...
"Doctor, why isn't she waking up? Is she okay?"
"Don't worry. Her vitals are normal. Just give her some time,"
Emma could hear a faint conversation in her ear. She tried to open her eyes to see who was talking, but she was too weak to do so. Therefore, she didn't struggle but spent the time to understand her current situation.
It seemed that she had escaped the claws of death, for she was now lying on a soft bed and not drowning somewhere wet and cold.
Knowing this, Emma was relieved.
Nevertheless, something had been bothering her since the first time she came into this world. The information she required the most was missing: 'her' memories.
In her past reincarnations, when she took over someone else's body, their original memories would resurface after a while. That information was crucial for her to navigate her new life without making awkward or stupid mistakes.
Yet, it had been quite some time, and she was still unsure of who she was.
She recalled the woman who was on top of the cliff and remembered exactly what she had called her with. Anna.
Was Anna her name? Assuming that it was her new name, what could be the circumstance that led Anna to fall off a cliff?
Perhaps if she opened her eyes, the memories of the original soul would surface.
Thinking up to this point, Emma once again moved her eyelids, an attempt to open her eyes.
"Doctor, her eyelids are moving! Is she going to wake up?"
"We can only wait. She is very weak at the moment,"
This time around, Emma could hear the conversation clearly, while also able to deduce the gender of the people who were talking. The one with a concerned voice was a female, and the calmer one was a male. She assumed that one of them knew her personally, while the other was a physician.
Emma ignored the uncomfortable sensations all over her body as she directed all her energy to open her eyes. After several attempts, she was finally able to do so.
The first thing that she saw was the faces of two strangers: a young lady and a man. Although the young lady wasn't really a stranger because she recognized her as the woman who was present on the cliff that day.
"Anna, you're awake!" the young lady was moved to tears. She kept brushing off the wetness on her cheek.
The man, however, was pointing a small flashing tool to both her eyes, causing her to paralyze due to shock momentarily. She wanted to move her head to run away from the small torch, but once again, her frail failed her attempt. Then, she heard him reassure the young lady that she was in good condition.
"That's good. Thank you, Dr. Cain," the young lady who was now caressing Emma's hair was overflowing with gratitude. The one called Dr. Cain nodded and asked her to avoid tiring the patient as she needed ample rest for fast recovery.
While the two individuals were engaged in a conversation, Emma's gaze was wandering around her surrounding. It looked like she was confined in a big room with a lot of strange things that she had never seen before.
"W-Where am I?" she asked shakily after the doctor left the room.
The lady who was sitting near the bed stared at her with a gentle smile on her face as if she was trying to console her.
"Shh, you're fine now, Anna. Right now, you're in a hospital," the lady answered softly.
'Hospital?' Emma found the name familiar. However, the hospital she knew wasn't as complex as this room. But, she was relieved that she could understand everything the lady was telling her.
'So, I was correct. My name is indeed, Anna,' Emma thought.
Suddenly, the young lady held her hand tightly as her eyes turned blurry. Then, she started to apologize.
"Anna, sorry for everything. If I didn't insist on visiting that place, this whole thing would've never happened. I'm really sorry."
Emma stared weakly at the beautiful lady who was on the verge of crying. Instead of consoling her, a different question left her lips.
"Who are you?" she asked, making the other stared at her wide-eyed. The young lady blinked away the tears, and a worried look surfaced on her pretty face.
"Y-You don't know me? I'm Avery,"
Avery, Avery... Emma repeated the name inside her head, hoping for any kind of information to appear, alas Anna's memories were still a blank slate.
"Anna, do you recall anything that happened two days ago?" Avery asked as she anxiously looked at her. When she saw Emma slowly shake her head, her chest went up as she tried to make the release under control.
"How about me? or mom or dad?" she cautiously asked, choosing the best question that wouldn't overwhelm her.
"Sorry," Emma mumbled, an answer which Avery took as a no. She could feel her heart pounding loudly. With shaking hands, she pushed the emergency button on the wall.
Soon, Dr. Cain rushed into the room. He looked like he had just run a marathon. He barely caught his breath when Avery swarmed him with the concerns she had regarding Emma.
"Doctor, Anna seems to have lost her memories. She doesn't remember who I am!" Avery explained. She tried to act calm, but her eyes were telling differently. She was hurt to know that her best friend had forgotten everything about her!
Dr. Cain comforted Avery before he checked on Emma. While checking, he also asked several personal questions like her name, age, and address. Of course, Emma failed to answer most of the questions except her name since she had confirmed it previously through her conversation with Avery.
"Doctor?" Avery was looking intensely at the doctor. They were now outside the room where Emma was admitted to.
"Miss Avery, miss Anna is experiencing temporary retrograde amnesia. A state where she couldn't recall any memories she has prior to the accident. It would be better for her to stay another week here to keep an eye on her. Besides, it would be best if you could help her recall those memories back," Dr. Cain carefully explained.
Avery felt her heart drop to the floor. The guilt inside her mind grew. She blamed herself for everything that happened to Anna, and now that she was in this state...
Nodding weakly, Avery replied in a weak voice, "I understand. Thank you."
Avery stayed outside for quite some time before she took out her phone inside the sling bag that hadn't left her body since a day ago.
"Mom," her voice cracked as tears flowed freely on her cheek. She needed to tell her parents about Anna.
"Avery! Where are you?! Why did you leave without telling us anything?! Didn't we tell you to stay home and let the team handle the investigation? This action of yours is risky; don't you know that? Avery, you... why are you crying? Did something happened?" Avery's mother sounded furious. However, when she heard Avery's muffled cry, her voice became anxious.
Avery felt calm once she heard her mother's voice.
"Mom, I found Anna," She revealed. She knew she deserved to be scolded for leaving without telling her parents, but Anna's accident was something caused by her.
Avery could only hope that her parents would understand.
"You... found Anna?" Avery's mother asked. Her voice was a tone of disbelief but hopeful at the same time. Avery could hear her mother take a deep breath before letting it out.
"Yes, but-"
"Oh, God, oh, thank God! Avery, where are you now? Dad and mom will rush there asap. Avery, why are you still crying? Anna is found, no?" Avery's mother couldn't contain her happiness. The anger that was present in the beginning was replaced by gratefulness. Still, to hear Avery's crying, she was baffled.
"Mom, Anna... she... she lost her memories. She doesn't remember me, neither you nor dad. Mom, it-it's my fault," Avery cried so much that she started to hiccup. Her mother, who was on the other side of the phone, didn't say anything for quite some time. Probably, she too was trying to process everything that was happening.
After some time, Avery's mom spoke. Her voice was calm as if she had decided on the action that should be taken in this kind of situation.
"Avery, don't cry. Right now, we should be thankful that Anna is found. Now, wipe that tears away from your face and stay close to Anna. Don't forget to send your location. We'll be there soon. Did you bring any clothes with you?"
"No," Avery replied as she did what her mother told her to do; get rid of her tears while listening to her mother's response.
"Alright. Mom will bring some of your clothes and Anna's as well. We should stay with her and help her to regain her memories as much as we could. Dear, make sure to send your location, we'll be there soon."
The phone call ended there, and Avery immediately sent her location to her mother's messenger. She leaned against the wall outside Anna's room, calmed herself, and finally entered the room with a forced smile on her face.
Her mother was right. This wasn't the time to cry over something that wouldn't bring a solution to Anna's problem. Right now, staying close to her was more important than anything else!