The alarm clock began to chime from the nightstand, waking Finn suddenly. He sat up quickly, feeling his heart race as he looked around the room.

"Where am I?" he whispered to himself repeatedly as he studied the sticky notes hanging on random pieces of furniture.

Finn turned back to the alarm clock and quickly turned it off, cutting off the annoying ringing in his ears.

He noticed a sticky note sitting on his nightstand in front of the clock.

Call Santana.

Finn picked up the sticky note and read it over again. "Call Santana…call Santana." He looked around his room, trying to find his phone. Finally, he found it sitting on his desk and jumped up to grab it, quickly finding Santana's name in his contact list.

The phone rang once before he heard Santana's voice on the other end.

"Right on time, Hudson," she said, sounding slightly amused.

"Santana, what's going on? Where am I?" Finn asked breathlessly.

"Oh, okay. I see we're going for the flustered and scared reaction this morning so I'll cut to the chase. There's a file on top of your laptop. Open it up and read through it," she ordered.

Finn found the file and furrowed his brow at the words written across it.

"Read me every morning," Finn read to himself.

"Open it," Santana ordered again.

Finn did as he was told and opened up the file, feeling his heart race faster as he looked over the first page.

"I had an accident?" Finn asked as he shuffled through the pages.

Santana cleared her throat. "Just keep reading, Finn."

Finn nodded to himself and continued to read through the file, focusing on one doctor's report.

All the facts were overwhelming as Finn read through each page. His breathing became heavier and he ran a hand through his hair as he finished the last page.

"Oh God," he whispered, hearing Santana sigh through the phone.

"Talk to me, Finn. Tell me what's going through your head."

"I…I, uh, don't know. Everything just kind of feels jumbled," Finn said, his head suddenly beginning to hurt.

"I know. You say that all the time, but try to relax. Talk through everything with me."

Finn sighed and gripped a handful of hair in his hand. "So I was in a car accident on December 18th, 2009…" He stopped, realizing he didn't know what the current date was.

"It's January 10th, 2014," Santana informed him. "It has been about four years since the accident."

Finn fell silent for a moment, feeling the color drain from his face.

"Keep talking, Finn," Santana said, her voice sad but calming.

"I was driving home from a football banquet at McKinley when I was hit head on by another driver who had slid on black ice. According to the reports I slammed my head on my steering wheel first and then against my window, causing serious damage to my head."

"The doctor's said it affected something in your hippocampus, basically wiping out your short term memory. Everything before the accident is perfectly intact, but everything afterward you forget as soon as you go to sleep," Santana helped him.

Finn nodded. "So when this all happened I was a senior in high school."

"Yup. We all got the news when we got back to school on Monday. It was in the paper and on the news, but they made a huge announcement in the morning…it was a hard time for everyone," Santana said.

"Everyone cared that much?" Finn asked, feeling surprised.

"You were the quarterback of the football team, Finn. Of course everyone was worried. You were like a God to those kids."

"That banquet…" Finn started. "That was to celebrate the news that I just got into Ohio State on a full ride scholarship." It wasn't a question and Santana didn't confirm his statement. Instead a silence stretched between them for a moment as Finn tried to come to terms with his new situation.

Tears stung the back of his eyes. "Do I call you every morning?" he asked.

"Yes. Every morning."

"And you answer these same questions every time? Doesn't that get tiring?"

"No, not at all. I'm actually happy to be the one to go through this with you every morning. It's not always the same either. Sometimes you're much more calm and collected and only ask me a few questions. Other times you're panicked, like this morning," Santana said.

"Well you're a good friend for doing this," Finn concluded. "I would probably be an even bigger mess without you," he laughed, studying the sticky notes hung up all over his room.

"Better safe than sorry. Anyway, if you open up your computer I think you have a schedule written down for yourself for the day. You usually do that ahead of time so that you remember appointments and everything," Santana said, making Finn turn back to his laptop.

He quickly opened it up and sure enough the computer woke up to reveal a calendar in front of him with a list of things for Finn to do. He sat down in his computer chair, leaning back as he took a deep breath.

"The file said I live alone in an apartment in Lima and work at a bicycle shop just down the street. Is that still accurate?" Finn asked.

"Yeah. Lima Bikes. You've worked there for two years now."

"Right, okay," Finn said, reading over his to do list for the day.

-Work shift at Lima Bikes from 10 AM – 6 PM

-Grocery shopping; need milk, eggs, popcorn, and AA batteries

-Call mom

"My mom," Finn stated. "Is she okay? How has she been all these years?"

Santana hesitated for a moment. "Oh…she's good. She struggled with your accident for a little while, but then the doctor suggested that you get back on your feet and start a life on your own."

Finn nodded. "I have it written on my schedule to call her."

"You usually call her everyday," Santana informed him.

"Right, of course. That sounds like me."

Silence stretched out between them again before Finn cleared his throat.

"Okay. I better get ready for work. I don't want to be late on what feels like my first day," he let out a sad laugh.

"Call me if you need anything. I always have my phone."

"Will do. Thanks for everything, San."

"My pleasure. Good luck today," Santana said, sounding a little happier.

Finn hung up the phone and then placed it on his desk. He let out a long sigh as he looked at all the papers on his desk. They all most likely meant something yesterday, but were meaningless to him now.

All of this was too overwhelming and all he could think about was taking a shower. Finn stood from his chair and walked to a closed door in his room, but ended up only walking into his closet.

"Okay, not the bathroom," he said to himself as he moved out of the small room and closed the door.

He then moved to the other closed door, finding his bathroom. More sticky notes coated his mirror, catching Finn off guard.

Finn wondered how many people came over to his place, and if they saw the sticky notes he had scattered everywhere. What did the say anyway?

He leaned forward and read one that was currently at eye level.

"Put Mederma on scar," he said allowed, immediately furrowing his brow.

"Scar?" he asked as he looked into his mirror. His eyes instantly caught sight of a slight scar on the left side of his face, causing him to turn his head to get a better view. The scar wasn't anything serious and was almost unnoticeable unless you chose to acknowledge it.

Finn realized that was the side of his face that had hit the window when he had been in the car accident. It looked like there was more damage done then he had realized. That thought made him laugh. How much more damage could there be? He couldn't even remember what happened over the last four years of his life.

He gave his face another once over, frowning at the slightly pink scar. He then turned away from the mirror and started up the shower.

Once Finn was showered and dressed, he went out to his kitchen and groaned at the sight of the sticky notes on his fridge and cabinets.

"I get it. I'm an idiot," he said with an annoyed tone to only himself.

Finn wondered where he left his keys and wallet, hoping that he wouldn't have to rely on hints from the notes to find them.

He felt a flood of relief hit him as he found both items on a small shelf close to his front door. He slid his wallet into his pocket and pulled on his jacket, wondering how cold it was outside. Once he was ready to leave he reached for the door, but paused when he read the note just above the doorknob.

"Don't forget notebook," Finn said allowed. He figured this note was important because it was written in thick capital letters.

"Notebook…notebook," Finn said as he looked back to the shelf, finding a brown leather journal. He grabbed it from the shelf and opened it for a moment, seeing the pages loaded with endless notes. All the words laid out before him instantly hurt his brain. However, it looked like he used the book as some sort of diary and it seemed like it did him some good.

Shrugging to himself, Finn exited his apartment and locked the door behind him. He made his way down to the street and headed in the direction that his file claimed Lima Bikes was. Sure enough, after a few blocks he found the small building lined with bikes in the front windows. Finn couldn't remember ever caring for bikes much, but it looked like this was what he relied on now to pay whatever bills he had.

Entering the building, Finn was immediately faced with a smiling man with salt and pepper hair.

"Finn! How's it going?"

"Uh…good," Finn answered, feeling guilty that he didn't know the man's name.

"I'm Walter. I own this store and I'm your boss," the man informed him, keeping the same warm smile on his face.

Finn smiled back. "Right. It's nice to see you again?" he said, feeling strange since it was as if he had just met the man for the first time.

"Puck is in the back working on one of our bikes already. He'll get you set up back there," Walter said, gesturing towards the door to the back room.

"Puck?" Finn asked, feeling a smile slowly spread across his face.

Walter laughed. "That's your reaction every time I say that to you."

Finn's smile widened as he headed to the back room and entered to find Puck studying a bike chain. Puck looked up at Finn and nodded at him, looking as if he had been expecting him.

"Puck! Man, am I glad to see you!" Finn said as Puck stood from the bike.

"Good to see you too, buddy," Puck said, bumping his shoulder into Finn's.

"So this is where we work, huh?" Finn laughed, looking at all the bikes lined up in the room.

"Yup. Not the greatest place, but it puts money in our pockets," Puck said moving back to the bike he was working on.

"Have we worked here the same amount of time?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah. I went job-hunting with you when you were free to go back to living your own life. We thought it would be better for you to have someone you know close by. Who better than your best friend, right?"

Finn laughed as he pulled off his jacket. "Right. But uh…why bikes? I don't know anything about bikes."

"You didn't and you still think you don't. But once you sit down and look at it, it'll just come to you," Puck said, nodding at a bike that needed to be fixed.

"But my short term memory…" Finn started.

"Is shot," Puck cut in. "Yeah, I know. But somehow you remember how to fix a bike. You're damn good at it too."

Finn looked at the bike and moved towards it, studying it for a moment. Sure enough he recognized the issue right away and found himself reaching for a tool he probably couldn't even name.

"Told you," Puck said, shooting Finn an amused smile.

"Do you have to tell me that everyday?" Finn asked.

"Nah, some days you just come in, greet me, and then sit down at the bike. I think you just want to accept the challenge some days while you're a little hesitant others."

"Yeah…it seems like today has been an off day," Finn said as he worked on the bike.

"Don't sweat it, man. I'm here to help you out," Puck said, his voice serious.

Finn smiled in reply, silently thanking Puck.

It was a long day filled with dirtied up hands and jokes with his best friend, but finally Finn was off at six. He said goodbye to Walter, knowing already that he wouldn't recognize the man when he saw him again tomorrow. Puck walked out of work with him, pulling out his car keys when they reached the small parking lot.

"Where do you live now anyway?" Finn asked.

"A little ways from here. San and I got our own place in Lima Heights together about a year ago," Puck said, stopping in front of his truck.

"Oh, dude. I didn't know you and San were together still. That's awesome!" Finn said, a smile spreading across his face.

Puck laughed. "It's pretty awesome. She's a pain in the ass sometimes, but she's my pain in the ass."

Finn nodded. "It must be nice to have someone," he said as he slipped his hands in his pockets.

Puck's smile fell from his face. "Oh…Finn, is that bugging you again?"

"Again?" Finn asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah. You bring that up now and then. Sometimes you claim you're better off alone and then other times you mention how it would be nice to date again."

Finn felt another sharp pain spark in his head. Frequent headaches seemed to go hand in hand with his memory loss.

"It's weird how everyone else knows all the details about my life while I can't remember anything," Finn shrugged.

Puck's hand gripped Finn's shoulder and he gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't be hard on yourself, dude. You know more than you think you do."

Finn pressed his lips firmly together, not quite believing his best friend's words. He knew that Puck was only trying to reassure him, but there was just so many holes in Finn's memory that it felt like he was in a never ending free fall.

"I have to get home to San, but you can call either of us if you need anything at all. Okay, man?" Puck said, removing his hand from Finn's shoulder.

Finn nodded. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow I assume?"

"Yup! Bright and early tomorrow. See ya!"

Puck slipped inside his truck and started it up as Finn began his walk back to his place. There was a chill in the air, but Finn still took his time as he strolled along. The events of the day were swirling all around him, making his head hurt more with each step.

He pushed away his thoughts and decided to glance around at the shops surrounding him. Some of the store names he recognized from when he used to go shopping with his mom from time to time. As he continued to walk he noticed a sign to a store that he didn't remember from years ago.

"Music Go Round," Finn furrowed his brow as he spoke the name aloud. He could see guitars hanging through the window and what looked liked a few pianos.

A sudden interest sparked inside Finn as he wondered if the store had any drums. He had played for many years before his accident, but he had no idea if he had played since. Finn stopped in front of the store and stood there for a moment before heading inside.

Once inside, Finn looked around himself at all the instruments laid out before him. There were a wide variety of electric instruments, string instruments, sheet music, guitar straps, reeds, and much more neatly organized in separate sections. He began to wonder if the shop really didn't have any drums.

He turned towards one of the pianos only a few steps away from him and began to play a few keys.

"Hi. Can I help you?" Finn heard a strangely familiar voice ring from behind him, causing him to slowly turn around.

His eyes grew wide as he caught sight of a small brunette with large brown eyes looking up at him. The girl seemed to instantly mirror his expression upon seeing him.

"Finn Hudson," she spoke, catching Finn by surprise.

"Yeah…it's Rachel, right? Rachel Berry."

"Yes..." Rachel said sounding nervous. She quickly cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders, looking more composed. "Yes, that's correct."

"Wow…I haven't seen you in…" Finn trailed off. According to his impaired memory he had technically seen her what was yesterday to him. However, he wasn't sure when the last time he had actually seen her had been.

Rachel nods. "It has been a while." Apparently she wasn't going to helping him out. She had to know about his accident, right?

"Has it?" Finn asked. A small smile formed on his lips, which Rachel reciprocated.

She let out a small laugh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, technically we saw each other at Sue Sylvester's funeral a year ago."

The color drained from Finn's face quickly. "Oh my God. Sue Sylvester died?"

Rachel's eyes grew wide as she realized what information she had just given to him.

"I'm…I'm so sorry. I should have known that you didn't know that and I feel horrible for just throwing it on you. Oh no…" she trailed off, slight panic on her face.

"No, it's okay," Finn said a little breathless. Was it this hard everyday? Or were there days where he managed not to get information like this that caught him so off guard?

"It's not your fault. I just can't believe Ms. Sylvester passed away…she was only like forty and built like a tank," Finn said, looking down at the ground.

"True…I don't think anyone believed her when she announced she was sick. But she was diagnosed with Leukemia three years ago and I guess it spread quickly in two years until it officially got the best of her," Rachel explained, sounding more relaxed.

Finn looked back up at Rachel and sighed. "Wow. That's crazy."

Rachel shrugged. "I know. Everyone took it pretty hard."

"I would imagine so," Finn said.

The room grew quiet and both Finn and Rachel began to look around the room.

"Well uh…I'm just going to look around," Finn said, gesturing towards the guitars.

"Oh! Of course! Go ahead and let me know if you need anything," Rachel said as she shot him a wide smile.

Her smile made Finn feel suddenly weak at his knees. It was so full and beautiful, lighting up the whole room.

All he could do was smile before he turned away and walked back to the guitars. He could feel Rachel's eyes on his back, making him feel slightly self-conscious.

Finn remembered going to high school with the brunette. She had been involved with the Glee club at McKinley and all the plays or musicals, while Finn was fully invested in sports and popularity. However, even though they came from different social groups, Finn had always had a crush on Rachel back then. Puck had told Finn multiple times that Finn could have any girl he wanted since he was the quarterback and the most popular guy in school, but he didn't want just anyone. He had always wanted to ask Rachel on a date, but that might have meant constant ridicule.

As Finn neared the guitars, he pretended to be interested in the different colors and shapes hanging before him. In reality, Finn didn't know anything about guitars. He only really knew about the drums.

Finn slowly turned around to find Rachel standing behind a glass case, focused on the wood instruments that lay inside.

"Uh…" he started, causing Rachel to instantly look up at him. "Do you have any drums by chance?"

Rachel smiled, once again making Finn feel slightly weak.

"Of course. They're in a separate room in the back in case people want to play them because of the noise," Rachel said as she began to walk to the back of the store.

Finn moved quickly in order to follow her. Once they reached the back, Rachel opened a door and led him into a room that contained multiple drum sets.

A smile spread across Finn's face upon seeing all of the kits. He felt excitement grow inside of him as he looked at each, picking out which one he wanted to play. He finally picked a medium sized kit and sat down on the leather seat. There was a pair of sticks sitting on the snare drum that Finn picked up and spun in his fingers a little.

"Um…" Finn heard Rachel say, causing him to turn to look at her.

"Is it safe for you to play considering your head injury?" she asked. "I'm not trying to be mean or anything! I just want to make sure that you're going to be okay."

Finn looked back at the drums in front of him and thought about Rachel's words. They slightly annoyed him, but he knew that she was right. His own thoughts had been giving him headaches all day, and he was sure loud noises were only going to make his head hurt worse.

Finn nodded and then set down the sticks on the snare again.

"You're right. I probably shouldn't play…" Finn said, trailing off as an idea suddenly came to him. He retrieved his leather notebook from his coat pocket as well as his pen and opened to a clean page to jot down a few things.

1/10/2014

Ask Puck if it's okay to play the drums.

He then slid his notebook and pen back into his jacket, before standing up from the drum seat.

"Well, thanks for taking me back here," he said, looking over to Rachel and shooting her a smile.

She smiled widely back at him. "My pleasure. You can come back here anytime you want."

Finn felt his smile go slightly goofy at Rachel's words. "I'll have to take you up that."

Rachel giggled slightly and Finn noticed how her cheeks looked slightly pink.

The two walked back to the front of the store together. Finn enjoyed the way that the silence between them wasn't awkward. If anything, it was comfortable.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around?" Finn asked, hoping that he would.

Rachel nodded, standing up straight. "I sure hope so."

Finn chuckled and headed towards the door. "See ya."

"Bye," Rachel said sweetly, giving him a small wave.

Once Finn was out of the store, he retrieved his small notebook from his pocket and opened it to the same page as before.

Rachel Berry, Music Go Round

His newly written words made him smile as he thought about his small run in with his high school crush. The girl he had noticed the first week of his freshman year and had admired everyday up until his accident.

Finn suddenly furrowed his brow as he continued to stare at Rachel's name. A sudden thought entered his mind that made his chest grow slightly tight.

No matter how much he had liked Rachel back in high school, he never managed to ask her out and he hadn't even realized why until just now.

Finn quickly dug into the pocket of his jeans and retrieved his phone from his pocket. He clicked the call button and waited impatiently as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Santana, what happened to Quinn?"