Chapter 12: Grey Matter
"Do you know me?" Sami asked EJ again.
EJ wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. The doctors had said that there was a good chance that she might have some brain damage. Where were the damn doctors?
"I'm going to fetch the doctors." EJ said as he edged toward the door but Sami wouldn't release his hand.
"Please don't go. Stay and talk to me. Please… I don't want to be alone." Sami pleaded, panicked at the thought of his departure. The heart monitor began beeping furiously.
Alarmed EJ pressed the nurse call button several times in a row. "Calm down sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere."
"Promise?" Sami asked.
EJ winced inwardly as he remembered his last broken promise to her. "Darling, I promise, I will not leave your side. Not until you get so sick of seeing this ugly mug that you have me thrown out." EJ promised reassuringly.
The beeping from the heart monitor slowed down.
Sami smiled at his self deprecation. "Ugly mug? You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen." She said honestly then looked slightly sad. "But I don't remember any other men so I can't really judge, can I?"
Trying to tease her into smiling again EJ joked. "I'm a god among men you sexy minx and don't you forget it."
It worked and Sami smiled. "I'm sexy?" Sami asked self consciously touching her face hair.
"So sexy and gorgeous that I worship at thy feet." EJ said grandly.
The heart monitor beeped a little quicker in response. "Who are you?" Sami asked curious to know the connection between them.
Finally a nurse rushed into the room and chattered excitedly. "Wonderful! You're fiancée is finally awake! I'll go get the doctors." She said and rushed out of the room.
"Fiancée?" Sami exclaimed delightedly. He was hers. So the closeness she felt for him was real.
"Well…" EJ was saved from answering as his mother and grandfather entered the room.
"Sam darling, you're finally awake! You've had all of us worried sick, especially EJ who refused to leave your side for even a moment." Elle said theatrically as she leaned over Sami to give her a kiss on both cheeks.
Ace smiled widely and thumped his grandson in the back. "I told you everything was going to be just fine." He said looking so satisfied as if it was all his doing.
Sami looked bewildered at this affectionate attack. "EJ? Sam? Are you EJ and is Sam my name?"
"You don't remember anything?" Ace and Elle said a little too delightedly making EJ narrow his eyes in suspicion.
"I think we should be careful about what we say until the doctor tells us it's ok." EJ said warningly to his mother and grandfather.
"Well I don't think it's going to hurt Sam to know the love of her life's name, EJ." Elle said ignoring EJ's warning.
"I agree with your mother, Sam is practically family and she needs to know she is surrounded by people who love her. After all, she will be the mother of the next generation of Wells." Ace said proudly.
"Mother?" Sami said a little shocked as her hand went unthinkingly over her stomach. "Am I…? She asked looking to EJ?
"No!" EJ said quickly "You're not pregnant."
"Oh!" Sami replied a little disappointed.
"Not yet, my boy, it's just a matter of time! I just know that Sam can't wait to have little EJs and Sams running about." Ace said smiling. He was ecstatic at the look of disappointment on Sam's face.
"Out both of you!" EJ demanded angrily. His family was trying to manipulate this situation and he was not going to allow them to do it. "Make yourselves useful and go find the doctors!"
"It's ok EJ, they mean well." Sami said gently trying to pacify him.
"Samantha, I once made you a promise that I'd protect you. I failed once and I'm never going to fail again. That included protecting you from my family, however well meaning their intentions." EJ said gently but firmly.
Sami gave him a soft trusting smile. "It's when you say things like that, that made me fall in love you." Sami said and then looked startled at the admission. Was this love? EJ was a stranger to her but these loving feelings had consumed her when she had found out that he was her fiancée. It was strange but her love for her fiancée was a familiar feeling and such a part of her that she couldn't believe she could have forgotten it for a minute.
Sami then had a flash of a memory, she was looking up at someone but the face was blurry.
"I love you, I've always loved you, ever since I was sixteen years old..."
"Samantha?" EJ asked.
"EJ, I think I remembered something." Sami said excitedly. "I remember telling you that I loved you and that I have ever since I was sixteen!"
EJ was so shocked that he couldn't respond right away. Sami was confusing her feelings for Austin for her feelings for him.
"I'm so happy you're remembering things!" Elle said jumping in. "It's romantic to know that you fell in love with EJ long before you ever even met. But that's understandable; EJ's always been a darling of the media, his handsome face has been in magazines and newspapers since he was a baby.
"Mother that's enough!" EJ said sternly. He needed to tell Sami the truth before it got out of hand. "I want you and Grandfather to leave right now. I need to talk to Samantha alone."
Elle and Ace knew when to retreat and moved to leave the room.
"Ok darling, I need to tell your brothers and sisters the good news anyway!" Elle said before leaving the room.
Once the doors closed he turned to Sami. "Samantha, there is something I need to tell you about us…" EJ wasn't able to continue because a nurse came into the room.
"Dr. Sheppard and Dr. Burke will be here in just a moment." The nurse said as she came to the bed and pulled out a needle and began to slowly inject something into Sami's IV.
"The whole thing is so romantic that it could be a soap opera! She loves you so much that she threw herself in front of a bullet to save you and you love her so much that you wouldn't leave her side until you were literally dragged out of the room before you collapsed." The nurse gushed out and sighed.
Before EJ or Sami could say anything two men rushed into the room. The serious and very professional looking man went for her chart and the sexy smiling one stood next to the bed.
"Glad to see you awake Sleeping Beauty, I'm Dr. Sheppard and that is Dr. Burke." Dr. Sheppard introduced. He then noticed the nurse.
"What are you doing?" Dr. Sheppard asked the nurse.
"I'm giving Ms. Brady 10 milligrams of Amygdatonin just like Dr. Burke instructed." The nurse responded.
"Amygdatonin? Stop, right now and step away." Dr. Sheppard said quickly but firmly trying not to alarm Sami.
"Is something wrong?" EJ asked alarmed not missing the concerned looks between the two doctors.
Dr. Sheppard looked down at Sami. "Ms. Brady, I'm going to consult with Dr. Burke outside for just a minute." Dr. Sheppard said gently.
"Am I ok?" Sami asked as the beeping on the heart monitor sped up.
"There's nothing to be alarmed about. But it's imperative that you stay calm, can you do that for me?" Dr. Burke said as he and Dr. Sheppard walked to the door.
"Ok, I'll try..." Sami said. She had missed the exchange between the doctors.
"Mr. Wells if you and the nurse could come outside for a moment please?" Dr. Sheppard said before stepping outside.
"EJ!" Sami protested not wanting him to leave.
"Everything is ok luv, I'll be back in just a minute.. don't you go anywhere." EJ teased giving her a brief kiss before leaving.
EJ step outside and immediately knew something was really wrong by the grim looks on the doctor's faces and the nurse who was nearly in tears. Ace and Elle was already there avidly listening in on the exchange.
"I never instructed the nurse to administer Amygdatonin to Ms. Brady." Dr. Burke was saying. "Why would I? That drug affects the brain which is your area not mine."
"I was given the instructions at the beginning of my shift, see, it's written right here." The nurse said pulling out a scrap of paper.
Dr. Sheppard looked at the paper first and handed it to Dr. Burke.
"Someone explain to me what's going on!" EJ demanded as an icy feeling of dread came over him.
"If you could be a little patient Mr. Wells?" Dr. Burke said and then turned to the nurse. "This is not my writing or signature, how much Amygdatonin have you administered to Ms. Brady?
"10 milligrams doses every two hours." The nurse said her lips wobbling slight as if she was about to cry.
"How many dosed have you administered?" Dr. Sheppard asked his face grim.
"I was just giving her the third dose." The nurse answered.
"You can go but we will need to speak to you later about this note." Dr. Sheppard said then turned to EJ and his family.
"What is going on? What is Amygdatonin? Is Samantha going to be ok?" EJ asked impatiently.
"I apologize; I don't know how this could have happened." Dr. Sheppard began.
"What! What happened?" Elle burst out impatiently.
"Amygdatonin, is a drug that effects the Amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotion." Dr. Sheppard explains.
"So how does that affect Samantha?" EJ asked.
"In the simplest terms she will be more susceptible to outside influences on her emotional memory so you and your family will have to be extremely careful what you say to Ms. Brady." Dr. Sheppard said.
"Are you saying that you incompetent fools gave her a mind altering drug?" Ace asked angrily.
"Quiet!" EJ demanded then turned his attentions back on Dr. Sheppard. "I need you to be specific, what does this drug do?"
"On a healthy person 4 injections of 10 milligrams of Amygdatonin and aggressive therapy could transfer a person's fear or emotion from one thing to another." Dr. Sheppard said.
"Is it permanent?" Elle asked interrupting.
"Studies have shown that the past emotions could be transferred back in time if ever but the transferred emotion would still remain." Dr. Sheppard.
"What are you not saying?" EJ asked knowing that the worst was still to come.
"With Ms. Brady's memory loss, her memories and emotions associated with her memory are disconnected and with the slightest suggestion you can match emotions to false memories. For instance, if Ms. Brady remembers that she loves her mother but was told that her mother was Mrs. Wells, she would then love Mrs. Wells as she loved her real mother."
"How long will she be susceptible to suggestions?" Ace asked.
"It's difficult to determine, but to be safe I would recommend that only a few trusted people be around Samantha in the next 24 hours. Even without outside influence, she may match emotions to memories on her own so someone should be with her to help her match emotions and memories correctly." Dr. Sheppard suggested.
"So the correctly match memories and emotions come back later right?" Elle asked. "So what happens if an emotion and memory was incorrectly matched, do the real ones can superceed the new one?"
"Not really, unfortunately, if there is an incorrectly matched memory and emotion; that connection will still remain; essentially creating two sets of memories and emotions." Dr. Sheppard finished.
EJ who had been silent at the impact of Dr. Sheppard's revelation asked a question. "Are there any physical side effects to this drug?"
Dr. Burke answered. "Yes, the drug increases adrenaline levels which coupled with Ms. Brady's injury may cause a heart attack. She needs to stay as calm as possible and she cannot be upset in any way which means no stress of any kind. She'll need some beta blockers to counter act the adrenaline but due to her injury, I can only administer as little as possible.
"Do you have anything to put her to sleep for the next 24 hours?" EJ asked.
"Physically, that would be the best solution but I'm sure Dr. Sheppard would recommend against it." Dr. Burke responded.
"The dreams Ms. Brady could have while she is sleeping may be detrimental to matching the correct memory to the emotion. She won't be able to differentiate between and dream or a memory." Dr. Sheppard explained. "I can get a specialist here to explain further the long term affects."
"Yes, please do that." EJ said dismissing the doctors and turned to his family. "I want guards posted at this door; no one comes into this room for the next 24 hours. I mean, no one, not even you two!" EJ said to his mother and grandfather.
They both tried to protest.
"Don't!" EJ said firmly. "If you want to help, get her family here as soon as possible!" He then walked back into the room and shut the door behind him. He was so lost in his thoughts that he missed the satisfied smile on his mothers face.
The minute the door closed behind EJ, Ace subjected his daughter his questions. "Do you think that the things you told her while she was unconscious will take fruit? What did you tell her?"
"If my suggestions take fruit, Sam will do just about anything to make sure that EJ comes back to us." Elle said as a devilish smile spread over her face. "Father, if my suggestions work, we have ourselves the perfect daughter in law."
"And even if it doesn't we still made sure that her feelings for that Austin fellow was transferred to EJ. Isn't he supposed to be the love of her life?" Ace asked even though he already knew the answer.
"Do you think that EJ will realize that I was alone with Sam for a couple of hours while she was on the drug?" Elle asked her father.
"Well, you have 24 hours to come up with a story he'll believe. In the meantime, I'm need to find someone to take the fall for giving Sam the drugs and a plausible reason how this all happened." Ace said smiling. "It's times like these that I enjoy the most about being a Wells."
