A Memory Lost
1334 Words
The ambulance doors burst open the moment they arrived at the hospital. "Gunshot wound to the shoulder, possible internal injuries from the fall!" one paramedic shouted as the stretcher rolled quickly through the emergency entrance.
Doctors and nurses rushed forward, surrounding Maya as they wheeled her toward the emergency room.
Damein followed closely behind until a nurse stepped in front of him.
"Sir, you need to stay here," she said firmly.
"But she "Damein began.
"We'll do everything we can. Please wait."
The doors to the emergency room swung shut, leaving Damein standing in the silent hallway.
A few minutes later Lucas arrived, rushing inside the hospital.
"Where is she?" he demanded the moment he saw Damein.
"They took her in," Damein replied quietly.
Lucas ran his hand through his hair in frustration, pacing the floor "She was breathing... she opened her eyes... but she didn't respond," he said, his voice shaking slightly.
Damein leaned back against the wall, his expression tight with worry.
The next few hours felt endless. Neither man spoke much. The sound of hospital machines and distant footsteps filled the hallway as they waited.
Then finally, the emergency room doors opened.
A doctor stepped out Both men stood instantly.
"How is she?" Lucas asked.
The doctor sighed slightly before speaking. "The surgery was successful, but the fall caused significant trauma to her body."
Lucas swallowed hard "What does that mean?"
The doctor looked at them carefully.
"She has entered a coma."
The words hit them like a punch.
Lucas felt his chest tighten. "A coma?" he repeated quietly.
"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "Right now her body needs time to recover from the shock and injuries."
"How long will she be like that?" Damein asked.
The doctor shook his head.
"It's impossible to say. Some patients wake up within days... others take longer."
Lucas stared at the floor, his mind racing with fear.
Meanwhile, news of the incident had already reached Maya's parents.
A few hours later they arrived at the hospital carrying little Layrus.
Maya's mother looked devastated.
"What happened to my daughter?" she asked the moment she saw Lucas.
Lucas struggled to answer.
"There was... an accident," he said quietly.
Layrus, unaware of the tension around him, played quietly in his grandmother's arms.
The small boy giggled softly, completely innocent of the chaos surrounding his mother.
Days passed. Then a week. Maya remained in a coma. Machines beeped steadily beside her hospital bed while Lucas, Damien, and her parents took turns sitting beside her.
Lucas often held her hand, whispering softly.
"Come back to us, Maya... please."
But there was no response.
Until one morning, a nurse entered Maya's room to check her vitals when suddenly
Maya's fingers moved.
The nurse froze then Maya's eyelids slowly fluttered open.
"She's waking up!" the nurse called urgently.
Doctors rushed into the room.
Moments later, Lucas and Damein were called inside.
Maya blinked slowly as she looked around the unfamiliar hospital room.
Confusion filled her eyes. "Where... am I?" she asked weakly.
Lucas's heart nearly exploded with relief.
"Maya!" he said, stepping closer.
But the moment Maya looked at him, her expression changed.
Confusion deepened. "Who... are you?" she asked.
The room fell silent. Lucas froze. What?" he whispered.
Maya looked around again, clearly disoriented.
"I don't... remember anything," she said quietly.
The doctor stepped forward.
"This is not uncommon after severe trauma," he explained calmly. "She may be experiencing memory loss."
Lucas stared at Maya in disbelief.
"Maya... It's me. Lucas," he said gently.
She shook her head slowly.
"I'm sorry... I don't know you."
Damein's eyes flickered slightly.
The doctor continued speaking. "Her brain may have blocked certain memories as a defence mechanism. Sometimes memories return over time."
Maya frowned slightly, trying to focus "What... happened to me?" she asked.
Before Lucas could speak
Damein stepped forward. "You had an accident," he said calmly.
Maya looked at him "And you are...?"
Damein placed a gentle hand on hers. "I'm your husband."
Lucas's head snapped toward him "What"
Damein shot him a warning look. "You are my wife," Damein continued softly. "And we have a son
together. His name is Layrus."
Maya blinked slowly, trying to process the information. "A son?" she repeated weakly.
"Yes," Damein nodded. "That's all you need to know right now. You need to rest."
Lucas clenched his fists. He stepped closer. "Maya, listen"
Damein quickly stepped in front of him "Not now," he said quietly but firmly.
Lucas lowered his voice angrily "She deserves the truth."
Damein shook his head "The doctor said she needs peace. Not confusion."
Maya watched the exchange with visible confusion. "I don't understand... what's going on?" she asked softly.
Damein turned back to her with a reassuring smile. "Nothing you need to worry about," he said gently. "Just focus on getting better."
Lucas stared at him in disbelief. But for now ...He stayed silent.
Because Maya looked fragile And the last thing he wanted was to hurt her again.
Maya leaned back against the hospital pillow, exhaustion overtaking her.
Her eyes slowly closed again.
But this time... She was awake, just without the memories that had once defined her life And as Damien stood beside her bed, watching Lucas carefully, one thought settled firmly in his mind.
This might be his only chance to rewrite the story.
Later that afternoon, Maya's parents finally arrived at the hospital.
Her mother walked into the room carefully, carrying little Layrus in her arms. The baby had been restless the entire morning, sensing the tension around him even if he didn't understand it.
The moment they entered the room, Layrus started crying loudly.
His tiny face turned red as he stretched his small arms outward, wailing and reaching toward the hospital bed.
"Shhh, baby, calm down," Maya's mother whispered, gently rocking him.
But Layrus continued crying harder, his little hands opening and closing as if he was desperately trying to reach someone.
Maya watched the scene with confusion.
"That... that's the baby?" she asked softly.
Damein nodded. "Yes. That's Layrus."
The baby's cries filled the room, loud and desperate.
Lucas stood silently near the window, his heart aching at the sight.
Maya's mother walked closer to the bed.. "He's been like this since morning," she said, her voice filled with sadness. "He hasn't stopped crying."
Layrus stretched both of his arms toward Maya again, crying even louder.
Maya hesitated. Something in her chest tightened at the sound.
"Can... can I hold him?" she asked quietly.
Her mother gently placed Layrus into Maya's arms.
The moment Maya held him, something incredible happened Layrus stopped crying instantly.
His tiny body relaxed as he rested against her chest, his little hands grabbing softly at her hospital gown.
The room went completely silent.. Layrus leaned his head against Maya's shoulder, letting out a soft sleepy sound as if he had finally found where he belonged.
Maya froze.
Her heart suddenly felt warm and heavy at the same time.
She looked down at the baby in her arms. Layrus blinked slowly and looked up at her face before resting his head comfortably on her shoulder Almost like he recognised
Maya's eyes filled with emotion she couldn't explain. "He... he stopped crying," she whispered.
Her mother nodded softly, wiping away tears. "He knows his mother."
Maya looked at Damein slowly Then back at the baby sleeping peacefully against her shoulder.
A strange sense of familiarity spread through her chest.
Even though her memories were gone...
Her heart seemed to know.
She gently stroked Layrus's hair.
"He feels... comfortable," she said softly.
Damein gave a small smile. "That's because you're his mother."
Maya stared at the child in her arms for a long moment.
Then she nodded slowly. "I believe you."
Lucas looked away quietly, pain flashing across his face.
Because in that moment, Maya had accepted the only truth she could see.
Layrus truly belonged to her.
And the bond between mother and son was something no lost memory could erase.
- Writer
