Hearts and The Heartless
Chapter One: Awakening
She looked into the mirror again, finding herself dressed in hospital gown, nothing but a mere blue outfit. Her hair was long, straight and unkempt. She wondered for how long she had been in that way. Moving closer to the wall mirror in front of her, she pulled her hair out gently, only to find that several of it had fall off. She looked around, the room filled with nothing but a single bed, a bedside table, a dresser, and a chair. Then her eyes stopped abruptly at the flower vase on the bedside table. Slowly, she moved her feet towards it. The pain she felt was throbbing her backbone when she tried to walk faster. She lifted a piece of card beside the flower vase.
“Daisies,” her voice sounded clearly in the room.
That was all on the card. She tried to look for another word but nothing there. She gaped at the flowers in the vase; there were three pieces of them, all yellow in color. Vertebrae aching, still she was staring at the flowers. In a minute or so, she heard the door behind her clutched open. She turned around and her eyes met with a pair of charming turquoise blue eyes before her. The person in front of her was wearing a black suit, with a thin black tie, black spiky haired, and with a broad, beautiful smile. She tried to smile back but her lip muscle disobeyed.
“Hello, Emily. How are you today?” he asked.
She blinked. Then she looked around, trying to find someone else in the room. There was none but her. Was Emily her name?
“My name is Emily?” she asked him.
He smiled and nodded.
“Are you a doctor?” she asked again.
“I was but not anymore.”
“What happened?”
“I quit from my job.”
Then Emily continued to stare at his torso, only to avoid his watery blue eyes from staring at hers. This guy was taller than her, his broad chest and flat stomach were quite visible through the thinned-fabric white shirt. His unbutton black suit-jacket made him look a lot like Keanu Reeves in Constantine. Then Emily saw a glimpse of tattoo on the back of his palm that wrote; River.
“Daisies will brighten your day today, Emily.”
She looked up. His eyes often clicked into hers, causing her heart to beat faster.
“Are they daisies?”
He smiled again at her question. Then he nodded.
“For how long have I been here, River?”
He startled. Then he smiled again and looked down to his hand.
“I see you know my name.”
“Sorry.”
“No, call me whatever you like,”
He walked around the room, touching almost everything but none of the items he touched seemed touchable.
“How long have I been here?” Emily repeated.
River paused and stared into her eyes deeply. His nostrils flared, tried to hide his emotion, avoiding him from tearing down.
“You’ve been in a coma for a while.”
“How long?” she insisted.
“Three years.” He sighed.
Emily startled, staring into space, jaw dropped. River, on the other hand, continued to walk around.
“That’s a long period,” she said, still staring into a hollow wind in front of her.
River approached her slowly, his shoes was tapping on the floor loudly as the room was already in grave silence.
“Why am I here? Why I can’t remember anything, not even my name?” she asked again.
River let out a sigh.
“I think you need some fresh air,”
THERE was a group of people in front of her, and from what she saw, they were happily jumping around, smiling, laughing and playing. There were several nurses beside them, standing stiff like a security guard. This place looked like a psychiatric ward to her. Not that she remembered any, but it just registered into her mind that psychiatric ward would look like this. It cannot be, because if it was, then she must be an insane now.
“Am I crazy?” she asked herself loudly.
“Why would you say that?” River asked, while they were sitting on a wooden bench in the hospital park.
“Are they crazy?” she pointed her index finger to a group of people in front of her.
“There is nobody in this world that should be called as crazy.”
“Then how do you explain them?” still she pointed her finger to the same direction.
“I don’t. I was a medical doctor, and I shouldn’t be explaining their behavior, but I do believe that they’re just trying to find their happiness, in their own way.”
Emily blinked, but River merely smiled. There was something about this man that made her heart pounding so fast. Something about his turquoise blue eyes that made her feels comfortable each time they clicked into each other’s. Emily tried not to stare into those eyes deeply but she could not help it.
“River, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Which is?”
“Why am I here?”
River looked down to his feet.
“Why can’t I remember anything?”
He looked up again, found himself staring at the green bushes in front of them.
“You’re going through amnesia right now. That’s why you can’t remember anything, not even your name. You don’t remember your family, your birth date, your social security number, not even the names of flowers.” He paused then.
Emily stared at him again.
“Family? Do I have one?”
“Yes, you do. And I bet the hospital have already called them, telling them that you’re finally conscious.”
“What are they like?”
River gazed into her weary green eyes and said nothing. They were staring into each other’s face for at least 10 seconds until River stood up abruptly, causing her to jump.
“I think that should be enough fresh air for you.”
“Daisies,” her voice sounded clearly in the room.
That was all on the card. She tried to look for another word but nothing there. She gaped at the flowers in the vase; there were three pieces of them, all yellow in color. Vertebrae aching, still she was staring at the flowers. In a minute or so, she heard the door behind her clutched open. She turned around and her eyes met with a pair of charming turquoise blue eyes before her. The person in front of her was wearing a black suit, with a thin black tie, black spiky haired, and with a broad, beautiful smile. She tried to smile back but her lip muscle disobeyed.
“Hello, Emily. How are you today?” he asked.
She blinked. Then she looked around, trying to find someone else in the room. There was none but her. Was Emily her name?
“My name is Emily?” she asked him.
He smiled and nodded.
“Are you a doctor?” she asked again.
“I was but not anymore.”
“What happened?”
“I quit from my job.”
Then Emily continued to stare at his torso, only to avoid his watery blue eyes from staring at hers. This guy was taller than her, his broad chest and flat stomach were quite visible through the thinned-fabric white shirt. His unbutton black suit-jacket made him look a lot like Keanu Reeves in Constantine. Then Emily saw a glimpse of tattoo on the back of his palm that wrote; River.
“Daisies will brighten your day today, Emily.”
She looked up. His eyes often clicked into hers, causing her heart to beat faster.
“Are they daisies?”
He smiled again at her question. Then he nodded.
“For how long have I been here, River?”
He startled. Then he smiled again and looked down to his hand.
“I see you know my name.”
“Sorry.”
“No, call me whatever you like,”
He walked around the room, touching almost everything but none of the items he touched seemed touchable.
“How long have I been here?” Emily repeated.
River paused and stared into her eyes deeply. His nostrils flared, tried to hide his emotion, avoiding him from tearing down.
“You’ve been in a coma for a while.”
“How long?” she insisted.
“Three years.” He sighed.
Emily startled, staring into space, jaw dropped. River, on the other hand, continued to walk around.
“That’s a long period,” she said, still staring into a hollow wind in front of her.
River approached her slowly, his shoes was tapping on the floor loudly as the room was already in grave silence.
“Why am I here? Why I can’t remember anything, not even my name?” she asked again.
River let out a sigh.
“I think you need some fresh air,”
THERE was a group of people in front of her, and from what she saw, they were happily jumping around, smiling, laughing and playing. There were several nurses beside them, standing stiff like a security guard. This place looked like a psychiatric ward to her. Not that she remembered any, but it just registered into her mind that psychiatric ward would look like this. It cannot be, because if it was, then she must be an insane now.
“Am I crazy?” she asked herself loudly.
“Why would you say that?” River asked, while they were sitting on a wooden bench in the hospital park.
“Are they crazy?” she pointed her index finger to a group of people in front of her.
“There is nobody in this world that should be called as crazy.”
“Then how do you explain them?” still she pointed her finger to the same direction.
“I don’t. I was a medical doctor, and I shouldn’t be explaining their behavior, but I do believe that they’re just trying to find their happiness, in their own way.”
Emily blinked, but River merely smiled. There was something about this man that made her heart pounding so fast. Something about his turquoise blue eyes that made her feels comfortable each time they clicked into each other’s. Emily tried not to stare into those eyes deeply but she could not help it.
“River, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Which is?”
“Why am I here?”
River looked down to his feet.
“Why can’t I remember anything?”
He looked up again, found himself staring at the green bushes in front of them.
“You’re going through amnesia right now. That’s why you can’t remember anything, not even your name. You don’t remember your family, your birth date, your social security number, not even the names of flowers.” He paused then.
Emily stared at him again.
“Family? Do I have one?”
“Yes, you do. And I bet the hospital have already called them, telling them that you’re finally conscious.”
“What are they like?”
River gazed into her weary green eyes and said nothing. They were staring into each other’s face for at least 10 seconds until River stood up abruptly, causing her to jump.
“I think that should be enough fresh air for you.”