Unforgettable!

XIX The Aftermath

19.1 Ton

Mark is fuming, face red, hands clenched in fists. He's ready for a fight.

"You idiot," he hisses at Luc. "You motherfucking idiot." Mark jumped the poor guy the moment he opened his eyes. I kind of feel sorry for Luc but on the other hand, he deserved it. Really. Mark and I found him unconscious on the bathroom floor. First, we had to break the door to get in. Apparently, saving Luc's ass is my new full-time job. And honestly, I'd rather be mopping puke off the toilet floor of a bar at four am every morning. I have no idea what Mark felt back then, seeing Luc like that – pale and lifeless, gone halfway to another world. "Did Ai Fort fuck the petty remains of your brain out of the thick skull of yours? Or did you trip on the stairs and the last brain cell fell out through your nose? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Do you have time to hear the whole list or just the highlights?" Luc's voice is hoarse and weak.

Mark growls. "For fuck's sake, Luc. This isn't a joke." He never calls him Luc.

Luc pushes himself up on the narrow bed. "But it's kind of funny because I have no idea what I've done wrong this time. And where am I?"

There's a moment of complete stillness. Mark's mouth is open as if he was going to say something but lost his thought. I cock my head. I thought Luc should've known the place better than his own shitty room, considering how much time he used to spend here.

"You are in the Lab," Mark says carefully. "The Prof had to clean your guts. You owe her a big time. Seriously."

"Prof?"

Then the professor walks in. "You awake! Thank God! You got everyone worried. I'm not a doctor to patch you up every now and then. But it would be my fault if... Luc, you alright?"

Luc jumps off the bed and sets to run. I stop him with a hand on his chest. Touching him feels wrong, even though he's got a long-sleeved shirt on. I pull my hand away immediately. "It's okay, Luc," I say softly. "This is Professor Fai. You know her."

"Do I?" Luc asks in a high-pitched voice. He looks confused and scared.

Professor comes closer to him. "The scans were fine. No visible injuries. No anomalies." She raises her hand to touch Luc, but he flinches away. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Luc frowns, thinking. He glances at the professor and then at Mark. He shrugs, hesitant.

"You can trust her," Mark says. "She knows about your brain more than anyone, I guess. She needs to know how bad things are."

"Start of the school year, I think. We were planning the warehouse gig at Ton's condo. Did I die or what?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Mark growls.

"Are we in a cheesy soap opera now?" I mutter, shaking my head.

"Oh dear," Professor sits on her chair. "But your brain is perfectly fine." She frowns. "I wish we could consult with an expert. Maybe... I think... It must be a defense mechanism of some sort. Protecting you from potentially harmful memories. Probably a stress reaction. Or maybe the pills. I shouldn't have given you the pills. I'm so sorry."

One month later

19.2 Nam

Tonight is one of those nights. Again. We are having a lot of those nights recently.

"I was supposed to be the drunk and irresponsible one," I complain, taking a bottle out of Fort's hands, "Not you."