CHAPTER FOUR
After weeks of laying in a coma, he was slowly coming back. He awoke to Doctors calling out for Frank. He didn't realize they were talking to him. He opened his green eyes and opened them to look at strangers. He didn't know who this Frank person was. Maybe the guy in the next bed, but they were looking at him. He figured it must be him. He just couldn't remember.
"Frank, that's right, open your eyes, wake up. Do you know where you are?" Doctor Jones said.
Looking from one face to another Cameron was slowly becoming uneasy, who were these people and where was he. His head and body ached miserably. "No" he said quietly.
"Frank, it's Chuck Butler, how are you doing, buddy?"
"Who are you?" Cameron asked "and who is Frank?" Chuck, who was very concerned, looked to the doctor for guidance.
"This is common with amnesia. You took quite a blow to the head and you have been in a coma for weeks. Do you remember anything?" the doctor asked.
"The last thing I remember is running on a hill. I don't know who I am. I'm scared. Who are all of you?" Cameron was starting to panic.
"Well, Mr. Butler here says you are Frank Cameron and you worked for him in construction. You had an accident and broke some bones and hit your head, which is causing the amnesia. You went through surgery to relieve the pressure and we placed a shunt in to drain the fluid."
"Yeah, Frank, remember you just moved here from back east. You didn't share too much of your life so I can't help you with that and we can't find your family." Chuck said trying to be helpful.
"No I don't remember anything" he tried to turn but was unable because of his broken collarbone. Wincing in pain, the distress showed on his face. He wanted to run but couldn't move. He was strapped into this bed. He tried to remain calm and was fighting for every ounce of courage he could muster.
"Let's let him rest. He's had a lot to contend with." To Cameron he said, "Frank, just rest. The nurses are outside the door, just holler if you need anything. But most important, sleep."
'Frank' closed his eyes, feeling very afraid and alone. He tried to remember anything, but all he came up with was him running to a hill and looking at the stars, the thought of the stars seemed to calm him so he imagined all the times he must have gazed up at them. Slipping into a deep sleep he was running, running and just out of his reach was a woman with blond hair. He didn't know what this meant but there was sorrow around her, his mother maybe or possibly a wife. Waking after several hours, he asked silently, Oh God what are you doing to me? He hoped that time would work these things out.
Weeks passed and his bones were healing but his memory was not coming back. He had been in very grueling physical therapy, which he would need to continue at home. Home, wherever that was. He needed to remember. Frustration was at it's highest. There was no one who knew him before Chicago. He was being released soon and he would go to Chuck's sister's place. They told him he had been renting there. Time would tell if he ever would regain his mind. It would be awhile before he could even think about going back to work. So until then he was stuck. He continued to have the same dream of running towards this blond. He had come to the conclusion that it was not his mother. But who was she? He knew she had to have been important or why would she invade even his amnesia state? Trying to remember was very taxing. It exhausted him. He just wished that whatever semblance of life he had had before would return. The Butlers were very nice people and this helped. He needed to trust in someone.
So after several more days in the hospital, he went home to Clara's. He could walk, but it was very exhausting. He went up to his room. There was nothing there he remembered. His clothes were unfamiliar; nothing jogged his memory. He lay down on his bed and prayed for divine intervention. Please God let me remember something, I am sure that it will start the ball rolling. Please help me to know what the significance is of running on the hill and memory of this woman. Let me see her face. Give me a sign. Sleep wouldn't come. He couldn't even dream. All he had to remember was his time in the hospital. He hated his life. He closed his eyes. Wanting to be anyone but Frank Cameron, whoever he was. What is my story? Tomorrow I will search through my things. Maybe something will jog my memory. Popping his medicine, one of which was a sleeping pill, would help. After an hour he fell asleep.
The next morning he was extremely sore, he'd overdone it walking up the stairs. He knew he couldn't take a shower but he went into the bathroom to wash up. Looking at himself, he didn't know who that was in the mirror. He opened the cabinet and looked at his stuff, shaving cream, Old Spice after-shave, and toothpaste. None of it, not even smelling the Old Spice seemed familiar. He had heard the Doctors say that sometimes smells would trigger a memory. 'Well I didn't pass that test.' He stared for a long while at his reflection. Giving up he went in search of something in his room that might hold the key. A briefcase was in one of the drawers, and he opened it to find a few papers and a cell phone. He didn't see the compartment on the lid that held the picture of Amanda and him and the letter he had written. They had slid down just out of sight. He closed the lid and searched out his wallet; in there he found a hundred dollars and a picture of a beautiful blond woman. The woman from his dream. To the picture he said, 'Who are you? What is our connection, you have invaded my mind, you probably hold the key to my existence.'
"Who are you talking to Frank? I didn't know you had company." Clara said from the doorway.
"No one, just the picture of this woman in my wallet, She must know me, but I can't remember her, I faintly see her in my dreams but she is always going away from me. I wish I could remember something. This is driving me batty. Can I help you?" 'Frank' asked.
"I just came to tell you breakfast was ready and did you want to try to come down or I'll bring it up here."
"I'll try downstairs but we'll see about lunch. Okay? I'll be down as soon as I can muster the strength. Thank you for all you are doing, I am a complete stranger, even to myself. Thank you for being nice.
"Not at all, Our family can read people pretty well and we have this feeling about you.
Back in Bay City
Several weeks after Cameron had left, Amanda realized that he was indeed gone and wouldn't be returning. She had heard through Gary that the landlord had contacted him as to the whereabouts of his brother. He had called her to see if Cameron had told her he was leaving. He hadn't. He just walked away, he had threatened to enough times but she really didn't believe he would do it. Funny, she missed him. After all that had happened between them, she thought she would never get over it. It had been about two months since Gary Jr. had died, and she had reached out to help him. He was hard to interpret; he had so much pent-up hurt inside that he couldn't release. If only she had come to her senses sooner, he would still be here and they could work on a new beginning.
She hated 'if only's'. They never got anyone anywhere, but everyone uses them all the time. She wished she had learned from her relationship with Sam. She wouldn't have made the same mistake with Cameron, but oh, how he had hurt her. She had asked him over and over about Josie's baby and he had blatantly lied to her. No matter the reason. He said he loved her. He should have trusted her. She would have been mad but not hurt and betrayed like she had ended up feeling. She was getting mad all over again. But you can't stay angry if you don't care, right? She would let him go. Right? But he was gone, no clue to where he was. And the way Gary had treated him, he certainly wouldn't get in touch with him. She didn't blame Cameron, what did he have in Bay City? Pain, anguish? Her family hated him and his own as well. 'Oh Cameron, at least call to let someone know where you're, I need to know you're okay.' What a mess this was. She really had no right to know about him. She had kicked him out of her life and had been cruel in some of the things she said. And ever stoic Cameron took all the sorrow on himself, one more time. She wished she could hold him. He had so much pain in his life, maybe that was why he had been driven to lie. To save the baby from the heartache that certainly would ensue if he was part of this mess. Why did she have to come to this conclusion now when nothing could be done about it? Gosh, I hate myself.
'I need to go to the hill, he'll be there.' She said aloud as she grabbed her jacket. Walking in the cool evening the stars were unusually bright. She tried to find 'their star' as she walked but it eluded her. As she trekked up the last little knoll, she spotted it. 'Maybe somewhere Cameron was looking at it and missing me, too. I know he is for he made no bones of how he still felt about me, but I tossed it away.'
She sat on the bench where Cameron proposed to her trying to regain the feeling of that night. It wasn't hard because deep down the love was there, she couldn't shake it. She guessed she really didn't want to. Their love had been instantaneous. She spotted him and he her and the sparks flew. Why did life have to get in the way? Key West had been bliss. He said he didn't ever want to leave there, she figured it was a safe haven for him. The troubles of the real world were replaced by happiness. That turned out to be a wonderful vacation. That time she had run away and he had found her.
'That's what I'll do, I'll hire Gary to find him!' with that thought she knew that sleep would be peaceful. She would get her man. She would make everything right again.
To be continued..
After weeks of laying in a coma, he was slowly coming back. He awoke to Doctors calling out for Frank. He didn't realize they were talking to him. He opened his green eyes and opened them to look at strangers. He didn't know who this Frank person was. Maybe the guy in the next bed, but they were looking at him. He figured it must be him. He just couldn't remember.
"Frank, that's right, open your eyes, wake up. Do you know where you are?" Doctor Jones said.
Looking from one face to another Cameron was slowly becoming uneasy, who were these people and where was he. His head and body ached miserably. "No" he said quietly.
"Frank, it's Chuck Butler, how are you doing, buddy?"
"Who are you?" Cameron asked "and who is Frank?" Chuck, who was very concerned, looked to the doctor for guidance.
"This is common with amnesia. You took quite a blow to the head and you have been in a coma for weeks. Do you remember anything?" the doctor asked.
"The last thing I remember is running on a hill. I don't know who I am. I'm scared. Who are all of you?" Cameron was starting to panic.
"Well, Mr. Butler here says you are Frank Cameron and you worked for him in construction. You had an accident and broke some bones and hit your head, which is causing the amnesia. You went through surgery to relieve the pressure and we placed a shunt in to drain the fluid."
"Yeah, Frank, remember you just moved here from back east. You didn't share too much of your life so I can't help you with that and we can't find your family." Chuck said trying to be helpful.
"No I don't remember anything" he tried to turn but was unable because of his broken collarbone. Wincing in pain, the distress showed on his face. He wanted to run but couldn't move. He was strapped into this bed. He tried to remain calm and was fighting for every ounce of courage he could muster.
"Let's let him rest. He's had a lot to contend with." To Cameron he said, "Frank, just rest. The nurses are outside the door, just holler if you need anything. But most important, sleep."
'Frank' closed his eyes, feeling very afraid and alone. He tried to remember anything, but all he came up with was him running to a hill and looking at the stars, the thought of the stars seemed to calm him so he imagined all the times he must have gazed up at them. Slipping into a deep sleep he was running, running and just out of his reach was a woman with blond hair. He didn't know what this meant but there was sorrow around her, his mother maybe or possibly a wife. Waking after several hours, he asked silently, Oh God what are you doing to me? He hoped that time would work these things out.
Weeks passed and his bones were healing but his memory was not coming back. He had been in very grueling physical therapy, which he would need to continue at home. Home, wherever that was. He needed to remember. Frustration was at it's highest. There was no one who knew him before Chicago. He was being released soon and he would go to Chuck's sister's place. They told him he had been renting there. Time would tell if he ever would regain his mind. It would be awhile before he could even think about going back to work. So until then he was stuck. He continued to have the same dream of running towards this blond. He had come to the conclusion that it was not his mother. But who was she? He knew she had to have been important or why would she invade even his amnesia state? Trying to remember was very taxing. It exhausted him. He just wished that whatever semblance of life he had had before would return. The Butlers were very nice people and this helped. He needed to trust in someone.
So after several more days in the hospital, he went home to Clara's. He could walk, but it was very exhausting. He went up to his room. There was nothing there he remembered. His clothes were unfamiliar; nothing jogged his memory. He lay down on his bed and prayed for divine intervention. Please God let me remember something, I am sure that it will start the ball rolling. Please help me to know what the significance is of running on the hill and memory of this woman. Let me see her face. Give me a sign. Sleep wouldn't come. He couldn't even dream. All he had to remember was his time in the hospital. He hated his life. He closed his eyes. Wanting to be anyone but Frank Cameron, whoever he was. What is my story? Tomorrow I will search through my things. Maybe something will jog my memory. Popping his medicine, one of which was a sleeping pill, would help. After an hour he fell asleep.
The next morning he was extremely sore, he'd overdone it walking up the stairs. He knew he couldn't take a shower but he went into the bathroom to wash up. Looking at himself, he didn't know who that was in the mirror. He opened the cabinet and looked at his stuff, shaving cream, Old Spice after-shave, and toothpaste. None of it, not even smelling the Old Spice seemed familiar. He had heard the Doctors say that sometimes smells would trigger a memory. 'Well I didn't pass that test.' He stared for a long while at his reflection. Giving up he went in search of something in his room that might hold the key. A briefcase was in one of the drawers, and he opened it to find a few papers and a cell phone. He didn't see the compartment on the lid that held the picture of Amanda and him and the letter he had written. They had slid down just out of sight. He closed the lid and searched out his wallet; in there he found a hundred dollars and a picture of a beautiful blond woman. The woman from his dream. To the picture he said, 'Who are you? What is our connection, you have invaded my mind, you probably hold the key to my existence.'
"Who are you talking to Frank? I didn't know you had company." Clara said from the doorway.
"No one, just the picture of this woman in my wallet, She must know me, but I can't remember her, I faintly see her in my dreams but she is always going away from me. I wish I could remember something. This is driving me batty. Can I help you?" 'Frank' asked.
"I just came to tell you breakfast was ready and did you want to try to come down or I'll bring it up here."
"I'll try downstairs but we'll see about lunch. Okay? I'll be down as soon as I can muster the strength. Thank you for all you are doing, I am a complete stranger, even to myself. Thank you for being nice.
"Not at all, Our family can read people pretty well and we have this feeling about you.
Back in Bay City
Several weeks after Cameron had left, Amanda realized that he was indeed gone and wouldn't be returning. She had heard through Gary that the landlord had contacted him as to the whereabouts of his brother. He had called her to see if Cameron had told her he was leaving. He hadn't. He just walked away, he had threatened to enough times but she really didn't believe he would do it. Funny, she missed him. After all that had happened between them, she thought she would never get over it. It had been about two months since Gary Jr. had died, and she had reached out to help him. He was hard to interpret; he had so much pent-up hurt inside that he couldn't release. If only she had come to her senses sooner, he would still be here and they could work on a new beginning.
She hated 'if only's'. They never got anyone anywhere, but everyone uses them all the time. She wished she had learned from her relationship with Sam. She wouldn't have made the same mistake with Cameron, but oh, how he had hurt her. She had asked him over and over about Josie's baby and he had blatantly lied to her. No matter the reason. He said he loved her. He should have trusted her. She would have been mad but not hurt and betrayed like she had ended up feeling. She was getting mad all over again. But you can't stay angry if you don't care, right? She would let him go. Right? But he was gone, no clue to where he was. And the way Gary had treated him, he certainly wouldn't get in touch with him. She didn't blame Cameron, what did he have in Bay City? Pain, anguish? Her family hated him and his own as well. 'Oh Cameron, at least call to let someone know where you're, I need to know you're okay.' What a mess this was. She really had no right to know about him. She had kicked him out of her life and had been cruel in some of the things she said. And ever stoic Cameron took all the sorrow on himself, one more time. She wished she could hold him. He had so much pain in his life, maybe that was why he had been driven to lie. To save the baby from the heartache that certainly would ensue if he was part of this mess. Why did she have to come to this conclusion now when nothing could be done about it? Gosh, I hate myself.
'I need to go to the hill, he'll be there.' She said aloud as she grabbed her jacket. Walking in the cool evening the stars were unusually bright. She tried to find 'their star' as she walked but it eluded her. As she trekked up the last little knoll, she spotted it. 'Maybe somewhere Cameron was looking at it and missing me, too. I know he is for he made no bones of how he still felt about me, but I tossed it away.'
She sat on the bench where Cameron proposed to her trying to regain the feeling of that night. It wasn't hard because deep down the love was there, she couldn't shake it. She guessed she really didn't want to. Their love had been instantaneous. She spotted him and he her and the sparks flew. Why did life have to get in the way? Key West had been bliss. He said he didn't ever want to leave there, she figured it was a safe haven for him. The troubles of the real world were replaced by happiness. That turned out to be a wonderful vacation. That time she had run away and he had found her.
'That's what I'll do, I'll hire Gary to find him!' with that thought she knew that sleep would be peaceful. She would get her man. She would make everything right again.
To be continued..