Chapter 5 Fractured memories

Meanwhile on the other side...

The steady buzz of machines echoed in the quiet hospital room, with their beeping being the only sign of life. Alexander Wolfe was laid still; his face was bruised and swelled, and his head was covered with a large bandage.

His body was rigid, the stark white hospital gown contrasting with his pale skin. The sharp antiseptic smell filled the hospital air. A scent that softly spoke of suffering, of injuries still unhealed. Alexander was struggling against the dense haze of the unconsciousness that had imprisoned him for days now. His eyelids flickered, He sluggishly opened his eyes.

The light above was bright and dazzling, making him squint while his eyes tried to get used to it. The white walls devoid of any color and the subtle noise from the machines nearby created a feeling of distant coldness.

He struggled with his slow-thinking mind, attempting to keep pace with the current moment.

The nurse silently monitored the screens at the bottom of his bed, with her back facing him. She glided effortlessly, she had experienced many individuals similar to his situation shattered, bruised, and unsure of their place in the world.

Alexander's throat was dry, as he had been hospitalized and he hadn't talked in days. He could hardly swallow; he felt discomfort in his throat.

"where..." He attempted to speak, barely audible to be heard. He attempted once more, trying to speak louder, his words filled with confusion. "Please... Where are I? What am I doing here?"

Despite Alexander's confusion, the nurse turned, calm and composed, showing no sign of urgency. She Moved closer, she examined him with a clinical detachment in her eyes, though her voice was soft.

"You are currently at the hospital, Mr. Wolfe." You were involved in a car accident. You have been in a state of unconsciousness for several days.

Alexander furrowed his brow. He tried to sit up straight, but a sudden burst of pain shot through his head, causing him to take a quick breath and collapse back onto the bed.

Without thinking, he reached up towards his head, noticing the tight bandages wrapping around him. His heart pounded in his chest as confusion rapidly transformed into frantic panic.

"An accidental?" he gasped, struggling to speak with his strained voice.

"Hmmm yeah," the nurse whispered as she moved nearer to adjust the IV flowing into his arm. "You sustain a head injury.

The doctors are keeping a close eye on your condition," but..." Pausing for a moment, she looked down at the clipboard in her hands. "You have experienced difficulties with your memory."

The words gut-punched him. Loss of memory. His head was a mess, trying to remember anything, something, anything at all.

Yet, all that he could find was this void, this blank slate where his memories should have been. His breathing grew quicker as the rise and fall of his chest increased from the jolts his fear produced.

"What... what are you trying to say, about memory loss?" He spoke with a tense voice, filled with fear and frustration.

His hands tightly grasped the bed's metal railing, his knuckles becoming pale as he held onto it desperately.

The nurse's expression stayed composed, and professional, but her words felt heavy like a dense fog.

"She said the doctors think it's selective amnesia, speaking in a carefully controlled tone." "Due to the trauma you experienced, you have likely forgotten some events." "It's not rare in situations similar to yours."

Alexander's mind was racing, trying to cling to every known and rational concept. Yet everything slipped away and was difficult to grasp.

Panic was overtaking his inner self. "What is it that I can't recall?" His voice broke the obvious desperation.

The nurse smiled at him consolingly but did little for the storm raging within. "It's best not to dwell on it just now, Mr. Wolfe." It may be that you'll remember eventually.

For the time being, the doctors think it wiser for you to devote all your energies to simply resting and recovering.

Before exiting the room, she gave his arm a reassuring touch, her footsteps resonating in the hallway as she made her way out through the door.

Alexander reclined against the cushions, sensing his body becoming heavier as it sank further into the bed. His mind was a torrent, racing with turbulent tumbles of thoughts through his brain.

He couldn't confront the idea of wasted time-chunks of his life lost. So he shut his eyes tight, hoping in the dark something would appear from some deep bottom to make sense of this incomprehensible void.

Suddenly, a flicker appeared unexpectedly.

It was momentary, almost imperceptible, yet it arrived to him with sudden clarity. Black hair. The sensation of smooth skin beneath his fingers.

A quiet, far-off chuckle. And a title. A name that eluded him. He almost remembered it, but the image disappeared before he could grasp it, slipping away in his mind like sand through his fingers.

"No... no, please return!" Alexander spoke quietly to himself, his voice getting louder out of frustration. He tightened his fists, his breath becoming shallow and frantic.

Who was the woman? He felt like he had lost something or someone so important, something or someone so fundamentally important to himself.

And with every second that ticked on, there was more and more emptiness within his chest, hence it became hard to breathe.

The door swung open with a loud screeching sound, and in came a suited man in a hurry with a seriousness in his look. He looked directly at Alexander, with a keen and evaluating expression.

"Mr. Wolfe," the man spoke briskly, as he moved closer to the bed. "I'm Detective Harris. We need to talk."

Alexander felt his heart go on a half-beat. "What do you want us to talk about?" His voice came out in shakes as he replied, his brain fighting for its way through the flicker.

Mr. Harris said, "Thus,

"Hmmm. The accident you were part of wasn't a coincidence," the detective declared, his voice firm. "It was deliberate, it was a setup, someone close to you was behind this."

Alexander felt his breathing suddenly come to a stop. You mean, someone was behind this, on purpose.

He felt the cold grip of fear tighten around him, as his mind raced. "Like... I don't understand, What... what are you talking about?"

Harris leaned forward, his eyes grave. "Mr. Wolfe, there was someone who set up your death wishes."

We have grounds to suspect that this was a deliberate attack.

Alexander's stomach felt like it was bottoming out as he continued to replay in his head the words of the detective.

Was someone trying to kill me? The pieces of memories that he could not remember were even more dangerous and felt like the missing puzzle pieces that when put together could destroy him.

But who is the person? And for what reason? What have I done?

When the detective gazed at him closely, expecting some explanations, Alexander realized he had no idea where to start and where this was coming from.

His mind kept wandering, and his sight grew hazy, attempting to recall the events but the more he tried making an effort, the quicker the memory seemed to fade, escaping his mind like a wind.

"Mr Wolfe.... Mr Wolfe... " Detective Harris exclaimed his name.

His voice seems slower and echoed loudly, the sound seems to carry the gravity of the situation.

"Mr Wolfe!!!!" Mr Harris called out again, his tone was loud and firm. He double-tapped Alexander.

"Ooh!" Alexander's mind shifted back to the present as he replied... "Yeah yeah... Am here with you."

Harris could sense the distress in his mind, "We will discuss this later Mr. Wolfe, you should have some rest."

As Harris left the door shut behind him. Alexander could sense someone was staying still behind the door with hidden motives, anticipating the right time to come inside. "Who is that shadowy behind the door."

His mind racing restless with different thoughts,

"If my accident was deliberate, they must here with intention of complete their evil work."