Monday January 12th
Birmingham City Hospital
“I…I don’t understand. I don’t know what is going on. Why am I still in this hospital? Sure, I have a slight headache right now, but it’s nothing that warrants staying in the hospital, right? What the hell happened to me? Why won’t these doctors and nurses give me any answers? It’s obvious that I’m in a hospital somewhere in England. Am I from England? I don’t sound like I’m from England.”
It has been twenty-four hours since the brutal attack on Misty that rendered her unconscious for several hours and sent her to the hospital. And not only that, but it apparently caused her to lose her memory. The first three faces she saw when she regained consciousness last night were the three people closest to her…O’Malley, Melody Grace and Roxi Johnson. And things seemed okay at first, but the unexpected happened. Misty not only did not recognize her own name, but she didn’t recognize any of them, either.
After seeing the terrified look in her eyes, and her erratic and confused behavior, O’Malley left the room. He couldn’t stand seeing that look in Misty’s eyes, knowing she was scared of him and had no idea who he was. So he’s given her her space.
She’s currently awake in her room, more lost and confused than ever. She looks around her hospital room, with so many thoughts running through her mind. So many questions remain unanswered.
“Where did that guy and those two women go? I don’t recognize them…I don’t know who they are, but I’m so…alone. Don’t I have a family? Why can’t I remember?!”
Misty lets out a loud, frustrated sigh as she asks herself more and more questions in her mind.
“Who the hell am I? I’m so scared right now. The nurses don’t even have any answers for me, either. They just keep telling me I have to wait for the doctors but they haven’t been in here since last night. What are they waiting for?”
As her mind continues to buzz with all of this information she is trying to process, tears begin to form in her eyes. She’d found herself crying several times since last night. At least when she wasn’t sedated. She was just so terrified, and the longer she laid in that room alone, the more upset she got.
She rolls over on to her side, looking towards the window on the opposite side of the room. She wasn’t even allowed to get out of bed without calling a nurse first, so she was forced to imagine what the outside looked like. When she decides to close her eyes and try and get some sleep, the door to her room opens. Assuming it’s just a nurse coming to check on her, she doesn’t even roll back over to acknowledge them.
But it’s not a nurse. No, it is actually O’Malley. He can hear her quiet sniffling from her crying, and it breaks his heart. He takes a couple steps closer to her bed, but keeping his distance just in case.
O’Malley: H-how are ye feeling, love?
“It’s…it’s him. The guy with the accent who keeps calling me love.”
Misty’s body goes rigid. The nerves and the fear consumes her and she can’t get herself to turn and look at him. O’Malley lowers his head and sighs, at a loss for what to do.
O’Malley: Look, the last thing I want to do is scare ye any more than I already have. I…I just wanted ye to know I didn’t leave.
O’Malley turns to leave, but Misty quickly rolls over looking at him.
Misty: Wait!
O’Malley closes his eyes and stops. He slowly turns around, finally looking at her for the first time since last night. She still didn’t recognize him, that much was clear, but she didn’t look as terrified of him as she had last night.
Misty: You…stayed here?
O’Malley nods, but he can’t find any words to say.
“Damn. You’d think I’d remember a man as handsome as him.”
Misty: W-what is your name?
O’Malley closes his eyes. That question stings more than he imagined it would. He takes in a deep breath, then opens his eyes and looks at her again.
O’Malley: Me name is O’Malley, love.
“O’Malley? Wow…that is an unusual name.”
Misty: O’Malley? Is that your first name or your last night?
O’Malley manages to crack a smile, but he hides the pain it brings him.
O’Malley: It’s me last name, but it’s what I go by.
Misty: Okay. So what is your first name then?
O’Malley: It’s not important, love. Ye only know me as O’Malley.
“Sorry…that name just isn’t familiar to me. Then again, neither is my own name. What were they calling me again last night? Misty?”
Misty sits up and takes in a deep breath. She looks away and closes her eyes, trying to remember something…anything. But, nothing comes to her.
Misty: Why can’t I remember? Why don’t I remember you? Or those two women you were with last night?
O’Malley shakes his head.
O’Malley: I wish I had the answers for ye, love, but I don’t.
Misty: Why do you keep calling me that? Are we married or something?
“I’m not wearing a wedding ring, so that can’t be the case. So…who is he? Come on brain, give me something!”
Misty looks down at her left ring finger, expecting to find a wedding ring. O’Malley again cracks a smile, though it’s more from wishful thinking than anything. Misty wasn’t wearing the Claddagh ring he had given her at this moment in time, and it was safely tucked away in his pocket.
O’Malley: No, we’re not married, love. It’s just a term of an endearment us Irish folk like to use. I’ll stop if ye want me to.
Misty blinks, thinking about that for a moment. She doesn’t answer either way and she runs her hands through her hair.
Misty: I just…don’t understand. I obviously have some kind of life, but why can’t I remember any of it? What happened to me?
“He has to know something, so why is he holding back? Maybe he doesn’t know…”
O’Malley: Ye…had a bad accident. Ye hit yer head pretty hard a couple times.
Misty stares at him, but he looks away, refusing to look into her eyes.
“He’s lying. I think. Otherwise he would have looked me in the eyes when he answered that.”
Misty: An accident, huh?
Misty looks down at the rest of her body, not noticing any scratches or bruises or anything that would show any signs of having been in a bad accident.
Misty: I don’t believe you. If I was in some sort of bad accident, I would have more injuries, but I don’t. Tell me the truth.
O’Malley shakes his head.
O’Malley: It’s complicated, love. Without yer memory, ye’ll only have more questions once ye find out. Besides, it doesn’t matter what happened right now. All that matters is yer recovery.
Misty: Yes it does matter! I wouldn’t be in this damn hospital without a fucking clue who I am or who you are if whatever happened didn’t happen!
“Maybe he had something to do with it? That must be it! He wouldn’t lie to me if he didn’t have something to do with it!”
Misty: You…you did this, didn’t you? You caused this?!
The fear returns as her voice is full of terror now. O’Malley shakes his head, holding up his hands defensively trying to calm her down.
O’Malley: No! Of course I didn’t! I would never hurt ye like this. Ye have to believe me!
Misty: I don’t even KNOW you! How the hell am I supposed to trust you?!
O’Malley takes a step towards her, trying to explain, but it only causes further harm. She holds her hands up and shakes her head, looking more terrified of him now than she had last night.
Misty: No! Stay…stay away from me! This is all your fault! What did you do to me?!
“The call button…Where is the call button?! NURSE! I NEED A DAMN NURSE!”
Misty begins fumbling around, trying to find her emergency call button. She is throwing things and dropping stuff on the floor in her search and she begins shouting for help. O’Malley backs away, pulling at his hair. The nurses rush to Misty’s side, trying to calm her down, but they have no luck.
Misty: Get away from me! No! I don’t know you people! I just want to go home!!
“If only I knew where home was!!!”
The nurses have no other choice but to sedate Misty yet again as she continues to fight and refuses to calm down. They inject the sedative into her IV line, and it takes effect less than a minute later. O’Malley looks on, heartbroken and lost.
O’Malley: H-how am I supposed to help her?
One of the nurses looks up at O’Malley as the sedative takes control of Misty’s body. Her eyes flutter until they finally close and she drifts off to unconsciousness. They make sure she is comfortable before the nurse approaches O’Malley, offering him a reassuring smile.
Nurse: You can help her by not giving up on her. Amnesia is very difficult to deal with. She’s scared because everything that should be familiar to her, isn’t. It’s going to be a rough road, but she’ll need the people closest to her to be there for her.
O’Malley: How can I be there for her if she’s terrified of me?
Nurse: Patience. I know it’s hard to see her this way, but you have to have patience and she will come around.
The nurse pats O’Malley on the back and then walks out, along with the other nurses, leaving O’Malley to just look at the vulnerable state Misty has been left in. He walks over to her bedside, takes a seat and takes her hand in his, caressing it.
O’Malley: I…I won’t scare ye anymore, love. I won’t be the reason ye cry, but I’m going to make sure yer not alone in this…
He reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket, taking out Misty’s phone. He searches through her contacts until he finds the number he is looking for, tapping the screen to call the number. A few seconds go by before the person on the other end answers.
O’Malley: Hello? Dixie?...I know we’ve never met, but this is O’Malley. Yer sister’s b…friend. Look, I think someone in yer family needs to get to England right away…She needs ye, Dixie…
O’Malley’s eyes trail over to Misty’s face. The sedative has done its work and she’s in a much more peaceful state, but O’Malley knows that could all change the second she wakes up and sees his face. The call with Dixie ends shortly after, and he places her phone on the table beside her bed. He stands up and leans down, gently kissing her forehead before quietly leaving the room.
Tuesday January 13th
“I’m alone again. I…I guess that O’Malley guy finally left. I’m glad he did. Something about him just…scares me. He knows more than he was willing to tell me yesterday and that can only mean he’s lying. He must have had something to do with me losing my memory.”
After a long and very restless night and morning, Misty’s eyes flutter open. She had to be sedated for most of the night, as each time she woke up, her fears over what was happening to her overwhelmed her and she lost control. It’s late in the afternoon in Birmingham and as she opens her eyes and looks around, nothing has changed. She’s still in the same hospital room…in the same bed.
“I guess I should get used to waking up and seeing this room. I doubt they will let me go home…wherever that is…by myself if I can’t even remember who I am. They certainly won’t let me go home with that creepy guy, either. There is NO way I would go anywhere with him!”
She thinks to herself quietly, once again trying to remember anything about who she is. Her mind continues to draw a blank, and when she brings her hand up to her head and lets out a sigh, a voice from across the room startles her.
Dixie: Hey…You’re awake!
“That…that voice. Who is that?”
Misty turns her head to the left, and her eyes focus on yet another unfamiliar face. Her blonde haired younger sister, Dixie, is slowly approaching her bed. She’s being cautious so as not to scare her.
Dixie: Do you remember me? Misty, do you know who I am?
“She’s not the blonde girl from the other day, so nope. No clue.”
Misty shakes her head, but she doesn’t speak a word. She slowly reaches for the emergency call button, just in case. Dixie frowns sadly, keeping her distance from her terrified older sister.
Dixie: It’s ok…I’m not going to hurt you. I…I’m Dixie. I’m your youngest sister. Well, half-sister, but your sister regardless.
“Oh thank God. I have family!”
Misty lets out a sigh of relief and slowly sits up in the bed. She focuses her attention on Dixie, deciding in her mind the first question she wants to ask.
Misty: H-how did you know I was here?
Dixie: Well, that Irish guy called me yesterday…
Misty suddenly tenses up as Dixie brings up O’Malley. Even though she doesn’t use his name, just the thought of him scares her.
Dixie: Hey, hey…Don’t worry. He’s not here. He’s gone.
Misty: Good. I…I don’t trust him.
Dixie: To be honest, I don’t either. But, regardless, he called me and told me you were here. I would have been here sooner, but it was a long flight…
Misty raises an eyebrow.
Misty: From where?
Dixie: Las Vegas. In the United States.
“Las Vegas? Weird, but okay. Wait…if I’m from Las Vegas, what the hell am I doing in England?”
Misty scratches her head.
Misty: So…what am I doing in England? That’s an awful long way from home, right?
Dixie nods, and feeling it safe now, she takes a few steps closer to her sister.
Dixie: I can give you the answer to that question, but I know it will only bring more questions. I know you have enough questions as it is, so we need to take this one step at a time, okay?
Misty: What the hell happened to me?
Dixie: I…I don’t know, but we’ll find out, okay? All that matters right now is getting you better and getting you out of this hospital and back home.
“Home. It sounds better than being in a hospital, but what if it isn’t? As much as I want to go back to my home, what if it’s not so great? What if…What if I hate it?”
Misty goes quiet for a while as the questions begin to flood her mind once again, and Dixie can tell what a toll this is taking on her. She takes a seat at Misty’s bedside, keeping her attention locked on her sister.
Dixie: Look, I know you don’t remember anything right now, but you WILL get your memories back. I promise. But, I don’t think you’ll get them back by sitting in this hospital. You have a home with a family that you love and that loves you more than anything and we need to get you back to them, okay?
Misty brings her head up and looks into her sister’s eyes. She can see the genuine concern and love in her eyes and nothing about the blonde haired beauty is scaring her, so she nods and Dixie’s smiles.
Misty: When…When can I get out of here?
Dixie: Hopefully soon. The doctor said earlier they’d like to keep you another couple of days just to be safe, but physically, everything looks good.
“Everything looks good, huh? Try telling that to my brain and all my memories that have disappeared. There has to be something that can be done.”
Misty nods and takes in a deep breath.
Misty: Well…I guess there’s nothing else to do but wait then. I just want to get my memory back so I can get back to my life.
Dixie: We’ll get you there, Misty. Your family will get you through this, no matter how long it takes.
“That’s such a relief to hear that. I…I don’t think I could go through this alone.”
For the first time in two days, Misty was able to smile and have something to look forward to. She still has so many unanswered questions, but finally knowing she has a family that will help her through this possible long and difficult road eases her worries and she is able to relax.
Misty and Dixie suddenly get lost in conversation, that they don’t notice O’Malley standing just outside the room staring through the window. When he sees the smile on Misty’s face, he can’t bring himself to go inside. He just looks to the ground and walks away, broken-hearted and lost.
