Remember Me

Chapter Two: Stranger

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48 hours had come and gone quickly. Ben hadn't shown any decline in health, so the doctors had decided to release him. They had recommended to keep Ben out of school for a couple of weeks and to keep a close eye on him if anything were to come up. Needless to say, Ben wasn't enthused about the idea. It was his senior year and he didn't want to spend two weeks at home when he could be making memories with friends, going to parties, and getting ready for college. He didn't want to stay in bed and waste his life away. Lisa thought he was dramatic. She always wanted to put health before anything else. After her own car accident, she had been a careful driver and tried to teach Ben to be careful. It almost gave her memories of her own accident. While she didn't remember the accident itself, she did remember the pain it caused. Apparently her car had been totaled and unfixable.

Ben plopped onto the couch of their living room when they arrived back home. He immediately pulled his phone out of his sweatpants pocket and began texting his friends.

"Really?" Lisa groaned in disbelief.

"What?" Ben asked, not being bothered enough to look up from his phone.

"I thought this would be a good time to spend quality time together." Lisa voiced as she sat down next to her son. He was eighteen and about to leave the nest. She couldn't bear the thought of it just being her. She wanted some time with him before he left for college. Ben chuckled lightly as he placed his phone down.

"Mom, I would love to spend time with you, but I have to get some stuff for my senior slideshow." Ben explained.

"What's that?"

"It's this whole thing our class puts on for the parents to show how much we've grown and whatnot. It's really stupid."

"I don't!" Lisa pronounced. "I think it's a great idea!"

"I guess it is, if you have a dad." Ben grumbled.

"Benjamin Isaac Braeden, stop that." Lisa ordered, gritting her teeth. "You know it's fine with just you and me."

"I know, but everyone in my class has a dad to share their day with."

"And what's wrong with just me?"

"Absolutely nothing, Mom!" Ben declared. "I just... wish I had a dad."

"You do." Lisa said with a giggle. "How do you think you got here?"

"Oh, gross Mom!" Ben exclaimed with disgust. He joined his mother in laughter and she grabbed hold of him.

"I know not knowing who your dad is sucks, but believe me, it is just better with you and me, I promise."

"I know, Mom. Sometimes I just need to be reminded." Ben pulled away from his mom's grip as she gave him a peck on the head. "Can you get me that box of all my baby pictures so I can submit them, please?"

"I think you're missing something." Lisa giggled lightly. Ben rolled his eyes as his lips curved into a smile.

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"That's my boy!" Lisa got up from the couch and began heading to the basement where they had kept their photo albums and other treasured memories. While Lisa had searched for his pictures, Ben remained on the couch. The excitement and the worry from the last two days had finally caught up to him and he felt an overwhelming sensation of exhaustion. He could barely keep his eyes open much longer. He leaned back in the couch and his eyes slowly began to close. He had been fighting sleep since the first dream he had, but now he couldn't fight it much longer. If he were to have another dream, then so be it. He needed sleep.

Lisa climbed back up the stairs with boxes full of photo albums in her hands. She realized Ben had been fast asleep and placed the boxes on the table in front of the couch. She smiled as she watched her son sleep peacefully.

While Ben had seemed to be sleeping peacefully on the outside, it was anything other than peaceful on the inside. Flashing images of the same man popped up over and over again. This time he could hear his voice as well. It was deep and husky. He could hear it so well, it was almost like he had actually heard him talk before. Ben tossed in his sleep as the images wouldn't stop. This man kept popping into his mind and he couldn't stop it.

"Sammy went and I couldn't stop it." The voice echoed. Then a voice all too familiar spoke back.

"Are you going to be okay? Is there anything I can do?" It was his mother's voice. Ben continued to stir. He couldn't allow himself to wake up just yet.

"I will be, in time. I'm just glad you and the kid are okay."

Ben awoke with a sudden jolt, gasping for air. His eyes scanned the dark, empty living room for his mother, but couldn't find her. He assumed she had went up to her bedroom and allowed him to sleep. He glanced out the windows to see the sun had disappeared and the moon and stars had made their arrival. Ben rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

"What the...?" He asked himself as he thought about his dream. It was real, all too real. Ben leaned back and stared at the boxes in front of him. "Well, I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon." He said with a sigh. He leaned forward and reached for one of the boxes. He ripped the lid off and began sorting through pictures, putting ones he liked into a pile and throwing the rest onto the table carelessly. He had went through several pictures from his childhood to his teen years with ease until he pulled one particular picture out.

It was a picture of his own mother, standing side by side to the man he had seen in his dreams. He had his arm wrapped around her and both were smiling happily at the camera. Ben began to feel dizzy as the confusion rose. He couldn't take his eyes off the picture before him. He managed to squeeze his eyes shut and set the picture aside.

"You're imagining things, Ben." He mumbled to himself. He reached in the box for another picture. Once he pulled it out, he saw a younger Ben sitting beside to the same man in a car. Ben looked excited and full of wonder. The man beside him kept a hand on the steering wheel and had been laughing at the boy beside him.

Then, it happened.

Flashing images burning in Ben's head as he stared at the pictures. His head began to pound with pain. He set the picture down beside him and placed his hands on his head. The final image he had seen before blacking out was that same man in the doorway of his mom's hospital room, apologizing for the car accident.