*I am sorry to announce a disruption to my regular service. I'm off to stay with family for a bit.I know the timing sucks! I have frantically prewritten all the weeks chapters and downloaded them so I hope to keep posting every day; I just can't make any promises. Normal service will resume Tuesday 25th October.*
*A BIG HUGE THANK YOU for all my reviews they keep me going - I never realised this was going to become quite so epic or addictive!*
*SPOILIERS - this week (hopefully) - Krystal confronts Dixie, Stuart tries to cheer up AJ and Bianca gets to leave her bed.*
…
She stared at the people gazing back at her from the foot of her bed. Her eyes finally settling on the little boy with the tear stained face who had called her mommy. She was so confused. She didn't know who they were, but worse she didn't know who she was, she didn't even know her own name. Part of her knew she should remember something like that but her mind was a blank.
"Sweetheart." gasped one of the women.
"Marissa." said the man, making it sound like a hiss.
The woman who had called her sweetheart hurried forward and pressed a button above her bed. The stranger was smiling at her and reached out to stroke her face. She flinched away.
"Marissa, my heart, your awake, you're really awake."
Marissa, if that was her name, looked at the woman, unsettled by the fact that this stranger was crying and smiling at the same time.
"Who are you?" Marissa asked, nervously, "Do I know you?"
A new figure hurried into the room. 'Marissa' recognised the white coat and knew this woman was a doctor. How could she know that, when she didn't even know who she was?
"She doesn't know me." sobbed the woman still crying but her smile had dimmed.
The doctor took a moment to quickly take in the tense tableau and the terrified look on Marissa's face.
"Okay." said the Doctor, "I'm going to need you to give us some space."
She was talking to the people in the room. The woman who had called her sweetheart seemed reluctant to go.
"You can just wait outside, I promise I won't be long. I just need to check her out."
As the last of the people left 'Marissa' looked at the doctor, who smiled at her warmly.
"Hello Marissa, welcome back. I'm Doctor Cara Castillo, do you know where you are?"
"No." she sobbed, scared because she knew that she should know this stuff. It was like there was this giant hole where she knew there were answers only she couldn't get to it.
"Do you know who you are?"
"I'm Marissa apparently," she said sadly, "But I… I can't remember anything. Nothing… it's like I'm a blank."
"No it's okay. " Dr Castillo reassured her. "You are in Pine Valley Hospital. Your amnesia is most certainly a symptom of the serious head injury you suffered. You have been in a coma for over a month, so you might feel a little weak and confused."
Marissa stayed silent.
"Are you in pain or discomfort."
"My head hurts a little." said Marissa quietly.
"I'm just going to check you out." the doctor said. She briefly shone a light into Marissa's eyes, checked her pulse and listened to her heart beat.
"Every seems to be fine." she said with a smile. "You suffered an impact to the skull that caused a severe fracture. If the headache persisits I'll run a CT scan. My current concern is your apparent memory loss. I'd like to do few tests to see the extent of the damage. Would you be alright with that?"
"I guess so." said Marissa quietly.
"Wonderful." said the doctor smiling. "And when I'm done your family can come back in."
"Is that who they were?" asked Marissa, wondering about the strangers who had been in her room bellowing at each other just moment ago.
"Yes, there was your mother…"
"…the lady by the bed?"
"That's right. Did you recognise her?"
"No…" said Marissa shaking her head, and then wishing she hadn't as it made her feel dizzy. "She just seemed motherly." she explained
"Okay," said Dr Castillo, continuing, "Well then there was your son AJ, your ex-husband JR and Dixie… I guess is your ex-mother-in-law. This is probably a lot to take in. Do you want to see then after the tests?"
"I don't know, will it help?" Marissa asked. She didn't really know what she wanted, everything was so confusing.
"How about we just limit it to your mother for the time being? I know she has been worried sick about you, she has barely left your bedside."
"If you think that's best." said Marissa quietly.
Cara gave her another reassuring smile.
"So are we ready for these tests? I'm going to point at an object and I want you to tell me what it is."
Marissa nodded.
The doctor pulled something from her pocket.
"Pen," said Marissa instantly recognising the object.
The doctor pointed at a beaker on the bedside table.
"A Cup." said Marissa. The doctor looked like she was waiting for more.
"Is that all it is?" she asked.
"It's a blue cup two-thirds full of water." said Marissa, which made the doctor's smile widen.
The doctor then pointed to the top of her head.
"Head or hair." said Marissa, "Black hair to be precise tied up in a pony-tail."
"Excellent." said the Doctor, the reassuring smile still on her face. "Now I want to do a word association. I'm going to say a word and I want you to say the first thing that comes into your head. Ready."
Marissa nodded.
"Blue."
"Sky" said Marissa. "Or cup."
"Just one word answers for the test, okay? - Hat."
"Scarf."
"Cat."
"Mouse."
"Grass."
"Cow."
"Tree"
"Kiss"
The doctor stopped.
"Very good." she said, but she looked a little concerned. "Marissa, can you tell me what a kiss is?"
"Was that not the right answer?" Marissa asked confused.
"There is no wrong answer." said the doctor. "I just need you to tell me what a kiss is."
"A smooch, a snog, two lips pressed together." said Marissa, finishing by blowing the doctor a kiss.
"That's right. That's fine. Now do you know why you associated a kiss with a tree?"
Marissa thought for a moment.
"I don't know."
"Well it's clear you have gaps in your memory, but the good news is your cognitive ability seems unimpaired. This may just be a temporary symptom, caused by your head trauma."
"So I've lost my memory."
"I'm afraid so."
The doctor looked at her sadly for a moment.
"Marissa I want to check your physical condition now. Would it be alright to do a few more tests?"
Marissa nodded and let the doctor continue her examine. As she lay back she couldn't help but wonder about who she was from the few facts she had been given. When had she had a son, how come she had ended up divorced and how had she wound up in the hospital.
Just who was she exactly?
...