ACCIDENTAL

Chapter 2

Silence, warm room temperature, dim lighting, closed curtains and the unique smell of the hospital. In the background is an onomatopoeia: beep-beep-beep-beep...

A strong sense of depression begins to hit me in this intensive care unit. Sigh! I really miss my parents. I feel lost and consumed by some sort of diabolical loneliness. The big clock on the wall reads half-past-ten. I assume it is Post Mediterranean given the atmospheric serenity in the hospital.

What is the worst that could possibly happen? I mean...my folks are dead, I got into an accident which I don't remember and hell, I am lying in an ICU bed shattered by emotional and physical pain fighting for my life.

Bang! There doors of the room open violently and a group of different officials storm in with a violent noise. Wow! Talk about disturbing peace.

"Mister Lamar!" Whoa! Police officers? Two police men and a Lady cop together with the doctor.

" I am inspector Clarkson and these are my colleagues, Inspector Wilson and superintendent Louis. Are you able to speak, sir?"

This is all just a bit much for me right now. All way too much for me to handle since I know not what it's about. Before I utter anything with the attempt to answer the question of whether I'm competent enough to speak or not I cough and in a much ailing voice I answer, "I could try to manage speaking, inspector. What is this all about?" I ask in complete confusion. All these things are happening and I have no idea at all what in the world is going on even when someone tries to explain they just seem to confuse me further.

"You are under arrest, Mr Lamar. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in the court of law." The officer dictates to me with some sort of cold voice

"Under arrest? How can this be, what for?" This is quite shocking for me right now. Here I am lying helpless and pinned to this bed in an hospital ICU and the next thing I'm under arrest?

"Yes sir, you're under arrest! We are arresting you for the murder of Lisa Furgerson." He continues

"Lisa who? What? There's got to be some kind of mistake here." I challenge and he adds:
"I can assure you that there is no mistake, mister Lamar. Lisa is the thirteen year old girl whom you ran over with your vehicle when you illegally drove over the closed robots of the intersection of Pretorius and Hamilton streets. It's really a pity that we can't handcuff you and take you down to the station right now but, I'm here to inform you that you will be under police custody during you entire stay here."
Whoa, this man seems to be so adamant in his speech and his words just brought me the chills.

"Doctor?" I call upon the doctor with some hope that he would say something more meaningful than these officers.

"Mr. Lamar, my condolences for the loss of your folks. As a doctor I can tell that you are undergoing severe levels of stress, depression and emotional pain, together with post traumatic stress. A case has been opened by the late Lisa  Furgerson's parents and they are accusing you of the murder of their little girl." The doctor also confirms these terrible an tragic news.

Wow, I'm so confused. I don't remember a single thing...this is all much too deep for me. I need my lawyer: "Can I have my lawyer?" And the inspector includes,"yes sir, you do however have the right to legal advice."

Tree days later. It's Wednesday morning: The sun is shining bright through the window of my room as I open my eyes and beside me is my lawyer sitting and reading something on his mobile phone. It's like he is here waiting for me to wake up. His attention seems to be consumed by whatever he is busy with on his smart phone. He looks up at me with a smile and interjects mockingly, "whoa, look who's awake...!" While he laughs he also greets me, "good morning."

"Sure, Peter." I greet him back and he adds, "How are you feeling today?" he asks politely.

"Better than I did yesterday I can assure you of that." I inform him and ask how he is doing in return.

"Well, I'm just glad you feel better today because we have a heavy case on our hands here. There is much information that we still need to share and discuss as it seems every time the doctor tried to give you enlightenment you somehow lost consciousness. Apart from the information that I'm about to give you I have been informed that you are in critical need of trauma counselling. The case of murder has already been opened by the Furgersons but I've managed to argue that you bare an incompetent state of mind to go through a court trail. Basically I've just bought us some time. So the trial will be temporarily frozen until such a time when you a declared psychologically, emotionally and physically fit to stand before the court of law and defend yourself. An arraignment has been issued though, so I'm gonna need you to sign it, sir."

Peter is really agonizing my executive function right now and I don't know which thought in particular I should hold onto. I can't believe this is actually real. I'm facing a case of murder and I'm not even aware of the prehistoric event.

"Can I have some water to drink?" I take a deep breath as I ask, "are you foreal?"

This is a real thing, mister Lamar." Peter reassures me and with a big sigh I remind him that I recall no memory of the incident that occurred after seeing the red light of the traffic robots...and he adds on to say: "And that is why you need counselling, mister. I was informed about your memory loss, they describe as some kind of retrograde amnesia which triggers only the loss of memory of a particular event. The Furgersons, on the other hand, argue that you are guilty of the murder of their daughter and the law is one hundred percent on their side. You, as the defendant, argue that you had no intentions of breaking the law or taking the law into your hands. We have to prove that what happened was but a result of a serious and rapid psychological defect, with some hope that you might at the most least, get a short term probation."

I can't believe that I have been accused of breaking the law. Can one even break the law? Isn't it that you can only break yourself against the law? Like I have done so eloquently?

"Are you saying that I have to disprove that I experienced some sort of blackout?"
I ask in great surprise and he replies, "You haven't lost your brains it seems, and that's great."

Deep inside of me I really can't help but feel that God has forsaken me. I'm completely drained inside already. I just feel that life is completely futile right now. Why did I even wake up? It's really fucked up that it's  not a dream as I had hoped it had been.

I have heard many a time that money can buy you happiness or anything you want but I feel at this moment in time that I can easily call their bluff. Having my parents see the light of another day and bringing back the life of Lisa are the two things that would bring me absolute happiness right now and, frankly the value of money even if it were all the money the universe could possibly give can never be enough to turn back the hands of time. At this point I just feel like, fuck money!