Page 71 of Game Changer

“AJ… it’s me… Lisa, remember? I’m –” she was clearly upset.

“Who are you?” he repeated, confused. He spotted Jeremy asleep. “Jer?” he croaked.

Jeremy didn’t stir. AJ watched as the stranger pushed a button on the remote control for his bed and crossed the room to wake Jeremy.

Jeremy opened his eyes and saw her tears, “What hap –” He glanced at AJ in the bed and realized he was awake. “Did you call someone?” he asked her. She nodded and chewed at her lip.

“The nurse. I pushed the button.”

“Good. Why do you look so upset? This is good, right, AJ? You’re awake, man!”

“He –” she started at the same time AJ asked, “Whoisshe, Jer?”

And how the hell do you know her? You clearly know this woman.

Damn, my head hurts.

Tears trickled down the woman’s face. “He thought I was Angela,” she mumbled.

“This is Lisa, AJ. Your girlfriend. Don’t panic, she loves you and you love her, and I’m sure whatever is up with your memory right now will be temporary and you’ll be back to your old self in no time.” He sounded way more confident than he looked. He’d turned as pale as the bed linen and kept looking at Lisa with sympathetic eyes, mouthing, “It’ll be ok,” at her repeatedly.

Why can’t I remember? Why is Jeremy so freaked out? If she’s my girlfriend, I’d know, right? Why can’t I remember an Irish girlfriend? I remember Angela. I don’t remember Linda.

It was Linda he called her, right?

Fear and frustration overwhelmed him, being unable to remember was daunting and terrifying. He felt his hands tremble.

She went to his side, pulling an IV pole behind her and tried to hold his hand, but he jerked it away from her in confusion. She backed away from the bed and let Jeremy take her place and hold his hand. He sat quietly reassuring AJ and attempting to keep him calm.

By the time the nurse reached the room, AJ pretended he had fallen back to sleep. He heard the nurse take some readings from the machines and she left the room to page the neurologist, she’d said. The neurologist appeared quickly, made brief introductions and asked Jeremy a couple of questions before repeating the coma-scale test on AJ.

“AJ? I’m Doctor Murphy, I’m going to need you to open your eyes for me for a moment please.”

Hearing his name, AJ opened his eyes. The woman AJ assumed was the doctor, wrote something down.

“Good. Do you know where you are?”

“Hospital,” he answered simply.

She wrote again.

“Good. Do you know why you’re in the hospital?”

“No ma’am.”

Why am I in the hospital?

“You have no memory of what happened?”

“No ma’am.”

Aren’t you going to tell me? I know I was in a coma.

“Do you know who these people are?”

“I know who he is,” he answered, indicating to Jeremy. “But not her.”

“Ok,” she answered taking more notes, “What’s the last thing you do remember, AJ?”

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