Chapter Five
Logan walked down the hallway with the doctor, listening to her advice. "Now, we want to try and let her regain her memories on her own, so don't tell her life story why you're in there. You can tell her the basic stuff to an extent, but a lot of this stuff she has to find out about on her own." Logan nodded his agreement as they approached Max's room. "I've set up an appointment for tomorrow with a psychiatrist that I know. She specializes in amnesia cases, helping her patients regain their memories, and I'll give you the information about that when you get done. If all goes well we are going to release her to outpatient care in the next couple of days, as long as there isn't any complications." Again, Logan nodded silently as he stood outside Max's closed door, taking a deep breath as he opened the door.
Max sat upright in her bed, staring out the window at the late afternoon sunlight. She was absently fidgeting with the heart rate monitor that was attached to her finger. She was looking out blankly, desperately trying to remember something, anything. But at the same time being afraid to do so. When the door swung open and a man stood in the doorway, Max knew she was supposed to know him, just from the expression on his face. But she searched her blank mind and couldn't conjure up any images, any memories, anything at all. She took in his image, brown hair with hints of blonde streaked through it, spiky with tracks where his fingers had run absently through it. Piercing dark blue eyes accentuated by small-framed glasses that were perched atop a well-sculpted nose. He had a sensuous mouth that stood out in his face, set off by the stubble that adorned his face.
His mouth quirked up into a small smile as he crossed the room. Even if he was smiling, Max could still see the storming emotions behind his eyes. "Hi Max." He said as he drug a chair across the room so it was next to the bed.
That was one thing the doctor was willing to tell Max, her name. Max Guevara. Max Guevara. After the doctor had stepped out of the room leaving her alone, she had repeated it aloud a couple of times, trying to spark any recognition.
"Hi." She said softly, continuing to stare at him. Who was this man? Her brother? Her husband? A boyfriend? A boss?
"Do you know who I am?" He asked hopefully, eyes lighting at the possibility.
Max shook her head softly, sorry to see that light disappear.
"I'm Logan."
"Logan." Max tested. It didn't sound wrong, but how could something sound wrong if you didn't know what was right. She was silent for a moment; as Logan studied her, also quiet. "How did I know you?" She asked carefully, embarrassed by her lack of recognition.
Logan hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should tell her, about Eyes-Only, about Manticore, about anything. And how was he supposed to explain the complexity of their relationship in a simple sentence. "Well, you sort of worked for me, in a way. We were…good friends."
Max closed her eyes, wanting to remember anything about the man sitting next to her. "What did I do for you?"
"Um, this and that. That wasn't really your job, you just did some favors for me every once in a while."
"What was my job then?"
"You're a bike messenger. For a place called 'Jam Pony.'"
Max grimaced. "What kind of name is that? I work for a place called 'Jam Pony'?"
Logan lightly laughed at her distaste. "You hate your boss too."
Max rolled her eyes. "Lovely."
They sat in silence for another moment, Max not knowing what she should ask, Logan not knowing what to tell.
Finally, Logan broke through the quiet. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, the doctor said I got hit by a car. I feel pretty similar to that. My head is throbbing, but I guess that I to be expected."
Silence descended over the room again. "Who else was I friends with?"
Logan smiled softly. "I am sure the cavalry will come trooping in here in a matter of minuets, but you have Kendra, Original Cindy, they are all here right now, along with Bling. Then you've got Herbal Thought and Sketchy who have been in and out of here as they worked. All of them with the exception of Bling and Kendra work with you at Jam Pony."
"Original Cindy? Herbal Thought? Sketchy? Bling? What kind of names are those? What kind of people am I friends with exactly?"
Before Logan could answer, Cindy burst into the room, door slamming against the wall as she flung it open. "Boo!" She said happily as she rushed across the room and captured Max into a gentle, yet firm, bear hug. "You had me so worried!"
Max stared at her dumbfounded. She was a striking black woman, with a curly mass of hair, dressed in an abstract outfit of denim overalls and a sparkly purple midriff barring top. Max glanced over at Logan helplessly. He smiled as he took pity on her. "Cindy, you're scaring the hell out of her."
"Your Original Cindy?" Max questioned.
"That would be correct."
"Why do you call yourself 'Original' Cindy?"
"Why? Because I am the Original Sin." Cindy said as she cocked a hand on her hip as it striking a pose. "Do you remember anything, boo?"
Max shook her head again. It was getting pretty bothersome to have people constantly asking if she remembered anything, when it is obvious that she didn't, and they were just pointing it out again.
Kendra walked in the door then, with Bling at her side. Cindy gestured at Logan that she wanted to see him out of the hallway.
When they were both out of the hallway and out of hearing distance, Cindy's bright smile that she had plastered on cracked and fell off as she leaned against a wall. "Logan, she doesn't remember a thing. Not one thing."
"I know, it is scary seeing her like that. Completely unaware of anything and everything that she has gone through, what she is."
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Do we tell her about the evil black helicopter men that are after her a**? Or do we let her remember on her own?"
Logan raked his hands through his hair again. "I don't know, I don't think we should tell her anything yet though. She could freak out, and then we'd have to explain to the doctors why she is freaking out. We should wait till she is more stable."
Cindy nodded in agreement. "When she gets out of here, I think it would be safer for her to stay with you. Or place is a mess on a good day, and I don't think it is safe for her to be there since she doesn't know that she is supposed to be running from the bad a** military freaks."
"That makes sense, there is plenty of room in my place."
"Well I am going to get back in there before Kendra tells her about Mr. Multiples. That is something my boo is better of forgetting and not remembering."
Logan nodded as Cindy walked back into the now noisy hospital room. He took a moment to steady himself before walking back into the room himself, plastering on a cheery smile as he went.
Logan walked down the hallway with the doctor, listening to her advice. "Now, we want to try and let her regain her memories on her own, so don't tell her life story why you're in there. You can tell her the basic stuff to an extent, but a lot of this stuff she has to find out about on her own." Logan nodded his agreement as they approached Max's room. "I've set up an appointment for tomorrow with a psychiatrist that I know. She specializes in amnesia cases, helping her patients regain their memories, and I'll give you the information about that when you get done. If all goes well we are going to release her to outpatient care in the next couple of days, as long as there isn't any complications." Again, Logan nodded silently as he stood outside Max's closed door, taking a deep breath as he opened the door.
Max sat upright in her bed, staring out the window at the late afternoon sunlight. She was absently fidgeting with the heart rate monitor that was attached to her finger. She was looking out blankly, desperately trying to remember something, anything. But at the same time being afraid to do so. When the door swung open and a man stood in the doorway, Max knew she was supposed to know him, just from the expression on his face. But she searched her blank mind and couldn't conjure up any images, any memories, anything at all. She took in his image, brown hair with hints of blonde streaked through it, spiky with tracks where his fingers had run absently through it. Piercing dark blue eyes accentuated by small-framed glasses that were perched atop a well-sculpted nose. He had a sensuous mouth that stood out in his face, set off by the stubble that adorned his face.
His mouth quirked up into a small smile as he crossed the room. Even if he was smiling, Max could still see the storming emotions behind his eyes. "Hi Max." He said as he drug a chair across the room so it was next to the bed.
That was one thing the doctor was willing to tell Max, her name. Max Guevara. Max Guevara. After the doctor had stepped out of the room leaving her alone, she had repeated it aloud a couple of times, trying to spark any recognition.
"Hi." She said softly, continuing to stare at him. Who was this man? Her brother? Her husband? A boyfriend? A boss?
"Do you know who I am?" He asked hopefully, eyes lighting at the possibility.
Max shook her head softly, sorry to see that light disappear.
"I'm Logan."
"Logan." Max tested. It didn't sound wrong, but how could something sound wrong if you didn't know what was right. She was silent for a moment; as Logan studied her, also quiet. "How did I know you?" She asked carefully, embarrassed by her lack of recognition.
Logan hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should tell her, about Eyes-Only, about Manticore, about anything. And how was he supposed to explain the complexity of their relationship in a simple sentence. "Well, you sort of worked for me, in a way. We were…good friends."
Max closed her eyes, wanting to remember anything about the man sitting next to her. "What did I do for you?"
"Um, this and that. That wasn't really your job, you just did some favors for me every once in a while."
"What was my job then?"
"You're a bike messenger. For a place called 'Jam Pony.'"
Max grimaced. "What kind of name is that? I work for a place called 'Jam Pony'?"
Logan lightly laughed at her distaste. "You hate your boss too."
Max rolled her eyes. "Lovely."
They sat in silence for another moment, Max not knowing what she should ask, Logan not knowing what to tell.
Finally, Logan broke through the quiet. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, the doctor said I got hit by a car. I feel pretty similar to that. My head is throbbing, but I guess that I to be expected."
Silence descended over the room again. "Who else was I friends with?"
Logan smiled softly. "I am sure the cavalry will come trooping in here in a matter of minuets, but you have Kendra, Original Cindy, they are all here right now, along with Bling. Then you've got Herbal Thought and Sketchy who have been in and out of here as they worked. All of them with the exception of Bling and Kendra work with you at Jam Pony."
"Original Cindy? Herbal Thought? Sketchy? Bling? What kind of names are those? What kind of people am I friends with exactly?"
Before Logan could answer, Cindy burst into the room, door slamming against the wall as she flung it open. "Boo!" She said happily as she rushed across the room and captured Max into a gentle, yet firm, bear hug. "You had me so worried!"
Max stared at her dumbfounded. She was a striking black woman, with a curly mass of hair, dressed in an abstract outfit of denim overalls and a sparkly purple midriff barring top. Max glanced over at Logan helplessly. He smiled as he took pity on her. "Cindy, you're scaring the hell out of her."
"Your Original Cindy?" Max questioned.
"That would be correct."
"Why do you call yourself 'Original' Cindy?"
"Why? Because I am the Original Sin." Cindy said as she cocked a hand on her hip as it striking a pose. "Do you remember anything, boo?"
Max shook her head again. It was getting pretty bothersome to have people constantly asking if she remembered anything, when it is obvious that she didn't, and they were just pointing it out again.
Kendra walked in the door then, with Bling at her side. Cindy gestured at Logan that she wanted to see him out of the hallway.
When they were both out of the hallway and out of hearing distance, Cindy's bright smile that she had plastered on cracked and fell off as she leaned against a wall. "Logan, she doesn't remember a thing. Not one thing."
"I know, it is scary seeing her like that. Completely unaware of anything and everything that she has gone through, what she is."
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Do we tell her about the evil black helicopter men that are after her a**? Or do we let her remember on her own?"
Logan raked his hands through his hair again. "I don't know, I don't think we should tell her anything yet though. She could freak out, and then we'd have to explain to the doctors why she is freaking out. We should wait till she is more stable."
Cindy nodded in agreement. "When she gets out of here, I think it would be safer for her to stay with you. Or place is a mess on a good day, and I don't think it is safe for her to be there since she doesn't know that she is supposed to be running from the bad a** military freaks."
"That makes sense, there is plenty of room in my place."
"Well I am going to get back in there before Kendra tells her about Mr. Multiples. That is something my boo is better of forgetting and not remembering."
Logan nodded as Cindy walked back into the now noisy hospital room. He took a moment to steady himself before walking back into the room himself, plastering on a cheery smile as he went.