"What happened?" I croak, my voice raspy and thick with fatigue.
The man, Paul's, eyes snap to mine. "Rachel? Doc! She's awake!" He yells, as if the doctor could hear him. Even with his yelling the doctor must have been all the way on the other side of the hospital by now.
Surprisingly, Dr. Cullen walks in only moments later. Weird.
I shrug it off, figuring it a coincidence, and decide to focus on the bigger issue.
"Hello Rachel." The doctor smiles warmly at me, checking my vitals once more.
"How is she Carlisle?" Paul asks. Weird, to call a doctor by his first name. However, I shrug this off too, and continue in my search for answers.
"Why don't you ask her for yourself?" He says not unkindly.
Paul looks to me apprehensively. "Well, how you feeling Rach?"
"Definately not the highlight of my life, but I suppose I'll live." I joke. Paul and Doctor Cullen chuckle.
"There's my Rachel." Paul inquires, giving me a kind of loving look. I ponder this, feeling my cheeks warm at his intense staring.
"Paul," the doctor warns. "Be careful. The amnesia, remember?" Paul looks away, sadness returning to his features. As soon as I see this, I immediately feel guilty, and slightly angry.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on? What happened to me?" I ask pleadingly.
"Ms. Black, you slipped and fell and you have suffered a minor concussion. Your body went into shock causing you to go into a coma." Dr. Cullen informs.
"Oh. But what did you mean earlier, about amnesia?" I ask.
"I'm afraid after your accident the trauma made your body shut down. The effect of that is amnesia. We are'nt sure yet how long it will last though. It could be a week, or it could be a year." Carlisle replied. Paul began shaking furiously.
The doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "Paul, calm down."
"A year Carlisle? A year!" He yelled, startling me. He huffed and plopped back down in the chair I found him in earlier.
"Yes, Paul. I'm sorry. We have some exercises that may help jog her memory faster, but it's not a guarentee. I can promise, however, that the amnesia is for sure not long lasting nor will it have any long lasting effects." Dr. Cullen finishes, my brain swirling with the weight of this new information.
Paul sighs and then turns to me. "Rachel, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you a second ago." He apologizes, seemingly worried for my "stamp of approval".
"Don't worry about it." I smile, giving his hand a pat. I return my attention back to Carlisle. "How long exactly have I been in a coma?"
He glances at Paul before answering me. "A month and three days." He eyes me sympathetically as Paul makes a disgruntled noise.
"You took quite the spill Rachel." He adds, acknowledging the appalled look on my face.
I put this newfound knowledge to the side and finally get the courage to ask the question I've been most wanting to know the answer to. "Who, and I don't mean to sound rude, but who exactly are you?" I ask, referencing Paul.
He looks down at his hands and clears his throat. "It's not your fault, you have amnesia, I shouldn't expect you to remember me."
"But I want to. Maybe it would help with my memory." I smile, putting my hand over his.
He looks to Dr. Cullen for confirmation who nods in assurance. He takes a huge breath and then gives my hand a light squeeze as if to see I'm real, alive. "I'm...I'm your boyfriend."