Chapter Three: Helen

"I still can't believe I'm really going to leave this place..." the girl sighed as she looked how the nurses cleaned her room for the next patient. Room 245. her attachment was justified and normal; it was the place where she laughed… smiled…. learned to live again.

After few months of practice, mental exercises, tests and recovering, she was finally ready to go and start a new life. But somehow… she didn't really want it.

Luckily, the hospital had enough money to buy her a small apartment with one room, little kitchen and a bathroom. Michael was the one to make the request for it. That was supposed to be her home when she'd leave the hospital. She was very grateful, but it felt awkward in the same time as well.

"Helen," Michael Sanders said, "the important thing is that you've managed to fight main difficulties in your life. You know that."

She smiled. Everybody called her Helen on her own request. She figured that the first letter H on the necklace could be her name. Helen simply looked pretty to her. And after all, she didn't want to be "the patient from room 245" forever.

Helen loved Michael as though he was her father, but she was afraid of telling him that. He was the one to give her strength when she would get tired. He was the one to give her hope when she'd think everything was hopeless. He did everything a father would do. Father she didn't have… or did? She didn't know that. And now it was time to say goodbye to a man who only mattered in her life. How?

Michael felt the same way about her, but he had to treat her like a patient. One comes, other goes.

Yeah, that's how it should be. But it wasn't.

Michael opened his mouth to tell her that it's time for her to go and pick up the clothes that nurses gave her, but Helen prevented that. She suddenly squeezed him so strongly that it was hard to believe that a girl so thin could have strength like that.

"Thank you, Michael," she cried "I will never forget how you believed in me. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. Thank you."

"It's okay, Hel." Michael Sanders muttered. "It was a pleasure. Everything's going to be fine."

Will it really? Will this girl be able to go on with her life all by herself? There won't be anyone to support her and she will be all on her own.

Helen suddenly remembered something nobody had mentioned for quite some time.

Am I right when I say that there was a stick with me when I was found? Well, it's worth a try.

"Have you ever told me that I had a piece of wood with me when I was found?" she asked Michael with lots of interest, feeling her heart jumping, like it would always do whenever a thing related to her previous life would be mentioned… Object that connected her with life she couldn't remember.

"Now that you've mentioned it," doctor said, wrinkling his forehead "yeah, there was something. You're right. Who's got better memory now, eh?"

"Don't..." Helen muttered quietly. Memory wasn't her favourite topic.

"Sorry." Doctor Sanders softly said, "I'll be right back, as soon as I check if we still have that stick of yours. Meet you at the reception room, okay?"

He squeezed Helen's hand and turned around, disappearing through the door.

She stayed a couple of minutes more, then realized it would be a lot easier for her is she would get lost from there as soon as possible.

"Yeah," mumbled Helen to herself, grabbing a book she used to read before sleep from her old bed.

"It will be hard, but I'll live. Goobye room 245." She whispered and closed the door.