Splintered, A Chronicling of Memoria

Actuality - White

January 13- 2010, A Friday
Alex---age 25

My eyes drifted open slowly and lazily, the cold air was briskly caressing my pupils with its soft velvet-like touch. My stomach is unsettled, but somehow I can’t find anything in my head of why that might be. I grip a cloth to my right and wrinkle it between my tired fingers. I hear a man speak softly to my right; his voice is aged and smoky, yet somehow full of a vigor that left behind any trace of normalcy. He looked at me and grinned a wider-than-life grin, and with happiness plastered across his wrinkled face he said
"Welcome back to the world, Mr. Coma"
Mister coma? I was puzzled, and I wondered why he didn't call me by my name, surely he should know it.
My eyes were sore from the bright light exuding through the window in front of the platform that I had slept so soundly on.
I looked around, blurry-eyed for some recognition of where I was, but there was nothing. I shut my eyes tight, squeezing my eyelids together painfully until they had adjusted to the light.
"Hey..." I said quietly toward the man
He didn't hear me... he had already turned around and was talking to a nearby woman; they both wore white coats over fairly nice shirts, along with expensive shoes. the woman wore stockings going up underneath her medium-length skirt, and down to her toes in her red high heels. She donned a pair of sophisticated glasses over her two bright eyes, and stared vacantly through them at the grey-haired man speaking to her. White coats...white room...a gown? It was immediately apparent to me after a bit of observation where I was, in a hospital, and with no memory of how I had arrived there. The grey haired doctor turned to me, with a concerned look in his eye, and clicked his ballpoint pen, preparing to write down something on his pad. He continued to click the pen nervously as he opened his aged lips.
“So son…what’s your name?”
I grinned nervously and began to reply
“It’s….” My memory was devoid of anything recognizable as a title…
I shuffled around in my head looking for something. Green… blue… white… I had begun naming colors in my head. Red… before I had come to realize that I was mouthing the colors, the doctor took notice.
“Do you not know your name, son?” He said in a deep and brash tone.
I shook my head dejectedly, and he sighed. He continued to ask me random and mundane questions for a few minutes, and the only answers I could muster were “I honestly don’t know.” It was an awful feeling, not to know you…the date, the time… anything. I soon found myself crying in the hospital bed, unable to stop my eyes from watering. The Female doctor came over quickly, seeing my despair and pushed the man back, taking charge. She was very pretty, long black hair, an amazing body…which I soon found myself somewhat staring at. She looked at me and took my hand, and I smiled at her.
“Where am I going to live? How will I afford food?” I asked her
She shook her head, and quietly murmured something that I didn’t catch, but I decided not to ask her to repeat herself… chances were she was just trying to let me down easy about not knowing. She pulled a pair of jeans out from under the bed… they were soaked, and torn almost beyond recognition…she handed them to me… I reached into the pocket nonchalantly, removing a small waterlogged wallet. It was black leather, well made; it looked expensive, but was so tattered that I couldn’t make out the brand. I plunged into the wallet, removing some-200 dollars, a business card, and a photograph. I looked at the photo, with a smile on my face, and looked up at the woman.
“Who is this?” I asked her
Tears almost came to her eyes as she looked at the photo, and I had no clue why. She turned around to the other doctor, with the saddest look on her face, and told him something, putting the picture in his hands, and covering her tear-soaked face.
“What is it?” I asked him.
“The picture is of you…” he replied “that’s your wallet… those are the pants we found you in…you were washed up on the beach.”
I looked at him, with a half-smile in disbelief. I snapped my arm at him, taking the picture and looking at it intently. I was alone in the picture, with long blonde hair, wearing a suit with a corsage. I dropped the picture onto my lap, and pulled out the business card. Some of the words were smudged, and the phone number had been torn off, but I could luckily make out the name and profession. Alexander Moss, Author? This doesn’t make sense…Authors don’t have business cards… my mind was full of questions, especially if I was an author, surely someone will have heard of me…but my head wasn’t clear…no… I’m alone here, I’ve been birthed at age 25 from the ocean, with no life, no home… just a tattered pair of jeans, and old wallet, and 200 ocean-soaked dollars.
“Alexander? That’s your name?” the doctor said, looking over my shoulder at the soaked business card.
“Apparently.” I replied with a smile.
I stood up from the bed, forcing the doctor to move back a step, and I pulled on the ripped jeans, which showed parts of my underwear through their holes… I had no shoes, and no shirt.
“listen… by law the hospital can’t let you leave.” He said, looking at me, and holding his hand on my shoulder. “There are places that can help you get started, but you need to stay here for a bit.”
I looked at him, and I understood why… it was obvious to me.
“can you two be my doctors while I’m here?” I asked him sincerely
“us two?” he asked, looking around.
“you and the woman, she seemed to care quite a bit about my condition…” god knows why “And I would like to have people who care…taking ‘care’ of me.”
I felt somewhat cliché, even fake after saying that, regardless of how sincere it may have been. Some things just aren’t meant to actually be said, just written, or thought. Somehow I know that he appreciated the gesture though… deep inside I know he did care, and I had told him that I knew. Alexander… that’s my name… Alexander.
“Of course we will be your doctors, son.” He replied in a smoky grey tone. “it would be our pleasure.”
The woman returned to the room, hearing my question, and seemed almost relieved. She came over to me and grasped my cold, sweat covered hands and looked at me.
“alex…” she said solemnly “welcome to the world”
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second installment, working on putting in a few more, i have some more to put up at the moment. enjoy. :)