In a mad dash, Christopher and Yvonne sprinted through the streets of Baltimore. They were rushing from their car to the hospital.
Christopher's heart beat a mile a minute. He had been called in to perform brain surgery, and he wasn't entirely sure that he remember how after his bout of amnesia. Yvonne had talked him into at least giving it a try in order to save the patient's life. But apprehension surged through every inch of his body as the two of them raced to the front doors of the hospital.
When they finally reached the building, Christopher was stunned. The hospital was massive. It was bustling with people running in and out of it. It looked like something straight out of a medical drama.
Yvonne elbowed his side. "Remember this?"
Surprisingly, he didn't. "It reminds me of Grey's Anatomy. Does that count?"
Disappointed, Yvonne shook her head. "Sadly, no."
The two jogged into the lobby. Christopher couldn't help but notice how big the hospital was. The lobby had to be filled with a thousand people.
Just for good measure, Yvonne asked Christopher again, "Does anything of this look familiar to you?"
Still, Christopher was convinced his memory was wiped for good. He couldn't remember anything. Not even the fact that the patient he was about to operate on was one of his best friends. "Nothing rings a bell, sadly."
Christopher's face clouded with uneasiness. He resisted the urge to turn around and walk out the front door of the hospital and never come back. Despite the fact that he was a doctor – a brain surgeon, no less – he could not fathom how he could have worked here every day and not remember a single thing.
Sighing, Yvonne looked around for anyone who could point her in the right direction.
Before she could find anyone, the couple was bombarded by a dozen frantic doctors and nurses. They all flooded Christopher, shouting his name. Christopher looked like a deer in the headlights, his eyes as round as saucers.
One short nurse waved a clipboard in his face. "We've been trying to get a hold of you for days, Dr. Doole! We're so backed up, you wouldn't believe it!"
A doctor Christopher Doole didn't recognize put his arm around him. "We've been keeping this patient stable, but we're going to need you to work your magic." Christopher nodded, afraid to tell this fellow doctor that he might not have his "magic" anymore.
Another doctor who donned a surgical mask and protective glasses handed Christopher a manilla folder. "Here's the patient's records. You should probably give this a look before you go in. Christopher, who still held his medical bag in one hand, accepted the thick folder with his free hand. He didn't even bother to glance at it because he already knew he didn't have a clue as what the complicated medical terms in it meant.
In an attempt to calm the crowd that surrounded him, Christopher raised his hands. "Okay, everyone, thank you for the warm welcome, but there's a huge problem."
The nurse jumped up and down, waving her clipboard. "I know! Look!"
Christopher pushed the clipboard out of his face. "I'm sorry. I hate to break it to you, but I can't do this surgery."
Confused, all of the doctors exchanged glances. They had never seen a case that Christopher couldn't solve. There was never a person he could not have cured. One of the doctors spoke up. "What are you talking about, Christopher?"
The doctor who handed Christopher the manilla folder shook her head. "You're the best doctor here. If you can't do it, none of us can."
The nurse jumped forward. "The hospital can't run without you! You single-handedly saved every sick child in the city of Baltimore!"
While the doctors' protests were an attempt to make Christopher feel better, they only worried him. He may have been the best doctor in Baltimore, but that was when he could actually remember attending med school. "You guys don't understand. I can't remem–"
Before he could finish his sentence, Yvonne pushed Christopher to the side. She stood smack dab in the middle of the group of doctors. "He'll take care of it. He's just been tired after he… he, uh, he helped rescue the city from Riley Naysmith!"
All of the doctors cheered. Then, one in the crowd piped up. "I saw that on Channel 16 with Ken Stokes! That was amazing, Dr. Doole!"
The battle against Riley practically turned Yvonne and Christopher into local celebrities.
As everyone around them applauded Christopher, Yvonne pulled him to the side. After she noticed how horribly he was shaking, she rubbed his arm in an attempt to calm his nerves. "Okay, I know this sucks because you can't remember anything, but I believe in you. You've got this, Christopher. I'm positive you'll get your memory back and save Tom Sawyer."
As Yvonne spoke to him, Christopher relaxed a little. He didn't believe in himself, but hearing that Yvonne put her faith in him made him want to try. He couldn't understand why, but he wanted to be brave for her. He wanted to impress her. He grabbed her hand in his. "Okay. We'll do it."
He felt the tension in his body ease a little, and he sucked in a deep breath. As Christopher stepped forward, all of the doctors looked at him. He cleared his throat. "Okay, someone needs to brief me."
A physician who was waving a scalpel stepped forward. "Doctor, the patient was attacked by a super soldier during the fights."
The memory of the super soldier fights broke Yvonne's heart. She couldn't imagine her good friend Tom Sawyer getting attacked when he was all alone. "Those super soldiers did a lot of damage."
The physician agreed. "I would say so. The patient has a fracture in his skull. The back of his head was bashed in. The wounds are deep. In addition, he has a dural tear. We were able to prevent anything from getting worse by putting him under, but we're not sure how much longer he'll last without surgery."
Squinting, Christopher scratched his head. Something was itching at his brain. "He needs a duraplasty."
All of the doctors circled around him. Together, they walked to the operating room. Yvonne tried to keep up. She shuffled along behind them.
The first thing Christopher noticed when he walked into the room was Tom Sawyer laying on the operating table. As soon as he lay eyes on the man, he brought a hand to his mouth.
It hit him like a tidal wave. Without reason and without warning, Christopher remembered. He remembered Tom Sawyer. He remembered all of the good times they shared. He remembered Alex. And Louis. He remembered their friendship. And, most importantly, he remembered how to perform complicated brain surgery.
"Someone hand me a scalpel," Christopher said.
The way Christopher stood up, so tall and confident, made Yvonne weak in the knees. There was something about him she never noticed. She admired his professionalism and his caring nature.
While Christopher started shouting orders at his surgical team, Yvonne leaned in next to him. "Looks like you remembered something."
Christopher smirked. "No, I'm just winging it," he joked.
Yvonne covered her mouth as she giggled. "I think I'm going to wait outside. I'm not too keen on seeing my friend's brain cut open. Is that alright?"
Without question, Lincoln nodded. "Of course."
He pulled Yvonne in for an impromptu hug. The two held each other for a few seconds too long before a surgeon interrupted them. "Hey, Doc, we're picking up signs of a fistula formation. What do you want to do?"
Before Christopher tugged away from Yvonne, he gave her a warm, welcoming smile. Then, he turned toward the operating table. "We need to ligate the nerves, stat."
Yvonne's eyes followed Christopher as he hurried toward the operating table. She had never seen him at work before, and she quickly realized she was certainly missing out. Turns out, watching a hot doctor was a major turn-on.
She walked out of the room on cloud nine, plopping herself down on a tiny bench down the hall. As she waited for Christopher to complete the surgery. She replayed it all in her mind, from Christopher going missing to his flirtatious return then to his memory being partially restored.
Huh, that's odd, she thought to herself. It was like the emotions of seeing Tom Sawyer on the operating table helped him remember who he was. Maybe that's the key. Being in touch with his emotions allows him to access his memories. I just hope when all his memories come back, he can remember how he feels about me right now.
After a few hours, Christopher appeared in the doorway. He whipped his head around, and when he saw Yvonne, he dashed toward her. He lifted her up, swinging her around in his arms. "We did it!" He put her down and grabbed her shoulders. "I was able to remember almost everything, and the things I couldn't quite get, the surgical team helped with. It was a miracle. He'll make a full recovery."
In a giddy haze, Yvonne jumped up and down. "Oh, Christopher! This is amazing! Congratulations."
He let go of Yvonne, bringing his hands to his head. He was grateful that he was able to save his friend. "I think we should stay until he wakes up. Maybe we can take him back to Alex's until he makes a full recovery."
Yvonne nodded. "That's a good idea." She snapped, remembering her hypothesis from earlier. "I think I know why you remembered Tom Sawyer."
The doctor was intrigued to hear what she had to say. "Why?"
She took a deep breath. "Okay, I know this may sound crazy, but I think when you experienced that intense emotional response, it triggered your memory. The more you connect with your emotions, the more you can remember."
The corners of Christopher's mouth turned upward. He stepped closer to Yvonne. "Well, I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now. In fact, I feel a lot of emotions every time I'm with you."
Yvonne's knees nearly buckled as she shivered under Christopher's gaze. "Oh, really? Oh gosh."
Before the two could get any closer, a doctor came rushing down the hall. "Christopher, are you ready to converse with the post-op team?"
Reluctantly, Christopher turned away from Yvonne. He wanted nothing more than to spend time with her, but he knew he had a job to do. "Of course." He tilted his head back to Yvonne. "Sorry."
With that, he raced down the hallway. Yvonne's heart skipped a beat as she watched. Hate to see him go, but I love to watch him walk away, she thought.