About an hour after the CT- scan, Briana was finally called to see the doctor. She was accompanied by Kaku, Sean, who sat beside her like a statue. However, Sean occasionally talked to someone on the phone who Briana had no idea who it was.
"Come on, come in!" said Anna, emerging from the doorway of a room. In the room, Briana could see three people wearing light blue uniforms. Anna was the only one she recognized. "Sit down, Briana."
"Yes."
Briana sat facing a projector displaying head x-rays. Probably her head.
"The impact on your head wasn't too bad; it's just a bruise, but everything's fine. I'm sorry Sean noticed it so late that you were unconscious for three days."
Why was Anna apologizing for Sean's side?
"The trauma to your head is probably what caused you to lose some of your memories, Briana." Anna said as she showed the proof of the head image she had just undergone. Sean, who was sitting next to Briana, also looked at the three-dimensional image.
"So I have amnesia?" asked Briana with a hoarse voice, holding back tears.
Anna nodded. She looked at Briana, who was experiencing memory loss, with a compassionate gaze. "Yes, retrograde amnesia."
It was like a crushing blow had been struck to her heart. Briana's breathing became labored, and I began to cry in fear. "What should I do then? I can't just skip my ten years. I-I'm ...."
"Briana, calm down..." Anna grasped Briana's hand tightly and looked at her gently. "Everything will be fine."
"Will I be able to recover? Will I lose my past memories forever?"
Anna exhaled softly. She glanced at Sean for a moment and then back at Briana. "I can't turn it off, Briana. However, Dr. Adrian will explain a bit about what you're experiencing."
The Indian man sitting next to Anna smiled. He moved the cursor at the point where the image of the head was displayed.
More tears streamed down Briana's face. Briana continued to sob and tried to remember everything she did to get stranded in the forest and then in Sean's wooden house. However, her memory only stopped in 2014.
"Briana!" Anna's voice pulled Briana out of her reverie. She looked up at her as she said, "Don't think too hard. It would be bad for your health."
"What am I supposed to do, Anna?" Briana asked. "I can't just let part of my memory go."
"Everything will be okay. Sean and I will help you find your family. And when you're better, Sean will tell you about the accident."
Briana raised her fist. She then turned to the man beside her. He was still staring at the image of Briana's head.
Sean, can I trust you?
"If you're ready to find your family, you can tell us," Anna said as she turned off the projector.
"Okay," Briana replied quietly.
Briana finally tried to smile at Anna because the female doctor wasn't trying to pressure her. She really wasn't ready to talk about her family. It wasn't that she didn't trust Anna or Sean; it was just that the tangled thoughts were really making Briana's head spin. She couldn't stop forcing her brain to remember everything. Anna didn't think that was good.
Leaving the hospital at almost three in the afternoon, Briana had gotten a crutch from Anna. The female doctor said that she would be more comfortable walking with crutches. After all the pharmacy business was done, Sean took Briana home in a brand-new Ford. Briana had to believe that she was in 2022, just like Anna had said. Sean's two-cabin car was the latest.
Briana watched the road in silence the whole way. I don't know how she ended up in this remote village in Alabama.
Did my father go bankrupt and decide to move to a village in this town? Briana thought to herself. She shook her head, unable to remember anything.
"Don't think too hard. Anna said it's not good for you," said Sean, who was still focused on driving.
Briana snorted and then said, "Easy for you to say!"
Sean was silent.
The place where Sean lived was in the middle of a forest near a lake. The lake... the house was far from any residential neighborhoods. Briana had read the sign when she left this morning. It turned out that there were two ways to reach that remote place. Passing through the dock by speedboat or through a circular road that had to go through a road with a steep ravine on either side. Briana didn't know why a single man like Sean would live in such a desolate place. With minimalist electronic equipment, without the use of electricity, the rest is like a person from an inland tribe. Well, even if it was only on weekends.
Most men Sean's age would prefer to spend their time drinking at bars or just dancing to unwind from a long day at work.
By the way, what does Sean do for a living? Did I forget to ask Nancy? Briana thought again.
Sean's car pulled up to the dock. There he was greeted by two well-dressed men. Even stranger, the two men bowed respectfully to Sean. Was Sean a mafia chief? It clicked with the scratch marks on his face. Perhaps Sean was involved in a fight between gangsters. Suddenly, Briana's hair stood on end.
"Come on, the speedboat is ready."
The speedboat swayed slightly when Briana almost slipped because her crutches didn't tread the floor of the speedboat properly. Sean swiftly held Briana's body that almost fell down.
"Be careful. The temperature of the lake water is colder than the surrounding air. The clear green water could cramp your legs."
"Thank you, Mr. Tarzan."
"Eh?"
"I'm sorry I'm being indifferent to you."
Sean pulled the crank of the speedboat's engine, then the boat split the green water of the previously calm lake. He sat in the front without looking back.
"Did you ever think that if I had been taken straight to the hospital, I might not have had amnesia?" Briana felt the need to make Sean the guilty party in this matter.
"Yes. Maybe. Sorry," he replied. That was it. Sean's voice wasn't even that loud. His voice was swallowed by the roar of the wind as they made their way to the log house.
Half an hour later, the speedboat began to pull up near the log house. After successfully mooring his speedboat, Sean immediately stood up and extended his hand.
"Come on, let me help you get into the house."
"I'm not paralyzed."
Despite his outstretched hand, Sean had a cold look on his face. He looked at Briana with a sharp and intimidating gaze. Briana hesitantly extended her hand.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have behaved like that. You've helped me a lot."
"Forget it! Go inside and rest. Nancy will take care of all your needs."
"Where are you going?"
"To work, of course."
"You're working?" asked Briana incredulously.
Sean snorted, "Of course I'm working. Otherwise, how would I feed and house you?"
Oh, that stiff guy was defending his pride to the max.
"Where do you work?"
"What do you care?"
Why is Sean so stiff and cold to me? Briana thought. She also realized that Sean had never called her by her first name. He only addressed her by hi, you, or Miss Watson. For the first and probably last time, Sean called Briana by her first name when he woke her up from a nightmare. What was wrong with that stiff guy?
Sean walked back to the speedboat when he saw that Briana had reached the doorway of the log house.
What Sean does is none of my business, Briana whispered.