A Little Girl's Wish
Chapter 2: In Limbo Part 1
Jim didn't sleep much that night, he couldn't help but keep thinking about that woman, Aubrey. He kept trying to figure out why she felt so familiar but couldn't think of any way he would know her. He also felt like he knew her more intimately than someone he had just met a few times, but there was no reason why he should know her when he had no recollection of even meeting her before yesterday.
After a fairly restless night, he resigned to getting out of bed at 6:15 am, planning to see her again. He knows he has no real reason to do so but hopes that going again will help him remember how he knows her or put this feeling to rest. 'Maybe Bobby is right, maybe I'm just going too hard' he thought but couldn't bring himself to let himself slow down a bit because he felt suffocated by grief the second he slowed down.
"Aubrey, my name is Jim, do you remember me?" he asked knocking on her hospital room almost 2 hours later.
"Of course, you're the one that saved me" Aubrey twirled her ginger hair anxiously. "It's the only thing that I do remember"
"You still don't remember anything?" he asked still unable to put his finger on why he feels he knew her.
"No, doctors say that it could be from a head injury and I can regain my memory soon but they aren't sure. I keep staring at my reflection wondering how I can not even recognize my own face" she said somberly.
"I'm sorry that has to be hard on you," he said and she shrugged.
"Good news is my phone was with me so they were able to track down my parents, apparently they live in California, and they are flying out and should be here tomorrow," she said.
"Anyways, it's sweet that you checked on me"
"I just wanted to make sure you are okay," Jim said.
"Do you do that with all your patients?" she asked and he simply shrugged.
"Honestly, I just feel like I know you but I don't know how," he admitted.
"Sorry, I'm afraid I'm not gonna be any help with that," Aubrey said laughing awkwardly.
"Yeah I guess n-" he started before getting cut off.
"Oh Aubrey, I've been so worried!" Jim heard a guy say and turned around to see a guy rushing into the hospital room.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked and Jim watched as his face fell.
"Yeah, your mom called and said you are having trouble remembering. It's me, Jack, we've been dating since high school" Jack said sadly. He wasn't sure why the thought of this random woman he doesn't even know dating this guy upset him but for some reason, he felt a pang of jealousy and sadness.
"I'm sorry, I wish I remembered you… I um… this is Jim, he was the paramedic that saved me, he was just checking on me" Aubrey said.
"Oh, thank you," Jack said shaking Jim's hand.
"You're welcome," he said. "Well, I'm glad you're okay, take care of yourself," he said to Aubrey who nodded.
"You too," she said as he nodded goodbye to Jack and left sure he would never see her again.
Aubrey watched as Jim walked out, she wasn't sure why but she immediately missed him. She gave Jack an awkward smile. She doesn't know this man but they have been dating since high school, how is she supposed to handle this?
"Hey," she said awkwardly.
"Hey, what do you remember?" he asked her awkwardly himself sitting in the chair next to her hospital bed.
"Just what's happened since the accident. They tell me my name's Aubrey Donovan, I guess my parents live in California, that's all I know" she said leaning against the wall.
"Oh okay, yeah um we grew up in California, our folks still live there but we moved to Pennsylvania about 2 years ago" he said.
"What was I doing in some random small town in Virginia then?" she asked.
"Oh that's kinda a long story" he said.
"Okay, well I have time" she said and he smiled at her awkwardly.
"We have always been hot and cold, we started dating in junior year of high school but we have been an off-and-on couple ever since. When we are good, we are so great, everyone talks about how cute we are as a couple but when we are bad it's pretty nasty. We get so mad at each other and we tend to do things to hurt the other… emotionally not physically, never physically. We were starting to struggle again, you wanted us to finally get our act together, do couples counseling, I didn't agree, that was a mistake. You left and went to stay with your cousin who lives in Grandview. You were there for only a week before this happened" he said.
"Oh" she said.
"Look I love you, I will always love you and I know you don't remember but you did love me too, we just weren't that good at loving each other. When you get your memory back, i'm hoping we can do better, I almost lost you and it made me realize I want to fight for our relationship, if you'll let me" he said teary eyed and she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, she doesn't know him and he's like pouring his heart out to her.
"I… I'm sorry, I don't know you, I mean I guess maybe, I don't know" she said.
"Right, I'm sorry." he said. "Look, I talked to your doctor and they said that you can be discharged tomorrow, I'm hoping that you will come back to PA with me. I know you don't know me but your parents will be out, I can sleep on the couch. I think it's important for you to be around people who know you right now."
"Uh yeah I mean, I guess" she agreed unsure why the idea of leaving Grandview, a town she doesn't even know feels so wrong to her.
Jim finished his 12-hour shift, his 4th in a row, and he was ready to drop, it seems that everyone in Grandview needs emergency medical attention this week. He had a knot in his back and his feet were killing him and he found himself wanting nothing more than for Melinda to give him a massage as she had before when he was overworked.
"Any chance you worked up enough ghost strength to give me a massage?" he asked the empty bedroom. Despite not being able to see or talk to her she has given him signs that she was still there (despite her whole MO being going into the light she seems to be hesitating to do so herself) and so he has come to talk to her sometimes, especially on bad days. She always finds some way to show that she is there even if they can't talk.
He sat on the bed waiting for some small sign that she was there such as curtains moving or the blankets being pulled down, but nothing happened. "Um hello, are you ignoring me?" he asked. "Rude," he said jokingly as he kicked off his shoes.
"Are you here? I could use a sign you're here" he asked, but nothing happened.
"Melinda?" he asked tears in his eyes. "Please," he asked desperately but still the curtains remained motionless, the blankets didn't move, and the room remained unusually still.
He felt a mix of despair, sadness, and grief come over him while at the same time, a part of him felt happy as the realization came to him that she may have crossed over. He felt selfish for wanting her to stay but he has taken comfort in having her around even if it's not the same but part of him knew this was for the best. He knows she should be in the light, she should be at peace, god knows no one deserves her own slice of that light more than her and he wants that for her even if it hurts him he will have to find a way to take solace in knowing she's at least at peace.
"Did you cross over?" he asked. "I thought you would've found a way to say goodbye before you did that…" he said shaking his head.
"Sorry that's selfish, I'm glad you're at peace. You'll always be with me" he said touching the chain that holds her ring around his neck tears coming to his eyes. "I love you"
Aubrey had never felt more ecstatic to see the car pull into a random apartment's parking lot in her life, she had to pee so badly and the nearly 5-hour car ride consisted of way too much memory lane that she couldn't remember and it was enough to make her head spin. She could tell that Jack was going to open the door for her but she swung it open herself and practically tripped over her own feet that had fallen asleep in the ride as she bolted towards the door.
"Wow, eager much" Jack teased. "Does it look familiar?" he asked hopefully.
"It looks like it has a bathroom and that's all I care about right now!" she said.
"Honey, we could have stopped, you should've said something" her "mother" said smoothing her red curls while grabbing her suitcase from the trunk while her "father", a tall man with graying dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard lugged two more suitcases towards the door.
"Jack please just let me in so I can pee" she begged, he unlocked the door and she ran inside before realizing she had no idea where the bathroom was.
"First door on your left" he shouted after her before helping her parents grab the suitcases.
"She didn't remember anything we talked about, I thought things would at least sound familiar" Kathy, her mother, said worried about her daughter.
"It's okay, it'll come back to her," Richard said to his wife and Jack nodded in agreement trying to stay positive that her amnesia was going to be short-lived.
Let me know you're thoughts!