Auralee rushed to the hospital, expecting the worst. When she got the call, she didn't know what to think. Ja-Jade couldn't be dead. She couldn't be. She was just a little hurt. That was all. She spent the whole time driving trying to convince herself that. But when she got to the hospital and told the aid who she was looking for, her hopes fell as fast as the aid's face.
"You'd better hurry," the aid said. "I'm not sure she'll hang on much longer."
Auralee ran alongside the aid. When they finally got to Jade's room, the aid pushed the door open. Auralee almost threw up. Jade looked terrible. What had happened to her? She sat down on the chair next to the bed, staring at the heart monitor, waiting for the dreadful moment that it would stop. After what seemed like hours, she tore her gaze away and looked down at Jade, preparing to study her wounds to she if she could guess what had happened to her friend. Instead, she found a pair of curious eyes - Jade's eyes - opened and staring straight at her with no recognition.
Jade wakes up, seeing a strange girl she doesn't recognize, sitting at the bedside. "Mmm…. Where am I? Who are you…?" Jade says sleepily. She looks around the room, not at all sure how she ended up here. It was a hospital, that was for sure, the bed and all the adjacent technology indicated such. But… why was she here? She turns back to the girl, waiting for some sort of answer.
"Jade? Ohmygodareyouokyouscaredmesobaddon'teverdothatagain." Auralee reached down and hugged her best friend, being careful not to squeeze too tight and cause her friend further pain. "You're awake now, that's all that matters. I'm so glad you're OK." Auralee started to cry out of relief that Jade was okay.
"I- Um." Jade starts to say as she is suddenly hugged. She isn't entirely sure who this person is, but she seems to know Jade. "I'm… sorry. I think. I don't know who you are, like, at all." Jade asks as she pulls back and out of the tight hug.
"You what? Jade what's going on?" Auralee frowned. "This isn't funny girl, so stop."
What the the fuck fuck is going on? Auralee thought.
Jade flinches at the rather aggressive response, "I-I'm sorry. I don't remember you, or much of anything, I don't really know why I'm here either." Jade curls up against the back of the hospital bed, muttering the apology as she retreats back. "I'm sorry…. I don't remember you…." She repeats quietly.
"Yo-you're being serious?" Auralee asks, pain in her voice. "Hang on, I'm calling the nurse." She stepped out into the hall, looking around for a nurse. There wasn't one in sight, so she went into the waiting room where she had stopped when she arrived at the hospital. She went to the front desk, talking to the secretary for a moment. Then she went back to Jade and asked one question. "You really don't remember me?"
Jade shakes her head. "Nope. I don't remember you. I don't remember much else either… I just remember waking up… and that's it, honestly." She shrugs, and stares at Auralee, trying to see if her face brings up any familiar memories. Nope. Still blank….
"Do you remember your name? Before I told it to you, that is?"
Just then, the door opened and a nurse came in. "Oh," she said, "you're awake." The nurse looked confused, perhaps wondering how Jade was awake when she had been in critical condition not 30 minutes ago.
"Yes, she's awake," Auralee said, "And she doesn't remember anything."
Jade pulls out a small green journal, begins to flip it open to the title page. "My name is Jade." She flips the journal around to show Auralee and the nurse, where it said, 'This journal belongs to Jade'. "I wrote in this I think. It was a diary of sorts." Jade continues. She closes it and places it down beside her on the bed.
The nurse performed a bunch of exams on Jade. Finally, she turned to Auralee. "She is suffering from moderate amnesia. She should remember everything in a couple months. But her progress will be slow. I think we're gonna keep her here for another day or two, but she's doing a lot better. Try telling her some of your favorite memories of her, to see if that rings a bell." The nurse walked out.
"So," Auralee said, "You don't remember anything? How about I show you some of our favorite pictures together. Is that okay?"
Jade nods. "Okay. If it'll help me out with my memories, then I'm fine with it. First, um, whats your name? I don't think I ever learned it.."
"Oh right. I'm Auralee. I a-was your best friend before the accident. We're roommates. Here look, this is our cat Bubbles. We got him together about six months ago." Auralee shows Jade a picture of the two of them holding a cat.
"omigodhes so cute!" Jade whisper-squeals leaning forward suddenly, her eyes open, and looking far more awake then she had been the whole time. "Roommates…. So are- or were we like college roommate or something?" Jade takes her eyes off the utterly precious cat pic, and looks back at Auralee.
"Yeah. We both go to Columbia University. We were childhood friends. I think we met when we were five. But I'm not sure. My memory from back then is really hazy." Auralee gasped immediately after she said that, wishing she could take back the words. "Sorry. I-I hope that wasn't offensive or anything. I-sorry."
Jade laughs. "No offense taken! That was funny!" She flips through the journal, seeming to have recalled something. "Ah! here it is…. Yes! I seem to have written something about us having been childhood friends too! Or something like that…. My own handwriting is a little hard to read…" Jade giggles and shows the page to Auralee, which is easily described as chicken scratch, decipherable only by whoever wrote it in the first place. The journal has a slightly comprehensive page written about how Jade and Auralee met, and the rest seems to be more daily thoughts and plans and ideas. All pretty hard to make out though.
"Wow. I just can't believe you still keep that." Auralee smiled. "We used to make master plans in there. Mostly about annoying our siblings. And taking over the school. Those were the days." Auralee smiled again, this time wistfully. "So, do you remember what you look like?"
Jade laughs. "I have been to the bathroom. There's a mirror. So yes, I do know what I look like."
"But, did you remember before you looked in the mirror?"
"Um……" Jade thinks for a moment. "That's a good question. Dunno. I went to the bathroom…. I looked…. I think so, I don't think I particularly went, 'weird, I look like that?' or anything. I mean, I could've just forgotten that I did indeed forget. Don't think it matters too much either way though."
"Yeah. So do you remember anything? Bits and pieces? Or is it just like, a blank slate?" Auralee asked.
"Mostly blank. When I read my writings, or hear you mention stuff, it kinda makes sense, but i can't really remember anything specific. So yeah, blank. I do remember that I like lemonade though! Might be the only thing I can remember actually…"
"Yeah, you were obsessed with lemonade. Like to the point of if you saw a lemonade stand you would buy all of the lemonade." Auralee smiles.
"That sounds familiar….. Or at least it feels like I would do that." Jade stops a moment, deep in thought. " I think I'm hungry now, I haven't had breakfast yet, want to grab something to eat?"
