Had this in mah
head for a while...finally decided to start on it...
PS. Also
working on my fic "Shattered." huzzah
Title:
Forgetting to Remember
Chapter Title: Hard to Swallow
Words
Rating: PG (eventual R)
Genre: Drama (eventual Humor and
even...Romance?)
Scenario:
The surgery was successful...no
physical damage occured...but what would happen if when he woke up,
Glitch remembered nothing? How will the others cope with the fact
that there's a strong chance that he'll never get all his
memories back? Can DG remind him of his kindness? Can the Queen
remind him of his brilliance? Can Cain remind him of their feelings?
His feelings?
"He's showing signs of both global and source amnesia."
"What?" snapped Cain angrily.
"Global and –" started the alchemist.
"We got that much!" Snapped Cain again—this time with an impatient sigh. "What we haven't got is what that means."
"What it means, Mister Cain, is his memory is gone." The alchemist shuffled a few papers he had in his hand and returned his gaze back to the group in front of him. "Global amnesia is the term we give to patients who have a total lapse in brain function that causes them to forget almost everything. People, places, things, names…anything about themselves…all gone." He sighed.
"How did this happen, Doctor?" Spoke the Queen in a small and quivering voice. Ahamo draped an arm over her shoulders, her hand reaching up to grip his own.
The Alchemist frowned sadly. "We did warn him and all of you of the dangers from the procedure."
"But what you're describing is the worst case scenario! It's the thing that was least likely to occur." DG was nearly beside herself. If it weren't for the presence of her sister beside her, she was sure she'd have gotten up and shaken the alchemist harshly, hoping answers would tumble out of him.
"You're right princess, but we still knew it was a possibility. When we reintroduced his then current half with the one that was taken from him, we knew there'd be some possibilities of memory lapse and amnesia…"
"—But not to this extent right?" finished Ahamo.
"Correct. It seems that the two halves, when remerged, caused his brain to, in layman's terms, 'shut down.'" He held up his hands, one still clutching papers, and mimed a set of air-quotation marks as he said the word 'shut down'. "It essentially rebooted empty, as though the two halves were so different they cancelled each other out. What we don't know at this point and time is if the memories are simply locked away in his subconscious or if they've been lost entirely."
"What difference?" Came a soft voice from the corner of the room—A corner which Raw had occupied since they first arrived hours ago when they heard their friend had finally woken. He had been in a drug induced coma for days following the surgery to ensure that brain waves and functions were regular and healthy. And to not put unneeded strain on his mind and body..
"Well…" The alchemist briefly shifted from one foot to the other. "If they are merely locked in his subconscious then they could eventually be recalled. It could be from dreams, photographs (At this DG glanced worriedly over at Cain and Raw…There were no photos of them from their escapade through The OZ), or even simple things like words, smells, or familiar activities." He bit down on his lip as he watched the sullen faces of all the people before him. He hated giving news like this…it hurt. "But if they're not, then—then there's little hope of him ever recalling any of his past memories."
Faces fell, eyes shown with unshed tears, and bodies slumped heavier in their seats. Cain started to pace.
"Okay…what was that second one you mentioned?"
For a moment the alchemist looked confused. But after a quick glance down to the wrinkled papers in his hand he gave his head a small shake and sighed. "Sorry…forgot about that."
Cain raised an eyebrow.
"Well, what I said he seemed to have along with the global amnesia is something we call "Source Amnesia." It's actually a positive sign in the outlook of the patient's recoverable memory."
Everyone seemed to brighten slightly. There was hope?
"Now don't all jump to conclusions, but it's a good sign. Source amnesia presents itself in the way of random facts of information without the patient knowing exactly where they came from. These can act as catalysts to him in remembering certain things."
"Okay, so what exactly is he remembering?" DG asked curiously, Azkadelia nodding beside her in agreement.
"He remembers how to speak, how to walk, how to follow simple instructions…his vocabulary is also still quite vast. This means that there are some things that have been retained while others were lost or forgotten. He has though, on a slightly negative note, has forgotten a number of basic terms used to name objects."
"Like…?"
"Bed." They all looked confused. "He didn't know what he was laying in so we had to reeducate him what it was called."
"Odd." Raw mused to himself.
"Very." Continued the alchemist. "But what it could mean is that there's a little bit more hope." The doctor turned and walked to a door that was at the end of the "waiting room" that everyone was (and had been for hours) occupying. "If he can retain this information and make and keep new memories, then is points to not having brain damage and being able to expand his current knowledge. Always a good sign."
He put his hand on the door handle, turning to look at everyone in the room.
"Now, I only ask that small numbers go in at any time—One or two people preferably. His brain is still sensitive and he might also be in some pain from the surgery. All I ask is that you don't barrage him with information or questions about what he remembers. He is quite stable, considering what's happened, but we don't want him to panic or become overwhelmed."
Heads nodded in agreement, murmuring their consent to do as told.
"Now…who's going in first?"