Evermore, Nevermore Forget Me Not

29 Years Later

*Bailey Cooper above*

Setting: John Sealy Hospital; Galveston Tx, 2018-before 'The Picture,' coma ward, room 777...

A nurse looks over the patient's papers that are attached to the clipboard hanging off the end of the bed, to her it is just her normal rounds. But changes into something more upon hearing a change in the monitor that's keeping track of the patient's vitals. The nurse looks up as the sound becomes more common, she sees the patient's fingers move slightly; the nurse hurries to page a doctor as the movement becomes more and more frequent. As the doctor hurries into the room, the patient's eyes instantly open and being blinking as they take in their surroundings...

"Don't panic Ms," the doctor tells her calmly, "you are in the hospital, blink if you can hear me."

"..." she blinks, "why am I here? Where's my family?"

"Slow down," the Doctor tells her calmly as he starts doing the standard medical requirements of a normal check up, "can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"Three," She states as he shines a light in her eyes

"And what's your name?" He asks as he now checking her pulse

"Bailey Ellie Cooper," she tells him slowly, "but everyone just calls me Bay."

"And can you please tell me the last thing you remember Ms. Cooper?" The doctor asks once he's finally finished check her

"..." she thinks for a moment, "I-I was playing in the yard with my younger sister," she tells them as she closes her eyes tight shut as she recalls the day, "we were throwing a ball back and forth...I threw it to her, but she missed it and it went rolling into the road...she ran after it...th-there was a car-Ow!" A hand shoots to her head in pain.

"Ms. Cooper," the doctor starts in a regretful voice, "you were hit by that car in nineteen eighty nine-"

"What?" She asks at first bed catching a glimpse of her hair from the corner of her eyes, "What year is it? How long have I been asleep?" She asks starting to panic again, "Where is my family?"

"It's two thousand eighteen Ms. Cooper," the doctor tells her with a sigh, "you've been in a coma for about twenty nine years."

"W-what?" She stutters out as her eyes go wide in shock and her body beings to quiver, "n-no, Th-th-that can't be right."

"I'm sorry," he tells her, "but it is-"

"YER LYING!" She screams at him

"Again," He says still calmly, "I'm sorry, but I'm not. I'll have someone get in contact with your family straight away Ms. Cooper."

The young woman known as Bailey Cooper lies in the hospital bed still in shock at what just learned while watching the doctor leave the room. Her mind spinning just at the thought of her family and what they've been through over the past twenty nine years, as well as her best friend. Meanwhile, outside her hospital room, and over in the Medford Cooper house, the phone rings while Mary washes lunch dishes from her grandkids. As the phone rings, Mary hurries to dry her hands and pick it up before the grandkids get woken up from their nap...

"Hello, Cooper house; Mary Cooper speaking," Mary says into the phone, "whom may I ask is calling?"

"Mrs. Cooper," the voice says on the other end, "this is the John Sealy Hospital in Galveston."

"..." Mary remains quiet for a moment, "and for what-um-for what reason do I owe this call?"

"We are calling to confirm that you are the mother of a-" they start to ask