Chapter Two, Temporary Amnesia
Jess felt like a car had just slammed into her body. After a few seconds of shock she whispered, "You don't know me?"
He shook his head.
She grabbed onto the examination table as she suddenly felt like fainting. "You really don't remember me?" she asked again.
Becker stood still staring at her warily.
Jess saw the terror and fear in his eyes. She knew what she was feeling, for him it must be a thousand times worse.
"I'm sorry," she said gently. "You must be scared."
He didn't deny it, just stood there, staring.
Jess took a deep breath. She smiled sweetly, and tried to conceal her panic. "We'll get it all figured out," she said with false calm. "My name is Jess." She slowly walked toward him, stopping about a foot from him.
He still had his guard up, but did not pull away.
"I'm your friend," she said with a sweet smile.
He merely stared.
Jess tried not to let his apprehension bother her. "Do you know who you are?"
He shook his head no again, and Jess felt like losing it. She closed her eyes, but quickly recovered, smiling calmly. She didn't feel so calm, not at all. She took another deep breath. "It's Ok. Your name is Becker."
Becker's eyes darted around. "I can't...remember anything!" He was in a panic.
She spoke softly and kindly. "Like I said, you're name is Becker. You're a Captain. You...don't like your first name."
He looked at her, questions written in his face. "I don't? What is it? Do you know?"
Jess smiled, reassuring him as best she could. "No, you really don't like it. And yes, I do know, but no one else does."
"What is it?"
Jess looked nervous. "It's Hilary."
Becker scoffed. "You're kidding."
"Afraid not."
Becker looked behind the petite, young woman and saw the white-clad people milling around but at a distance. They all looked at him.
"They're doctors and nurses right? I'm in a hospital?"
Jess smiled with some relief. He wasn't a total blank slate. He had some memory.
"Yes, they are medical staff, but no, you aren't in hospital. You're in the medical section of the ARC."
"What's the ARC?"
Jess flinched. This was bad.
"I'll explain, I promise, but I need to speak with the medics."
"No, don't leave me," he said quickly, grabbing her hand.
"I'm just going to talk to them. We need to find out why you can't remember."
"No, don't tell them. I don't trust them."
Even now, in panic and terror, Jess couldn't help but roll her eyes at the overly suspicious captain.
"They're not the enemy."
"Please," begged Becker. "Don't. I'll be at their mercy, vulnerable. Don't."
Jess sighed. "OK." It was ridiculous, but this was Becker and if he asked her to cluck like a chicken she probably would. "Can I at least find out if you're alright otherwise?"
He studied her. He had no idea who she was. She was brave, walking up to him when men twice her size backed away. She was nice, and she seemed to care about him. There was something about her. He trusted her.
"Don't tell them anything."
"I won't. I promise." She smiled and walked away to question the staff.
Becker's eyes darted suspiciously around the strangers. His eyes lingered on the small woman who called herself Jess. She was hard not to focus on. She was a bright purple and green spot in a sea of white. He watched as she talked with the others then came back.
"Ok," she said brightly. "Everything is just fine."
"You're lying."
Jess was taken aback by his bluntness. "How did you know?"
He looked at her for a moment. "Your body language. You walked over here slightly dragging your feet. Your eyes dart everywhere, but when they focus on me, they are too intent. Plus, you're twisting your hair nervously."
Jess snickered. "Well, you are still you, I see. You just don't remember it."
Becker looked at her. She had all the answers. He had none.
"Who are you? How do I know you? Where are we? What's going on? What happened to me? Why does my head hurt so badly?" He watched her sigh, and smile sadly. She took his hand.
"One thing at a time," she said. "First of all, you took a bad hit to your head, but the head medic says you're fine. He asked if you were having any problems remembering."
Becker's eyebrows rose nervously.
Jess smiled. "Don't worry I didn't say anything. I vaguely asked the medic why, and he said that with an injury like this, temporary amnesia can occur. He said it isn't anything to worry about and that your memory will come back. If you had amnesia, of course, which they don't know, because, as I said, I didn't say anything, but I think it's kind of silly."
Becker's mouth dropped open.
Jess giggled nervously. "Sorry, I ramble."
Becker stared at her. For some reason his tension finally eased up and he smiled weakly.
She returned it. "We just have to be patient. They suggested trying to jog parts of your memory gently and slowly. "
"They still don't know?"
"No, Becker. I promised I wouldn't tell."
Becker nodded. Jess smiled.
Taking another breath to calm her nerves, she said, "So, we might as well get started jogging. My name is Jess Parker. We work at the ARC. That is where we are, the ARC, in the medical section. It's a top-secret government agency."
He still had so many questions. "What do we do, at the..ARC?"
Jess sighed, with a chuckle. "That's going to take a bit longer, and you won't believe me."
"Why not?"
Jess grinned. "Because I wouldn't believe someone who told me that I chase dinosaurs back through a rip in time."
Becker looked at her. "I don't believe you."
"See, told you."
Jess had coaxed Becker onto the hospital bed, and had even got him to allow one of the medics to put some antibiotic spray on the smilodon scratches. Abby had been right and they weren't bad.
Becker looked at Jess when one of the medics handed him some pills. When she nodded, he swallowed them. She breathed in a sigh of relief. He trusted her.
"Hey, Action Man!" said Connor loudly. Becker immediately jumped up, fist drawn, but Jess grabbed him.
"It's ok, it's ok," she said, easing Becker back down.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Becker is just a little agitated right now, but he's fine Connor. He needs rest, and to stay away from loud...things," she said, frowning at him.
"Um, ok," he said. "I'll let you get some rest, Becker." Then he smirked at Jess and said, "Take care of him."
"What was that?" asked Becker.
Jess laughed. Becker decided he liked her laugh, it was pure and sweet.
"That was Connor Temple. He is our head genius," she said.
"He's a genius?" asked Becker, raising his eyebrow.
"Don't let looks fool you," she said with a smile.
Becker looked at this tiny, bright, colorful slip of a thing. She'd be easy to dismiss, but for some reason he placed himself into her delicate, nail-polished hands.
"I'm not," he said.
Jess blushed. "What do you say we get out of medical?"
Becker looked at still hovering medics. "Yes. Please."
Jess led him on a tour of the ARC, discreetly trying to jog his memory. After a look at some footage, she decided it was time to move from jogging into a full memory dash.
"Let's not put this off," she said. "Are you up to a trip to the menagerie?"
"What's in there?"
"I told you," she said.
"Aw, yes," he said teasingly, "the dinosaurs."
"How can you not believe me? You just saw the CCTV pictures, including images of you shooting creatures that should not be here."
"I'm sorry, Jess. It's just, well, ridiculous and impossible."
"Oh, it is, is it? Well, I'll just have to show you. After all you're pig-headed and stubborn and you won't believe until you see with your own eyes."
Becker looked at her. "Pig-headed and stubborn?"
Jess grinned. "I like you anyway."
He smirked at her, and she defiantly smiled back. "Come on, Captain," she said.
Becker followed her. It was a damn shame, he said to himself. This girl was pretty and nice, and she seemed to like him. It was such a shame that she was nuts.
Jess led him into a kind of lab, and past a sort of space-hatch thing with two doors, one that didn't open until the other was locked. They went through a hallway with doors that locked behind them. There were alarms on the walls. It was all very high-tech and weird. Then it got weirder.
Becker found himself standing in front of a mammoth.
He simply stood, gaping at it. He looked at her, and back at it, then her, then it.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Jess laughed and said, "Welcome to your life at the ARC Captain Becker."
End of Chapter Two