* * *
Suddenly the phone rang, which caused both Richard and Mrs. Fordman to jump a little. There had been an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, because they had just finished talking about Whitney's last moments on Earth. Mrs. Fordman stood up to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Yes, is Elizabeth Fordman there?" A kind male voice answered.
She looked over at Richard, then replied. "Speaking." She said.
"Mrs. Fordman, this is Dr. Joseph Brown, from the Smallville General Hospital. I'm calling about your son. He has just been delivered by ambulance to the ICU." He said softly.
Mrs. Fordman sighed, "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. My son died two days ago."
Dr. Brown paused on the other end of the line. "So your son is not Private Whitney Fordman?"
She was beginning to get slightly aggravated now. It must be some sick joke being carried out. "He is, but I told you, my son died two days ago during combat in Indonesia. Now if you don't mind, I'd like you to stop your sick humour and leave me alone."
"But-"
Before Dr. Brown could get more than a word out, Mrs. Fordman hung up the phone and slouched against the wall, with her hand on her forehead.
Richard stood up, knowing something was obviously wrong. "Who was that?"
She shook her head. "Some 'doctor' claiming that Whitney is at the hospital, in the ICU. Who would come up with a sick joke like that?" She asked.
Confused, he tilted his head to the side slightly. What if it wasn't a joke? Though it was practically impossible, there was always that 0.01% chance. "Well, what if it wasn't a joke." He said semi-casually.
Mrs. Fordman gave a small laugh, then shook her head again. "Richard, please. I've been through enough disappointment recently, I don't need you getting my hopes up over the impossible."
Her eyes held so much sorrow that Richard could barely stand to look at her. ". I think I'll go check it out anyway." He replied.
She shrugged her shoulders, then turned towards the window above the kitchen sink. "Do whatever you want Richard, just don't get your hopes too high." Mrs. Fordman held back her tears. She'd done enough crying lately, and it was time to let go.
Richard understood, but he just had the feeling that it was for real. Somehow, Whitney was still alive, and he was going to find out. He left the house and drove into town with his Jeep to ask for directions to the hospital.
* * *
Lana exited the Talon into the cool outdoors with a forlorn expression. Ever since she found out about Whitney's death she had felt so alone, so helpless. The guilt of sending the video letter to Whitney back in the fall was what had her down the most. Lana felt like crying every time she thought about it. What if she never sent it? What if she had told Whitney before he left that she would wait for him? Thoughts danced madly in her head like a whirlwind, pressing her into further depression. Whitney died thinking that she didn't care, didn't have feelings for him. And the separation only really made Lana's longing for him greater, and her love for him more passionate. If only she had one more chance.
Richard recognized the girl walking out the doors of the café, and pulled over.
"Hey, Lana?" He asked as she walked by.
".Yes?" Lana turned, and eyed the young man in the military dress uniform, which was similar to the one her late ex-boyfriend once wore.
Richard stepped out of his car and offered his hand to her. "My name's Private Richard Green. I fought beside Whitney in Indonesia."
She shook his hand, and gave a little smile. Lana couldn't believe how similar Richard looked to Whitney. He was nearly the same height, perhaps a bit shorter, and had about the same colour hair. He also had the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen. She stammered out a reply. "Uh, it's nice to meet you."
"I was wondering if you could give me directions to the hospital? There's something I want to check out there." He asked casually.
Lana nodded. "Sure, you just head down this road to the second set of traffic lights, then take a left onto Parker Avenue. At the first stop sign, take a right onto Potter Street. Drive up that road for a few minutes and the hospital should appear on your left." She smiled.
Richard smiled back. "Thank you very much."
Lana watched as he got back into his Jeep. "No problem." She paused. ". If you don't mind me asking, who, or what are you going to see?"
He turned the key to turn on the engine, then replied. "Well, this may sound kind of stupid, but we got a phone call saying Whitney's in the ICU there. I mean, I don't know how he could be alive. Not that I don't want him to be, but I was with him basically from the moment he died."
Lana's eyes widened, and she froze. A shiver passed through her spine. "Could. Could I come along? You know, just in case?" She had to be optimistic. What if he really was there?
"Yeah, sure, any company would be great." Richard smiled warmly. At least he wasn't the only one who believed that Whitney really could be alive in the hospital. He opened the passenger door for Lana. She climbed in beside him, and they drove away.
They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, and parked in one of the few available parking spots left, at the back of the lot. A chill January wind blew by, and Richard watched as Lana shivered in her thin jacket. Though he himself was frozen as well, he offered his uniform's jacket to her. "Would you like my jacket? It's going to be a few minutes walk from here."
Lana looked ahead at the distance they had to walk, but shook her head. "No thanks." She said politely. Though she had broken up with Whitney, and he was supposed to be dead, Lana felt that taking Richard's jacket would be disloyal. They both picked up the pace, while trying to ignore the cold wind burning they cheeks and noses.
The automatic sliding glass doors opened for them as they reached the front entrance, and warm air flowed out towards them. Lana took a few more quick steps and was soon inside the warm, sterile building. The sharp smell of antiseptics filled Richard's nose immediately, causing him to cough a little. As they took in their surroundings, they quickly realized how crowded the emergency room was. Carefully, Lana and Richard excused their way to the front desk. Richard stepped up.
"Uh, hi. We got a phone call a little while ago saying that Whitney Fordman is here." He wasn't exactly sure how to approach the matter.
The nurse at the desk typed up Whitney's name into her computer and paused to read the screen. "Yes, he arrived this afternoon to the ICU, but has recently been moved to room 145, in the Shuster Ward. Are you family?"
Lana stood beside Richard quietly, but excited and anxious. Could it really be? Whitney was alive? She smiled uneasily. "No, but we're close friends."
"Is there any way we could see him?" Richard asked. He felt the same as Lana.
"Of course." The nurse smiled, "I'll just notify Dr. Brown that you're coming. The room is down the hall to the left, then take a right. It should be on the right hand side." She pointed out the directions to them.
Richard smiled. "Thank you very much."
The two of them started down the corridor with mixed feelings. It wouldn't be true until they could see Whitney alive and breathing, but just the pure thought of it was mind-boggling. Richard himself carried Whitney's dead body through the muddy fields of Indonesia, to the base. Even the doctor couldn't do anything to bring him back. So how? How was it possible? It was the only question that both Richard and Lana wanted answered the most.
Soon Lana realized that they had both been standing in front of the door to room 145 for at least a few minutes. She looked up at Richard, who appeared to be deep in thought, and was staring at the door. Wanting to break the uncomfortable silence, Lana spoke quietly. "Well, shall we?" She put on a hopeful smile.
Richard snapped out of his trance and looked down at Lana with an almost confused, but determined expression, and nodded slowly.
She reached out and turned the cold metal door handle, then slowly pushed the door open. The sound of a TV hit their ears instantly as they walked in and saw Whitney, propped up in bed, watching football on the small TV hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the small room.
Whitney watched them walk in and smiled a little. "Hey," He reached for the controller and turned the volume down.
Lana gasped in surprise. Whitney was there. Alive. Home. She brought her trembling hand up and covered her mouth.
Richard just stared in disbelief, with his mouth hanging slightly open. He couldn't believe his eyes. It really was him.
After a strange moment of silence, Lana ran over and hugged Whitney, and began to cry. "I can't believe it's you. Whitney, I've missed you so much." She never wanted to let go.
Whitney gave her an awkward hug back. "Hey, it's alright. I'm here now."
Lana let go so Richard could say hi. He went over and gave Whitney a friendly handshake. "Hey, how've you been?" Richard asked.
"Not too bad. A little sore. Otherwise, enjoying the game." Whitney smiled a little, but his expression was quick to turn confused. "But I still don't know how I got here."
Lana looked at Richard. She realized that he never explained to her, either, how Whitney came to be in the hospital. Both Lana and Whitney looked at Richard, waiting for an answer.
Richard concentrated on the window in front of him and hesitated. What he was going to tell both Whitney and Lana would be just as unbelievable as it was that Whitney was sitting right in front of them. "Well. I'm not too clear on that either, Whitney. You actually. died in combat in Indonesia. There was no way you could've. But, obviously. Uh." He was at a loss for words.
Confused, Whitney looked at Richard. "I was in Indonesia?" He asked, almost not believing him.
Both Richard and Lana looked at each other, more confused than Whitney. Richard turned his head slightly, still looking at Whitney with a confused half-smile. "Um, do the Marine Corps ring a bell?"
Whitney shook his head with a serious expression. Suddenly, a look of understanding came over his face. "Oh," he said, almost sadly, "I guess you haven't spoken to my doctor yet. I, uh, have amnesia." Whitney thought they had known the whole time, and were trying to be nice about it. In truth, he didn't even know their names, let alone their relationship with him.
Lana felt as if her heart had been torn in two. No wonder why Whitney's hug wasn't as warm as usual, and when he looked at her, his eyes seemed to be empty. void of any emotion for her. He didn't even know that they used to go out. Though Lana tried to convince herself that she still loved Whitney, she knew it was hopeless. The love they once shared was gone, confined to her memories forever. A silent tear rolled down Lana's cheek, and she nodded in understanding. She knew that she might break at any moment, and quickly excused herself from the room.
Richard and Whitney watched Lana make her quick exit. "Did I say something wrong?" Whitney asked.
Not knowing if it was any of his business to speak about Lana's former relationship with Whitney, Richard gave a false response. "I think she had something really spicy for lunch."
Though he could see right through the lie and knew something else was up, Whitney nodded. "Oh, ok. So, I take it we were in the Marine Corps together?" He asked, noting the dress uniform Richard was wearing.
"Yeah, we met in basic training back in June. You really helped me gain confidence and become a real soldier. Actually, you saved my life in a basic training exercise." Richard flashed back in his memory to a sunny, hot day in July, when they were out in the combat training fields. That day, the trainees were working with hand grenades. The pin on Richard's grenade had caught on a zipper on his uniform, and pulled loose. Whitney was the first to notice, and courageously grabbed it from Richard's hand and whipped it far away from the troops. His football skills came into play once again. The grenade exploded in mid-air, but far enough away that only a few people suffered very minor injuries. After that, Richard was sure he was going to be removed from the Marines, but Whitney was able to convince several generals, on Richard's behalf, that it really was an accident and could have happened to anyone, including himself.
Taken slightly by surprise, Whitney let out a short breath sharply. "I saved your life?" Suddenly he felt the expectations for himself rise. If he saved this guy's life, did people expect him to be some sort of hero? Was he a lot more than he thought he was cracked up to be?
Richard nodded. "Yeah, actually you pretty much saved the whole platoon. Oh, by the way, my name's Richard, Richard Green." He smiled. It had slipped his mind that Whitney really had no clue who anyone was. "And the girl that was here, that was Lana Lang."
"Excuse me a moment, boys." Dr. Brown entered the room. "Whitney, would you mind if I took your friend out into the hall for a moment?" He asked.
"Yeah, no problem." Whitney said, and turned his attention back to the football game. He didn't want to know any more about himself. Whoever "Whitney" was then, certainly sounded like some big shot. What if he never got his memory back? Could he still live up to his own reputation? Whitney didn't even know if he wanted to. He just wasn't that person anymore. But would others accept him the way he was now? He felt alone. Everyone was a stranger.
Suddenly the phone rang, which caused both Richard and Mrs. Fordman to jump a little. There had been an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, because they had just finished talking about Whitney's last moments on Earth. Mrs. Fordman stood up to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Yes, is Elizabeth Fordman there?" A kind male voice answered.
She looked over at Richard, then replied. "Speaking." She said.
"Mrs. Fordman, this is Dr. Joseph Brown, from the Smallville General Hospital. I'm calling about your son. He has just been delivered by ambulance to the ICU." He said softly.
Mrs. Fordman sighed, "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. My son died two days ago."
Dr. Brown paused on the other end of the line. "So your son is not Private Whitney Fordman?"
She was beginning to get slightly aggravated now. It must be some sick joke being carried out. "He is, but I told you, my son died two days ago during combat in Indonesia. Now if you don't mind, I'd like you to stop your sick humour and leave me alone."
"But-"
Before Dr. Brown could get more than a word out, Mrs. Fordman hung up the phone and slouched against the wall, with her hand on her forehead.
Richard stood up, knowing something was obviously wrong. "Who was that?"
She shook her head. "Some 'doctor' claiming that Whitney is at the hospital, in the ICU. Who would come up with a sick joke like that?" She asked.
Confused, he tilted his head to the side slightly. What if it wasn't a joke? Though it was practically impossible, there was always that 0.01% chance. "Well, what if it wasn't a joke." He said semi-casually.
Mrs. Fordman gave a small laugh, then shook her head again. "Richard, please. I've been through enough disappointment recently, I don't need you getting my hopes up over the impossible."
Her eyes held so much sorrow that Richard could barely stand to look at her. ". I think I'll go check it out anyway." He replied.
She shrugged her shoulders, then turned towards the window above the kitchen sink. "Do whatever you want Richard, just don't get your hopes too high." Mrs. Fordman held back her tears. She'd done enough crying lately, and it was time to let go.
Richard understood, but he just had the feeling that it was for real. Somehow, Whitney was still alive, and he was going to find out. He left the house and drove into town with his Jeep to ask for directions to the hospital.
* * *
Lana exited the Talon into the cool outdoors with a forlorn expression. Ever since she found out about Whitney's death she had felt so alone, so helpless. The guilt of sending the video letter to Whitney back in the fall was what had her down the most. Lana felt like crying every time she thought about it. What if she never sent it? What if she had told Whitney before he left that she would wait for him? Thoughts danced madly in her head like a whirlwind, pressing her into further depression. Whitney died thinking that she didn't care, didn't have feelings for him. And the separation only really made Lana's longing for him greater, and her love for him more passionate. If only she had one more chance.
Richard recognized the girl walking out the doors of the café, and pulled over.
"Hey, Lana?" He asked as she walked by.
".Yes?" Lana turned, and eyed the young man in the military dress uniform, which was similar to the one her late ex-boyfriend once wore.
Richard stepped out of his car and offered his hand to her. "My name's Private Richard Green. I fought beside Whitney in Indonesia."
She shook his hand, and gave a little smile. Lana couldn't believe how similar Richard looked to Whitney. He was nearly the same height, perhaps a bit shorter, and had about the same colour hair. He also had the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen. She stammered out a reply. "Uh, it's nice to meet you."
"I was wondering if you could give me directions to the hospital? There's something I want to check out there." He asked casually.
Lana nodded. "Sure, you just head down this road to the second set of traffic lights, then take a left onto Parker Avenue. At the first stop sign, take a right onto Potter Street. Drive up that road for a few minutes and the hospital should appear on your left." She smiled.
Richard smiled back. "Thank you very much."
Lana watched as he got back into his Jeep. "No problem." She paused. ". If you don't mind me asking, who, or what are you going to see?"
He turned the key to turn on the engine, then replied. "Well, this may sound kind of stupid, but we got a phone call saying Whitney's in the ICU there. I mean, I don't know how he could be alive. Not that I don't want him to be, but I was with him basically from the moment he died."
Lana's eyes widened, and she froze. A shiver passed through her spine. "Could. Could I come along? You know, just in case?" She had to be optimistic. What if he really was there?
"Yeah, sure, any company would be great." Richard smiled warmly. At least he wasn't the only one who believed that Whitney really could be alive in the hospital. He opened the passenger door for Lana. She climbed in beside him, and they drove away.
They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, and parked in one of the few available parking spots left, at the back of the lot. A chill January wind blew by, and Richard watched as Lana shivered in her thin jacket. Though he himself was frozen as well, he offered his uniform's jacket to her. "Would you like my jacket? It's going to be a few minutes walk from here."
Lana looked ahead at the distance they had to walk, but shook her head. "No thanks." She said politely. Though she had broken up with Whitney, and he was supposed to be dead, Lana felt that taking Richard's jacket would be disloyal. They both picked up the pace, while trying to ignore the cold wind burning they cheeks and noses.
The automatic sliding glass doors opened for them as they reached the front entrance, and warm air flowed out towards them. Lana took a few more quick steps and was soon inside the warm, sterile building. The sharp smell of antiseptics filled Richard's nose immediately, causing him to cough a little. As they took in their surroundings, they quickly realized how crowded the emergency room was. Carefully, Lana and Richard excused their way to the front desk. Richard stepped up.
"Uh, hi. We got a phone call a little while ago saying that Whitney Fordman is here." He wasn't exactly sure how to approach the matter.
The nurse at the desk typed up Whitney's name into her computer and paused to read the screen. "Yes, he arrived this afternoon to the ICU, but has recently been moved to room 145, in the Shuster Ward. Are you family?"
Lana stood beside Richard quietly, but excited and anxious. Could it really be? Whitney was alive? She smiled uneasily. "No, but we're close friends."
"Is there any way we could see him?" Richard asked. He felt the same as Lana.
"Of course." The nurse smiled, "I'll just notify Dr. Brown that you're coming. The room is down the hall to the left, then take a right. It should be on the right hand side." She pointed out the directions to them.
Richard smiled. "Thank you very much."
The two of them started down the corridor with mixed feelings. It wouldn't be true until they could see Whitney alive and breathing, but just the pure thought of it was mind-boggling. Richard himself carried Whitney's dead body through the muddy fields of Indonesia, to the base. Even the doctor couldn't do anything to bring him back. So how? How was it possible? It was the only question that both Richard and Lana wanted answered the most.
Soon Lana realized that they had both been standing in front of the door to room 145 for at least a few minutes. She looked up at Richard, who appeared to be deep in thought, and was staring at the door. Wanting to break the uncomfortable silence, Lana spoke quietly. "Well, shall we?" She put on a hopeful smile.
Richard snapped out of his trance and looked down at Lana with an almost confused, but determined expression, and nodded slowly.
She reached out and turned the cold metal door handle, then slowly pushed the door open. The sound of a TV hit their ears instantly as they walked in and saw Whitney, propped up in bed, watching football on the small TV hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the small room.
Whitney watched them walk in and smiled a little. "Hey," He reached for the controller and turned the volume down.
Lana gasped in surprise. Whitney was there. Alive. Home. She brought her trembling hand up and covered her mouth.
Richard just stared in disbelief, with his mouth hanging slightly open. He couldn't believe his eyes. It really was him.
After a strange moment of silence, Lana ran over and hugged Whitney, and began to cry. "I can't believe it's you. Whitney, I've missed you so much." She never wanted to let go.
Whitney gave her an awkward hug back. "Hey, it's alright. I'm here now."
Lana let go so Richard could say hi. He went over and gave Whitney a friendly handshake. "Hey, how've you been?" Richard asked.
"Not too bad. A little sore. Otherwise, enjoying the game." Whitney smiled a little, but his expression was quick to turn confused. "But I still don't know how I got here."
Lana looked at Richard. She realized that he never explained to her, either, how Whitney came to be in the hospital. Both Lana and Whitney looked at Richard, waiting for an answer.
Richard concentrated on the window in front of him and hesitated. What he was going to tell both Whitney and Lana would be just as unbelievable as it was that Whitney was sitting right in front of them. "Well. I'm not too clear on that either, Whitney. You actually. died in combat in Indonesia. There was no way you could've. But, obviously. Uh." He was at a loss for words.
Confused, Whitney looked at Richard. "I was in Indonesia?" He asked, almost not believing him.
Both Richard and Lana looked at each other, more confused than Whitney. Richard turned his head slightly, still looking at Whitney with a confused half-smile. "Um, do the Marine Corps ring a bell?"
Whitney shook his head with a serious expression. Suddenly, a look of understanding came over his face. "Oh," he said, almost sadly, "I guess you haven't spoken to my doctor yet. I, uh, have amnesia." Whitney thought they had known the whole time, and were trying to be nice about it. In truth, he didn't even know their names, let alone their relationship with him.
Lana felt as if her heart had been torn in two. No wonder why Whitney's hug wasn't as warm as usual, and when he looked at her, his eyes seemed to be empty. void of any emotion for her. He didn't even know that they used to go out. Though Lana tried to convince herself that she still loved Whitney, she knew it was hopeless. The love they once shared was gone, confined to her memories forever. A silent tear rolled down Lana's cheek, and she nodded in understanding. She knew that she might break at any moment, and quickly excused herself from the room.
Richard and Whitney watched Lana make her quick exit. "Did I say something wrong?" Whitney asked.
Not knowing if it was any of his business to speak about Lana's former relationship with Whitney, Richard gave a false response. "I think she had something really spicy for lunch."
Though he could see right through the lie and knew something else was up, Whitney nodded. "Oh, ok. So, I take it we were in the Marine Corps together?" He asked, noting the dress uniform Richard was wearing.
"Yeah, we met in basic training back in June. You really helped me gain confidence and become a real soldier. Actually, you saved my life in a basic training exercise." Richard flashed back in his memory to a sunny, hot day in July, when they were out in the combat training fields. That day, the trainees were working with hand grenades. The pin on Richard's grenade had caught on a zipper on his uniform, and pulled loose. Whitney was the first to notice, and courageously grabbed it from Richard's hand and whipped it far away from the troops. His football skills came into play once again. The grenade exploded in mid-air, but far enough away that only a few people suffered very minor injuries. After that, Richard was sure he was going to be removed from the Marines, but Whitney was able to convince several generals, on Richard's behalf, that it really was an accident and could have happened to anyone, including himself.
Taken slightly by surprise, Whitney let out a short breath sharply. "I saved your life?" Suddenly he felt the expectations for himself rise. If he saved this guy's life, did people expect him to be some sort of hero? Was he a lot more than he thought he was cracked up to be?
Richard nodded. "Yeah, actually you pretty much saved the whole platoon. Oh, by the way, my name's Richard, Richard Green." He smiled. It had slipped his mind that Whitney really had no clue who anyone was. "And the girl that was here, that was Lana Lang."
"Excuse me a moment, boys." Dr. Brown entered the room. "Whitney, would you mind if I took your friend out into the hall for a moment?" He asked.
"Yeah, no problem." Whitney said, and turned his attention back to the football game. He didn't want to know any more about himself. Whoever "Whitney" was then, certainly sounded like some big shot. What if he never got his memory back? Could he still live up to his own reputation? Whitney didn't even know if he wanted to. He just wasn't that person anymore. But would others accept him the way he was now? He felt alone. Everyone was a stranger.