Lying there, I hear the door open and then close again. I keep my eyes closed fearing that it's yet another face I won't recognize. I just listen.
I hear my mom's voice. "I don't know what to tell you. The doctor's have given us all very specific rules to follow. No mention of anything that's happened over the past year. That includes you. I'm sorry."
At that I open my eyes, just a little. Curiosity's gotten the better of me. I want, no I need, to know to whom she's talking. Loe and behold, the statuesque man has returned. Brian's back in my room. My heart does a little flutter, and, of course, the EKG machine registers it, bringing Brian's and mom's attention both to me. Oh, goody.
Brian kind of hangs back while my mother, on the other hand, rushes to my side. I'm not quite sure why she does that. It's not like I haven't been waking up for the past three days fine and with no damage (other than my missing memory, of course).
"Hi, honey. It's so good to see you awake again."
"Yeah, mom, me too." I say, never taking my eyes off of the man now leaning against the wall.
"Hi, Brian," I say to him. I see his as well as mom's eyes perk up in hope. Just to let them both know the truth, I add, "That was your name, right?" Once again, I see his eyes fall in sadness.
"When can I go home?" I ask.
"The doctors say that you need a psych evaluation before they can discharge you. It's actually going to be very soon. They wanted to wait until you woke up and had something to eat. What are you in the mood for?"
My mood picking up at the notion of getting out of the hospital, I answer a little too quickly, "Vanilla ice cream."
Brian laughs out loud. Mom and I both look towards him with questioning glances. He responds simply, "He always did love vanilla ice cream."
"Huh?" Mom asks.
Again, Brian responds with a very simple, "Inside joke."
I'm totally out of the loop right now. Guess I should get used to feeling that way, at least for a while. Maybe I'll get my memory back one day. I sure hope so. Especially if Brian plays a key role in it, which I'm getting the feeling he does.