It had been hours since Anna had woken up, and Kristoff and Elsa where still holed up in the waiting area. Kristoff was pacing back and forth, had been since those two male nurses had to physically drag him from the room. Why had Anna looked at him the way she did? Why had she pulled away? Like he was some monster. To add insult to injury, the doctors still hadn't given them any information as to what just happened. Sure, they had to run a plethora of tests, but could they not even entertain them with a guess?
He sighed, dropping his forehead against the wall with a thud. If he was honest with himself, he didn't really need their guess. He had one of his own, and he prayed to God he wasn't right.
It was the click of the unit doors opening that caused Kristoff to look up. The doctor was back with news of the newly awoken Anna. Kristoff nudged Elsa, and they hurried up to the hospital-green clad doctor. "How is she?" Elsa asked eagerly, too impatient for the doctor to speak first.
The doctor gave a tight smile, though he hesitated. "Confused, " he finally relented. Her vital signs are good, and though she's been unconscious for months, she's quite exhausted." Both blondes sighed in relief and embraced each other in a hug.
"Can we see her?!" Kristoff asked excitedly.
The doctor's smile faded. "Not yet, I'm afraid." He held out his arms, gesturing for them to walk with him back into the unit. "Please follow me. There are some things we need to discuss first." Elsa and Kristoff exchanged a weary look before following the doctor into a small conference room. "We'll have to conduct a series of tests before we can confirm my theory, but it looks like Anna is suffering from Retrograde Amnesia." Elsa let out a small gasp, covering her mouth with her pale hand. The doctor held his out across the table to offer reassurance. "It sounds a lot worse than it actually could be. We knew she suffered from some fairly serious head trauma, hence the coma. With Retrograde Amnesia, she hasn't forgotten everything. Most memories from her past will resurface with help of visual aids. You, Elsa, for instance, should be familiar to Anna almost immediately. She'll remember foods she likes, activities she enjoys, and Kristoff, if you've been in her life long enough, it shouldn't take too long to remember you, either. Chances are, she won't remember the past two to three weeks. Possibly more. As I've said, we're not quite sure how serious this is yet."
Kristoff had been staring at his hands, folded on top of the large, oak conference table. When he heard the doctor's words, his head jerked up in alert, and he immediately fell into a daze. Three weeks? Anna had met him not two weeks ago. If she didn't remember falling for the arrogant businessman, maybe Kristoff had his second chance. He was determined not to screw it up this time.
"Huh?" He was brought back to Earth by a small hand resting on his forearm.
"Come on," Elsa said, standing. "They're letting us see her."
Kristoff was suddenly filled to the brim with nerves. The possibility that she may not remember him right away tore at his chest. After waiting for so long to have her back, it would surely add to the fracture that split down his heart the moment he saw that 18-wheeler collide with that tiny little bug. He decided to wait outside while Elsa went in first. They informed them that it might overwhelm Anna if too many people were around while she was still confused.
It felt like seven lifetimes before Elsa came out with red, teary eyes, accompanied with a smile. "She remembers me," she whispered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He thought she wanted to say more, but a sob interrupted her and she hurried down the hall to the bathroom to pull herself together.
Kristoff walked in slowly and craned his head to the side, trying to look passed the curtain at her before walking around it completely. She was pale, her eyes downcast as she held her knees to her chest. Her chin rested on one and she sighed. It was clear she was confused and that that confusion frustrated her. Good ole Feisty Pants, needing to informed about anything and everything that went on. "Hey…" He cleared his voice after, realizing it came out as a whisper.
Anna looked up, meeting his eyes as the back of her knees fell back down against the mattress. She didn't respond right away, but her eyes never left him for a second as he pulled a chair up beside her. Elsa had obviously braided her hair in two plaits over her shoulders, helping her to look more like the Anna he remembered. Her bottom lip slipped between her teeth as she studied him, her blue eyes wide and desperate to remember his face.
There was something about those honey-colored eyes that captivated her, saw through to the very depths over her soul. From the bags under his eyes, she knew he had to be someone important to her. She could feel it. She just couldn't place it. And damn it, that was the worst feeling in the world. He was handsome, unnaturally so. That shaggy, tousled, blonde hair he was currently running his large hands through, his broad shoulders and well-sculpted arms she could see just underneath his black t-shirt. Her mind was fuzzy, but she knew she had to say something.
"Christopher…" A tiny gasp breathed through her lips, and her fingers flew to her lips. She wasn't sure where the name came from. It didn't seem exactly right, but something about it sounded familiar.
Kristoff immediately scooted to the edge of his seat. "Kristoff," he reminded her gently, and he immediately wished he hadn't as he watched the tears well up in her eyes. "No, no, Anna, shh…" he whispered, unthinkingly taking her free hand in his. "It's okay," he said with a small smile. "You said the same thing the first time we met."
The sudden warmth she felt just from the touch of his hand was familiar and a bit alarming. "Really?" she sniffed, meeting his eyes again. He gave her a little nod, heart tightening from the way she looked at him. The way he always wished she'd look at him. As she moved to sit up a bit from her pillows, he was up, quick as a flash, reaching behind her to help fix the pillows.
He wasn't sure how they got there, but now her face was inches away from his. He could now see the freckles on her face that had faded with the paleness of her skin. Her eyes were two deep blue, stunning pools he wanted to drown in. And before he could regain his composure to pull away, her small hand, burdened with an IV needle, was reaching up towards his face.
It was pure curiosity. Yes, he had to be someone special. He was the second person to see her since she woke up. He was familiar, the sound of him, the feel of him, the sight of him. But she just couldn't put the pieces together. She watched her own fingers as they grazed down the stubble of his cheeks.
He held his breath as her skin brushed his, and he thought surely he had died and gone to Heaven as a small smile graced her lips, a shimmer in her eyes. "Kristoff." It was just a breath on her lips, and it would have brought tears to his eyes had it not been for the shouting that immediately followed.
"Get your hands off of me! Do you know who I am?!" A young man in a business suit came rushing in, running his hand through his auburn hair as he hurried to Anna's side. "Anna, baby, I came as soon as I heard you were awake!" Anna looked at him, eyes wide as saucers, confusion and fear flooding her chest.
Kristoff backed away from the bed, but not before catching a panicked glance from Anna. Of course; she had no recollection of Hans. Not a bit. His entire body tensed as Hans pulled her face back to his to pull her into a kiss. "ELSA!" she tried to scream, her voice raspy from months of silence. She tried to push him away, but she was too weak. Kristoff's eyes caught a glimpse of red as she pushed again, and he was off. He pulled Hans away from a crying Anna, fighting him out of her room and into the hallway as Elsa raced to Anna's side to calm her.
Kristoff was burning with anger as he shoved Hans out into the hallway, causing him to collide with the opposite wall, vaguely aware of a nearby nurse calling for security.