Broken Bear Read online

  The four of them struggled to get his limbs under control for five or ten seconds when all of sudden, he stopped and his body went limp.

  They looked at one another and back towards him when his eyes flipped open. Wordless, the stranger’s gaze moved amongst them all. He began with the nurse, moved to Dr. Wilson, next to Tricia and last, to Daniella.

  Dr. Wilson interrupted him.

  He held a small flashlight to the man’s pupils and said, “Sir, please. Try to relax. Don’t try to sit up. It’s important that you stay as still as possible. Nod if you understand.”

  The man nodded his head in agreement.

  “My head…” he moaned.

  Dr. Wilson continued, “Yes… You’ve sustained a severe concussion, some cracked ribs and a bruised hip. If the police report of the accident is true, you are fortunate to be alive. The good news is that you will be fine. You will need considerable time and rest.”

  “What happened?” he said. “Where am I?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me.” Dr. Wilson said. “As to where you are, you are in the intensive care unit of Mission General Hospital. My name is Dr. Andrew Wilson.”

  The man blinked and looked at the foreign faces that surrounded him but did not speak.

  “Can you tell me what happened to you?” Dr. Wilson asked.

  The man winced, closed his eyes and leaned his head back against his pillow.

  After a few moments, he swallowed hard, opened his eyes and replied, “Yes… I…”

  Dr. Wilson raised his eyebrows in an expectant manner.

  “I…” the man said. “Well, I don’t remember.”

  “Where were you going before the crash happened?” Dr. Wilson asked.

  “Accident?” The man asked.

  “Yes, you were in a severe car accident. You don’t remember that at all?”

  The man shook his head and said, “No.”

  Dr. Wilson nodded.

  “What is your name, sir?” He asked. “Do you know your name?”

  “No,” the man replied.

  Dr. Wilson wrote on his clipboard.

  As he did the man looked at him and said, “Why don’t I remember anything? Do I have amnesia?”

  Dr. Wilson leaned away from the man and shined the light in his eyes once more.

  “Doubtful,” he replied. “In cases like this, what sometimes presents as amnesia later winds up being a more routine condition like short term memory loss. The best thing to do is relax and get as much rest as possible over the next couple of weeks.”

  The man nodded.

  “Okay.” He said in a whisper.

  “Sir, as you were coming to, you mentioned another name.” Dr. Wilson said.

  “I did?” He asked.

  “Yes,” Dr. Wilson said. “You said the name, Wyatt. Was that a passenger in your car with you?”

  “I don’t remember.” The man replied. “I don’t have any recollection of someone named Wyatt.”

  “Well,” Dr. Wilson said. “Perhaps that will return to you in time also.”

  The man nodded in the direction of Daniella and Tricia.

  “Who are you?” The stranger asked.

  “These women saved your life,” Dr. Wilson said. “It could very well be that without their help, you might not have survived. This is Daniella and Tricia.”

  A small smile curled in a corner of the man’s mouth.

  “Thank you both, very much.” He said.

  The women nodded and smiled back at him.

  Within seconds, his eyes fluttered closed and he was unconscious once more.

  Dr. Wilson turned towards Daniella and Tricia and said, “It would be best if you left the room for now so that he can rest.”

  “Okay.” Daniella replied.

  “I’ll walk you out.” The doctor said.

  As they turned to leave, the nurse said, “Oh, Dr. Wilson?”

  “Yes, nurse?” he replied. “What is it?”

  “A name, for the patient,” she said. “All we’ve got at the moment is a John Doe here on his chart.”

  Dr. Wilson cocked his head to one side and looked at the name tattooed on the man’s right shoulder.

  “Let’s go with Jett.” He replied. “With any luck, that might help jog his memory when he comes out of it.”

  A few seconds later, the trio emerged into the hallway.

  “That was pretty crazy.” Tricia said as they exited.

  Dr. Wilson nodded and replied, “In cases such like this, those kinds of episodes are not uncommon. Whenever there is significant trauma to the head, any behavior is possible. This is especially the case when the patient exhibits signs of memory loss.”

  “Still,” Daniella said. “I feel so bad for him. There’s obviously some kind of problem.”

  “Yes,” Dr. Wilson said. “But at this point, there’s very little we can do except give him time to recover.”

  “How long will he be here?” Daniella asked.

  “That all depends on how fast he recovers in the coming hours and days.” He said. “Now is the most critical time by far. But, if all goes well, I estimate his release within a few days.”

  “Released?” Daniella said. “But, he has nowhere to go.”

  “That very well might be the case, but he won’t be able to stay here.” He replied. “There are charitable services available in the hospital. It’s possible that they might be able to find him a place to convalesce but I can’t say for certain.”

  “I see.” Daniella replied.

  “Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I’ve got rounds to make.” He said.

  “Thank you, doctor,” Tricia replied.

  He smiled, nodded and began to walk away when Daniella turned towards him a final time.

  “Dr. Wilson?” she asked.

  He turned back towards her.

  “Yes?” he replied.

  “Visitors for him,” she said. “I mean, Jett… Can he have visitors?”

  “Until his condition improves, I’ll restrict it to the two of you as well as Officer Holder, if required.” He said. “Otherwise, it could be too much for him and impact his recovery in a negative way.”

  “Thank you.” Daniella replied.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  “No, not right now,” she said.

  He smiled and continued to walk down the hallway. A few seconds later, he disappeared into another room.

  Daniella turned back towards Tricia who stood in front of her with her arms crossed at her chest.

  “What?” Daniella asked.

  “Don’t what me, Daniella.” She said.

  “Well, go on, I’m listening.” Daniella said.

  “We talked about this earlier. Are you going to try and deny it to my face?”

  Daniella dismissed Tricia’s accusation with a huff.

  “He’s gorgeous and you feel guilty.” Tricia replied.

  Daniella scoffed. Okay, well he was pure physical perfection but she was way off her second point.

  “Guilty?” she said. “About what?”

  “Benjamin…” she said. “When are you going to stop blaming yourself?”

  “Ugh, I’m not, Tricia.” She said. “Do you believe that I don’t know that after all this time? How many tears did I shed over it and most of them with you?”

  Tricia nodded.

  “That’s my point. You may know it up here,” she said as she pointed to her head.

  “But, you don’t believe it down here.” She continued as she moved her finger over her heart.

  “Bullshit.” Daniella replied. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  She turned and started to walk down the hall away from Tricia.

  “What’s your mom gonna say, Daniella?”

  “Damn it, Tricia!” Daniella replied as she turned and walked back to her. “Why are you doing this to me right now? Look, I just want to go home and get rest. Now you can either drop this and I’ll take you to get your car or keep
it up and take the bus over there. It’s your choice.”

  “Fine,” Tricia said. “But, this conversation isn’t over, not by a long shot…”

  Thirty minutes later, Daniella dropped Tricia off to pick up her car.

  As she turned to get out, Tricia said, “Thanks for taking me over here and by the way, I’m not mad at you. I just don’t want you to get involved in something you might regret.”

  “I know.” Daniella sighed. “I promise you have nothing to be concerned about, okay?”

  “I hope so.” Tricia replied. “I’ll talk you later.”

  “Bye.”

  She waited until Tricia got in her car and drove away before pulling out of the parking lot behind her. With her best friend pissed at her, there was still one person that Daniella had to talk to and the conversation wouldn’t be pleasant.

  Maybe Tricia was right.

  If nothing else, Daniella knew she had to consider it was possible.

  Grief, or any emotion like it, makes people act in ways they never would under ordinary circumstances. On the other hand, there was the chance that she really was over it at last.

  So Daniella decided that for now at least she would just keep what she did to herself. She wouldn’t talk with Tricia about it and no way would she tell her mother. Besides, there was a very good chance that Jett would regain his memory and leave town anyway.

  In the meantime, she had almost a month of downtime before she was to start her new job in Pine Hill. What was so wrong about the time she spent with him at the hospital? It’s not like he was at her house or something. The way she saw it, Daniella helped a fellow human being in need and that was it.

  ***

  For the next several days, Daniella called the hospital to check on Jett’s progress. Dr. Wilson explained that Jett continued to slip in and out of consciousness amid bouts with recurrent nightmares, like the one she’d witnessed on the first night. But, otherwise, Dr. Wilson remained pleased with the progress overall and suggested that Daniella come back in for a visit when ready.

  It didn’t take long for Daniella to make up her mind. She decided that the following day would be as good a time as any. Daniella arrived at the hospital the next afternoon but for some reason, she was a jumble of nerves.

  It was insane.

  She entered the building and headed to Room 601. Once on the floor, she signed in and walked towards it. As she lifted her hand to knock on the door, it shook. Daniella couldn’t believe her eyes. She didn’t even know the guy and this was how she planned to start their first meeting?

  Calm down, Daniella.

  After all, he would be thrilled to see her. She was the person who saved his life. The thought settled her just long enough to rap upon the large pine door.

  “Come in…” he said.

  As Daniella walked around the corner, she noticed he sat propped up in his bed. It was the first time he’d looked normal since she’d first laid eyes on him. Jett smiled at her as she came across the room until she stood at the foot of the bed.

  “Hi there,” she chirped as she waved with her right hand.

  “Hi?” he said with a confused look. “Do I know you?”

  Daniella’s heart sank a little. Sure, it was stupid. After all, the guy did have amnesia or memory loss or whatever but she’d be a liar if she said it didn’t hurt.

  She cleared her throat.

  “Oh, um, my name is Daniella.” She replied. “I was the one who… well, my friend Tricia and I were the ones that found you on the side of the road the other night.”

  Jett narrowed his eyes, and then brought his hand up to his chin. Right away, Daniella saw the confusion in his expression.

  He had no clue who the hell she was.

  “Hmm,” he said. “Doc says I’ve got severe memory loss.”

  “Oh yes, I’m aware of that.” Daniella replied. “I’ve spoken with him.”

  Jett nodded and said, “It must be real bad, my condition that is.”

  “Why is that?” She asked.

  He sat up in his bed, reached his hands behind his head and interlaced his fingers.

  Jett smiled and said, “Because I wouldn’t forget meeting someone like you, no way.”

  “Oh,” she said. Daniella froze. She wasn’t sure what to say next.

  Jett chuckled and said, “A little amnesia humor, there. I guess I’m not that good at it yet. It’s the first time so you’ll have to cut me some slack. How could I forget you, Daniella?”

  She smiled and replied, “You had me going there for a second.”

  “I dunno,” he replied. “From the looks of things, I’d say it was more like ten or fifteen seconds.”

  Daniella looked at him and fidgeted. God, what was the matter with her? She was never like this around guys.

  She just stood there like a mime.

  He gestured towards the tattoo on his upper arm and said, “Um, anyway, folks say my name is Jett. It’s nice to meet you, again, Daniella. I’d say thanks but I don’t think it would be enough. I realize I wouldn’t have survived without your help and I’m grateful to you.”

  “It was nothing, really.” Daniella replied. “I’m sure that the next person through Slim Chance would have done the same thing.”

  “What about all the people who drove through before you did?” He said. “They didn’t stop.”

  “What?” She said. “How do you know anyone came by before we did?”

  “I don’t.” He said. “See, I couldn’t have because I have amnesia.”

  Daniella looked at him with a blank expression on his face.

  Jett cleared his throat and said, “Yeah, well, I can see I might not be as good at memory loss humor as I imagined.”

  Daniella laughed and as she did, the tension in her shoulders loosened.

  “You’re getting better at it.” She said. “You just have to keep practicing.”

  “Good point,” he replied. “The nurses just roll their eyes at me now.”

  “Perhaps they are doing that for a different reason.” She joked.

  “Perhaps they are.” Jett replied. “Would you like to sit and talk? A bit of company would be great.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I would like that very much.”

  After the initial awkwardness passed her by, Daniella spent the better part of the next hour and recounted the events of the night she’d discovered him. She imagined that if she could describe what she’d seen it might help his memory to come back, at least a little. But, it didn’t help. For the most part, he just nodded and acted as if she told him a story about someone else.

  “So, you can’t remember anything at all?” she said.

  “Nope,” he replied. “Not a damn thing until I woke up in here.”

  “What’s it like to have amnesia?” Daniella asked.

  “I don’t remember.” Jett replied.

  Daniella rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, well, I guess I’m done with those jokes around here.” Jett replied.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I agree.”

  “In all seriousness, it’s weird.” He said. “I mean, I know I have memories. I don’t know quite how to explain it except nothing before waking up in here exists for me. It’s like my life started in this room.”

  “That’s terrible.” Daniella replied. “I feel so bad for you. The doctor said it was temporary but even so, I’m sure it’s at the least, frustrating and at worst, pretty scary.”

  “I felt pretty good right up until you said that.” He replied.

  “Oh, I…” she stammered.

  Jett winked at her as she scrambled for a response.

  “Jerk,” she said as she slapped him on the forearm.

  He laughed and started to say something but as he did, the door to his room opened and one of his nurses walked inside.

  “Uh oh,” he whispered. “It’s Mrs. Randall.”

  “Who’s she?” Daniella whispered back.

  “Shh, shh…” he said. “She’s coming.” />
  Daniella looked on as a round faced, middle-aged lady approached. But her age didn’t match her energy because she moved with the efficiency of someone twenty years younger.

  “Mrs. Randall,” Jett said as he cleared his throat. “This is my friend, Daniella.”

  The nurse nodded in Daniella’s direction but didn’t speak.

  “Visiting hours are almost over, Mr. Jett.” The nurse said.

  “They are?” He replied. “Well, since I haven't had any visitors except Dr. Wilson and the lovely nurses here on the floor, how would I know that?”

  “I don’t suppose that you would.” Mrs. Randall said as she adjusted the monitoring equipment next to his bed. “Nevertheless, other patients here besides you need rest. Just because you are feeling better doesn’t mean that you are allowed to break the rules.”

  “Hmm,” he replied. “Could we at least bend them a little, just this once?”

  The nurse checked the last connection and stood with her hand on her hip.

  “No, Mr. Jett.” Mrs. Randall replied. “There will be no rule bending, either.”

  “Alright,” he grumbled.

  The nurse turned to leave. On her way out she said, “You have five minutes, madam.”

  “Okay, thank…” Daniella uttered before the door to the room slammed shut.

  “You see what I have to put up with here?” He said.

  “Yeah, she’s tough.” Daniella replied.

  “The worst,” he said.

  After a few seconds pause, Daniella stood and said, “Well, I guess I should get going.”

  As she rose to her feet, Daniella sensed his gaze on her. She’d gotten relaxed in his presence while they talked. But now, like when she’d first come in, she wasn’t calm at all and the emotion caught her off guard. Perhaps it was the place, perhaps it was the relaxed conversation or perhaps it was him. As soon as she turned back to look, she knew.

  It was him.

  “Daniella?” he said.

  Even in the harsh glow of fluorescent bulbs, the color of his emerald jewel eyes overwhelmed her. They were a shade of green Daniella had never seen in a man or for that matter, a person. As he looked up at her, hints of light reflected sea foam sparkles and honeydew highlights. Daniella’s mouth drifted open as she stared and she sensed a faint gasp emit from her lips.

  “Y… Yes?” she stammered.

  “Will you come see me again tomorrow?” He asked.