Chapter 7: Rest and Recovery
A few hours later, a raven haired woman returned with a small duffel bag containing Leon's personal items which included a change of clothes and toiletries. There was a small photo album containing pictures from their wedding and a handful of others that featured Cobalt and Ebony.
Instead of Reginald, there was a different DSO agent posted outside the door and after verifying her identity, he allowed her into the room.
Praying the sliding door would not squeak so loudly, Ada slinked into his room quietly and deposited the bag into the bedside cabinet before taking her place on the chair at the side of his bed. Leon's eyes were closed and other than the bandage and bruises, he looked so peaceful in his slumber. She noted her husband was no longer hooked up either. They must have removed the attachments when she was away.
The longer she stared at Leon, the more she felt like snoozing as well. It had been quite an exhausting night after all. Over the course of a few hours, she learned about her beloved's whereabouts, his current health condition, and made the drive home and back to the hospital.
Other than a quick shower and snack, she had not rested. At the peak of her career, she could have easily gone a few days with minimal sleep. But her body had been attuned to domestic life and was now requesting for a siesta after the adrenaline had worked off.
Ada simply gave in and closed her eyes, letting sleep take her. The couple rested with ease now that they were finally together, even though the circumstances were not ideal.
Leon slept well enough, but his dreams were still scrambled and foggy. Anything new came to him in only bits and pieces that he could not make out. When he awoke, he thought it had just been a dream, but he finally truly believed it was real when he found himself still in the hospital.
The blonde sighed as he looked around, and was surprised to find Ada asleep in the chair beside him. Leon rarely got a chance to admire her like this. She was as beautiful as when he first met her all those years ago, and to think she had finally settled down with him. His gaze lingered on her for a long time, examining her dark hair, perfect skin and features. Ada was a guardian angel in his eyes, and always would be.
Ada had a relatively dreamless sleep until the end when it was peppered with scenes of running, felines, and Leon in no particular order. The general feeling she had in dream was bliss before it was replaced with worry. In the dream, her husband suddenly stopped and sinkholes appeared under his feet. His body slowly sunk and all she could do was watch in horror.
Then, she felt herself get pulled back and Leon's image became smaller, fainter, and the colours went dimmer.
She frowned and opened her eyes. Her surroundings were unfamiliar and her neck was aching. Ada blinked a couple of times before raising her head, staring at the sterile environment. The soft beeping sound emanating from the side reminded her that she was in the hospital.
Right, Leon was warded. She focused her attention on the blonde to find that he was already awake, gazing at her intently. The raven haired woman was contemplating on whether to tease him or be serious. She went with the former.
"Enjoying the view?" She asked with a smile before stretching out her sore muscles. Her throat felt dry and she stood up to head to the bedside table to pour more water for herself.
Leon looked the other way to hide his blush. Not that he should feel embarrassed, they were married, right?
"You didn't need to sleep in the chair," he said. Leon wanted to stand up and stretch, but they warned him that he wasn't cleared to walk without assistance. The best he could do was sit up straight and flex his arms, popping his neck and shoulders.
"It was the only suitable space left in the room to rest," Ada replied and raised an eyebrow when her husband got all bashful. He was still cute as always.
It was then that his stomach growled. "Hmm, I haven't had much to eat," he said as he turned back to Ada, eyeing her bag. "Did you bring any snacks?"
She shook her head, "I wasn't sure if you were allowed to eat solids yet. I'm sure they'll bring you breakfast soon. I can bring some crackers once you start eating."
Leon glanced around the room and saw his duffel bag, assuming it contained his clothes and toiletries "Hope I can freshen up. I'm sure I'm reeking. How long was I asleep anyway? What time is it?"
Ada smiled at him reassuringly, "You smell fine. I assume someone gave you a wipe down when you were unconscious. Lucky them."
At the mention of the time, her facial expression froze and she glanced at the watch on her wrist, her eyes were not registering the digits on the clock face as she zoned out. Its twin was at home on Leon's bedside table. The reason why he was in his state came rushing back to her.
"Sorry Leon, I didn't keep track of the time," she said quietly. "My guess is that it's probably close to sunrise."
Leon was confused, and squinted at Ada. "You just looked at your watch though." The blonde noticed her sudden change in attitude, and was a bit concerned. Before he could ask more about it, the doctor entered the room with a clipboard in hand.
That was great timing and Ada was relieved that she did not have to explain the situation to Leon.
"Ah good morning," the doctor said. "We'll need to run some more tests on you, Mr. Kennedy. If all goes well and you can walk unaided, you can be out of here in a couple of days."
Leon nodded to the doctor, "Am I allowed any food? I'm feeling peckish."
"You'll have to take it slow today, just soft foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, and soup. Then you can gradually increase your fibre intake starting tomorrow."
The blonde exhaled quietly through his mouth. All this talk about food was making him ravenous.
"What time would breakfast be served? It'll be good for him to get some nourishment first before you perform your tests," Ada added, knowing how much her husband needed food.
The doctor glanced at his watch, "In ten minutes or so. The investigations will be conducted afterwards. If you have no more questions, I'll see you tomorrow."
The couple was left alone once more and Leon gave his wife a grateful smile, knowing that his meal was on the way. "You should eat something too."
Wait, did that sound like a command?
"I mean, that is if you usually have breakfast. You don't have to force yourself to eat on my account," Leon rambled on a little more.
Seeing him flustered was so freaking adorable. It was also touching that even though he was wary of her yesterday, he still looked out for her. "I appreciate your concern, handsome. You don't have to worry about me though, focus on your recovery first."
Ada stood up from her chair and popped some of the kinks in her waist, aware that Leon was admiring how elegant she looked the entire time. "Though I do like the idea of taking a short walk. Don't get into trouble while I'm gone," she said coyly.
"Heh. Yes, ma'am," he gave her a mock salute.
She made a beeline for the visitor's lounge, knowing there were vending machines there. The hot sandwich that was dispensed was mediocre but it sustained her. Hopefully the tests would give him a clean bill of health and they would only have to work on his memory loss. She checked her phone, nothing new from Hunnigan. There was a message that her emergency leave from work was approved too.
Ada returned to Leon's room as he finally ate the first meal he had in days. "How's everything?" She asked as she rummaged through the duffel to retrieve a small photo album.
Leon finished his yogurt and orange juice and wiped his lips with a paper napkin. "Alright, I guess," he said with a shrug, eyeing the photo album Ada brought out. The blonde was starting to feel better now that he had some real food in his belly. Leon could tell Ada wanted to discuss other matters.
"Is that the album?" He asked, staring at the thick book. "How many photos do we have?" He was not sure if he actually remembered the album itself. Either way, Leon was curious, and Ada probably brought it to jog his memory.
"Plenty. This album contains snapshots from our wedding, honeymoon, and life at home with the cats. Your parents really enjoy viewing them." She gingerly laid the album on the table hovering above his bed.
"You've met my parents?" Leon asked. He realized that, being married, that was not unlikely, but it had not crossed his mind. From his current memory, he had not seen his parents for a while.
Ada nodded, "They are nice people." Her hand trembled slightly as she fingered the cover, hoping Leon would not be too shocked by the contents within.
Here goes nothing…
She flipped it open and the image that greeted them was the couple on their wedding day with Leon in his blue suit and herself in a traditional Chinese red dress. They were in a chapel, holding hands and looking into each other's eyes as they said their vows with the Sun shining upon them through the sunroof.
Ada looked at Leon apprehensively to witness his reaction.
The blonde stared at the first photo of their wedding. He was fascinated by it, and pulled the album closer to get a better look. They looked so happy, he could feel the warmth and love emanating from the photograph, and Leon wished he could remember. A small smile formed on his face, and he was eager to see more. Something about it did seem to jog his memory a bit though… He could almost feel the heat and sunshine on his face on their wedding day.
He perused more photos of their wedding, they were posing outside a stone building and they were laughing. Leon had never seen Ada smile so widely before, it must have been a truly spectacular day.
There was another one where he tucked a flower into her hair and Ada was gazing at him with adoration. In his dreams, he had wished for a life with her and imagined her looking at him exactly like this when he came home.
The one that he enjoyed viewing the most was them kissing in front of the pastor. She had one hand on his chin while he had wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him.
"We were married somewhere special, weren't we?" Leon whispered after a while. "I don't remember exactly, but it seems familiar. We had to go a long way to get there?"
All the while, Ada watched Leon's expression with bated breath as he perused the album and his smile was infectious. Her husband was at ease as he flipped through the pictures of their short married life. It seems he was not repulsed by their intimacy and sheer bliss.
She nodded at Leon's question, "We did have to fly across the country. As for whether it was special, it was held in a small chapel in Vegas with just the two of us."
Before Leon could check out the next series of photos, a nursing staff entered. "Hi, Mr Kennedy. The doctor has ordered tests and a physiotherapy session for you. Shall we get started?"
Ada closed the album and was about to return it to the duffel bag when Leon tapped the back of her hand, "You can leave it on the tray table, I'll continue looking at it later."
She acquiesced and kept mostly to the background, allowing the medical professionals free rein to run a myriad of tests on her husband.
They spent the rest of the morning testing things like his sight, hearing, reflexes, and seeing if he felt any pain anywhere. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, aside from the amnesia, occasional headache, and the bruising on his face.
With the tests done, Leon could finally start his physio. The therapist instructed him to wiggle his toes first, before rotating his ankles, and then bending his knees. Everything appeared to work fine, though his knees felt a little stiff.
The therapist brought a walker to the side of Leon's bed and the blonde shuffled the lower half of body over the mattress. Gingerly grasping the handlebars, the blonde firmly planted his feet on the floor and pushed his body to a standing position.
He did not expect the endeavour to take so much effort though. It felt like he was weighed down by an unseen force. This should be a battle of mind over matter right?
"How do you feel, Mr Kennedy?" The therapist asked gently.
"H-heavy," Leon admitted.
"Do you want to take a step forward?"
Leon nodded and gazed down at the walker to see where his feet were. He lifted one leg up, followed by the other. The movement wasn't too difficult but he was suddenly washed over by a sense of déjà vu… He felt fine but his brain was warning him that he would be falling soon.
Strange, he didn't recall experiencing this sensation of dizziness before but it appeared his body was familiar with it. He closed his eyes, doing a quick inhale and exhale.
There was a hand on his elbow and waist along with a scent of floral perfume. One that he caught a whiff of when he cradled Ada's body in Lanshiang. He wasn't expecting her to still wear this particular fragrance after so long. But it felt comforting, nonetheless. Leon opened his eyes, turning to see his spouse supporting him with an expression of concern. "Are you okay, handsome?"
"Yeah…" a faint blush tinged his cheeks at their close proximity. "I just felt a little lightheaded."
The therapist pursed his lips and wrote something on his clipboard. "You can take it slow, Mr Kennedy. Are you able to walk to the bathroom?"
If Leon was in the pink of health, the distance could easily be covered in five strides. Right now, he wasn't feeling too confident. "I can certainly try."
"I'll be right here," Ada said reassuringly and let go but still remained at a safe distance, ready to catch him if need be. She watched with anticipation as her husband slowly moved the frame forward followed by his feet. He was not one to give up easily, even when he was injured. The raven haired woman had witnessed this feat multiple times through the years and she was a little relieved that his amnesia did not alter his personality.
The blonde took his time and grew more confident with each step, no longer deliberating his movements. He entered the bathroom and exclaimed at his reflection in the mirror, causing Ada and the therapist to poke their heads through the doorway where they saw Leon gingerly inspecting his bruises. "I didn't know my face looked worse than it feels."
Leon stopped examining himself and made the return trip to his bed with a smile, "That wasn't so bad."
His wife returned his gesture with a grin of her own. Both continued to gaze into each other's eyes until a cough interrupted them.
"That was quite a huge progress, Mr Kennedy," the therapist said. "With more practice, I think you can be without the walker pretty soon. I'll leave it here and you can walk around the room as long as someone is here with you." He glanced over at Ada, seeing how she was being quite protective of her husband. His patient would be in good hands.
After lunch, Leon continued to practise walking under Ada's watchful eye. He became independent without the walker by late afternoon. Bending down and standing was a slight issue though as he still felt some vertigo.
The blonde sank down on the bed with a sigh, "I could use a break." He took the pre-offered cup of water from his wife and drank it greedily.
"It's time for me to get back to this," he gestured to the photo album on the tray table, picking it up and flipping to the page where he left off, standing outside the chapel on their wedding day.
A memory flashed by him, one of Ada being slightly bashful as she started walking down the aisle. Leon also recalled another one of him running and jumping after her and as he turned to a new page, there was a photo of him in mid-air with Ada glancing back at him with a megawatt smile.
"I just remembered this… It was hot outside. The pastor was very kind. Our photographer was our witness, wasn't he?"
Ada could only bob her head in surprise. "Yes. What else do you remember?"
Leon paused, furrowing his brows slightly. "Not much else, I'm afraid. I don't even remember when I proposed marriage to you. But the photos are helpful."
His thoughts then went into a slight panic. He didn't think Ada would be one for tradition and sticking to the norms, based on how her wedding dress wasn't white at all. Maybe he didn't get an engagement ring at all. "I did propose, didn't I?"
"Of course, the proof is here," Ada showed off her left hand. On her ring finger sat an eternity wedding band and a garnet ring.
Leon admired it, liking how this shade of red suited her skin tone. He had chosen well. "I wish I could remember it…" the blonde said softly and his wife patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"You recalled bits of our wedding. I'm sure the rest will come to you with time."
The scenery then changed to images of their honeymoon in the Swiss Alps, they were all bundled up and having fun in the snow. One picture he enjoyed was them kissing in front of a gorgeous Christmas tree. He unconsciously bit his lip, trying to remember the feeling of her mouth on his.
That did not go unnoticed by Ada, who was trying her hardest to not take advantage of him while he was vulnerable. Fortunately, the next series of photos featured their cats in different life stages. There was one of her holding a ribbon teaser in her hand as an orange kitten stood up to bat it.
"Do you recall their names?" Ada asked.
Leon shook his head, "No, I don't, but they're a boy and a girl. The orange is a boy, and the black one is the girl. Is that right?"
She nodded at Leon's reply. Whether he was nailing the answers through pure luck or if he really got bits and pieces of his memory back, she didn't know. The raven haired woman did not want to discourage him.
Ada pointed a well-manicured fingernail at the ginger cat, "This one's Cobalt. I found him wandering near your apartment one day and took him in. Then we moved to our current house and adopted Ebony to keep him company."
"Hmm, that sounds like names we would give them." Leon murmured. Again, he was not sure how familiar this information was, but it made sense when he heard it. Nothing would seem to contradict what Ada told him.
"I think I'd like to see the cats for myself," he said after a short while. "And see our house. I need to get out of this hospital. I hope I'm not expected to still go to work…" Leon added the last part playfully. The blonde did not want to act too dour, lest he worry Ada too much.
"I know. You'll just have to wait for the doctor to give you the all clear, Leon. And if your employer makes you work, I will give them hell," Ada replied and shared a moment of peace with her amnesiac spouse.
Internally, she was worried. What if he never regained his memories? Will everything still be the same?
There was a knock on the door and the physician from before entered once more. "Hello again, Mr Kennedy. How are you feeling?"
"Much better than yesterday and this morning."
The doctor smiled, "I'm glad to hear that. I know I said I'll see you tomorrow but I thought I'd give you some good news."
"Oh?" Ada said, her facial expression was silently imploring him to say more.
"The results from the tests performed on you are normal and I was informed you are walking without assistance. We will keep you under observation for another night and if there are no further issues, you will be discharged tomorrow. You still need plenty of rest at home to heal your bruises and your memory loss though."
"Does he need to come back for any reviews?" Ada asked.
"His records say that it will be arranged via a private doctor."
She raised an eyebrow. Private doctor? So, the DSO was taking responsibility after all. "I see. Thank you very much for caring for my husband, sir."
The area around the doc's eyes crinkled as he beamed and swiftly departed the suite.
Leon reclined back as he looked through the album some more. They spent the rest of the evening going over the photos and talking about the house and their home life.
It was getting late and he wondered if she'd head home. "You don't have to spend another night sleeping on the chair again. You should go home and have a proper rest."
"I'll be fine, handsome," she said dismissively.
"Then I'll insist that you share the bed with me."
Ada raised an eyebrow and stared at the size of the mattress which could clearly only fit one person comfortably. Two would be a tight squeeze and she wasn't sure if she could keep her hands to herself. "You need a good night's rest to recover, Leon. I'm not the patient here…" there was a wry tone in her voice that indicated that she was up for a challenge of wits.
"You still need your energy to drive me home tomorrow. I don't know the way," he gave her a lop-sided smile with his best puppy dog eyes.
She sighed, clearly this was a losing battle. "I made a vow to be with you in sickness and in health. Just let me be your wife. Isn't that what you want?" her voice was quiet and firm as she gazed down at him.
His blue grey eyes widened at her proclamation before they softened. "Ada… I truly love and appreciate what you're doing. I might have lost my memories of our marriage but I'm still your husband and I care for your well-being too. Will you take my feelings into consideration?"
If only you took mine into consideration when you left your watch and ring behind.
She retorted acidly in her thoughts but she quickly shut down whatever acrimony she was feeling. His continuous display of concern for her was threatening to make Ada's emotions go into a tailspin. She needed to get out now.
"As you wish," Ada replied coolly and picked up her bag before strolling out of the room.
Leon had a bad feeling that he said something wrong when she didn't look back at him while leaving. Her face didn't show it but she was clearly upset. Even though he only spent a short amount of time with her based on his current memory, he knew her well enough that she was displeased.
The blonde swore under his breath at his blunder.
Mrs Kennedy had tunnel vision during the drive home as she was purely focused on the road. She didn't want to think at all. In a blur, she pulled up to the garage and entered the house where she was immediately greeted by two frantic cats.
That brought her back to her senses. They had been left mostly alone for the past two days. She scooped the kitties into her arms and carried them upstairs. Both cats were relishing in the affection Ada was bestowing upon them. It helped that they were frequently held since kittenhood and were able to tolerate being carried.
Ada reached the bedroom and deposited them onto the mattress and they went over to Leon's side of the bed to get comfortable. She was pulling off her accessories and coat when her phone buzzed.
Coloured curious, she glimpsed at the message. It was from Hunnigan.
[txt] How is he faring?
Her hazel eyes stared blankly at the screen, tempted to ignore the text. But Hunnigan had helped her immensely and she felt obligated to return the favour.
[txt] Physically, back to normal but he still has amnesia. He could be discharged tomorrow.
She placed down her phone and headed off to shower, allowing the heat and lavender scented body wash soothe her weary soul.
Ada stepped out in a robe with a small towel around her head and saw another notification on her phone screen. She swiped her finger across the screen to read the text.
[txt] That's great news! I'm currently drafting up a policy to ensure this doesn't happen again.
There was nothing else for her to say and she reacted to the message with a thumbs up. With her hair dried and her nightly ritual of slathering moisturisers on herself completed, she slid into bed.
Leon was right, this was much more comfortable than a chair. She tried to think about tomorrow but promptly succumbed to sleep out of exhaustion.
Author's Note: Can't have an amnesia story without some drama. Ada is still upset with Leon. He needs to kiss it better. ;)
I did do some research about being in a coma and your muscles do waste away the longer you are immobile. Since the characters in the world of RE are insanely durable, it isn't much of a stretch to let Leon recover his ability to walk in a day. Let's just handwave it that he's always been an active guy so he can heal faster physically.
Sorry for the delayed update, I fell ill and then sustained a back injury from exercising. Plus, work has been continuously busy.
To SeishinTheWatcher: Don't worry, there's still more to come!