Seconds *COMPLETED*

Chapter 17

Daniel

"Who am I?"

Silence. All the colour drained from Isma's face.

"Who am I, Isma? I am your brother Daniel, right? I want to remember something of my past. I want to be sure that I'm your brother. Help me remember something of my childhood or of my past. Please, Isma, I want to remember something." I paused; I was voicing all the questions in my mind to her. "I'm your brother, right? Tell me, who am I?"

"How can I help you remember something of your past when I know nothing about it?"

I frowned a bit, not comprehending her question.

"You are not my brother Daniel."

I just stared at Isma, shaken and speechless in shock by her revelation.

"I know nothing about you except for the fact that you were almost murdered and left to embrace your death that night. I lost my brother the same night."

"Isma?" stuttered Narissa, stepping back towards the wall, aghast.

Isma averted her gaze before narrating what had happened that fateful night about two years ago.

"I was the doctor on duty at the hospital that night. The next day was Narissa's birthday; Daniel, my brother, had told me that he was planning a surprise for her at midnight in the pub where she works. At around half past one that night, I received a text message from him, asking if I was free as he wanted to talk to me. It was a calm day and there were no emergency cases at the hospital so I called him back as soon as I could exit the building.

Daniel's silence worried me that night; he was usually chatty and jovial. I asked him what happened; he told me that he had just broken up with Narissa. I asked him why; he remained silent. I asked him where he was; he said he was walking down a deserted lane. He was obviously upset. I asked him what he was going to do then; he remained silent again. I told him to run until he felt better and then return home.

I knew I didn't have to say that. It was what he usually did when he was unhappy. Being a sprinter, running was normally the only thing that could calm his nerves when he was upset. I asked him again what was the reason for his break up. Narissa has been lying to me all these days, he started to answer me when I heard him shout to someone else. I asked him what was wrong but he wasn't listening to me. He was running, I could sense that. All I heard after that was the honking of a motor vehicle and a loud screech of tyres followed by silence.

I called out to Daniel over the phone but I received no response from the other end of the line. The call had got disconnected. When I called him back again, his number was unreachable. I tried and tried again but to no avail. I was sure what happened to him was an accident from what I heard over the phone but I had no idea where the accident could have happened.

Exactly around twenty minutes later, the ambulance van arrived at the hospital with two injured men, not just one. Only one heart was beating though; that was yours. My brother had been declared brain dead on the spot. I tended to you as you were still alive. I was blur but my duty was calling me, without even letting me inform our family or realize that I had just lost my brother.

You were terribly injured, worse than Daniel. It was obvious that someone had tried to murder you by stabbing you and hitting you on the head many times. We doctors didn't have an explanation for the miracle that you were still alive. My brother died on the spot even though he wasn't injured as much as you were. Despite your injuries, you were still alive. Perhaps it was your determination that you wanted to survive. For who or for what, I didn't know.