"Rhodes? Are you awake?" A voice came from afar. Rhodes couldn't move enough to let him see the person. The man walked to the side of the bed and looked down at him. With a sad smile, he whispered, "Hey, hang in there, buddy. Thanks for waking up. I'm scared you'd go into a coma."
"Are you the doctor…?" Rhodes murmured, assuming the man was a doctor. He was wearing the white coat and checking the tubes as if making adjustments.
"Don't try to be funny, man. You almost died." The man laughed and stroked his head once. "Hey, does anywhere hurt? I mean, the surgery was a success, but the anesthesia might still be wearing off. You might feel pain somewhere."
Rhodes blinked under the doctor's gaze. He stayed quiet, but the doctor's expression grew ugly by the second. The man asked with a hint of worry, "Rhodes… don't you… remember who I am?"
The patient blinked again. "…I don't even remember my name…"
A soft gasp came from the doctor. He looked down at Rhodes's charts on his clipboard. "All right, let's get you an MRI. Something must have caused your memory to vanish temporarily. Don't worry. It should be back soon."
Rhodes heard a hint of panic in the doctor's voice. He chuckled. "Why are you assuring yourself instead? Are we friends, doctor?"
"It's Lionel…" the doctor whispered as he contacted someone to schedule the exam. "Are we friends? You tell me. We've been working together since we got our internship, and I'm supposed to officiate your wedding. Do I not sound like a friend of yours?"
"…can you tell me what happened to me?" Rhodes could only smile, but it didn't exude happiness or satisfaction at all. "Maybe I'll remember something."
Lionel kept his lips shut. He looked away. "I shouldn't. It's an ongoing investigation. You should remember everything on your own. I don't want to tamper with your statements. Even if I want to ask you how things led to this…"
Rhodes grunted. "Sounds like you are blaming me for it. Did someone die in… whatever it was?"
Lionel nodded. His voice came out in a much inaudible whisper, "Your fiancee, Joan. She didn't make it. She died in the ambulance. They tried their best, Rhodes."
Blink. Rhodes heard a name he should be familiar with. That was his fiancee's name. However, it didn't hurt him in any place. This feeling felt wrong. Did he not love this woman? Why did her existence not make a dent in his mind?
Rhodes grunted softly again. "Mn."
"You don't remember her, either? I know your relationship isn't the best, but I can't imagine her death won't cause you any trembles at all." Lionel patted Rhodes's shoulder. "But you still talk the way you used to. I guess that narrows down the problem. It's just sad to think that even Professor Wester will also be forgotten by his—"
"Professor Wester…?" Rhodes reacted to the name this time. He didn't have that much impression of it, but the name felt familiar… important. A vague image of an old man came to his mind. The man warmly extended his hand toward Rhodes. His smile was also kind yet blurred.
The patient's brows frowned. "Professor Wester… Is he old…? Tall… kind?"
Lionel listened to his best friend toss general traits as if forcing to remember someone. Though he couldn't argue that Professor Wester was a core person in Rhodes's life, he felt slightly jealous. His face didn't even make Rhodes flinch. The only consolation was that Rhodes didn't know Joan as well.
The doctor nodded. "Yeah, he's all that. Don't worry about his feelings. He passed away three months ago. You're supposed to marry Joan to honor his last request to make you part of his Wester family. He really liked you, Rhodes."
"…I don't feel happy hearing that." Rhodes darkly chuckled at the sound of 'Wester family.' He looked up at the doctor's expressive face. He lightly smiled. "Sorry, this must be upsetting for you. Don't worry. If your calculations are correct, you won't have to worry."
"Do you trust me, Rhodes? I can be wrong. Your memories might not be recovered."
"Then, I'll just make new ones. The world is infinite. There's always something more out there." Rhodes, however, clutched the bed sheets under his hands.
Lionel looked down at him with a sad gaze. He leaned down to kiss Rhodes's head and whispered, "I'll get your doctor. I'm not in neurology. Neither are you. So don't worry. They won't sugarcoat things for you, even if you asked for it."
He left Rhodes's side and met with someone by the door. It was another doctor, as if he contacted the doctor as soon as he figured Rhodes lost his memories. Rhodes watched Lionel leave, and the female doctor smiled at him. She made her introductions, but Rhodes didn't listen at all. His gaze followed Lionel through the overlooking window.
That kiss earlier… Why did it feel so repulsive?
…
The detectives visited him next. Rhodes realized he was caught in an accident with his fiancee in the passenger seat. Based on the evidence gathered, Joan—the fiancee—was texting her mother while Rhodes berated her during the drive. They must have argued about something unclear.
Rhodes figured the situation looked so bad. They thought it was foul play. Did the lovers struggle for the wheel? Did Joan try to break off their engagement, so Rhodes ran the car off the road? It was highly likely to happen.
The more Rhodes heard about Joan, the more irritated he became. They might be betrothed to each other, but their relationship sounded so hostile.
"I don't remember anything about the accident." Rhodes snapped at the unending pressuring questions of the detectives. "Even with a pseudo-admission, I won't get convicted without evidence. You better stop asking me questions I don't have any answers to."
"Dr. Huxley, did you really lose your memories?" one of the detectives asked with a smirk. "Why do you sound the same before the accident? Are you avoiding your crime? You do realize we will find out the truth, and when we disprove your lies, your sentence will be heavier."
Rhodes glared at the detective. "I only forgot people and places, not how to speak. Stop bothering me. I'm requesting a lawyer. If you're insistent, see you in court."
The other detective frowned. "All right, Dr. Huxley. We'll see you there and send you where you belong."
It was unpleasant, but their questions and conjectures told Rhodes many things. However, he didn't know what to do from here. His memories were next to empty, and his entire life depended on what happened in that accident. Even his career as an award-winning doctor had gone down the drain without his knowledge and expertise.
"It sounds like I'm the one who gets to save people a lot." Rhodes gritted his teeth. He sighed in self-pity. "Now that I'm down, who gets to save me?"
"You say it as if you're worthy."