When The Wrong One Loves You Right 3: Forever And Always

Chapter 13: Remembering

Sergio's POV

"Ana!" Vince said entering the room quickly.
He'd run up the stairs after we heard her scream. The first time we questioned it. On the second everyone was running toward the sound. I almost couldn't believe that she was awake. But there she stood wrapped in my Vince's arms looking terrified as I entered the room.
"Shhhh. Calm down. It's okay. Everything is okay." Vince said holding her tightly. "Go get the doctor." He told Giorgio over her shoulder.
"What's happening?" She asks. "I don't know what's happening to me. Where am I? Who are all these people? Matteo where's my dad."
I watched Vince tense when Ana called him by our father's name. 
"Oh my god, is he okay? Is my dad okay?" Ana asked with a panicky voice.
"Ana, your father is fine. Can I ask you some questions?" Vince asked.
She nodded against his chest, still holding him tightly.
"Come on Piccola. Sit down with me. I want you to tell me what you remember."
"Okay." She said and sat on the bed cross legged with Vince beside her.
"What happened yesterday?" He asked.
"She wasn't..." Eric begins.
"Shh." Vince cuts him off and gives him a chastising look. "Not you, her." He looks back at Ana. "Tell me what you remember Ana. What day is it?"
"It's Saturday. Yesterday George picked Issac, Sergio, and I up from school and we went to a party that our friends were throwing for him because George has a birthday in two days, but there was an accident on the way there. We slid through a stop sign and hit a power pole."
"Ana how old are you?" Vince asks.
"Eleven for two more weeks." She answered confused.
"Fuck!" Vince said quietly while standing and running his hands through his hair before he turned back to her and pointed to all of us. "Do you know who any of these people are."
She shakes her head. "No."
"Who am I?"
"Matteo Benedetti." She said fearfully.
"Motherfucker." Vince walked to the window trying to calm down. 
"Where's Vincenzo?" Ana asks as she starts to sob. "I'm so scared. I need him. I don't know why he is mad at me, please tell him I'm sorry for whatever I did to make him hate me. Please, I need Vinny. "
I watch Ana look at us crying. My brothers, Dante's, and Sandro's all whisper to each other. It made me feel horrible. She's scared and alone. She wants Vince but doesn't realize that he was right in front of her.
"Nobody gets to judge what I'm about to do." I said loud enough that everyone could hear. I walked out of the room just as the doctor enters.
"Hello Ana. Do you remember me?" The doc asked.
Then I was gone. I was on a mission to ease the tension in the room. I was going to do something that I hadn't done since I was 15. I was going to shave all the hair off my face. My mother used to tease me and tell me I looked like Vince when my face was cleanly shaven.  I hated being compared to him so I grew it out. But desperate times call for desperate measures. My best friend needed me.
Twenty minutes and a few cuts later I looked in the mirror at myself and could help but think about how right my mother was before I began step two of my process. I was going to put on one of Vince's suits. It would fit snug around my shoulders but I'd make it work.
I went out and pulled his overnight bag from his car. He was on Ana duty today so I knew he'd have something to change in to when he left. I stripped right there in the driveway, leaving my own clothes in Vince's bag before I went back upstairs to see if my crazy idea worked.
"Look. I need somebody in the room that I trust or you're not touching me!" I heard Ana yell as I rounded the corner back into the room.
"Ana, be nice to the doctor." I said.
"Vinny!" She said happily.
I went to her and wrapped my arms around her tightly. Victory!
"What did you do Sergio?" Vince asked me looking more pissed than he was moments earlier and narrowed his eye realizing I was in his suit.
"I shaved. There's a reason why I always kept my face the way I did." I said. "Mom was the one who kept saying I looked like you. I guess she was right."
"I don't understand what's happening."  Ana says confused. "That's not Sergio."
"It's okay Ana." I said. "No one in this room will hurt you. I know you don't recognize anybody or remember what happened, but I hope you understand that we all love you and we will help you understand the best that we can."
"I trust you." She said. "But I'm confused."
"We will explain everything, let the doctor finished examining you and we will see where we stand Okay?" I smile at her.
"Okay. Will you stay with me?" She ask.
"I won't leave your side but he stays too." I said gesturing to my older brother.
Anna stay silent for several seconds before she answers me. I know the wheels and her head were turning.
"Okay."
"Everyone out." The doctor said.

Once everyone was gone Vince and I sat with Ana and held her hands. The doctor examined her belly and concluded the baby was fine. Then it was time for the hard part.
"Okay Ana." The doctor said. "Can you tell me what you remember?"
"I remember being in a car accident and hitting my head on the window." She answers.
"How old are you?" He asks.
"I'll be twelve in two weeks." She said.
"Okay. Ana I'll need you to excuse us for a moment." Michael said. "Gentleman can we speak in the hall?"
We both follow the doctor in the the hall. Sandro and Dante stand leaned against the wall just outside the door.
"Why would she want to go back to her adolescence?" The doctor asked then looked up at us. "Why would she revert to that time in her life? What happened when she was a pre-teen?"
"That's the first time Ana tried to kill herself." Sandro said.
"What?" Dante asks shocked.
"Ana tried to hang herself from the rod in the closet right before she turned twelve." I replied.
"What else do you know that I don't?" Vince asks me.
"More than I care to share brother. She has been my best friend since we were born and we've been almost inseparable. We've always told each other everything. I know everything you've ever said or done with her. All of you."
I don't have to look at Sandro, I feel him tense up as I speak. He knows Ana told me about the arguing they were doing behind closed doors before this mess happened.
"Really?" Vince asks.
"Yes. She sends me her journals. She emails them to me and has since before she was seventeen and ran away." I said. "Even before that I'd read her hand written copies."
"If Ana writes journals it may be beneficial to show her." The doctor suggests. "There is no promise her memory will ever come back. We can use this to our advantage and limit the memories to only happy ones. She will remember only the good points in her life."
"I think we should ask her what she wants." I said. "It's her life after all and maybe she doesn't want to remember."
We all agree and go back in the room. Ana is standing by the window with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. When she turns to us we can see that she's been crying.
"Who are you?" She asks Dante and Sandro.
"Do you really not remember them?" Vince asks.
Ana shakes her head.
"Vince please tell me what's going on." Ana begs me.
"I want you to sit down." I said. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. But I need you to sit."
Ana goes to the bed and sits down. I do the same sitting so I can face her and I grab her hands.
"Look Ana. About six months ago you hit your head on the ground after you were shot. You'd found out you were pregnant a couple weeks before it happened. You were going to tell your husband the night you were injured after everyone have left your father's wedding. But things happened that nobody expected and you never got to tell Sandro you were expecting again. You've been in a coma since you hit your head. There was a good deal of damage done to your brain when you fell. You don't remember over half of your life because you hit your head really hard. I mean you died for a few minutes. Your dad is the one who refused to let you and he saved you with his persistence.
Everyone was worried that you'd never wake up and if you did you be a different person. If you want me to I will tell you everything you want to know. If you'd rather read your own words I'll bring you your journals. It's important that you know a few things though. I'm not Vince, I'm Sergio. That's Vince." I point to my brother. "My father was shot eight years ago and lives on the farm. Over there, Dante and Sandro." I point again. "What do you want to do Ann."
She stares at me silently for a moment. Then she looks past me at Sandro, Dante and Vince.
"Can I trust all of you?" She asks shyly.
"Yes." They all answer together.
"I want to stay with you, Serge." She hesitates on my name. "Would that be alright?"
"Of course." I answer.
"I want to read my journals. I don't want someone else telling me what I've done in my life. If I have questions I will ask, but I want to help myself remember."
"I think we can all respect that Annie." Dante said. "In the mean time, you should keep an open mind. Antonio has been really upset because he's convinced you'll hate him again and there's the kids. Aldo and Rosy are still pretty upset that they may never see you again."
"I have other children?" She asks. "How old am I?"
"Almost thirty one." I answer.
"How many kids do I have?" She asks.
"Twelve." I smile.
"I've been pregnant twelve times?!" She asks.
"No. You been pregnant eight times." I reply.
"Do they all..."
"No." I interrupt. "They have different fathers. These three and a set of brothers named Mark and Matt."
"Can I see everyone? One at a time?" She asks. "I need to apologize to George."
"I'll go get him." Vince said. "I'll be right back."
He kisses her forehead before he goes. Then Dante comes to the bed.
"I'm happy to know I still get to push you around Cara. I think Sandro would like a minute alone with you." Dante said looking at me. "Come on Sergio, let's give them a few minutes."
He hugs Ana and then leaves the room.
"I'll be right outside if you need me." I said as I squeeze her.
I follow Dante out of the room. I sit in the chair by her door and listen to the silence.