Remember Me

Chapter 9

I rushed out of the room and needed to get away. I put my hands on my knees and hyperventilated a little, trying to steady my heartbeat. I felt nothing but pity and sadness when I thought of Jimin. Taehyung immediately walked up to me to ask what was going on and I grabbed him by his jacket. Pulling myself up, I shook my head. "Call the nurse. Call the doctor."

He looked hesitant, but when I glared and urged him, he immediately got to the task and ran to get someone. Nobody else approached me. They could tell I wouldn't speak. I just knew I wasn't supposed to stress him out, so I finally straightened my back and looked around. "He's not stable right now. Anything small could probably set him off. Please... don't go inside now. And don't let anyone in either. His parents are coming soon... doctor. I need to talk to the doctor." I sat down with a huff, massaging my forehead. Jimin's parents arrived before the doctor did, and I stopped them from entering too. I knew how his mother could be. I didn't want him to see her break down.

"Aunty, Uncle... he doesn't seem stable right now. Please wait for the doctor."
"Zara...? What do you mean?"
I shook my head, "He-he's lost his memory."
Audible gasps and questions filled the hallway among us all, and I shushed them.
"Not entirely. He still remembers who he is. He... thinks it's... 2014."
The whole crowd paused. I realized he hadn't become friends with any of them before five years ago. No wonder he didn't recognize them. His girlfriend approached me angrily.
"What nonsense...!"

His mom glared at her unwelcome interjection, which shut her up. Once again, I felt guilty. The doctor arrived soon, and I immediately ran to her.
"Doctor, it's Jimin... something's wrong! He- he thinks it's 2014. Something's wrong with his memory."
Next to me, everyone who was listening looked around confused. Jimin's mother looked faint.

The doctor squinted in thought and called for a nurse to check some files. "Did he know you five years ago?" I nodded. "And his parents too, I'm guessing?" They nodded as well.
"Fine then, you three come with me. The rest of you could overwhelm him."

When we entered, Jimin flinched when he saw his dad. I always wondered why he was so stifled around his father. For the first time in a while, I wondered what their relationship was like, for him to behave like this even as a young adult.
His mother immediately went to hug him, and held back from crying by a thread. Jimin winced because of his ribs, but hugged her back and told her he was fine. His dad simply hung back. I glanced at him, waiting for him to go greet his son, but he just stood at the end of the room. Jimin glanced at him in worry and surprise at the lack of affection. Their relationship had definitely deteriorated over the years.
I raised an eyebrow in wonder.

"Can you please sit down, ma'am?" The doctor ordered, making her settle back in the chair by him. She refused to let go of his hand.
"Sir, we're doing some quick tests. Can you please tell me what your name is?"
"Park Jimin."
"Who is the woman by your side?"
"My mother."
"And who are those two by the wall?"
"My father, and my f- uh, friend? Zara." He said sheepishly. His parents glanced between us strangely, and I saw Jimin look at me to make sure I wasn't upset. I shook my head and smiled. He was just younger and more awkward now.

"Alright. Where do you live?"
He listed the address of his parents.
"And how old are you?"
"I'm 18. I'll turn 19 pretty soon though."
The mood in the room changed. We all looked at him, pity and confusion visible.
"Oh? And what's today's date?"
He smiled, "It's–" then he paused. "It's..."
We all waited for a response on edge.
"I'm sorry, my head hurts suddenly. It's like June? 2014. Right?" He looked at me for confirmation, but I didn't respond.

"I see. Mr. Park, this may be hard to hear but I think your recovery may take more time because of some lapses in memory. I want you to think hard and answer the following questions for me."
He started looking a little more anxious, and nodded slowly.
"Can you remember what the car that hit you looked like?"
Jimin scrunched his forehead and closed his eyes. I could tell his head was hurting, and I bit my lip in worry.
"I think it was a dark grey sedan."
We all opened our eyes wider.
"Great. Great job. What were you doing that night?"
"I-I can't really... I bought flowers? And I saw... Zara?"
I started when I heard my name. I didn't know how to feel hearing that he remembered that.
The doctor nodded and scribbled on her pad of paper. "And what was the restaurant?"
"Oh, it was Felix's." He answered right away. We all looked among each other, a little happier that he remembered.
"And what's your favorite color?"
He looked up in thought. "It was blue, but it changed to purple in freshman year when–"
The doctor prompted, "When?"
He shook his head, "I can't remember... wait, why can't I remember? What's wrong with me?"
The doctor ignored him.
"What's your favorite restaurant in your college?"
"Oh that's—" he paused and cocked his head to the side. "I'm still in high school."

The doctor finally scribbled some more and looked up at us with a smile. "Mr. Park, this may be difficult to hear right now, but there is a large lapse in your memory after the surgery. The bad news is... you likely do not remember anything that has occurred in the last five years, and maybe some holes before that as well. However, the good news is that it seems your memory seems to be present in your suggestive memory and subconscious mind. With proper treatment and time, it is likely that you will recover your memory."

Jimin looked shocked and looked between us all. "But I remember the last five years pretty well? It was just the color thing..."
"Ah, that..." the doctor shook her head. "This may be hard to hear. I need you to take deep breaths. You remember yourself as 18 but... Park Jimin, you are actually 23 years old. It is 2019, not 2014."

He grabbed his mom's hand and looked incredulous. "What kind of bullshit... what are you saying? How is that even possible?"
"Please don't panic, sir. Don't you notice that the people around you look a little different? Don't you wonder who the people outside are? The people around you will fill you in on some details of how your life has been these last five years, and it will help you remember."
"Remember... remember the last five years?" He looked at us critically, noticing the grey hairs and more wrinkles on his parents face. I probably looked different after college too, of course. He gulped and seemed at a loss for words. His mother simply pulled him into another embrace, whispering and crying softly "My poor boy, my poor baby..."

The doctor turned to look between us all now. "His emotional state of mind is likely delicate right now. Please do not allow him to interact with anyone unfamiliar to him for the time being. You can reintroduce them later a little slowly, but for now, I want to limit it to people he knows now. I will write you a recommendation to a few physicians dealing with amnesia. Can I speak to the parents outside?"
Jimin's parents followed her outside to talk about therapy and whatnot, leaving me alone in the room with Jimin.