Chapter Two
He looked around the room, brow furrowed as he wondered how he got there. Then, he looked down at the woman clutching at his hand, her silky brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. He wished he could see her face, and he racked his brain trying to figure out who she was. It was then did he realize he didn't know who he was. His entire body jerked at the knowledge, or rather, lack thereof, waking the woman at his arm.
"Vaughn!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around him.
He patted her back awkwardly as she alternated between crying and laughing. He could barely catch the words flying out of her mouth and what he did catch, he couldn't understand. Khasinau, the circumference, something about her Dad. The way she clutched at him and the familiar way with which she spoke told him that they had some sort of close relationship. Studying her face, he thought she was very beautiful, and wondered just how close that relationship was. She caught him looking at her, and she must have seen something strange on his face because she frowned.
"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling back.
Then he said three words that made her sit back down...hard.
"Who are you?"
* * *
Sydney gaped at him. "What?"
A pink flushed infused his face. "I...I don't know who you are. I don't know who I am."
"Oh, Vaughn," she said, her hand finding his.
"Is that my name?"
"Your name is Michael Vaughn and I'm Sydney Bristow. We...work together." She sighed again and reached for the alert button attached to the bed. "I think it's time to talk to your doctor."
Two nurses and his doctor rushed into the room and began to fuss over Vaughn. Sydney stood by the window, her arms crossed, watching. Dr. Chan pulled out a pad of paper and began to make Vaughn write things down. He took the pen offered in his left hand and paused when he was asked to write his name down. Seeing this, the doctor quickly changed tactics. Vaughn was made to spell several words which he did without problem. Satisfied with what she'd seen, Dr. Chan then took a step back and caught Sydney's eye. She walked out of the room with Sydney at her heels as the two nurses fussed over their patient.
"He looks good," Dr. Chan said. "He's lucid, fully aware of what's going on around him. He does have a severe case of amnesia. We won't know how extensive the damange is until we get him under a CAT scan. He knows how to write, and I'm more than certain he knows how to walk, but he doesn't remember how he learned these things. I'm hoping that it was due to emotional trauma that he became like this, which means he should be getting his memory back within the next six months. However, if its due to physical trauma....well, it could be a permanent thing."
Sydney's jaw worked. "Can I talk to him about his past?"
"A little at a time. Don't overwhelm him. I'm going to take him down to get a scan now. You should go home, take a shower, and get some sleep. You look exhausted. Tomorrow is another day."
Sydney smiled wanly. "Thank you, Doctor."
Chan nodded once and walked into the room to prep Vaughn just as Weiss flew through the swinging double doors. He saw Sydney standing in front of the door, her expression bleak, and immediately began to assume the worst. Grabbing her arms, he started to shake her as his questions came out in a stream.
"What's wrong? What's happened? Is he alright? What did he say?"
"Weiss, calm down," Sydney said, putting up a hand. "He's...he's awake."
"Can I see him?"
"He has amnesia."
Weiss' arms dropped to his sides and he stared at her. "How serious is it?"
Before she could answer, the door to Vaughn's room opened and he was wheeled out in a wheelchair by a nurse. He smiled up at Sydney, then looked at Weiss with a furrow in his brow. He took note of how close the other man was standing to Sydney and a spark appeared in his green eyes. Weiss saw it and was amused.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Vaughn," Sydney said.
"Good night, Syd," he said as he was wheeled away.
"He called me Syd," Sydney said, a note of excitement in her voice. "That's a good sign. He always calls me Syd."
"You're finally going home?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah. Doctor's orders. Will you stay here to talk to him?"
"You bet. So what did Doctor Chan say about him?"
Sydney recounted what was said about Vaughn's situation. Weiss sighed at the end of her monologue and he rubbed his eyes.
"Devlin's not going to be happy about this," he said. "And we're going to have to tell his mother."
"She doesn't know?"
"She doesn't know a lot of things."
Sydney threw him a suspicious look. "Like what?"
"Like he's in the CIA."
"What??" she exclaimed. "He's only a desk jockey for godsake! Why couldn't he tell her?"
"After what happened with his dad...he didn't think she could take it," Weiss said with a shrug.
"So what does she think he does?"
"She thinks he's a lawyer for the FBI."
"I didn't know he was a lawyer."
"He's a regular renaissance man. Go home, Sydney," he said, patting her shoulder. "You need some rest."
"Do I look that bad?"
Weiss regarded his exhausted companion. He hadn't approved of Vaughn's relationship with her, but he had nothing personal against Sydney herself. She was a brave woman and he admired her.
"Yes," he said with a small smile.
"Thanks. Take care of him tonight, Weiss."
"I will. Good night, Sydney."
He watched her walk away and was more certain than ever that her professional relationship with Vaughn had to end. She had already put herself in danger by disappearing for two days and staying at his side. Their separation can start now since Vaughn was unable to do his job. Taking a seat on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs lining the corridors, Weiss took out his notepad and wrote out his letter to Devlin requesting a new handler for Sydney.
* * *
He looked around the room, brow furrowed as he wondered how he got there. Then, he looked down at the woman clutching at his hand, her silky brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. He wished he could see her face, and he racked his brain trying to figure out who she was. It was then did he realize he didn't know who he was. His entire body jerked at the knowledge, or rather, lack thereof, waking the woman at his arm.
"Vaughn!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around him.
He patted her back awkwardly as she alternated between crying and laughing. He could barely catch the words flying out of her mouth and what he did catch, he couldn't understand. Khasinau, the circumference, something about her Dad. The way she clutched at him and the familiar way with which she spoke told him that they had some sort of close relationship. Studying her face, he thought she was very beautiful, and wondered just how close that relationship was. She caught him looking at her, and she must have seen something strange on his face because she frowned.
"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling back.
Then he said three words that made her sit back down...hard.
"Who are you?"
* * *
Sydney gaped at him. "What?"
A pink flushed infused his face. "I...I don't know who you are. I don't know who I am."
"Oh, Vaughn," she said, her hand finding his.
"Is that my name?"
"Your name is Michael Vaughn and I'm Sydney Bristow. We...work together." She sighed again and reached for the alert button attached to the bed. "I think it's time to talk to your doctor."
Two nurses and his doctor rushed into the room and began to fuss over Vaughn. Sydney stood by the window, her arms crossed, watching. Dr. Chan pulled out a pad of paper and began to make Vaughn write things down. He took the pen offered in his left hand and paused when he was asked to write his name down. Seeing this, the doctor quickly changed tactics. Vaughn was made to spell several words which he did without problem. Satisfied with what she'd seen, Dr. Chan then took a step back and caught Sydney's eye. She walked out of the room with Sydney at her heels as the two nurses fussed over their patient.
"He looks good," Dr. Chan said. "He's lucid, fully aware of what's going on around him. He does have a severe case of amnesia. We won't know how extensive the damange is until we get him under a CAT scan. He knows how to write, and I'm more than certain he knows how to walk, but he doesn't remember how he learned these things. I'm hoping that it was due to emotional trauma that he became like this, which means he should be getting his memory back within the next six months. However, if its due to physical trauma....well, it could be a permanent thing."
Sydney's jaw worked. "Can I talk to him about his past?"
"A little at a time. Don't overwhelm him. I'm going to take him down to get a scan now. You should go home, take a shower, and get some sleep. You look exhausted. Tomorrow is another day."
Sydney smiled wanly. "Thank you, Doctor."
Chan nodded once and walked into the room to prep Vaughn just as Weiss flew through the swinging double doors. He saw Sydney standing in front of the door, her expression bleak, and immediately began to assume the worst. Grabbing her arms, he started to shake her as his questions came out in a stream.
"What's wrong? What's happened? Is he alright? What did he say?"
"Weiss, calm down," Sydney said, putting up a hand. "He's...he's awake."
"Can I see him?"
"He has amnesia."
Weiss' arms dropped to his sides and he stared at her. "How serious is it?"
Before she could answer, the door to Vaughn's room opened and he was wheeled out in a wheelchair by a nurse. He smiled up at Sydney, then looked at Weiss with a furrow in his brow. He took note of how close the other man was standing to Sydney and a spark appeared in his green eyes. Weiss saw it and was amused.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Vaughn," Sydney said.
"Good night, Syd," he said as he was wheeled away.
"He called me Syd," Sydney said, a note of excitement in her voice. "That's a good sign. He always calls me Syd."
"You're finally going home?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah. Doctor's orders. Will you stay here to talk to him?"
"You bet. So what did Doctor Chan say about him?"
Sydney recounted what was said about Vaughn's situation. Weiss sighed at the end of her monologue and he rubbed his eyes.
"Devlin's not going to be happy about this," he said. "And we're going to have to tell his mother."
"She doesn't know?"
"She doesn't know a lot of things."
Sydney threw him a suspicious look. "Like what?"
"Like he's in the CIA."
"What??" she exclaimed. "He's only a desk jockey for godsake! Why couldn't he tell her?"
"After what happened with his dad...he didn't think she could take it," Weiss said with a shrug.
"So what does she think he does?"
"She thinks he's a lawyer for the FBI."
"I didn't know he was a lawyer."
"He's a regular renaissance man. Go home, Sydney," he said, patting her shoulder. "You need some rest."
"Do I look that bad?"
Weiss regarded his exhausted companion. He hadn't approved of Vaughn's relationship with her, but he had nothing personal against Sydney herself. She was a brave woman and he admired her.
"Yes," he said with a small smile.
"Thanks. Take care of him tonight, Weiss."
"I will. Good night, Sydney."
He watched her walk away and was more certain than ever that her professional relationship with Vaughn had to end. She had already put herself in danger by disappearing for two days and staying at his side. Their separation can start now since Vaughn was unable to do his job. Taking a seat on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs lining the corridors, Weiss took out his notepad and wrote out his letter to Devlin requesting a new handler for Sydney.
* * *
