Me, Mike, and Amnesia, chapter 4
"Mmmm...coffee..." Mike smelled the bittersweet aroma coming off of his favorite drink. I kept smiling, but forced myself to stop, knowing that I looked like a complete idiot. "So what were you guys doing before I woke up?" Mike asked.
"Uh..." Billie Joe obviously didn't want to tell him what the hospital had said. "Just havin' breakfast. You hungry?"
"Yeah, I guess." Mike replied distractedly. "You gonna call the hospital?"
"Yeah, later." I replied, trying to get him off the subject. "What do you want to eat?"
"Goddammit!" Mike was agitated now. "I don't know who I am, and all you people can ask me is what I want for breakfast? Call the fucking doctor!"
Billie Joe looked at me pointedly, as if I was supposed to know what to do. I shrugged, signaling that I didn't.
Billie Joe sighed. He didn't have a choice. "We...called the hospital, Mike."
"And?"
"They told us...they told us there's nothing they can do."
Mike was silent.
"Mike?" Tre prompted.
"Yeah. Uh...okay." He was obviously really disappointed by this news, with good reason. "Can you...can you try another doctor?"
"Yeah, why didn't we think of that?" Tre asked.
"Of course." Billie Joe said. He picked up the phone again, with renewed hope.
"Hello, St. James Hospital. How can I help you?" The woman on the other line began.
Billie Joe decided to skip the formalities this time. "Yeah, hi. Is there anything you can do to help patients with amnesia?" he asked straight out.
"Amnesia? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
Billie Joe spoke slowly. "Amnesia. Like...they don't know who they are, they can't remember anything."
"No, I'm sorry, I've never dealt with that before. Sorry." She hung up.
"Fucking moron," Billie Joe said angrily, hanging up as well.
"What did this one say?" Tre asked.
"'I don't know what that is'" Billie Joe repeated mockingly. "Is she kidding? Doesn't she work at a goddamn hospital, she doesn't know what amnesia is?"
"Calm down, Billie." I said gently.
Billie Joe sighed. "Yeah. Why don't you guys go out, and I'll try some more hospitals."
"Are you sure? We could stay here if you want." Tre suggested.
"No, you need to get out of the house for a while," he said to Mike.
"I guess." Mike said, a little gratefully, I thought.
"Come on, Mike, I'll buy you a bagel or something." I said, trying to sound cheerful.
So Mike, Tre, and I walked out of our apartment building toward the nearest coffee shop.
"Mike? What DO you remember?" I asked him. I didn't want to bother him with questions, but I couldn't help it, I just had to know.
"Um...not much. I mean, I know what things are, but I don't know places and people. Like..." he gestured with his arm. "I've never seen this place before."
I choked back my sadness. This was where Mike had grown up. "Oh. Do you have any memories?"
He screwed up his face in thought. "No." he said as realization hit him. "I guess I don't...of...of anything."
We had reached the coffee shop. We entered, and ordered more coffee, a bagel for Mike, muffins for Tre and I, and a scone to bring back to Billie Joe.
We were silent as we waited for our food. The conversation that we had just had, realizing that Mike had no memories of his mom, his adoptive parents, his childhood, or his friends, wasn't exactly the biggest mood lifter.
"Violet." Tre said, smiling. "Do you remember the time we came here last January?"
"Yes! And Billie Joe was completely wasted. He asked the waitress..."
"If she had any cauliflower!" Tre finished, laughing. "And Mike, you said..." his face fell as he trailed off. "Oh, fuck. Mike, I'm sorry."
I don't think I've ever cried so much in one night/morning, but this was enough to bring tears to my eyes, that Mike didn't share our stupid inside jokes.
Mike was good about it, though, wanting to hear the rest of the story, so we told him how he had told the waitress Billie Joe had escaped from the mental asylum a few blocks over, where he had been for his odd fixation on cauliflower.
"Uh..." Billie Joe obviously didn't want to tell him what the hospital had said. "Just havin' breakfast. You hungry?"
"Yeah, I guess." Mike replied distractedly. "You gonna call the hospital?"
"Yeah, later." I replied, trying to get him off the subject. "What do you want to eat?"
"Goddammit!" Mike was agitated now. "I don't know who I am, and all you people can ask me is what I want for breakfast? Call the fucking doctor!"
Billie Joe looked at me pointedly, as if I was supposed to know what to do. I shrugged, signaling that I didn't.
Billie Joe sighed. He didn't have a choice. "We...called the hospital, Mike."
"And?"
"They told us...they told us there's nothing they can do."
Mike was silent.
"Mike?" Tre prompted.
"Yeah. Uh...okay." He was obviously really disappointed by this news, with good reason. "Can you...can you try another doctor?"
"Yeah, why didn't we think of that?" Tre asked.
"Of course." Billie Joe said. He picked up the phone again, with renewed hope.
"Hello, St. James Hospital. How can I help you?" The woman on the other line began.
Billie Joe decided to skip the formalities this time. "Yeah, hi. Is there anything you can do to help patients with amnesia?" he asked straight out.
"Amnesia? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
Billie Joe spoke slowly. "Amnesia. Like...they don't know who they are, they can't remember anything."
"No, I'm sorry, I've never dealt with that before. Sorry." She hung up.
"Fucking moron," Billie Joe said angrily, hanging up as well.
"What did this one say?" Tre asked.
"'I don't know what that is'" Billie Joe repeated mockingly. "Is she kidding? Doesn't she work at a goddamn hospital, she doesn't know what amnesia is?"
"Calm down, Billie." I said gently.
Billie Joe sighed. "Yeah. Why don't you guys go out, and I'll try some more hospitals."
"Are you sure? We could stay here if you want." Tre suggested.
"No, you need to get out of the house for a while," he said to Mike.
"I guess." Mike said, a little gratefully, I thought.
"Come on, Mike, I'll buy you a bagel or something." I said, trying to sound cheerful.
So Mike, Tre, and I walked out of our apartment building toward the nearest coffee shop.
"Mike? What DO you remember?" I asked him. I didn't want to bother him with questions, but I couldn't help it, I just had to know.
"Um...not much. I mean, I know what things are, but I don't know places and people. Like..." he gestured with his arm. "I've never seen this place before."
I choked back my sadness. This was where Mike had grown up. "Oh. Do you have any memories?"
He screwed up his face in thought. "No." he said as realization hit him. "I guess I don't...of...of anything."
We had reached the coffee shop. We entered, and ordered more coffee, a bagel for Mike, muffins for Tre and I, and a scone to bring back to Billie Joe.
We were silent as we waited for our food. The conversation that we had just had, realizing that Mike had no memories of his mom, his adoptive parents, his childhood, or his friends, wasn't exactly the biggest mood lifter.
"Violet." Tre said, smiling. "Do you remember the time we came here last January?"
"Yes! And Billie Joe was completely wasted. He asked the waitress..."
"If she had any cauliflower!" Tre finished, laughing. "And Mike, you said..." his face fell as he trailed off. "Oh, fuck. Mike, I'm sorry."
I don't think I've ever cried so much in one night/morning, but this was enough to bring tears to my eyes, that Mike didn't share our stupid inside jokes.
Mike was good about it, though, wanting to hear the rest of the story, so we told him how he had told the waitress Billie Joe had escaped from the mental asylum a few blocks over, where he had been for his odd fixation on cauliflower.
