Chapter 19

A Week Earlier...

Lisa's POV

I didn't know where I was. I was walking through a pretty snowy scenery. I was walking. I wasn't weak and I looked down at my body which had no marks on it.

Was that all a dream? Did we actually get into an accident?

I kept walking and I saw a faint figure standing in the snow. Everything was so bright because of the extremely white snow.

The figure got closer to me and I finally recognized their face.

When the figure approached me it was someone I thought I'd never see again.

My cousin Sally. She died when I was 10 and she was 12. Me and her were like sisters.

She held out her hand. I grabbed it not knowing what else to do.

"C'mon Priya we have so much to catch up on!" She sounded excited.

"Sally I thought you died in that accident years ago?" i asked in confusion.

"I did Ri (she called me this as a nickname) now let's go!" She led me to a field and we sat down.

"I have missed you soo much since I died! I've been watching you though! You've turned so beautiful. Ha, I can remember when you wouldn't even get a powder on your face!" Sally retell our story with a wide smile on her face. She still looks just like the last time i saw her. A 12 year old little girl.

"Wait Sal what's going on?" I was unsure of what is happening, why is Sally here and the fact she doesn't aged a minute.

"Don't you get it Ri? I'm here because you are so close to death. I've been your guardian angel!"

She sounded excited, but I was still confused.

"Sal I'm not ready to go yet. I can't. I have a life ahead of me. My mom and Dad, and Lilly, i can't leave them." I stood up and move one step backwards from her. Is this what they said that when you're dying, you'll see your late loved ones to get you.

"That's not my decision Priya." As soon as she said those, Two figure standing behind her suddenly came up.

"Mom? Dad?" My eyes widen when i saw my parents, thats what they wore before we caught on an accident.

"Our sweet Pran.!" My dad open his arms asking for a hug. I let go of Sally's before i run towards them.

"Mom. What is happening? Why you're here?" i cry.

"Don't be afraid. Just like what Sally said, you're close to death. Pran as much as we want you with us, we can't be selfish. You can't die, your sister is waiting for you." My dad rubs my head. "You need to live."

"all we have left to say is just stay strong. For us. I love you Pranpriya. You need to go back." With that they all hugged me and i felt a sudden suffocation inside.

A part of me is aware that this is a dream....

I'm suddenly in the dark, it's filthy and smelly, but somewhere in my mind I know that if I can just push through the darkness I'll come out on the other side. I know there must be another side. It feels like I've been here a long time, but I don't have a sense of fear or even loneliness. Even in the dark, smelly, dirty dream, I know I'm not alone.

I can feel that someone is there.

If I can only push through. I just might come out on the other end.

So I push... .

I don't know towards who, but I need to find out.

The first thing I noticed when I came to was the smell.

That awful bleach and antiseptic smell that all hospitals seem to have. Like they think if they clean it enough, they can erase the sense of death in these places.

The second thing I noticed, was the beeping.

The insistent, never ending, ever annoying beeping that has started to beep faster.

I struggled to open my eyes, feeling the heaviness to my lids, and noticing how the left eye doesn't seem to open all the way. Through my foggy vision I found I was right about the smell. I'm in the hospital.

But why?

"Help." My voice croaked, hardly audible. "Hello?"

I tried to move but found quickly that it was easier and less achy to just remain still.

The beeping only seemed to grow louder as it beeped faster while I looked around.

Pale blue walls surrounded me where I laid on a bed, all tucked in tight with the white wooly looking blankets. The most disturbing thing to me, other than not having a clue why I'm here, was that I couldn't see my body. I needed to take an inventory of myself, but the stupid blankets were literally tucked up to my chin. I couldn't see anything other than the blankets and all of the little wires and cords that seemed to be coming out from under it.

In my small panic I noticed the blanket shook where my feet should be and I took comfort in the fact that it at least seemed I still had two working legs under there.

I swallowed back, my throat dry throat resisting it at first, then tried to be a little louder.

"Hello?" I barked. "Someone, please!"

The door swings open and a rush of three nurses and one taller woman in a white jacket, I assume the doctor, burst into the room.

"Everything is fine, Miss. Manoban, try to stay calm." One woman urges me as they all busy themselves around me, checking monitors, reading off EKG charts, and jotting things down onto clipboards. Someone pulled the blanket back a little and I quickly freed my arms from it.

As much as I want them to, no one shuts off the stupid machine that won't stop beeping, faster and faster. In the background of my panic, I know it's my heartbeat, but the thought barely registered with me.

I felt a cool hand land on mine and I turned to face the doctor as she sat down on the stool beside my bed.

"Alright, Miss. Manoban, can you tell me where you are? Or the date?"

I fought back the urge to cry, but the answer to her questions only sent a new pain of shrill panic through me. I closed my eyes and thought as hard as I could but I couldn't remember the date and I sure as heck couldn't think of a reason I'd be in the hospital. I'd just been fine.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I don't know...the last thing I remember is being at our house..." I fought through my own mind, but nothing was coming to me. "All I remember was getting ready for bed, and then...I laid down and I just woke up here."

The doctor exchanged a glance with one of the nurses that made my stomach clinch.

"Okay that's alright." The doctor spoke sweetly, nodding her head to me like I'm a child.

She patted my hand once like she was leaving, and when she went to stand I grabbed her wrist. "Please, what happened? What's going on?"

"Try not to worry right now." She smiled kindly, but all I wanted to do was shake her. How could I not worry? I have no idea what's going on right now. I just need her to sit back down and tell me something. Anything. I just need to know what's happened.

"Please." I squeaked again.

The doctor gave the nurse a look and then turned back to me, releasing herself from my grip she placed my hand back down onto the bed. "Everything is going to be fine." She assured me, but I felt like it was a big fat lie.

"You've had a bad accident, but you're doing just fine. Everything is stable and all of your stats look very good. You were very lucky, Miss. Manoban." Lucky is not the word I'd have chosen right about now."Try to get some rest, dearie." she smiles.

I try to fight off but i couldn't feel my body, i can't even lift a single finger.

I don't need more rest. I try to shout it at them, but no words come out. I want answers. I want to know why I'm here, where my parents are, why aren't they're here? I need to know, but I can't muster the words to ask. Until i feel so tired and fell asleep.

I woke again some time later, completely disoriented as I tried to turn off the alarm on my bedside table only to find that the beeping sound wasn't coming from my alarm and I most certainly was not in my room at home.

Slowly the foggy memory comes back.

I'm in the hospital.

My failed attempt to sit up reminded me all too well that I am pretty stiff, but I don't have the slightest idea of why.

The doctor had said something about me having an accident. But how?

I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking.

Pretty easily I remembered having been exhausted last night. I'd spent the whole day helping someone, i guess my Mom cause that's how i call her in my memory  while we pack i don't know who's clothes and were very excited going to Bangkok.

But that's as far as I remember. I got in the bed, and I went to sleep.

So how did I end up here? Had I rolled off the bed and gotten a concussion or something?

It seemed like an easy enough explanation. I can be a little clumsy sometimes, so I wouldn't say it was outside of the realm of possibilities for me to have done it. Maybe I knocked my head so hard I just don't remember it happening or being brought here.

I glanced around the small room, but there wasn't much to look at. It was just me, the bed, some equipment.

I tried again to sit up in vain but i fail until i heard a murmuring sound slowly approaching. The door swug open and a man in white coat together with a girl with long blonde hair enter.

"Oh my god Pran!" the girl hysterically rushed on me and hugged me. Surely I've heard that voice... "Im so happy you're awake." she sniffs and brushes my face.

I tried to analyze her face but i failed to recognize her.

"Pran its me! Rosé don't you remember me?" she wipe her tears then point on herself.

Rosé.... my best bud.

"Rosé.." i blurted. Her eyes were pleading for me to acknowledge her. "I remember you. I just can't remember how you look like."

She then stood up and look at the doctor but the doctor just smiled at her

"It's part of it." he whispered to Rosé audibly.

Suddenly someone entered again and i guess she was a nurse cause iremember her uniform. "How are you feeling?" She asked me as she walked over to check a monitor.

"I'm fine," I lied. "I just really want to know what happened, and where's mom and Dad where's Lilly?" I asked then look at Rosé.

She bit her bottom lip and then smiled at me. The nurse walk on the other side and said. "No need to worry yourself. I'm just going to get your vitals and then I'll let Doctor Kris to explain you everything.."

I watched her as she busied from one side of me to the other while Rosé and the Doctor were watching her.

"What day is it?" I asked and the nurse hesitated for a moment, but answered anyway.

"It's Thursday."

I leaned my head back against my pillow and groaned nervously. The last day I remember had been Friday. The nurse shuffled back out then say something to the doctor on the side before she leave.

The doctor took the clipboard from the nurse. I shift on Rosé and No matter how hard i tried to remember her, i just cant remember her face.

"Hello again, Miss. Manoban." The doctor greeted me as he came to take a seat next to my bed while Rosé stood on the opposite side. "I'm happy to hear you're feeling a bit better. Do you have any discomfort right now?"

I sighed and I bit my lip. "My head hurts." I admitted cautiously, worried they'd knock me back out again if I told them how stiffy I really am.

"Ah, yes, that'll probably be around for a while." he told me, then smiled. "Aside from that though?"

"I'm fine."

The doctor stood at the foot of my bed, shuffling through the papers on his clipboard before finally looking up to me and giving me a reassuring smile.

"Ms.Pranpriya can I call you Pran?" He paused while he waited for me to nod. "My name is Doctor Kris, I'm the psychologist assigned to your case." He smiled. If they wanted one from me, they wouldn't be getting it until they gave me some answers. "I'm most just here to make sure you are adjusting to everything well."

"Okay?"

"Alright, Pran, why don't you start by telling me what you remember?" He prompted, pen in hand ready to scribble down whatever my response is. "Do you know how you got here?"

Holding back tears I shook my head. "No." I told him. "I don't remember anything about how I got here."

"But you remember your name, age, that kind of thing, correct?" He just looked at me with a blank expression.

"Um, yeah." I nodded. "Im Pranpriya Manoban, I'm nineteen."

Both Doctor Kris and Rosé glanced to each other and then back to me.

"Do you know where you are, Pran?" He asked, leaning forward.

I nodded again. "Ulsan Medical Hospital." I told them.

It was an easy enough answer because it was the only hospital within miles of my house.

Confusion struck me in a whole new way when he shook his head. Why would they have taken me somewhere else? UMH is a twenty minute drive from my house. The next nearest hospital is over an hour away.

"Pran, this is Seoul Private Hospital." He informed me gently, writing something quickly on his paper. "Do you know what year it is?"

"Wait, where is Seoul Private?" I asked them, ignoring the rest.

Dr. Kris cleared his throat. "It's in Seoul."

I dropped my jaw, then shut it again. "No." I said bluntly. "That just can't be correct. I don't understand...what's going on?" My fingers shook at my sides and I tried my best to hide it from their view.

Seoul? How would I have gotten here?!

"Where exactly did you think you were, Pran?" 

Rosé's voice broke through my mental breakdown.

"I don't know!" I half yelled. "I mean I thought I'd still be in Ulsan, not in Seoul. How did I get here?" There was no hiding my panic anymore, the tears were burning in my eyes.

"Why would you be in Ulsan, Pran?" Doctor Kris asked me gently, while Rosé placing a hand over my shaking one.

I sucked in a ragged breath. "Because that's where we live." The tears spilled over the edges. "I don't understand."

Both Doctor and Rosé gave me sympathetic looks and tilted their heads. "Ok, Pranpriya, I see."

Rosé tightened her grip on my hand while Doctor Kris reached for something on the table on the other side of the room. "Look, Pran, you've got some partial memory loss. Things are going to be confusing at first, but Im here to help you, alright?"

I couldn't blink or cry. All I could do was stare at it in a state of disbelief and shock.

"Okay I guess you need to rest now. I'll just give a talk with your friend okay?" he told me then smile before Leaving me and Rosé.

"Take a rest Pran. I'll be back after we talk." she said then kiss the top of my head before she left me.

After a few seconds, there were complete silence.. I close my eyes and tried to remember what happened. My childhood, my middle school days, the last school i attended, they were all clear except i can't remember who im with. Who's with me and who they are.. When Rosé and the doctor came, Im sure i look at their face but when i shift off and look back at them, its like I've seen it for the first time again, its like another person, hence when they speak, i know it was them.