Don't Get Close

Lucy sighed and leaned on the wall of the hallway by Corey, resting her head on his shoulder.

"What's up?" he asked casually.

She lifted her head and looked at him, "I've been having really bad headaches lately."

He leaned his head on hers, "From your accident, you think?"

He felt her nod under his cheek, "Yeah."

"Think you should get it checked out?"

She shrugged, "Probably. I mean, it was only those paramedics who took care of me that night, not actual doctors."

"Well I tell you what," Corey said, lifting his head off of Lucy's, "after we get done with the show tonight, we'll find a brain doctor...dude...in one of the next towns. So we could get you a check up on a day off."

She smiled slighty and nodded again, removing her head from Corey's shoulder and standing up straight, "Sounds good."

"Alrighty. Now if you'll excuse me, I should probably get warmed up."

She laughed and the two exchanged goodbyes and Lucy began wandering down the hallways of the arena. For some reason this seemed familiar...

"Will she be alright!?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine, miss."

"You're sure!? You should know!"

"Miss you need to calm down. We can't have you back here if you're...well...freaking out."

A huff was heard and the footsteps died down, "Is this the medic room?"

"Yes."

"Hmph. Some medic room."

-----------

"So you can't remember anything?"

"N-no. Not really."

A sigh, "I wish you could, Lucy."

Another sigh, "Me too."

The smallest one spoke up, "So, I take it you guys are friends?"

"Yep. Best friends since we were 13."

"Thirteen, huh? That's a long time."

"It is."

"How'd you guys meet?"

A small laugh, "A long story. One that should wait until Lucy remembers."

The biggest one spoke this time, "If you don't mind me asking, why?"

The footsteps of the girl speaking ceased. A sad look crossed her features when she started to talk again.

"It's not something she wants people to know."

Lucy took in her surroundings. It looked like a normal backstage of an arena; the winding hallways, the gray walls, the white linoleum floors. Her favorite clown Converse made a smacking noise with each step she took.

Why was this so familiar?

"Hey."

She turned to the voice, a smile taking over her face when she realized who it was, "Hey."

He grinned at her, "What 'cha doing back here?"

She shrugged, "Getting myself lost, apparently."

He laughed. She loved his laugh.

"Need to find your way back?"

Lucy shook her head, "Nah. I'll find my way. Thanks for offering, though."

He smiled at her, "No problem."

He walked away, lighting brushing against Lucy's arm as he did so. Her body went stiff at his touch, but she didn't take her eyes off of his tall frame as he continued down the hallway, shaggy brown hair moving lightly back and forth.

Yep. High school all over again.

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*A Week Later*

"Nervous about the appointment?"

"A little."

Serena took another bite of the muffin she had stolen from the hotel's continental breakfast that morning, "Well don't be. I'm sure you're fine."

Lucy sighed, "Easier said than done."

The two sat in silence in the bunk area of the bus. They were currently headed for the local neurology clinic so Lucy could see a neurosurgeon; or as Corey had put it, 'the brain doctor dude'.

Speaking of Corey, he leaned into the doorway of the bunks, "We're here."

Lucy nodded and got up while Serena brushed the crumbs off of herself and wiped the remaining muffin off her face with the back of her hand.

Corey pulled a disgusted face, "Ever heard of a napkin?"

Serena stuck her tongue out. Her and Corey weren't the best of friends.

"Ever heard of a face lift?"

"Hey!" Lucy said, drawing the attention of the two, "quit bickering and let's just get this over with."

Serena turned her nose in the air and walked out of the bunks and through Corey, purposely running into him as she went by. He glared at her and turned back to Lucy.

"What crawled up her ass?"

Lucy shrugged, "No idea."

The two exited the bunk area and walked into the front lounge where the rest of the guys were.

"You want anyone to come with you, Lucy?" Shawn asked. He actually seemed genuinely concerned, which surprised her a bit.

"No...I'll be fine. Serena's coming."

She could practically see Corey rolling his eyes behind her. Something made those two not get along, even though Serena seemed interested in him at one point.

Serena got up from her seat next to Mick, "Ready?"

Lucy sighed, "As ready as I'll ever be."

-----------------------------------------

"Well Miss Barret, everything appears normal..."

Lucy watched as the doctor, whose name she kept forgetting for some reason, studied the scan of her brain that were posted on the wall.

"So if it's normal, what's causing her headaches?" Serena asked, leaning her elbows on her knees as she rested her head in her hands.

The doctor opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he came across one of the scans.

"Hmm..."

He looked closely at it and adjusted his glasses. He grunted and turned back to Lucy, "It appears I've found something."

Lucy's expression became worried, "Whatever caused my headaches?"

He shook his head, "No, that was just mostly stress. What I've found is a bit more...severe."

"Severe?"

He nodded, "Yes. It appears that when you hit your head on that bar, you damaged part of your brain..."

"Will she be okay!?" Serena blurted.

The doctor raised an eyebrow, "She'll be fine. But her long term memory basically turned to swiss cheese."

Lucy tilted her head, much like Fallen did when he was confused, "Meaning?"

"It means that even though you know most of your past, you can't remember many specific things. Am I correct?"

She appeared thoughtful for a moment, "Yeah. You're right. I can't."

He nodded again, "You don't just have normal amnesia, but retrograde amnesia. This form of amnesia means that you-"

"So she's okay, right?"

The doctor turned to Serena and sighed, "Yes. She'll be fine."

Serena let out the breath she was holding, "Good."

"Now. As I was saying-"

"Will she make a full recovery?" Serena asked, staring at the doctor with curiousity.

He sighed again, "That I do not know. From what you've told me, it seems that by saying things that relate to certain memories or seeing things, they are triggered and Miss Barret can remember them once again, correct?"

Lucy nodded, "Yeah. Like that one year at summer camp, and the email I got at work..."

The doctor nodded curtly, "Exactly. So because you have retrograde amnesia, you can't and won't be able to remember a lot of your long-term memories. Things such as your school years, specific things people have said to you that you remember for some reason, or even your first kiss."

Lucy looked like someone had just told her that her fish died, "So...is there a way to get these memories back?"

He smiled slighty, "There is. By being around familiar things, going through similar situations, or similar things being said that relate to the memory, you can remember it. But it will take time, and some memories may never be recovered."

Lucy's expression remained the same. Some things she would never remember? What if they were important?

The doctor continued, "I'm afraid you probably will never remember the events before the accident. Granted, it will probably only be a few hours you can't remember, but a lot of things could've happened in those few hours."

This sparked Lucy's curiousity. She would never remember what happened? She would never remember the concert, never remember getting ready, never remember the first time she saw the guys perform in years?

Serena noticed Lucy's somber mood and expression. She looked at her sadly; she really felt bad for Lucy. Who knows what kind of things she'll never remember again. Serena could only tell her so many things.

She decided now would be the time to go, "Well thanks, doc. We've got a bus of guys waiting. Wouldn't wanna make them get impatient."

The doctor laughed lightly, "Yes, you should probably be going. Well, Miss Barret, it was a pleasure meeting you. Your type of case isn't one I get often."

Lucy gave him a small smile and shook his hand as she walked out, mumbling a 'thank you' and telling him she'd keep him updated, even if he was states away from her home.

Now came the hardest part: facing the guys and remembering her past.