Day Fifty-Five…
~~*****~~
Jane was put in a daze for a moment when she saw Abigail with her eyes open. She blinked several times, checking if she was imagining things or not.
Then Abigail moved her fingers again, squeezing Jane's hand. Because of that, Jane snapped out of her stupor.
"Sis… can you hear me? If you do, please blink your eyes." Jane talked to her.
Abigail blinked her eyes once as an indicator she could hear Jane. With that, Jane immediately pressed the emergency button to summon the doctor.
She felt relieved since Abigail finally woke up. A heavy burden was lifted off her chest. When the emergency alarm rang, Nathan and others dashed inside Abigail's ward.
"What happened?" Nathan asked Jane as soon as they entered.
Jane turned around to face them. She smiled at them and said, "Abigail regained consciousness! She's awake now."
Nathan quickly stepped forward with large strides just to reach Abigail's bed. Mr. Hiroshi was following him from behind. Kazuki and Ethan also traced their steps toward the sickbed to see Abigail. Only Dave was the one who stayed at the front door.
Abigail lowered her eyes as if she was telling Jane to remove her oxygen mask. Jane understood her. Since Abigail couldn't move since her body was still numb and weak, Jane removed the oxygen mask for her.
Abigail looked afraid and confused because all she could see around her were all strangers. She didn't know them.
'Where am I? I can't move my body. Who are they?' Abigail roamed her eyes around them. She felt anxious and scared.
She was still trying to remember how she ended up in that place when Nathan snatched her hand from Jane. He simply pushed Jane aside so that he could see Abigail up close. Jane just moved behind Nathan.
"Abi… It's me, Nathan. How do you feel?" Nathan softly asked her.
Both Jane and Dave watched the two, and a slight hint of jealousy appeared on their faces.
Dave could only watch Abigail from a distance. He felt like he had no right to be there since Nathan was around. Nathan was Abigail's new boyfriend. And he would always remain as her childhood friend.
'I'm glad to see you recover. You are finally awake. This is all I could ask for.' Dave thought to himself. With a heavy heart, Dave turned around to leave. But before he could take another step, he heard Abigail's faint voice.
"D-Dave…" Abigail finally found a familiar face among the people inside the ward. Dave was there!
Dave froze in his spot when he heard her calling his name. His heart skipped a beat as he didn't expect Abigail to take notice of him. "Did she just call my name?'
Dave turned around and looked at her. He met her gaze. He saw the light in her eyes as she raised her hand as if she was motioning for him to come closer to her. He saw her lips parted, mentioning his name over and over again. "Dave…"
Everyone inside the ward fell silent. Jane subconsciously glanced at Nathan, assessing his reaction. She already expected this to happen because Bam-Bam reassured her that Abigail would never remember the memories she had with Nathan.
Jane saw that Nathan stiffened when Abigail ignored him. Instead of looking at him, Abigail called Dave. Nathan felt a pang of pain when Abigail didn't acknowledge his presence and she focused her attention on another guy.
Jane's words resounded in his mind. [ Let's just wait for my sister to wake up. You will find out that I'm telling the truth once she regains consciousness. She will look for Dave… not Nathan. ]
Those words came true and it hit him so hard that he couldn't help but feel so mad. 'Why? Why call Dave first? Not me? I thought she had feelings for me.' Nathan gnashed his teeth while clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Nathan saw the yearning in Abigail's eyes as she stared at Dave. In her weakest state, Abigail still managed to smile. Nathan felt like his heart had been crushed by this scene.
'What is the meaning of this?' he asked himself, confusion resurfacing on his face as he darted his gaze back and forth between Abigail and Dave.
"Dave… c-come here," Abigail pleaded in her hoarse voice. She felt safe after seeing Dave's presence.
When Dave heard her pleading voice, he could no longer control himself. He sprinted toward her, closing their gaps. Upon reaching Abigail's sick bed, Dave grabbed her hand using both hands.
"I'm here, Abi. Don't be afraid. You are safe here." Dave comforted her, and at the same time, he gave her some reassurance.
Abigail bobbed her head as she trusted him. Then she shifted her gaze back to Nathan and the others. "W-Who are they?" Abigail asked Dave.
That certain question from Abigail made everyone in the room speechless. Did she lose her memory? Amnesia? Couldn't she recognize anyone aside from Dave?
Mr. Hiroshi looked at Jane and Nathan worriedly. "Where is the doctor?"
Dave was also wondering why Abigail couldn't recognize Nathan and others.
"Can't you recognize them?" Dave softly asked Abigail, squeezing her hand gently.
Abigail frowned and shook her head. "I can't. I don't remember meeting them before."
Among the people inside that room, only Jane and Ethan knew the reason why Abigail couldn't recognize nor remember any of them.
They were still in that confusion when the doctor finally arrived to check Abigail's vital. The doctor advised them to stay away from the patient for the moment because she looked confused and uncomfortable with their presence.
"Dave… please stay. Don't leave me." But Abigail held Dave's hand tightly. She didn't want him to leave. In the end, only Dave stayed inside the ward together with the doctor.
Nathan was so quiet when he left the ward. Jane got worried about him. She could tell that Nathan was devastated since Abigail couldn't recognize him.
Ethan, on the other hand, grabbed his father's hand, letting him know that he was not alone. Nathan's heart was filled with different emotions. Ethan could sense that his father was greatly affected by this current situation.
"Master, I think your daughter lost her memory because of the accident. Selective amnesia perhaps?" Kazuki shared his thoughts.
Mr. Hiroshi just gave his right-hand man a warning look. He signaled him to just keep his mouth shut. He could sense that Nathan was hurt when Abigail didn't recognize him.
Feeling a little bit suffocated, Nathan excused himself. He headed out to calm himself down and gather his emotion. He didn't want to look pitiful in front of Mr. Hiroshi and Jane. He chose the isolated area outside the medical facility. When he reached the spot, Nathan vented out his frustration by punching the wall.
Bam!
Thud!
Crack!
He ignored the pain. The physical pain was nothing compared to his heartache. Now, he could understand Dave's feelings.
'So this is what he felt when Abigail didn't recognize him before. It seems that Abigail remembers Dave… but she has forgotten me.' Nathan smiled bitterly at that thought. He slammed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. When he opened his eyes, sadness, jealousy, and pain registered on his face.
He was about to throw another punch when someone blocked his fist from hitting the solid wall. He turned to his side only to see the woman he didn't want to see– Phantomflake.
"This poor wall hasn't done anything wrong to you. Don't take your anger on him," Jane mumbled. She looked worried at him but she sounded like teasing him when she said those words. Nathan's right hand hadn't completely healed yet. But here he was punching the wall with all his might. Was he trying to break his finger bones?
Nathan gazed at her with a cold sharp glare. He was displeased by her sudden intrusion. "What are you doing here? To provoke me? Are you happy now? Your words came true. Your sister doesn't remember me."
Jane shook her head. "No. I'm not happy. But I'm worried about you."
Nathan couldn't believe her. He let out a sarcastic laugh and said, "Don't be a hypocrite, Phantom. No need to pretend. I know you are rejoicing now."
"Yes. I am indeed rejoicing because my sister finally wakes up. This is something I have to celebrate and be happy for." Jane smiled at him faintly.
Nathan narrowed his eyes at her. He became more pissed off because of her smile. "Scram! Just leave me alone." Nathan pushed her away. He turned his back on her to hide his pain. His pride won't allow Jane to see him in this miserable state.
Nathan just took a step when he felt Jane hugging him from behind. Her sudden action made him stop moving. Jane wrapped her arms around his body and embraced him tightly, catching him off guard. For some unknown reason, Nathan wasn't able to move and couldn't push her away.
"Nate… everything will be fine…" Jane said something to console Nathan.
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