Chapter 94 – Who the F* Are You?**

The sterile scent of disinfectant lingered in the air of the hospital room, the hum of machines and the soft beeping of monitors forming a background chorus that had become all too familiar to everyone who had taken turns sitting by Ryan's bedside.

It had been two weeks. Fourteen days of silent waiting. Fourteen days of whispered prayers, stifled sobs, and hopeful talks beside a boy who remained unmoved in his hospital bed.

Sarah sat on one side of the room, her face pale and weary from sleepless nights. Her hands were folded tightly in her lap, knuckles white. Jack stood beside her, arms crossed, eyes fixed on Ryan like a man standing guard.

On the other side, Richard and Evelyn remained close to each other. Richard looked tense, almost like he didn't belong, but he refused to leave. Ben sat on the floor by the window, legs crossed, back to the wall, while Savannah held Anna's hand tightly. Anna hadn't left the hospital for more than a few hours at a time—she simply couldn't. She barely ate, barely slept. All her energy was poured into being close in case he woke up.

And today, he did.

It started with a flicker.

A twitch of a finger. A flutter of an eyelid.

Anna gasped when she saw it, springing to her feet as if jolted by electricity.

"Doctor!" she shouted into the hallway, nearly tripping over her own shoes.

The door swung open seconds later, nurses and a doctor rushing in. One nurse checked the monitors while the doctor moved toward the bed.

"Ryan," the doctor said calmly, "Ryan, if you can hear me, I want you to try opening your eyes."

Everyone gathered closer. The air in the room tightened, thick with anticipation.

Ryan's eyes fluttered again—once, twice—and then slowly opened.

For a moment, he blinked against the bright light overhead, his pupils adjusting. Then, with effort, his head turned slowly to the side.

He looked at Sarah.

Then Jack.

Then Anna.

Then Richard.

His brow furrowed.

"What the…" he muttered, voice raspy and rough, barely a whisper. "What is this?"

"Ryan," Sarah said quickly, tears rising in her eyes, "baby, you're awake—thank God, you're okay—"

He looked at her like she'd just spoken a foreign language.

And then, louder now, his voice strained but sharp, Ryan said:

"Who the f* are you?"**

Silence.

The words echoed like a slap.

Everyone froze. Sarah's face fell as if the air had been knocked from her lungs. Ben stood up slowly, wide-eyed. Anna took a step back like she'd been physically hit.

"I'm sorry?" the doctor asked gently, moving closer. "Ryan, can you tell us what you remember?"

Ryan's eyes darted around the room. His breaths came quicker now, panic blooming beneath the surface.

"Why are there so many people? Why are you all looking at me like that?" he snapped. "Where am I? What happened?"

"You were in an accident," the doctor explained. "You were in a coma for two weeks. You're safe now."

"A coma?" Ryan repeated, disbelief in his tone. "I don't even know who any of you are!"

His heart monitor picked up speed.

"Okay," the doctor said calmly, motioning to a nurse, "we're going to give him something to help him stay calm. This is normal with trauma—memory gaps are common."

Anna's lips trembled. She stared at Ryan as the color drained from her face.

He turned his head toward her and blinked.

"Do I… know you?"

The words broke something in her.

Ben reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, pulling her gently away as a nurse came to guide them out of the room so the doctor could do his work.

Outside in the hallway, the silence continued.

"I knew it," Sarah whispered to herself, eyes glassy. "I knew something was wrong…"

"It's not permanent," the doctor assured them once he stepped out. "It could take time. Days, weeks. Maybe longer. We'll do scans, memory tests… but you all need to be patient."

"How are we supposed to be patient when our son just woke up and doesn't recognize his own mother?" Sarah snapped.

Richard tensed, but Jack placed a steady hand on her back.

Anna stood by the wall, arms crossed over her chest, trying to keep herself from crumbling. Savannah wiped a tear from her cheek. Ben looked like he was holding back the urge to punch a wall.

None of this felt real.

Inside the room, Ryan lay still, staring at the ceiling as the medication calmed his racing heart. He didn't know who he was. He didn't know why he was here.

But somehow, a voice lingered in the back of his head. A voice soft, comforting.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."

And yet he didn't know whose voice it was.