmy?"
She stepped inside, her familiar black high heels clacked on the hard floor. Her eyes clapped onto Jim, laying still on the floor. She let out a gasp as her hands covered her mouth.
"Oh no! What have they done to you?"
Jim didn't have the strength to reply, he just continued to lay still. Every breath made his ribs scream out in angry pain.
"It's ok, I'm here now." Her soft hands began to undo the restraining jacket.
The doctor's tone felt familiar to Jim, it made him feel safe. He felt his arms loosen from being wrapped around him, allowing them to flop to the side.
"Let's get you up." She said, pulling the jacket away from him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, slowly helping him into a sitting position.
"Where am I?" Jim finally spoke. The dryness of his throat made his voice rasp.
"You don't remember?" The doctor looked at him confused.
Jim looked down at his bare feet, he tried hard to think but his mind was blank. "I don't." he shrugged.
Doctor Harrison looked worried, but tried to remain professional. "Do you remember who I am?"
Jim stared into her big brown eyes and thought hard. "Doctor… Harrison?" He squinted his eyes, thinking gave him a headache.
"That's right, but you can call me Penny if you like." She smiled at him.
He liked making her happy, it made him smile back at her. Although smiling made the bruising left on his face from the punching he had received earlier hurt again.
"Alright then, Penny. I like that."
"I'm glad you do, now how about we sit you on the bed rather than this cold floor?"
"I think I'd like that too." Jim started, trying to stand up himself until the pain shot across his body, causing him to stop and inhale deeply.
"Let me help?" Penny asked before wrapping her arms back around his back, to help him to his feet.
Jim rose unsteadily to his feet with her help, shifting most of his weight onto the doctor next to him, even though he didn't realise it at the time. He held his side tightly, causing the doctor to notice.
"Are you still in pain?" She asked, looking concerned at how much sweat beaded in his hair line, after all, all they were doing was moving a couple of steps across the room.
Jim had no energy to answer back and just jolted his head a little. They finally reached his bed and those few steps felt like a marathon for him. He gripped his side tighter as he slowly lowered himself onto the bed. He could feel the springs from the thin mattress press against him as he laid down.
Jim didn't notice how rapid his breathing had become until Penny grabbed his wrist to count his pulse. He desperately needed a distraction.
"Where… am I?" he huffed out between breaths, he had just remembered how she hadn't answered his question from before.
Penny looked up from her watch, letting go of him with her soft touch. "This is an isolation ward, Jimmy. You're in a hospital."
"Hospital?" Jim gasped. He tried to shift his arms back, to prop himself up using his elbow, but the surge of pain caused him to let a groan out instead. "How long?"
Penny let out a silent sigh with worry. "Two weeks now… What do you remember?" She asked, as she walked to a sink in the corner of the room, filling up a small container with some cold water. "Here, drink this." She said, returning to his side.
Jim wasn't thirsty, even though he doesn't remember the last time he drank something. He desperately searched his mind for memories.
"I… I was outside!" The darkness in his mind lifted, he remembered seeing planets in a light yellow sky. He focused further on the memories, picturing himself in his head. "It was cold… I was lost." He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest as the feelings of insecurity rose.
Penny placed a hand on his back, rubbing it slowly. "It's ok, deep breaths." She reassured him. This was the most she had gotten out of him the whole time he was here. "What else?"
"Two security guards!" Jim raised his voice as the memory became clearer. "I remember… they found me. No… No… that's not right."
"Two policemen, they found you and brought you here." Penny continued to rub his back reassuringly.
"They took it from me!" Jim's eyes opened widely as he explored his memory.
"They took what from you?" Penny looked at the man, confused. The policemen that had brought him to the hospital didn't mention anything about belongings. Jim had nothing but the torn, worn clothes on his back. They had to assume he as attacked before he arrived but there were traces of physical abuse on his body, well apart from the two burn marks either side of his head.
Jim thought harder than ever, the memory was fading and there was nothing he could do to bring it back as the throbbing pain continued to drill into his skull.
"I… I… Don't remember." He looked up at the white ceiling, watching the old rickety fan spin. The memory was gone and nothing but darkness surrounded his mind.
This isn't right.
This isn't fair.
Why can't I remember?!
Jim started to work himself up, feeling frustrated with himself.
"What is this hospital? What happened to me!" he shouted at the doctor who made him feel so protected.
Realising how Jim was still refusing to drink, she took the container back to the sink, placing it on the side.
"It's called amnesia. Are you sure you don't remember anything else?" she asked, moving back towards the beaten man.
"No… No I don't. They took it from me and I don't remember what." Jim's eyes uncontrollably filled with sadness and he couldn't stop the tears from forming as he shook his head like a child. "They took it!" he yelled once more before sniffing.
Penny sat next to him on the bed, pulling him in to her and wrapping her arms around him once more. She spoke no words and just comforted the man and he sobbed against her. She just wanted to help him and right now, this seemed to be the best way to do so.
