Viktor shook his head and asked himself if he had really just heard what Yuri had said. Did Yuri just ask me...who I was? Viktor opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth, took a deep breath in through his nose and opened his mouth again. Nothing. Yuri's scratchy voice broke the silence.

"Excuse me, Mister. Could you please give me some more water to drink? I'm very thirsty."

Viktor closed his mouth, cleared his throat and stood up stiffly.

"Of course, one moment please." Viktor returned with a glass of water and handed it to Yuri. Yuri accepted the glass gratefully and drained it in a few gulps.

"Ahh, that feels SO much better. Thank you, Mister…?" Yuri gave him an encouraging look. Viktor's heart sank.

"I am…I…" stammered Viktor.

Yuri leaned forward. "Yes? You are…?"

Damn, this is…this is much too cruel thought Viktor to himself. He looked at Yuri, flashed his best Viktor smile and said "I am…going to go get your doctor! Please wait for me, Yuri!" Viktor walked calmly out of the room, closed the door behind him, and then bolted to the men's room. He locked the door behind him and leaned back on it. He tilted his head up and covered his eyes with his left hand. He clutched at his chest with his right hand and panted as he wept silently. Once he had sufficiently regained his composure, Viktor splashed some cold water on his face. He gripped the edge of the sink with both hands and took a few deep, calming breaths. He dried his face off with some paper towels, unlocked the door and went to find Yuri's doctor.

Doctor Oliver Ramirez was in his office writing up patient records when he received a call from his assistant.

"Hello, Catalina. What can I do for you?" he said.

"Dr. Ramirez, good morning." began Catalina politely. Mr. Viktor Nikiforov is here and wishes to discuss Yuri Katsuki's case with you."

Dr. Ramirez recognized the name immediately. "Ah, yes. Please send him in."

Dr. Ramirez stood as Viktor Nikiforov walked into his office. He walked over to the man and shook his hand.

"Welcome, Mr. Nikiforov. Please, have a seat." Dr. Ramirez gestured to a free chair across the desk from his own.

"Thank you, Doctor." Viktor took a seat. The doctor sat down as well.

"How is Mr. Katsuki doing, Mr. Nikiforov?" the doctor began.

Viktor smiled at the doctor and said "Please doctor, call me Viktor."

"OK Viktor, what's on your mind?" inquired the doctor.

"Are the results from Yuri's MRI and CT-scan in?" asked Viktor tentatively.

"Ah, yes Viktor. We have the results here." Dr. Ramirez rummaged through a few folders on his desk before finding the Katsuki file. The doctor took out the images from both scans and placed them onto the x-ray reader light panel. Viktor stood next to him and stared at the images. He could tell they were scans of Yuri's brain, but had no idea how to interpret them.

"Mr. Katsuki is a very lucky man, Viktor." Viktor looked up at the doctor. "He just has a simple hairline fracture at the back of his skull where he impacted the ground."

"His skull is cracked? That doesn't sound lucky at all!" Viktor retorted.

"Ah, sorry Viktor…please hang in there. I'm not finished yet." came the doctor's gentle voice.

"Mr. Katsuki sustained a very mild concussion." continued the doctor. "Perhaps this is due to the fact that his fall was from a relatively low height." The doctor pushed his glasses closer to his eyes and scrutinized the images. "His MRI and CT-scan are both unremarkable."

"Unremarkable?" Viktor looked at the doctor in astonishment. "There's no damage to the brain?"

"There's a lot of swelling and tenderness at the injury site, but there are no visible abnormalities in his brain. Our biggest worry right now is infection."

Viktor released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The doctor removed the images from the viewer and placed them back in the folder. As he walked back to this desk, Viktor also returned to his seat.

"You look very relieved, Viktor. I'm glad I was able to give you this great piece of news today." smiled Dr. Ramirez.

"I am indeed very relieved and very thankful for all your hard work, doctor." Viktor shook Dr. Ramirez's hand. "I'll be forever grateful for your excellent care of Yuri during this difficult time."

Dr. Ramirez had been a doctor for a long time. As a result, he had managed to get really good at reading people. As he looked at the man sitting in front of him, he knew there was something bothering him. "You have more questions, don't you Viktor? What's on your mind?"

Viktor looked at the doctor nervously. "This morning, when Yuri woke up…he…he didn't recognize me."

"Hmm, this is an interesting new development." said the doctor thoughtfully. "This changes things somewhat."

"Wh…what do you mean, doctor?" asked Viktor. Part of him really wanted to know what the doctor meant and part of him was scared to death of what the doctor would say.

"Amnesia, or memory loss…is not uncommon with head injuries," explained Dr. Ramirez. "However, it is usually associated with injuries that cause damage to the brain. Mr. Katsuki did not attain such injuries."

Viktor was even more confused than before. If Yuri didn't have a brain injury…why had he forgotten him?

Dr. Ramirez could see Viktor's confusion and so he continued his explanation. "There is another kind of amnesia, Viktor. It's known as Psychogenic Amnesia."

Viktor leaned in closer to the doctor. "So, what does that mean?"

"It means Yuri is suffering from psychological trauma to his brain and not the physiological kind."

Viktor slumped back into the chair. Psychological trauma? Viktor recalled what JJ and Otabek had said that night. Yuri had looked 'broken'.

The doctor continued. "Severe brain stress causes something comparable to repressed memory syndrome. Consider it a kind of self-preservation mechanism."

Viktor felt all the fight drain out of him. "So what you're saying is, Yuri experienced a severe psychological trauma, and his brain erased the memories related to that trauma in order to protect him?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, that's about the gist of it. There are two types of psychogenic amnesia. The first type is called Global Amnesia. This means the patient has lost all personal identity and sense of self."

Viktor sat up straight again. "That can't be what Yuri has. He knew his name when I used it earlier."

The doctor nodded encouragingly. "That's great news, Viktor. That means he most likely has the second type; Situation-Specific Amnesia."

Viktor understood now where the doctor was heading.

"Patients with this kind of amnesia often experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from the emotional shock a specific situation or event caused."

Viktor was absolutely devastated. He had no idea that he had inflicted such damage on Yuri.

Dr. Ramirez continued. "The recovery can be potentially very difficult as the patient will often re-live the trauma through painful flashbacks and nightmares."

Viktor's heart sank. Oh, Yuri…what have I done to you? "Do patients ever fully recover their memories? And if so, how long does it take?"

The doctor took off his glasses and looked at Viktor. "Yes, such repressed memories may be recovered." Viktor was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the doctor added "BUT, the recovery time varies greatly from patient to patient and depends on the degree of trauma experienced. Some patients recover their memories rather quickly. For others, it may take years and even decades."

Years…decades? This was incomprehensible. There's no way he could live that long knowing Yuri didn't remember him!

The doctor's kind voice broke through Viktor's thoughts. "I can see that Mr. Katsuki is very special to you. The worry and devastation are clearly written on your face."

Viktor nodded. Dr. Ramirez pressed on. "Memories can be triggered by things such a smell, taste or other stimulus. Once the patient has recovered from their physical injuries, exposing them to small amounts of potential triggers can help expedite memory recovery."

Dr. Ramirez checked his watch and rose from his desk. "You'll have to excuse me, Viktor...but I need to check on my patients. I'll be sure to stop by Mr. Katsuki's room first." Viktor thanked the doctor once more as he stood up.

"The most important thing is not to push too hard, Viktor. The patient must recover at their own pace and not be forced to remember before they are ready. Doing so could cause further trauma and provoke the brain into locking those memories away forever."

Viktor nodded gravely. He got what the doctor was saying loud and clear. They shook hands and then Viktor walked out of the office.

His selfish actions which had intended to 'teach Yuri a lesson' had instead shattered him. These were the consequences of his actions. He knew that his suffering was just beginning, but would see it through till the bitter end. He vowed not to rest until Yuri remembered him again. He would not allow himself to give up until he could properly apologize to Yuri and beg for his forgiveness.