Remind Me

“James, I’m you wife.” She looked at him in the eyes. All sorts of emotions coursing through her body that she didn’t want to be shown on her face.

“What do you mean my wife? Where’s Kelsey?” James said referring to his ex-fiancé.

“James what year do you think it is?” Dr. Reid asked him.

“Its 2015 isn’t it?” James said, sure that it was ten years earlier.

“James it’s December 17th 2025.” The doctor corrected him.

He just stared at the doctor blank. James was not able to comprehend what was going. The doctor had explained to him what happen earlier and all he did was nod.

Kayli walked out of the room. She needed a break. Everything that happened in the past ten minutes was devastating and she didn’t want him to see her cry. She hated when James saw her cry. Even though he may not know it, she does.

“Kayli he’s asking for you.” A nurse Kayli had become acquainted with said.

“Thank you, Ally.” She said wiping away her tears.

She got up and made her way back to his room. She took her time trying to figure out what she was going to say to him. What would he ask her? He had forgotten the past 10 years of his life. It would be up to her to remind him of everything they shared together. She reached his room and stood outside the door for a moment trying to compose herself. She finally went in and he was sitting up in his bed. She made her way to the seat she has been sitting for the past month and gave James a small smile. He returned the smile.

“Hi.” He said feeling nervous; in his mind he had never met or seen Kayli before.

“Hi ba-.” She stopped before calling him baby. It felt inappropriate all of a sudden.

They sat there in a silence for a bit James looked at his wife who he had become unfamiliar with. Kayli sat there and patiently waited for him to say something.

“How long have we been married?” He asked

“9 years, it will be 10 this summer. August 24th 2016 to be exact” She explained

James looked at her with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe he had been married almost 10 years. The last thing he remembered was being engaged to someone else.

“Do we have any children?” He asked another question. A question he didn’t want to ask but knew he had to.

“Yes.” She dreaded the question. “We have four children 2 boys and 2 girls. Nash is 7, Avia is 4, Cam is 2 and our baby Emmy is 4 months.”

James let a few tears shed. He was a father and couldn’t remember it. He had 4 children at home waiting for their Daddy. Let alone a four month old baby. The one thing he didn’t want to hear was that he had children at home. It wasn’t fair to them that he couldn’t remember, let alone even know their names.

“Do you have pictures?” He asked one of many, many more questions to be asked.

“Yes.” Kayli answered pulling out her phone.

She pulled the pictures up on her phone. James scrolled through them. Some of them were with him playing baseball outside with his boys. There was a few with him and Kayli. Some pictures with Kayli and the kids. Then a picture of him holding a baby in the hospital who he figured was Emmy when she was born. He continued looking at the pictures. There were many of him and Avia. They shared a special bond together. He just couldn’t remember it. In the pictures he looked so happy with his children. He looked proud to be a father and a husband. In that moment he couldn’t handle it anymore and broke down. Tears flowed and he let out a few sobs. He couldn’t understand how he could forget a whole life with someone. Kayli’s reaction was surprised. Never had she before seen her husband breakdown like this. He never showed his emotions around her.

“James everything will be okay.” She tried to reassure him even if she wasn’t so sure herself.

“How do you know?” He asked his eyes red and voice scratchy.

“I just do okay?” She smiled and squeezed his knee.

“How is it that I can’t remember my family?” He said more to himself.

“I don’t know, but we’ll just have to take it one day at a time.” Kayli said in her soft spoken voice.

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do.” James frowned.

“Listen I understand that this is hard for you but I mean the kids will have to see you. I know you may not remember the memories you have with them but you are still their daddy no matter what.”