LOST - PART I
THE UNKNOWN
Chapter 3
Adam opened his eyes. At first the sunlight streaming in the bow window he was laying near seemed to pierce right into his brain. His eyelids clamped down and his eyes watered for a moment. Then a cloud covered the sun and he opened them again.
For the first time in two weeks he was completely conscious, although still fuzzy around the edges from the morphine. His eyes swept around the room and he could see groupings of chairs and sofas and many pieces of what looked like medical equipment. He tried to sit up and was surprised when he didn't have the strength. Then he became aware of the casts on his legs and arms. The only one he could move was the right arm and it felt as though it weighed a hundred pounds. Pushing the covers off his chest, he looked down at the scars that were a dark red. He stared at them for some time and began to shake as his mind was flooded by the memories of the assault.
He could remember every blow but not the attackers, and every stab, but not the perpetrators. Cold sweat poured off of him and he couldn't seem to take in enough air. He fought with every ounce of his will to push those memories back into the darkest recesses of his mind and when he finally did he lay there completely limp, exhausted from the effort.
Closing his eyes, he rested and began to search for other memories, but found nothing except the face of a woman leaning over him. He went over her face, feature by feature, but had no idea who she was. All he could remember was her asking him questions and a deadly coldness gripping his body. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. Maybe something in the room would tell him who he was.
Sweeping his eyes around the room again, he realized nothing - not one thing - looked at all familiar. Then he wearily turned his head to look out the bow window. A riot of flowers were in bloom, some of them pressing on the other side of the glass. His brows rose when he saw the woman who had leaned over him come running down a path with a large gray and white sheepdog on her heels. She ran around to the back of an iron bench and the dog skidded to a stop in front. The woman feinted to her left and the dog went in that direction while she took off to the right. But her skirts were getting in her way and she fell to the grass. She turned over and started shrieking with laughter when the dog pounced on her and began vigorously licking her face.
He could hear her joyful laughter through the glass and suddenly felt a thousand years old. She pushed at the dog's chest and finally managed to get him to back off some so she could sit up. Reaching for the dog's head to scratch behind his ears, she glanced through the window and her mouth fell open when she saw Adam watching her.
She pushed the dog off, making him sit down abruptly and scrambled to her feet. Then she disappeared running again toward the other end of the house. He heard a door open and slam, voices, then the sound of running feet coming down the hallway toward the room where he lay.
He turned his head in that direction to see the dark-haired woman and a large black man try to come through the doorway at once. They almost got stuck, but a hard shove by a tall, blonde woman coming up behind them pushed them through. He vaguely realized that what he was seeing was funny, but had absolutely no urge to laugh. The three people rushed toward the bed, then abruptly stopped as a group and just stared at him for a few moments. He stared back mutely until the dark-haired woman took a deep breath and came closer. The black man hurried to bring a chair over so she could sit next to the bed. Thea glanced over her shoulder at Abner and Glory and the two retreated to the other side of the room. Then she turned her attention back to her patient.
Adam's eyes swept over her face again and she found herself starting to flush pink and couldn't understand why. So she mentally shrugged her shoulders and began to question him.
"Do you remember me?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," he answered flatly.
"Do you remember telling me your name is Adam?"
"Yes."
"And you still don't remember your last name?"
"No," he said tightly, the morphine was wearing off and his pain was increasing.
"Do you remember anything else? Anything at all?"
"I remember being dead," he answered and closed his eyes briefly as he winced.
She quickly stood and went to the other side of the room, but was back in a moment with a syringe. Abner had followed her to the bedside, and he quickly pulled the covers back and rolled Adam onto his right side, then rolled him back after Thea injected the morphine. He tucked the covers back in and automatically patted Adam's shoulder before going back to sit with Glory.
Adam's eyes were still closed, but she could tell the moment the morphine took effect when the tenseness of his muscles began to ease. He opened his eyes again.
"What happened to me," he said without looking at her.
"We aren't entirely sure. All I really know is I came to the morgue expecting three dead bodies, but found only two. You were not dead."
"I remember being dead," he repeated, still staring at the ceiling.
"Yes you were, but not for long."
He finally turned his head to look at her and her heart clenched at the dark pain she could see in his eyes.
"I was brought back." He was stating a fact, not asking a question.
"Yes," she said softly.
"And obviously YOU don't know who I am either."
"No, the police eventually identified the other two men, but couldn't find anything out about you," she answered and briefly thought about how little effort they had given to investigating this case.
"I see," he said and his eyes narrowed. She leaned toward him, pleased to see signs that his mind was working.
"Where am I?"
"In my home."
"And where is your home?"
"New York," she answered.
He remained silent for a moment. "Somehow I don't think I'm from around here," he finally said and her heart lifted, hoping his "somehow" feelings would eventually coalesce into memories.
"No, I don't think you are either."
"What happened? I mean physically. Or should I ask the doctor that question?"
"I AM your doctor," she said and tensed waiting for his reaction.
"Then you are the one that brought me back." She nodded then answered his previous question. "You suffered three compound fractures, one in each leg and your left arm. Two of your ribs are broken and as you can see, many of your fingers. Your right forearm has a greenstick fracture. You also suffered numerous stab wounds. I do not know how many, I could not bring myself to count them. None touched a major vein, artery, or vital organ, which is the reason you did not die by exsanguination. Your lesser injuries were many abrasions, contusions, and badly bruised and cracked knuckles. From what I can surmise, you did not go down without a fight."
"Well, isn't that good news," he murmured sardonically and she smiled at another sign that his brain had recovered well from the swelling.
"You also received several severe blows to the head which caused your brain to swell. I believe your amnesia is partially the result of that pressure on your brain, but not completely. The emotional and mental devastation you experienced has to be just as much at fault."
"Perfectly logical to think so," he said softly with an edge of anger in his voice, and she was surprised he was already moving into the next stage of reaction. He was well on his way to acceptance.
They were both silent for a while so Thea stood to ask, "Do you have any more questions?"
He turned his head to look at her again as he sarcastically said, "Just one DOCTOR." Suddenly his eyes opened wide and she went cold as she looked into their dark depths, burning with fury.
"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU LET ME STAY DEAD."
THE UNKNOWN
Chapter 3
Adam opened his eyes. At first the sunlight streaming in the bow window he was laying near seemed to pierce right into his brain. His eyelids clamped down and his eyes watered for a moment. Then a cloud covered the sun and he opened them again.
For the first time in two weeks he was completely conscious, although still fuzzy around the edges from the morphine. His eyes swept around the room and he could see groupings of chairs and sofas and many pieces of what looked like medical equipment. He tried to sit up and was surprised when he didn't have the strength. Then he became aware of the casts on his legs and arms. The only one he could move was the right arm and it felt as though it weighed a hundred pounds. Pushing the covers off his chest, he looked down at the scars that were a dark red. He stared at them for some time and began to shake as his mind was flooded by the memories of the assault.
He could remember every blow but not the attackers, and every stab, but not the perpetrators. Cold sweat poured off of him and he couldn't seem to take in enough air. He fought with every ounce of his will to push those memories back into the darkest recesses of his mind and when he finally did he lay there completely limp, exhausted from the effort.
Closing his eyes, he rested and began to search for other memories, but found nothing except the face of a woman leaning over him. He went over her face, feature by feature, but had no idea who she was. All he could remember was her asking him questions and a deadly coldness gripping his body. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. Maybe something in the room would tell him who he was.
Sweeping his eyes around the room again, he realized nothing - not one thing - looked at all familiar. Then he wearily turned his head to look out the bow window. A riot of flowers were in bloom, some of them pressing on the other side of the glass. His brows rose when he saw the woman who had leaned over him come running down a path with a large gray and white sheepdog on her heels. She ran around to the back of an iron bench and the dog skidded to a stop in front. The woman feinted to her left and the dog went in that direction while she took off to the right. But her skirts were getting in her way and she fell to the grass. She turned over and started shrieking with laughter when the dog pounced on her and began vigorously licking her face.
He could hear her joyful laughter through the glass and suddenly felt a thousand years old. She pushed at the dog's chest and finally managed to get him to back off some so she could sit up. Reaching for the dog's head to scratch behind his ears, she glanced through the window and her mouth fell open when she saw Adam watching her.
She pushed the dog off, making him sit down abruptly and scrambled to her feet. Then she disappeared running again toward the other end of the house. He heard a door open and slam, voices, then the sound of running feet coming down the hallway toward the room where he lay.
He turned his head in that direction to see the dark-haired woman and a large black man try to come through the doorway at once. They almost got stuck, but a hard shove by a tall, blonde woman coming up behind them pushed them through. He vaguely realized that what he was seeing was funny, but had absolutely no urge to laugh. The three people rushed toward the bed, then abruptly stopped as a group and just stared at him for a few moments. He stared back mutely until the dark-haired woman took a deep breath and came closer. The black man hurried to bring a chair over so she could sit next to the bed. Thea glanced over her shoulder at Abner and Glory and the two retreated to the other side of the room. Then she turned her attention back to her patient.
Adam's eyes swept over her face again and she found herself starting to flush pink and couldn't understand why. So she mentally shrugged her shoulders and began to question him.
"Do you remember me?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," he answered flatly.
"Do you remember telling me your name is Adam?"
"Yes."
"And you still don't remember your last name?"
"No," he said tightly, the morphine was wearing off and his pain was increasing.
"Do you remember anything else? Anything at all?"
"I remember being dead," he answered and closed his eyes briefly as he winced.
She quickly stood and went to the other side of the room, but was back in a moment with a syringe. Abner had followed her to the bedside, and he quickly pulled the covers back and rolled Adam onto his right side, then rolled him back after Thea injected the morphine. He tucked the covers back in and automatically patted Adam's shoulder before going back to sit with Glory.
Adam's eyes were still closed, but she could tell the moment the morphine took effect when the tenseness of his muscles began to ease. He opened his eyes again.
"What happened to me," he said without looking at her.
"We aren't entirely sure. All I really know is I came to the morgue expecting three dead bodies, but found only two. You were not dead."
"I remember being dead," he repeated, still staring at the ceiling.
"Yes you were, but not for long."
He finally turned his head to look at her and her heart clenched at the dark pain she could see in his eyes.
"I was brought back." He was stating a fact, not asking a question.
"Yes," she said softly.
"And obviously YOU don't know who I am either."
"No, the police eventually identified the other two men, but couldn't find anything out about you," she answered and briefly thought about how little effort they had given to investigating this case.
"I see," he said and his eyes narrowed. She leaned toward him, pleased to see signs that his mind was working.
"Where am I?"
"In my home."
"And where is your home?"
"New York," she answered.
He remained silent for a moment. "Somehow I don't think I'm from around here," he finally said and her heart lifted, hoping his "somehow" feelings would eventually coalesce into memories.
"No, I don't think you are either."
"What happened? I mean physically. Or should I ask the doctor that question?"
"I AM your doctor," she said and tensed waiting for his reaction.
"Then you are the one that brought me back." She nodded then answered his previous question. "You suffered three compound fractures, one in each leg and your left arm. Two of your ribs are broken and as you can see, many of your fingers. Your right forearm has a greenstick fracture. You also suffered numerous stab wounds. I do not know how many, I could not bring myself to count them. None touched a major vein, artery, or vital organ, which is the reason you did not die by exsanguination. Your lesser injuries were many abrasions, contusions, and badly bruised and cracked knuckles. From what I can surmise, you did not go down without a fight."
"Well, isn't that good news," he murmured sardonically and she smiled at another sign that his brain had recovered well from the swelling.
"You also received several severe blows to the head which caused your brain to swell. I believe your amnesia is partially the result of that pressure on your brain, but not completely. The emotional and mental devastation you experienced has to be just as much at fault."
"Perfectly logical to think so," he said softly with an edge of anger in his voice, and she was surprised he was already moving into the next stage of reaction. He was well on his way to acceptance.
They were both silent for a while so Thea stood to ask, "Do you have any more questions?"
He turned his head to look at her again as he sarcastically said, "Just one DOCTOR." Suddenly his eyes opened wide and she went cold as she looked into their dark depths, burning with fury.
"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU LET ME STAY DEAD."