Disclaimer and Rating in the prologue.
Please feel free to leave some feedback.
*********
Chapter 1
The sun was streaming through the window of the hospital room when the woman opened her eyes. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her face as she tried to take in her surroundings but her vision was blurred and she felt groggy. She rubbed her eyes which brought her vision into focus. She lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. Something was wrong. What was it? She pulled back the covers and sat up. As she did the door opened and a man wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket strode in.
"Good morning."
The woman gingerly put her feet on the floor. As she did she swayed. John rushed over and helped her sit back on the bed. "Where are you going?"
She fixed the stranger with her eyes. "I have to get out of here."
John heard the desperation and the panic in her voice. "Do you?"
"I have to get out of here."
"Do you know what happened to you?" asked John. He put a hand on her shoulder.
She swallowed and her eyes watered. She shook her head and looked at the man with alarm. "No."
He recognized fear in her face. A muscle tensed in his jaw. "What's your name?"
Feeling bile rise from her stomach the woman stared at the man. She brought her hand up to her mouth as her breathing got heavier and she began to hyperventilate. "I…..don't know."
"Take slow breaths. You're hyperventilating caused by acute anxiety. Often seen in people who've had a shock. Slow breaths reduce the levels of Carbon Dioxide."
When she had calmed down she looked at John. "What am I going to do?"
He smiled at her and let out a sigh. "Well they're gong to run tests, MRI, CAT scan to determine the cause of your amnesia."
A look of confusion appeared on her face. "MRI?"
He nodded. "Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Used to detect abnormalities in the brain or other organs. Less harmful than X rays."
"Will it hurt?"
He shook his head and recalled the time he had an MRI and ended up with concussion and some brief flashes of memory. "Not unless you're claustrophobic."
She gave him a sidelong glance and a small smile played on her lips. "I don't know if I am."
He let out a small chuckle and raised his eyebrows.
She cleared her throat. "Are you with the hospital?"
He shook his head. "No. The police."
"You're a cop?"
"No. I'm not a cop. I work for them… as a consultant."
She pushed herself back on the bed. "A consultant?"
"I help them with cases."
Before he could say anything else the door opened and Frank and Jamie walked in with the doctor. Jamie cleared her throat while Doe flushed with embarrassment and turned to look out the window.
"I'm Lt. Avery and this is Detective Hayes. I see you've already met John Doe." Jamie got straight to the point.
"Yes."
"So have you any ideas about what happened to you m'am?" Frank asked walking over to Doe at the window.
The woman shook her head and her eyes watered up. "No."
The doctor handed her a file. "In cases like these we notify the media that we have an amnesia victim. We give them your stats and other identifying information…."
While the doctor was explaining everything to the woman Frank leaned against the wall beside John. "I thought we told you to stay out of it."
John cast his eyes to the ground and then glanced over at the woman and then back at Frank. "She needs my help. I can help her."
Frank let out a sigh. "You didn't tell her about your own little problem now did you?"
"No."
"Good then keep it that way."
John smiled. "So does that mean?"
Frank shook his head. "Yes you're on the case."
*********
The doctor frowned as she looked at the results of the tests that they had run on the woman. She turned around to look at the four people in the room. "There's no evidence of any kind of brain injury…"
"Subdurnal haematoma, concussion. What about an injury to the Frontal Lobe?" John asked.
The doctor shook her head. "There's nothing. See for yourself." She handed the x ray results to John. He stood up, clipped the sheets onto the board and switched the light on. He stood back and examined each one individually.
"When you're ready John," Frank said in exasperation.
John turned to look at the doctor. "You're right."
The young woman let out a deep sigh. "So we've ruled out head injuries. What now?"
"Well there's one thing that we're not ruling out," replied the doctor.
"What's that?" Jamie asked.
"That it's psychogenic. Related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," replied the doctor.
"Whatever happened to you at the pier has brought on the amnesia. Classic avoidance. Blocking it out of your mind. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, DSM in short, versions 1 through 5 –"
"John. In English please," Frank interrupted not really wanting to listen to John ramble on.
A look of disappointment clouded John's face but he shifted himself to look at the young woman. "If it's psychological maybe I can help."
The woman opened her mouth as if to say something but Jamie interrupted. "John. Let the professionals deal with it."
"Jamie. I know all about this stuff. Hypnosis, biofeedback, free association –"
Frank cleared his throat and stood up. "Can I speak to you for a minute, John?"
The other man nodded and got to his feet. He smiled apologetically at the young woman. "We'll be right back."
He followed the detective out the door. As he shut the door he glanced back into the room and saw that the young woman was watching him.
"Before you say anything I know I can help her."
Frank shook his head. "You're too invested in this John. I think you need to take a step back."
"No. Studies have shown that most amnesia patients recover using a combination of hypnotherapy-"
"It hasn't worked for you," Frank pointed out.
"I'm not your average amnesia patient," John said with a wry grin.
Frank chuckled. "No your not." His face turned serious. "I don't know about this. Jamie will have my ass."
John gave Frank a knowing smile. "Leave Jamie to me."
"If the doctor agrees to it then I guess its ok."
The two went back into the room. Jamie caught Frank's eye who shrugged. She sighed and turned to look at the young woman. "Well. It looks like our Mr. Doe is going to insist on helping you gain your memory back."
John smiled at the young woman who nodded. She turned to the doctor. "When can I get out of here?"
"Well there is nothing physically wrong with you but…"
"But what?" asked the woman.
"Ordinarily when we release patients we make sure they have somewhere to stay. We do have a boarding house beside the hospital but it's full at the moment."
The woman looked deflated as she sat back in her seat.
"She can stay with me," John spoke up.
"Not a good idea, John," said Jamie.
He glared at the lieutenant but she ignored the look. "I have the space. She can take my bed. I'll have the couch. I don't sleep much anyway."
The doctor sighed and looked at the two cops. "It would help a great deal."
John gave his best innocent blue eyed boy look at Jamie. She brought her lips together in a thin line and let out a deep breath. "Ok."
John and the young woman looked at each other and smiled.
TBC
