Page 4 of A Lapse in Time

I took a few sips of the tea and let the liquid warm my body. I tried taking deep breaths to calm my nerves, but it wasn't working. My mother-in-law looked at me, and I smiled at her. I knew she and my father-in-law were just as anxious as I was. We all were. Everyone who was with us at the fight was with me at the hospital. Everybody was in their own world, probably wondering what the outcome would be. I was thankful for them giving me the space I needed and for being close by.

"Ross family."

I stood when the doctor approached. I couldn't read her face to determine if she would tell us bad news or not.

"Yes. We are all here, ma'am." The rest of the family stood around me. I could feel the worry radiating off each of them.

"We've determined that Mrs. Ross has what we call retrograde amnesia. It seems as though she remembers nothing past the age of seventeen."

My mother-in-law gasped from the side of me. Her husband had to hold her up because she almost sank to her knees.

I felt a prickling along the back of my neck and my stomach knotted. My legs felt like they were about to give out, and my father must have sensed it because he held me up.

The doctor continued. "It's a type of memory loss where a person loses memories of events or information that occurred before a certain point in time. This is due to how hard she was hit. In this case, Mrs. Ross is unable to recall memories from the past fourteen years. Things like personal experiences, people she's known, or even details about her life before now. However, she may still be able to form new memories moving forward, although this could depend on the severity of the condition.

“Right now, it's too early to tell the full extent of the damage. It's important to understand that retrograde amnesia doesn't affect her personality or identity, but it can make it difficult for her to recognize familiar situations or people from her past. I know this isn't the outcome you all were looking for, and I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news. I will say to have patience with her because she may get frustrated by not being able to remember things. There are resources we will give you guys upon discharge. She doesn't have any other issues, so we'll keep her here for a few more days to keep an eye on her. Do you have any questions? I know I just said a lot."

I was speechless. There were a lot of things on my mind, but I couldn't formulate a sentence to save my life.

"Will she regain her memory?" I heard my father ask the question from my side. His arm stayed around me to keep me steady.

"Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for that. Sometimes, it lasts a short period. In other cases, it can last for years. The best thing to do is to show Mrs. Ross pictures and tell her stories to help her potentially recall certain events. But again, remember, the key is patience. I'll be around if you guys need me. For now, I would suggest only a couple of people go in at a time. We don't want her to get overwhelmed."

"Thank you, Dr. Stralkus." My father shook her hand before she left.

I wiped my hand down my face. "I need to see Carsyn," I told my family.

"Go ahead, son," my father encouraged.

"Mom, you want to come with me?" I asked my mother-in-law.

I wasn't sure if Carsyn would remember me, but she should at least remember her mother.

"Yes," she insisted before grabbing my hand.

The two of us walked toward the room. We would give everyone else a minute to see her, depending on how she reacted to us. My heart pounded in my chest in fear of the unknown. I silently prayed that she knew who I was.

I slowly opened the door. Carsyn sat up in bed watching television, but she looked at us when we entered.

"Mom?" She looked and sounded unsure.

"Yes, baby. I'm here." My mother-in-law rushed to her side and hugged her.

"I think I missed prom," Carsyn stated when they separated.

My mother-in-law and I looked at each other.

"Aww, honey. It's okay," Carlotta reassured her and ran her hand through Carsyn's hair.

"Hey, Carsyn." I cautiously moved closer to the bed.

Her caramel skin was black and blue from the punches she had taken.

Carsyn looked at me like she was trying to figure out who I was.

"Noah? What are you doing in my room? And why do you look so much older?"

Carlotta and I glanced at each other again.

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