Chapter 10

Will you remember me tomorrow

"So, Doc, how's he doing?" Jack asked, standing up as the doctor approached them in the waiting room.

"You were very smart to bring him in when you did," the doctor said, motioning for Amy and Jack to sit down,

"is he ok?" Amy asked, fearing the worst,

"Tys explained to me that he was hit by a car or truck over around a month ago, this caused significant damage to his right shoulder muscles and collarbone, we have done an x-ray and there is a hairline fracture in his collarbone, It has started to heal, so we will simply monitor that for now, "She paused, "but what is worrying me is the memory loss and the seizures, he has a head injury from the accident I presume, I have done a CT scan and it shows a buildup of pressure on the brain from a subdural hematoma that has not been treated properly. "

"what is that, a subdural…. Hymmo" Jack asked,

"A subdural hematoma occurs when blood collects on your brain's surface beneath the skull. Subdural hematomas can be life-threatening." The doctor explained, "this is why he has been having seizures and could explain the memory loss as well,"

"is he going to be ok?" "Amy whispered,

"well, we have him on fluids and some medications at the moment to stabilize him, but his blood work is a worry, not to mention the tissue damage in his left bicep from a toxic substance." she opened the file and ran her fingers over some notes, "his toxicology report shows extremely high residual amounts of a benzodiazepine ... Alprazolam" she said,

"in English doc!" Jack exclaimed,

"Xanax, he's been taking or been given regular high doses of it over the last month, I would say with the levels I'm seeing that it would have most likely been intravenously, this has masked the symptoms of the hematoma and prolonged the damage it is causing," the doctor explained,

"he said this Kallie woman gave him injections, to stop the seizures and to help with the headaches," Amy explained,

"unfortunately, they really were not helping at all. The police have already called me regarding Mr. Borden, "the doctor looked seriously at them both, "his injuries and condition is also being documented as evidence in a case that they are pursuing,"

Jack nodded, getting the full picture of what had been inflicted on the young man he had taken under his wing and grown to love like a son,

"so, where to now Doc, what's the next step?" Jack asked, touching Amy's shoulder, seeing how worried she was.

"well, we need to remove the hematoma and reduce the pressure it is putting on his brain, "she smiled at both of them again, trying to keep her explanation simple. "we are going to insert a small drain just behind his left ear, and drain the fluid away. I am hoping that as soon as the pressure is removed, the swelling will subside and he should make a full recovery"

"and his memory?" Amy said, "is that included in that full recovery?"

"the memory center in the brain is a fragile thing Amy, I am hoping that with time and patience Ty will regain most of his long-term memories, but each brain injury is different and I can't say for sure that it will be fully restored. "

Amy's eyes dropped to the floor, "so there's a chance he may never get them back, "

"I have to be honest because the injury was masked for so long, there could be some lasting long-term damage to Tys brain, it may never fully recover from this, I am sorry"

Jack hugged Amy seeing the tear roll down her face, "we have him back Amy, that's got to count for something "

"how is he?" a gruff voice said from behind them causing them to turn in its direction.

"Wade, "Amy said, walking over to him and hugging him, taking him completely by surprise. He liked the idea of being considered the good guy.

"I'll explain it all to you, "Jack said, shaking his hand. He never had much time for Wade, but the last few weeks had shown him in a different light. He had put his own safety on the line to save his stepson, he had re-entered the criminal world to get Amy and Jack a way into the race meets so they could locate and save Ty. He had proven to Jack, that maybe he had changed, maybe the man who used to beat his wife and stepchild had actually changed for the better.

"if you follow me, Amy, I'll take you to see him before we do the procedure, he's been asking for you," the doctor said.

Amy nodded and left Jack to talk to Wade and followed the doctor into the wards.

Ty smiled at Amy as she walked into the hospital room. He hadn't felt happier to see her as he did right at that moment.

He was lying in a hospital gown covered in a blue blanket, he looked pale but otherwise ok.

Amy noticed the iv in his right arm and the blood pressure monitor on his index finger as she went over to him and sat in the chair next to the bed.

He looked over at her, turning slightly in the bed, "I wasn't sure you would come"

Amy looked at Ty with confusion, "why would you think that?"

Ty looked a little shy and reluctant to answer, "I kinda lost it in your room before, "he said, "sorry, I shouldn't be taking this out on you"

"It's ok Ty, "Amy said softly," I understand how hard this must be for you"

"Still, I'm sorry" he flashed a playful smile her way, hoping to lift the mood.

"has the doctor spoken to you about what they are going to do, "she asked,

Ty nodded and rubbed his eyes,

"once the pressure is gone, you might be able to remember again "She said hopefully,

"or I might lose it all, everything "he said flatly.

Amy paused, her eyes searching his. Not understanding his last statement.

"Oh, she didn't tell you that part," He said, looking back at her, "there's also a chance that the procedure may cause permeant damage and I won't remember anything when I wake up if I wake up."

Amy's face went white, trying to comprehend what Ty had just told her,

"well, I'll just have to remind you again, "she said to him, holding her fear inside, trying to be strong. "I convinced you once, I can do it again"

Ty watched her, his eyes focusing on hers, "I can't lose you again, I've only just found you"

Amy leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, letting him feel how much she loved him. "you will never lose me, Ty, "

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, trying to lose himself within her embrace. She was all he had left, the only thing he could hold onto, and the threat of having that taken away too was too much to handle.

Their moment was broken as the doctor and two nurses entered the room. They paused seeing the couple embracing and waited for them to separate before coming over to Ty's bed and starting the procedure set up.

One of the nurses smiled at Amy as she placed a small tray on Ty's bed, as she uncovered it Ty's eyes caught sight of the clippers, and he shut his eyes and swallowed hard.

"it's ok Ty," the doctor said softly, "we only need a small area behind your ear, I promise we will only take off a small section and it will be easy to hide. your hair is quite safe, "

Ty chuckled nervously, feeling foolish, but relieved that he wasn't going to be sporting a new number one hairdo.

Amy watched as they clipped the hair from behind his left ear, leaving a clean 3cm strip once they were done. Tys eyes locked to Amy's as they worked, his face turned to hers. Amy held his hand, entangling her fingers with his, showing him that she was by his side.

"Ok, Ty, we are going to give you the pre-med now, it's going to make you a little groggy. Once it's taken effect, we will take you down to surgery. "Doctor Bell said, "do you have any questions before we proceed"

Ty swallowed hard and squeezed Amy's hand. Fear in his eyes "can you give us a minute please" he said softly, not taking his gaze off the only thing he knew to be right in his world.

"of course, Ty, well give you two the room for a moment" Dr. Bell motioned to the nurses to follow her and they left the room.

"that's a cool do you've got there, "Amy smiled, "when you wake up, I'll do the other side and match it up" A tear rolled down Amy's cheek as she tried to show him she wasn't scared,

"If this all goes wrong and I don't come out of this, "he started,

"no Ty, don't" Amy pleaded, not wanting to hear what he was trying to say.

"if I don't remember, please just know that I knew from the moment you kissed me in the stable, that I was meant to be with you, that my life is with you. "

A single tear rolled down his cheek" please remember that"

Amy quickly leaned over to Ty and placed her lips on his, kissing him passionately and feeling him return with all the love and affection he could.

Amy pressed her hands to his cheeks. And intensified the contact more, knowing he needed to take the love she had through this next trial with him.

The door opened and the nurses came back in. followed by Dr. Bell,

"you ready Ty, "she said,

He nodded and took a deep breath, knowing that when he closed his eyes and succumbed to the pre-med, it could be the last time he saw her or remembered her again.

"Amy, "he said softly, as she touched his cheek, "thank you "

Amy smiled at him, "for what?' she said as the nurse injected the iv with the pre-med,

Ty squeezed her hand and she watched as his eyes started to glaze and his breathing slowed, he swallowed and forced his gaze to stay on her "for loving me"

And with those words, his eyes closed and Amy's lip quivered, knowing she may have lost him once again.

"Amy, I'll come get you when it's over," Dr. Bell said, touching her shoulder, "it shouldn't be more than an hour"

"Ty said there's a chance he may not come out of this, that his mind and memories will be affected" she whispered, "is that true"

"there's a small chance the damage may be accelerated once we remove the bleed, but it's a very small chance, let's just stay positive Amy, he may wake up in an hour and remember everything, or only remember today, all we can do is wait and see"

Amy nodded as the nurses wheeled his bed out of the room. She walked with him down the corridor, her hand still entangled with his, until they reach the elevator where Jack and Wade stood waiting for her.

She kissed Ty on the lips again and let him go, Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders. As they watched the elevator doors shut and take him away to surgery.

Amy buried her head into her grandpa's chest and sobbed. The events of the day finally catching up with her. She had found him, brought him home, and now ran the risk of losing him again.

"he will make it through this kid, "Wade said, touching her shoulder, "he's a Borden, trust me they are made of tuff stuff,"

"he's awake," Dr. Bell said to Amy as she escorted her, Jack and Wade towards the hospital room.

"and?" Amy asked, "does he remember? "

"he knows his name, that's a good start "Dr. Bell smiled,

She pushed open the door of the room and Amy quickly made her way over to the bed where Ty lay. He had his eyes shut, and had a plaster bandage across his left ear. A tube ran down his neck from the plaster and off into a bag that hung at the side of the bed, Amy noticed the red fluid that ran slowly through the tube, she bit her lip, hoping that this was going to work and not end up taking him from her forever.

Amy touched his hand and he stirred, his green eyes flickered open slightly, he blinked several times and moistened his lips with his tongue,

"hey, you" Amy said, as his eyes slowly focused on her,

Wade and Jack stepped up behind her, hoping to hear him say their names.

"who is this lovely lady Ty?" Dr. Bell asked, touching Amy's shoulder,

Ty blinked again and took a deeper breath,

"A…Amy" he whispered,

Amy's heart exploded, she couldn't explain the feeling that coursed through her veins.

"yes Ty, it's me" she beamed, kissing his cheek.

"and what about this handsome gent," Dr. Bell said smiling at Jack who blushed at the compliment,

Tys eyes flickered towards Jack as he smiled at him.

He took another deep breath and shut his eyes, trying to focus.

"J, Jack …Bartlett" he breathed,

"that's right Ty, "Jack chuffed, "and who is this?'

Jack knew the real test would be Wade, Ty hadn't been introduced to him since he had been returned home, so if he remembered him, it was from an early memory and meant the procedure had yielded results.

Tys eyes slowly moved over towards Wade and looked at him. He held the gaze for longer than he had with Amy and Jack.

He licked his lips again and lifted his hand to rub his eyes.

Ty looked again but slowly shook his head, defeat flicking through his green eyes.

"it's ok Ty, take your time," Amy said softly.

He shook his head, "sorry… "he croaked, "don't…. know"

"it's alright kid, "Wade said, "probably best we take our memories slow hey, maybe we just keep the past in the past and focus on the future"

Ty watched him, confusion over the comment, but decided in his groggy state to let it go.

"Well, I think we are still looking at some gaps in the long-term memory, but he seems to have retained his short-term still, which is a good start. "Dr. Bell said,

"rest now Ty ok, "she wrote on his chart and looked at Amy and Jack,

"I'm happy for him to go home once the anesthetic has worn off, and the drain has been removed. he needs to be in familiar surroundings with people who he knows. "

Amy nodded and shook her hand, "thank you for everything"

"no need Amy, just remember to not force it ok, allow him to discover his past at his own time, you need to avoid telling him too much, let him figure it out for himself as much as you can. Fill in the blanks, but don't write him the novel. He needs to do this in his own time and at his own pace. "

Jack shook her hand and thanked her as well.

"take him to familiar places that hold significance for him. Favorite foods, movies, that kind of thing may trigger images or flashes. I'll touch base once a week and see how it's all going"

Jack touched Amy's shoulder and whispered into her ear, "I'm going to walk Wade out then I'll come back,"

Amy nodded and watched the two older gents leave the room. The doctor checked Ty's vitals again and then left Amy to watch over Ty alone.

Tys eyes flickered open again. He smiled softly at her, as the anesthetic started to clear from his mind.

"Amy," he said softly, his eyes smiling at her, as her hand took hold of his, and squeezed it gently.

"Shhh, I'm right here, I told you I wasn't going anywhere,"

to be continued