Christian heaved a heavy sigh as he closed the door behind him. He had just given Yasmin back to Amira, and still hadn't managed to give the little girl any answers about her daddy. As young as she was, he knew that Yasmin felt partly responsible for what had happened to Syed; they had been playing in the park at the time of his accident. He'd done his best to reassure her that she wasn't to blame, but he had a feeling that she would continue to feel this way until Syed told her that himself.

He couldn't believe what had happened, how quickly his life had been turned upside down. Two weeks ago, they were happy. Blissfully happy. Things were going well at work, they were in a great place in their relationship together, and they'd been planning on asking Amira if they could take Yasmin away in the summer.

But now everything was different. Now, he couldn't even begin to imagine how they'd get back to their perfect place if one of them couldn't even remember what that perfect place had looked like. They'd been through so much already, that this just felt like a huge slap in the face.

Syed's doctor had rang this morning, telling Christian that he would be able to come and take Syed home later on that afternoon. Two weeks ago, Christian would have given anything to hear those words. But now, he was nervous. He didn't know how to act around Syed at the moment, and he felt like he was going back to square one with him all over again.

Their relationship had already been pushed to the breaking point so many times before, he wasn't sure where this road would lead them this time. But Christian knew that they would work things out somehow. Even if he had to take Syed by the hand and relive every single moment of their life together, he'd do it. He would get their life back, no matter what.

C~S

Syed kept glancing nervously at the clock. He had been given the all clear by the doctors and was waiting for Christian to pick him up and take him... home? It felt a strange notion, to call somewhere you couldn't remember home. He had the photographs that Amira had given him yesterday in his hand, and had been examining them all morning. He thought he could vaguely remember a moment he'd had with Christian, but at the same time, he couldn't be sure that his mind had just been playing tricks on him.

In his - memory? - the two of them had been working in the kitchen of his parents' catering business, and Christian had been teasing him about the methodical way he was chopping the okra. Syed in turn had then joked about the way Christian's shirts were always too tight, and they had just shared this look, a look which seemed full of promise of the things to come.

Of course, Syed couldn't be sure that this was a true memory at all; it was just one of the many questions he'd have to ask Christian later. There were so many parts of himself that seemed foreign to him now that he couldn't be sure of anything.

Syed started as the door opened, and Christian appeared in the doorway, tentatively stepping into the room and glancing almost shyly at him.

"Hey," Christian cleared his throat in an attempt to shake off the nervous feeling that was suddenly threatening to overcome him. "How are you feeling?"

"Hi," Syed's reply was almost whispered, and he found himself blushing slightly under Christian's intense gaze. "I'm feeling okay, a little sore, but mainly ok."

The silence hung between them for a few seconds, both of them unsure how to proceed next. Eventually, Syed was the one to break it.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted, the other day. Things have been... confusing, to say the least."

"Sy," Christian came over and tentatively sat on the edge of Syed's bed, as Syed, surprisingly, thrilled at the idea of being called 'Sy'. "I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling, what you're thinking. But, I promise, I will help you through this, any way you want. Just, tell me what you need, and I'll do it."

Syed held up one of the photos Amira had left. It was the one he'd been pondering earlier, the one of the two of them on their wedding day, with his family looking on with pride and happiness.

"This photo is the one thing I'd been hoping for, in my last full, clear memory. That I'd be reunited with my family, and they'd love me again and be proud of me," he handed the photo to Christian, his eyes locking with the older man's in desperation. "And I can't quite reconcile this photo with my memory of them. Amira told me that we're in love, you and me. But if that's the case, how do I have the love and approval of my family too?"

Christian felt his heart break all over again for the younger man, and reached out and gently took his hand, relieved when Syed didn't flinch or pull away.

"We are in love, Sy," Christian smiled softly at him, and with his free hand, he pushed a lock of unruly hair back from Syed's face and left his hand to linger on his cheek. "But believe me, it wasn't always a fairytale ending for us, and we had some bumps along the way. Just, try to believe me when I tell you that you did manage to get everything you wanted; your family are back in your life, and you got to finally be true to yourself and love the person you truly are." Desperate to kiss away the confusion in his eyes, but not wanting to move too fast, Christian settled for a butterfly kiss to the forehead, something which he had only ever done with Syed. "I know it must be frustrating, not having your memories, but we'll just take it slow and hopefully, they'll come back."

Syed looked down at their interlocked hands, a whole wave of emotions rushing over him. Without warning, an image of the two of them flooded his mind, and he described it to Christian, seeking confirmation that his mind wasn't just making things up.

"We did this once," he gestured to their interlocked fingers. "We were in... a pub? Someone's wedding or birthday, maybe? I remember holding your hand like this, feeling... mischievous, almost?" He sighed, breaking their contact and running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, that must sound mad. But I don't know what's real anymore.."

"That was real, Sy," Christian was beaming at him when their eyes met, tears of joy shining in them. "It was right at the beginning of our relationship. You were..." he struggled to find the right words. "You were still... unsure, of who you were, so we were together in secret." A frown crossed his face as he decided it was best to be honest with Syed from the start. "Actually, you were still involved with Amira at the time. Listen," Christtian pulled Syed to his feet, never letting go of his hand, and grabbing Syed's hospital bag with the other hand. "Why don't we get you settled back in at home, and maybe try and make more sense of this whole thing there? I dunno about you, but I've seen enough of hospitals to last me a lifetime."

Christian laughed then, a deep, booming laugh, which teased the edges of Syed's memories. It didn' bring a specific memory to his mind per se, but all he knew was, right now, the sound of Christian's laugh was the most comforting sound he had heard since he had woken up. As he allowed the olde man to lead him out of the room, barely paying attention to what the doctors were saying about warning signs and medication, Syed was still nervous at the prospect of going hme, but now, at the same time, he couldn't wait to find out more about Christian and the life they had shared - and were still sharing - together.