After Sophia left, John's hospital stay took a turn for the worse.
Despite the nurses doing what they could to keep his fever at bay, his shivering became worse and his whole body felt tense. No matter what he did, he couldn't rest while he was in that state.
He wondered what kind of degenerate he was to take drugs that would leave him like that. He refused to believe he was somebody like that.
During the few moments his shivering was under control, he would try to sleep. It seemed like those times always correlated to when a nurse checked on him.
Needless to say, not much sleeping happened.
By the time the sun rose, he was ragged and in an even worse mood than before. He found himself looking forward to getting discharged from the hospital even if that meant he had to play roommates with Sophia. If it weren't for her, he didn't know what he would do or who could take him in.
For some reason, he found it extremely hard to be grateful towards people but he appreciated her good nature. If working in a bakery was what kept him away from the hospital, he wouldn't hesitate.
The doctor John had seen the evening before returned with a few pieces of advice on how to wake up his mind and try to recall memories. He said it was going to help to be in a familiar environment. He also brought in a mirror to see if John looking at his face might help him remember what happened.
With a mirror in his hands, he stared at himself with a blank expression. Although, his expression quickly turned confused which made his eyebrows lower and him look judgmental. Had that been how he was looking at people all this time? It was no wonder everyone was intimidated by him even though he was simply confused.
He tried to raise his eyebrows to see if it might help him look more approachable. If he couldn't be verbally grateful to Sophia, he could at least try not to look like an ass. Maybe then she would tell him the truth of their past, or perhaps lack of one.
He didn't believe she was his fiancé. She seemed too afraid of him.
When Sophia finally arrived at the hospital, she walked into the room to see John staring at himself in a mirror, holding one of his cheeks and changing his expression as if it was unfamiliar to him.
When he noticed her standing there, he dropped the mirror, feeling slightly embarrassed she caught him.
Sophia wore a white tank top tucked into light blue jeans with a brown belt. Over her shoulders was a light pink sweater that slouched through the sleeves, Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she carried a shopping bag with her.
"Sophia," John greeted her, surprisingly gently.
The last time she had seen him, he had such an angry look on his face it caused her to, once again, question everything she was doing. To see him wear an expression that didn't seem to pierce her soul caused her to feel a bit relieved.
She had noticed before that the spearmint scent that came with him was a bit less than before he was awake. It caused her to wonder if it was cologne. Perhaps all the sweating he had done rubbed it off of him. She found it to be a shame because she found the smell attractive.
"On my way here, I realized that you don't have anything to wear," she explained. "I picked you up a few things but I'm not sure what your size is. Hopefully, they fit."
Her thoughtfulness was throwing him off again. It made him wonder if there was a chance they did know each other before his accident. Was he someone important enough for her to go out of her way for?
"Ah, thank you…" he trailed off.
Sophia tilted her head at him.
The man in front of her was different from the one she experienced the night before. It gave her hope that maybe he wasn't always so angry. If she found out he was sweet under his tough exterior, their time together would get much easier.
"Have you heard any other news about getting out of here?" she asked, wondering if she would have to wait longer.
If he had to stay another day, she would probably go into the bakery for at least a half day.
John held up one of his large hands, showing that he was no longer connected to machines. There were bandages where his IVs had been removed.
"I was told they're working on my discharge paperwork," he explained gently. "They need to verify a few things with you first."
Sophia nodded and decided to take a seat as she wondered how long that might take.
"What about your condition?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
There was no way to brush past the fact that less than a day before he was unconscious in an alleyway. He looked surprisingly healthy for all the blood she saw on his head. Even the withdrawal symptoms from before seemed to have lessened.
John stared at her, measuring her expression and wondering why he felt like he could confide in her. Again, he wondered if it was a remnant of his past.
"I have a concussion but the wound itself isn't that bad," he insisted despite the row of staples on the back of his head. "Just a mild headache."
Sophia was about to respond about how that relieved her but they were cut off by a nurse walking in with a stack of papers.
"You're the fiance?" she asked. "I just need to verify some of your information before we can grant you temporary guardianship of him. As for you, John, you can get any personal belongings and get dressed in the bathroom. You're lucky they need hospital beds. They're pushing out a little earlier than they might normally."
Sophia glanced at John, feeling strange that he was referring to her as his fiancé even when she wasn't around. Again, she had to remind herself that this was a battle she chose. She wondered what her actual boyfriend might think of that.
Following the nurse into the hallway, Sophia went to a nurse's station where she presented her identification and filled out a few things. She felt it was strange how easily they were releasing John and sending him with her. Maybe he had been more believable about their relationship when she wasn't around.
After she had her own stack of papers to worry about with future appointment times for him, the neurologist's office phone number, and further instructions about concussion care, she returned to the room with a small smile on her face.
"It's time to go," she said.