I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so long! I've been so busy and lost interest in it for a while, and I apologize for it being so short and rushed, but I just really wanted to get it up.


Every part of my anatomy hurt. My back more than anything else. It was cold and my eyelids were heavy and I was lying on something soft. I could hear voices, neither of them I recognized. "... He?"
"The extent of the damage has not been properly examined, but his injuries do not seem overly serious." Where they talking about me? I tried opening my eyes again. It felt as though they were stitched shut. "When can I stay with him?"
"Not until we finish examining his injuries." They were definitely talking about me. One of them was obviously a Doctor, so I was in a hospital. Why was I in hospital? I heard footsteps getting closer, and everything faded out again.

Next I awoke, I managed to open my eyes. A white, sterile ceiling glared down at me. I tried and failed to sit up, so I just turned my head instead to look out the open window beside me and then down at the small table beneath it. A card sat on the table beside a bouquet of bright flowers. It read 'Get Well Soon' in flowing, feminine handwriting. A woman had sent me a card. Why? Who? I shook my head and looked at what was on the other side of me. A row of empty white beds. How invigorating. A single nurse was gazing at charts. She noticed me and smiled, walking over. "You're awake,"
"Yes, where am I?"
"Hospital, you were pretty badly injured." What was she talking about? "I don't understand." Her smile faltered. "You don't understand why you're in hospital?"
"No." Her face turned to one of concern. I wanted to wretch. I didn't need her concern. "You don't remember,"
"No." She blinked a few times. "Perhaps I should tell the Doctor."

She then turned on her heel and walked out, leaving me more confused than before. Everything greyed out for a while, and I'm not sure if I fell asleep, but next thing there was a person at my bedside. He stood with a cane, but did not sit in the chair nearby. He was watching me with a peculiar expression. I blinked up at him. Who was he? Was he the Doctor? It took him a few seconds to notice I was watching. "Oh, the nurse said you were awake." He was the Doctor she was talking about then. "How are you feeling?" Terrible. "It doesn't hurt." He smiled slightly. "You can be a terrible liar." Did he know me? Had we met before? "Do you need any painkillers?" Yes. "No, I'm fine." He frowned slightly and then sat in the chair. "Holmes, tell me the truth." Holmes? Why was he calling me Holmes? My mind faltered. Holmes would be my name wouldn't it? I didn't know my name. "Holmes, Holmes are you in pain?" I blinked and looked back at the Doctor again. He was leaning forward slightly. My expression must have changed. "No." His expression of concern deepened. "Why are you acting so strange?" What was he talking about? I was acting perfectly normally.

I did not have to reply. A man and a woman were both walking towards us. The man looked at me strangely, and I checked myself over. I could not see anything that would give reason for confusion. "You're going to be a set back one day Mr. Holmes." The Doctor acted as if I actually had some idea of what was going on. "Inspector!" He scolded. The 'Inspector' looked chagrined for a second. "My apologies Doctor Watson, it's just slightly irritating when he keeps getting himself into trouble like this." Doctor Watson, as he seemed to be named, nodded to himself. "It's quite alright, he's been through a lot recently and I do not believe insults are going to help him recover." The Inspector gave me an apologetic look and turned away. The woman was gazing at me apologetically, I gazed back and she smiled warmly, sitting on the edge of the bed beside me as Doctor Watson and the Inspector started talking about my recovery. I tuned them out. "Hello." Her smile grew. "Good afternoon, my dear husband says this is the first time he's seen you awake. How are you feeling?" Why was everyone asking that?

I pushed that question aside. "Fine." She raised a skeptical eyebrow and I blinked a few times. "I am not that gullible,"
"You do not believe me,"
"And for good reason." I glanced at Doctor Watson, who seemed to be her husband, and then back to her. "May I ask you something?" She seemed shocked for a second. "Of course,"
"Why am I here, what happened to me?" She was clearly about to alert Doctor Watson, but rethought at the last second. "You were caught in an explosion after you saved John, he's been feeling rather unnecessarily guilty about it. Thank you for rescuing him, I was starting to believe I would never see him again." I had no idea what she was talking about, so I just nodded wordlessly. She took my hand in her own and I tried not to recoil. If she was Doctor 'John' Watson's wife, why was she being so affectionate with me?

I could understand that she was grateful, so I just let her do as she wished, turning away and gazing out the window. Mrs. Watson Watson and the Inspector left not long after they arrived, but Doctor Watson remained at my bedside. Did I know him? Was he not just a Doctor assigned to assist my 'recovery'? "Holmes, can we talk?" I didn't say anything, but something must have given away my curiousity. "I did not get the opportunity to thank you for what you did. I was starting to believe you would not give them what they wanted, that whatever you owned meant more to you than me and I... I said some things that I regret and I hope that you can forgive me for my petulance." I just nodded, unknowing of what he was talking about. He sighed and looked at his hands, and then at the cane at his side. "The way I have treated you recently is not the best, and I understand if you have any ill-words you wish to say." I gritted my teeth in frustration. I had not the faintest idea what he was talking about. What could I say to him?

Watson. I tested the word on my tongue. "Watson." He looked up immediately. Was that how I normally addressed him? "I must ask you something, and you must promise me that you will answer rationally, calmly and truthfully." His eyebrows dropped low over his eyes. "Alright." He sounded wary, confused. I hesitated. This was not something I wished to ask. I wondered whether I wanted to know the answer. "Who am I?"


PLOT TWIST