Life is Good Part 1

Before anyone says anything, yes, I realize much of the medical info in this is wrong.

This also won't likely be as funny as my previous entries. It's more of a backstory chapter. And is obviously AU.

John slowly opened his eyes. The room was extremely bright and his bed felt softer than usual. From the white walls and the man in the white uniform, John could tell he was in the hospital, but he couldn't remember how he had gotten there.

The nurse saw him and nearly dropped his clipboard. "Holy -! You're awake!"

He rushed out of the room calling for the doctor. Within minutes, a woman in uniform came into the room, along with John's mom. And his dad.

Sarah was nearly in tears. "John! You're awake! It's a miracle!"

"Man, did we ever visit at the right time," Kyle said.

"D-Dad?" John said. "You're here?"

"Of course I am!" Kyle said. "I've been coming every other day!"

"But you're dead!" John said. "Mom said you died!"

Sarah blinked at him. "I never said that. We've always been together."

"But what about the war?" John asked. "And the machines? And Skynet?"

"Skynet?" Kyle asked. "That computer program Katherine Brewster's dad's been working on?"

"Um, Mr. Connor?" The doctor asked. "What do you remember exactly?"

John lay back and tried to think. "Uh…Mom was driving me to school. And then a car hit us. I can't remember anything after that."

Sarah took John's hand and began stroking it to comfort him. "John, this is going to be hard to hear. But you've been in a coma for the last month. A drunk driver hit us on the road."

"A month?" John asked. "But all my memories about machines and cyborgs went on for years!"

"If I may?" The doctor stepped forward while reading her clipboard. "You've been in and out of a dreamlike state for the entire month you've been here. In fact, your body has moved on its own, as if while in your coma, you were sleepwalking and reacting to your dreams in the real world. As time had moved slower in your dreams, it would seem like years rather than days."

She continued to flip through her papers. "It seems your dreams were about cyborgs coming from the future and trying to kill you because you were meant to lead a resistance against them. I'm a little fuzzy on the details as you mumbled a lot, but if you remember any of it, I suggest writing a book. It's a truly fascinating story you've concocted."

John sat back and sighed. It was such a relief. No monsters from the future trying to kill him. No worries about the apocalypse. "So, will I remember my normal life?"

"In time, the proper memories will return," the doctor assured him. "We will mark those as part of your therapy."

"Therapy?" John asked.

"Your body has been in a suspended state for a month," she said. "You will need physical therapy in order to get your strength back."

"So, our son has to stay here?" Sarah asked.

"Only for another week," the doctor said. "The less time he spent in his state, the less therapy needed."

John lay back again and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't wait to get his regular memories back.

…

The physical therapy felt a lot like the exercise he remembered in his dreams. His body was pushed to its limits, despite the fact that all he did was pick up marbles with his feet and walk down an aisle with help from railings. He felt extremely grateful his best friends and cousin had come along to see him.

"Dude, your dreams sound freaking awesome!" Morris said.

"Speak for yourself!" Riley said with a grimace. "I'm your cousin! I wouldn't hit on you if you were the last man on Earth. And my mother's a saint!"

"Yeah, I'm not telling Aunt Jesse or Derek what they did in my head," John said.

"And where was I?" Katherine asked. "You remembered my dad's military project, but not me?"

"I'm sorry," John said. "I guess I was busy trying not to get killed by the imaginary robots."

It felt good to laugh with the three of them again. By now, the third day in his therapy, John had remembered his entire life. He was a senior in high school and set to graduate with honors. His dad was an IT tech for Savannah Weaver and Kaliba while his mom worked in a toy factory. Her brother, his Uncle Bob, was an ex-marine who spent his time repairing motorcycles. So much of their personalities contradicted what he saw in his dreams. They all were happier and could go for hours without arguing.

"Okay, Mr. Connor," said the doctor. "Keep walking. You can laugh once you're done."

"Yes, drill sergeant!" John said with a grin.

He was about to take another step when something outside the window caught his eye. A beautiful girl with brown hair was being gently led by a group of doctors. Her clothes seemed too clean and she stared with a blank expression. She turned her head and watched John as she passed the room.

"Hey Doc?" John asked. "Who was that girl who just walked past us? She looks familiar."

The doctor looked up at the patient. "Oh, you mean Cameron? She's a rather special case. We've had her committed to our psych ward."

"Why?" John asked. "What's wrong?"

"She seems to shut down around people, like a computer," said the doctor. "She never responds to us and rarely eats. I'd think you'd remember her."

"I would?" John asked.

"John's a psycho?" Morris asked.

"No, no," the doctor said. "Sometimes, when you would sleepwalk, you would pass by her room or sit beside her in the rec room. Your ramblings on cyborgs seem to have taken hold."

The doctor flipped through her clipboard. "She was always strange, but since you saw her as a cyborg, her mind used it to justify her behavior. Her parents abandoned her a year ago and she couldn't handle the fact that they didn't love her. So when you presented her with an alternate reality where she was your protector with no home or family or past, she accepted it. It has become her defense mechanism."

"Like in Shutter Island?" Morris asked.

"Yes, precisely," the doctor said. "She believes she is here undercover to keep an eye on you, and we are all agents working for the villain in your story."

"So why don't you pinch her or something?" John asked. "If she feels it, it should convince her she isn't a robot."

"She has a rare condition," the doctor said. "She cannot feel pain. Her emotions are also being blocked out. She has truly given into her defense mechanism."

John looked sadly out at the hallway. It was a horrible fate to be abandoned and then to not even remember your true identity because of a crazy man. "Will she get better?" John asked.

"Eventually," the doctor said. "It will take some work, but she should soon heal. Now please, try to focus on your own therapy."

John grunted and tried to take another step.

…

By the end of the week, John had almost completely regained his strength. The doctors granted him a clean bill of health, both mental and physical. Aside from some medication prescribed to him, John was free from all the tests and therapy.

Even better, he was able to stay home from school for the next few weeks. He could have returned the next day, but his aunt Jesse had some sway with the school board. Not only that, but he was free to graduate high school despite missing a whole month of class.

But no matter what he did, he found he could not get Cameron out of his head. While John knew his memories of being a future savior wasn't real, he had distinct memories of Cameron comforting him and soothing him, chasing his nightmares away.

He tried telling his parents how he felt. Kyle was understanding, but Sarah did not like the idea of her son hanging out with a crazy woman. "She is certifiably crazy. If it's so easy for her to believe your 'evil robot' story, then she is too far gone."

"What about your brother Bob?" Kyle asked. "he was pretty out of it for a while."

"He took shrapnel to the head in the war!" Sarah said. "He has a metal plate in his head! It's not like he can help it!"

"And Cameron can?" John asked accusingly.

"We don't know," Sarah said. "That's the point. And that's all there is to it."

Kyle just shrugged. When his wife made up her mind, there was no arguing with her. John tried to ignore his feelings, but it constantly nagged him. During his meals, when he tried to sleep, even when he was watching TV. It could have been his conscience telling him to save someone, or his ego of being a savior. Either way, he felt he needed to go back to that hospital.

In the dead of the night during his last free Friday, his cell phone began to ring. The number was unknown, but John still answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello John. It's me."

He couldn't explain it, but he knew who the voice belonged to. "Cameron? Is that you?"

"Yes, it is me," she said. "I had not seen you for days. Where are you?"

"I went home," John said. "I'm all better now."

"Regardless of your health, our mission here is too important," Cameron said. "And your safety is paramount to our success and my programming. Return to the hospital."

"I can't. I'm all better and…" Something suddenly clicked. "Wait, how did you get my phone number?"

"It was deleted from my memory, so I broke into the hospital records," Cameron said. "They kept your numbers and address under your emergency contacts folders."

John took a deep breath. "Cam, listen to me very carefully. I am not who you think I am. There is no Skynet overlord and no future. You are not a robot. Everything is normal."

There was a pause on the other line. "I detect no lie in your voice, but no synthetic change. You are not someone who has stolen John's phone and voice. Why would you say this, John? Has the doctor prescribed pills? Have you taken them?"

Another quieter voice came from the other side. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"John, I must go," Cameron said. "Come back to me. Please. I cannot complete my mission without you."

A brief struggle sounded before the line went dead. John sat back in his bed, pondering what to do. Sarah was right; she was dangerously insane, especially since she broke into his records to call him.

But maybe she was calling him for another reason. Did she subconsciously feel safe with him? Is that why she bought into his fantasy? She kept saying it was her "mission" to protect him. Maybe she needed him and thought about him as much as he did.

The next day, John told his parents that he was going to the movies. It was a lie. He was going back to the hospital to talk to the doctors in charge. He walked up to the secretary and asked her to call the doctor in charge of Cameron's therapy.

"I want to sign up as a volunteer," John said. "I want to help Cameron back to sanity."

To be Continued