Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 5

Chapter 6:  Confusion and Disorientation

The pain was evident before Remy was even aware he was conscious, everything seemed very dark and vague around him, in his mind, the echo of a gun shot seemed to ring in his ears, and he shot up from the bed with a gasp, the pain in his side was excruciating, it almost felt as if it were on fire.

"Calm down!" he felt hands upon his shoulders, he looked up into the bright green eyes of a red headed woman, she was holding him down, "calm down, you're safe…"

Remy struggled with her, "let go!" he gasped, he rolled to the side, falling off the bed with a clatter.  The stinging in his hand called his attention to an intravenous drip, he yanked it out, tossing the needle and tube aside, he looked every which way for an exit.

"Remy, its alright…" the woman said soothingly, she looked straight at him.

Remy found himself in total confusion, he did not recognise the woman standing before him – although something about her seemed very vaguely familiar as if he might have seen her once on a street years before.  She called him Remy, but it seemed to him that it wasn't even his name, but if this wasn't his own name, he wasn't sure what might be.

"Stay back!" he yelled, his voice thick with an accent he heard echo in the white room but didn't even recognise. 

"Jean, what's happening?"

Remy backed into the wall with wide frightened eyes as a very large man came into the room, only…he wasn't really a man…he was…vaguely even human.  Rather than skin, he seemed to have fur, blue fur, over every part of his body that was exposed beneath an oversized sweater and a pair of shorts. 

"Hank, he's confused," Jean said, "I don't think he recognises me…" Jean took a step closer to Remy, and watched as he slid along the wall almost as if in fear for his life, he moved with hindrance due to the gunshot wound on his side.

The doorway was clear, he made a run for it, the pain searing through him as he did, he found himself in a corridor, the corridor was unfamiliar yet seemed as if he'd seen it somewhere before, or felt as if he'd been there, he could not explain it, and had not the time to.  Holding his side, which was clearly bandaged, he continued to rush, turned a sharp corner, ending up in a marvellous foyer, marble floors cold beneath his bare feet.

"Remy…?"

Remy turned quickly, finding himself facing another woman, she seemed so familiar yet he could not place her, her eyes were the first thing he noticed, an olive green, beneath long dark lashes and set against flawless tanned flesh.  Her hair was more striking than her beautiful eyes, two white streaks contrasted against the rich chestnut brown of her long slightly tousled hair that hung to her waist.  She seemed to be in her early to mid twenties.  She was possibly the most attractive woman he'd ever seen in his life – yet he couldn't find any woman in his life he could remember seeing to compare this beauty to.

"You're supposed to be resting…" the woman said, her voice was in a thick southern drawl, it seemed as if it should have been familiar. 

Large hands took his shoulders, and he spun around, the one called Hank had apprehended him, and he draw back falling on the floor, his back slamming hard on the marble, and he winced as pain that seemed to echo from long ago travelled up his spine.

"What's goin' on…" the woman with the white streak asked.

The redhead Remy had noticed had been named by the Blue furred beast as Jean approached in a jog, "you caught up with him," she said to Hank.

Hank gave a nod.

"What's goin' on?" The woman with the streak asked yet again, seeming to hope for an answer.

"He's confused…disorientated," Jean explained, she knelt by Remy, "Lie still," she commanded of him.

The pain that Remy was in during that precise moment wouldn't have let him get up even if he wanted to, he lay there, looking around at the three unfamiliar people, his eyes wide in panic.

"Remy…" the woman with the white streak knelt down slowly, "are you alright?"

Remy couldn't find the words to tell her to stay back, and wasn't sure he wanted to tell her to stay away, out of them all, she was the most familiar, and yet her name wouldn't come to him, and his connection to her he couldn't tell.  He was lost in her eyes as he looked at her.

Hank reached forward to help Remy up, Remy flinched back.

"Stay away!" he warned, he was trembling, looking at the beast with frightened eyes.

             "Remy…what's wrong?" the woman with the streaks asked, Remy only looked at her, every time he heard the name 'Remy', he wondered if this was really him.  "Remy?" she asked again.

             Jean placed a hand upon her head and closed her eyes, "I'm trying to read his mind but…its so vague…its almost as if he doesn't know who…oh my god…he doesn't know who we are…"

             Remy spun around to look at Jean, the pain in his side becoming more intense as he moved, she could read his mind?  How was such a thing possible.

             "He doesn't recognise us?" Hank asked, "Oh dear…Rogue, maybe you should go get the Professor…" Hank said to the woman with white streaks.

             Remy looked at her, Rogue…why did this sound so familiar…?  Yet he found himself absurdly wondering what kind of a person gets named Rogue?  Was this a real name?  Or a nickname?  Or something else?

             "He's already on his way," Jean said, she gently placed her hand under Remy's arm, "come on, we need to get you off this cold floor," she said in a soothing soft tone.  "Rogue, help me please…"

             Rogue moved to the other side of Remy, sliding a gloved hand under his bare arm and raising him up almost effortlessly, as she did a curl of her soft white hair brushed against his cheek, that simple touch calmed him more than he felt he'd ever been calmed in his life.  He closed his eyes savouring that few moments, and once he was standing he nearly collapsed from the pain in his side.

             "What do you mean he doesn't know who we are?" Rogue asked, her voice thick with what sounded like emotion, as Remy glanced sideways to look at her he could see she'd been crying over something, her eyes were ever so slightly glassy, red and puffy. 

             "It may just be temporary amnesia from the trauma," Hank said.

             Amnesia, Remy thought, is that what they called this?  He couldn't remember who he was, who any of these people were – although according to them he should have – and he did not even know where he was.

             Rogue looked right at Remy, her eyes finding his, "how can he not know us…we've…known him for seven years…" she reminded Hank.

             "A question perhaps we should ask later, he needs his rest, Rogue," Jean stated, leading the way into the hospital room they had been in before, both women led Remy to the bed and made him sit.

             Remy had so many things he wanted to ask but dare not speak, the confusion was too much to deal with and he had a feeling the answers might be too.

             "Rogue, maybe it would be a good idea if you left the room?" Jean asked of Rogue.

             "I…I need to talk with him," Rogue said, she seemed rather indecisive regarding this though, yet Remy was curious as to what she could possibly have to say to him, but he was so taken by her that he didn't care what she said as long as she stayed. 

             A gut instinct inside Remy told him to trust her, although with his amnesia he wasn't particularly sure he should even try to trust a gut instinct when he didn't know enough about himself to trust that gut instincts he had were ever right. 

             Jean looked at Rogue, "Whatever you needed to say will have to wait…he doesn't know who we are, it would fall on wasted ears if this is regarding anything previous now…he doesn't know you…he doesn't remember you…at all…"

             Rogue's eyes fell upon Remy, and he looked back at her equally interested, inside his thoughts were screaming for her not to leave, but she did, she turned and left the room, leaving him with this red headed woman and this strange blue beast. 

             Kitty came down the stairs just as Rogue had entered the foyer, Rogue seemed rather stunned, her mouth still open, she walked slowly, as if in a trance.

             "Rogue?" Kitty asked, "you look like you've seen a ghost…what's wrong?"

             Rogue turned and looked at Kitty strangely, "Remy…doesn't remember me…"

             "What?" Kitty raised an eyebrow looking thoroughly perplexed.

             "He…doesn't remember me…or Jean…or Hank…he freaked out…he just kept looking at me in this strange way…"
             "You gotta be kidding," Kitty made a face, "this is a joke, right?"

             "NO!!" Rogue raised her voice, "Hank said he must have amnesia due to trauma or something…I don't understand how a fucking gunshot wound could have wiped his whole memory fucking clean!"

             "These things are always temporary…people sometimes lose their memories after bad things happen…" Kitty tried to console.

             "On TV!" Rogue outburst, "in real life isn't it possible this MIGHT be a permanent situation!?"

             "Calm down," Kitty placed her hands on Rogue's arms, "you're overreacting, in an hour he could have all his memories back…"
             "What if he doesn't…" Rogue looked at Kitty, her eyes full of fear, "What if he never remembers…what if he doesn't ever know who he really is?  What if he's never going to be the same?"

             Kitty looked at Rogue, this was indeed a possibility.  Suddenly, Kitty felt quite bad about pushing Rogue to want to make a step towards reconciling with Remy.  It had now appeared to have made matters worse.  "He will…" Kitty tried to assure, "surely the Professor or Jean can maybe unlock his memories or something…"
             "Oh come on!" Rogue frowned, "the professor and Jean can't even unlock MY repressed memories, do you honestly think they have a chance in hell of recovering every single memory in Remy's head?!"

             "Calm down," Kitty said again, she squeezed Rogue's arms, "we need to wait and see what happens before we start worrying about how he's going to get his memories back or if he's ever going to be the same…"

             Rogue gaped, "its like you don't even care!  You were sprouting all this shit off about bein' Remy's friend and now you're acting so rational its as if you don't give a damn."

             "Of course I do," Kitty sighed, "But…maybe…maybe its for the best that he has lost his memories…" she trailed off.

             "Huh?" Rogue asked looking thoroughly outraged.

             "Never mind…" Kitty sighed, "Look, its like I said, we just need to wait and see what happens…there's nothing we can do."

             Rogue chewed her lip as tears sprang to her eyes, she blinked them back furiously, "I can't just 'wait and see'," she sighed, "I need to do something…"

             "Like?" Kitty asked softly.

             Rogue sighed too, and headed up the stairway, "I'll think of something."

(The end – or is it???? Mwahahahahahahahaha)