Sydney aimlessly walked around the halls of the hospital. It was 3am and
still she hadn't received word from the doctor. The last time she slept was
when she was unconscious in Tai-Pei, with Irina. However she managed to
push all thoughts of her so-called mother out of her head and refocused her
thoughts on Vaughn.
She found herself passing the maternity ward. She saw one mother-to-be being wheeled into a room in a wheelchair. She had obviously just gone into labor. Her husband was right beside her, holding her hand. Sydney's heart ached for that to be her. She pictured herself pregnant with Vaughn holding her hand as she passed the stages of contractions. She imagined a little girl with his sparkling green eyes and his heart-melting smile. The image of Vaughn holding their precious baby and smiling to her seemed so real that she felt compelled to go watch the newborns.
Sydney laughed at how the babies amused themselves by playing with their fingers and their toes. They were so innocent and had no idea of the danger that the world held. Their only concern was their next feeding.
She was so into the newborn babies that she was startled when her pager finally went off. She flew down the hallway and down the stairs to the ICU.
She saw the doctor that was taking care of Vaughn talking to a few other doctors. He stopped talking as she entered into his view.
"Yes, Miss Bristow." Pause. "Agent Vaughn is indeed awake." Sydney's heart lept for joy as she broke out into a wide grin. "However."
Uh-oh. Sydney gulped as she braced herself. The word 'However' quickly became her new enemy.
"The tests results show that the lack of oxygen did damage parts of his brain. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Mr. Vaughn is suffering from amnesia."
"How extensive is the amnesia?" Sydney asked blankly.
The doctor reviewed his chart momentarily, making sure he had all the facts. "Pretty extensive. He doesn't know where he's from, what his name is. He doesn't know his phone number, friends, or relatives. Although, he does still have the memory of ordinary things, such as the ABC's, counting, being able to read, walking, simple things like that."
"Do you think it's likely that he'll regain his memory?"
The doctor smile weakly. "We have every reason to believe that with time, he will remember. We're hoping for the best, but there is still the possibility of the worst case scenario that he won't regain it. But from his tests and charts, it seems likely."
Sydney was thankful for small favors. "Is there anything to do that will speed up the process?"
"His family and friends are going to be the biggest asset. I'll inform his CIA director about his condition personally. Obviously he won't be able to work for some time. But, it would help bringing him to places that hold some meaning, like his office, and especially his house. Does he live alone?"
"Yes, from what I know, he does."
"Well then I suggest that I call a visiting nurse to spend time with him during the day, watch him incase he slips up, or breaks down. He can't remember anything, which is going to be extremely frustrating for him. He's going to have moments of extreme anger and rage at not being able to know things. I can give him a prescription that can help with these moments." The doctor began writing on a piece of paper.
She thought for a moment "Doctor, the visiting nurse really isn't necessary. I'll stay with him. I don't want some stranger with him. I'm hoping the more time that he has with familiar faces and surroundings the sooner he'll get better."
The doctor smiled "I was hoping you'd say that. Well, I would like to keep him until morning for observations, but around noontime you can pick him up to go home. If you want, you can go in to see him now." He knew that would be the next question out of her mouth. Sydney was grateful at not wasting another minute talking.
She walked down the hall until she saw door number 401. The same number the nurse had told her as Vaughn's room. She inhaled deeply as she entered the room, she had prepared herself for the worst, but this was beyond that.
She found herself passing the maternity ward. She saw one mother-to-be being wheeled into a room in a wheelchair. She had obviously just gone into labor. Her husband was right beside her, holding her hand. Sydney's heart ached for that to be her. She pictured herself pregnant with Vaughn holding her hand as she passed the stages of contractions. She imagined a little girl with his sparkling green eyes and his heart-melting smile. The image of Vaughn holding their precious baby and smiling to her seemed so real that she felt compelled to go watch the newborns.
Sydney laughed at how the babies amused themselves by playing with their fingers and their toes. They were so innocent and had no idea of the danger that the world held. Their only concern was their next feeding.
She was so into the newborn babies that she was startled when her pager finally went off. She flew down the hallway and down the stairs to the ICU.
She saw the doctor that was taking care of Vaughn talking to a few other doctors. He stopped talking as she entered into his view.
"Yes, Miss Bristow." Pause. "Agent Vaughn is indeed awake." Sydney's heart lept for joy as she broke out into a wide grin. "However."
Uh-oh. Sydney gulped as she braced herself. The word 'However' quickly became her new enemy.
"The tests results show that the lack of oxygen did damage parts of his brain. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Mr. Vaughn is suffering from amnesia."
"How extensive is the amnesia?" Sydney asked blankly.
The doctor reviewed his chart momentarily, making sure he had all the facts. "Pretty extensive. He doesn't know where he's from, what his name is. He doesn't know his phone number, friends, or relatives. Although, he does still have the memory of ordinary things, such as the ABC's, counting, being able to read, walking, simple things like that."
"Do you think it's likely that he'll regain his memory?"
The doctor smile weakly. "We have every reason to believe that with time, he will remember. We're hoping for the best, but there is still the possibility of the worst case scenario that he won't regain it. But from his tests and charts, it seems likely."
Sydney was thankful for small favors. "Is there anything to do that will speed up the process?"
"His family and friends are going to be the biggest asset. I'll inform his CIA director about his condition personally. Obviously he won't be able to work for some time. But, it would help bringing him to places that hold some meaning, like his office, and especially his house. Does he live alone?"
"Yes, from what I know, he does."
"Well then I suggest that I call a visiting nurse to spend time with him during the day, watch him incase he slips up, or breaks down. He can't remember anything, which is going to be extremely frustrating for him. He's going to have moments of extreme anger and rage at not being able to know things. I can give him a prescription that can help with these moments." The doctor began writing on a piece of paper.
She thought for a moment "Doctor, the visiting nurse really isn't necessary. I'll stay with him. I don't want some stranger with him. I'm hoping the more time that he has with familiar faces and surroundings the sooner he'll get better."
The doctor smiled "I was hoping you'd say that. Well, I would like to keep him until morning for observations, but around noontime you can pick him up to go home. If you want, you can go in to see him now." He knew that would be the next question out of her mouth. Sydney was grateful at not wasting another minute talking.
She walked down the hall until she saw door number 401. The same number the nurse had told her as Vaughn's room. She inhaled deeply as she entered the room, she had prepared herself for the worst, but this was beyond that.