Thirty - Two

Scott opened his eyes after feeling like he was wondering in the dark after so long. Through blurred eyes and not because he was crying which was the first thing he did when he opened them but because they felt like he hasn't opened them in a long while. They felt heavy. He was met with florescent lights and a white ceiling. Antiseptics filled his nostrils. Scott noticed how his body felt numb. Looking to the side he saw the heart monitor, and IV drop attached to his arm. Why was he in the hospital? What happened to Elijah?

On the bed next to him he saw an unfamiliar black haired woman asleep. Where was his parents? Maddie and Simon? Scott tried to rise from the bed but he couldn't. The woman started to shuffle and eventually woke up. Seeing Scott up and struggling to get up, she rushed over to him. Scott was met with a hand on his shoulders allowing him to lay back into the bed.

"Scott, You're--" the woman said with tear filled eyes. She seemed at a loss for words. "I'll go call the doctor" she quickly ran out the door, leaving Scott to wonder what was happening.

The doctor along with the black haired lady and two other people came rushing in. A grey haired man and a girl that was older than Scott. All looking surprised yet concerned at Scott. The doctor and a nurse proceeded to do minimal checks on Scott. The lady clasped her hands together, hoping that everything was well. The older man resting an assuring hand on her shoulder. His expression was hard to read. The girl had her arms crossed as she watched the doctor, her eyes flickering on Scott ever so often. She had more features of the woman and that made him wonder if she was his daughter. Nothing made sense. Why were they in his hospital room? Why was he in the hospital?

"What's your name?" The doctor asked, after checking Scott's eyes, letting him follow the light.

"S-Scott" he coked out, his throat dry. The nurse handing him a glass of water with a smile, "Thank you"

"Scott what?" The doctor proceeded to ask.

"Finnegan" he replied, thinking the doctor would likely know that.

The doctor turned to look at the people behind him. Shock written all over their faces. Did he say something wrong? He handed back the glass to the nurse. The doctor cleared his throat and the tension that was filling the room.

"Where is he?" Scott asked, beating the doctor to asking the other questions first.

The doctor raised a brow. The people filling the room was just as curious. "Where's who?" The doctor asked, not giving Scott the answers he needed.

"Elijah"

"Whose Elijah?" This time it was the crying lady from before who spoke, calming down from her series of crying.

"My boyfriend" Scott simply said, thinking again that they should know that. Then again these people were all strangers to him. The grey haired man face became hard as stone, the woman only gaping as the girl snickered.

"We will check up on you in the next few hours" the doctor said, looking to the nurse who nodded in understanding. "For the time being please give him some time" he directed at people in the room.

The doctor and nurse left and the people thanked him. Scott looked over at them wondering if they were going to leave or not. "Would you like something to eat?" The woman asked.

Scott was indeed hungry. As If he hadn't ate in months, "I'll go get some food on my own" He replied. There was surely a cafeteria in the hospital he could go get some food. A whole lot of food.

"I'll get it for you" the woman persisted, forcing Scott to lay back in the bed. His body wasn't listening to him.

"I couldn't possibly bother you" Scott said as politely as he could.

The girl that wasn't much much older than him snickered causing the woman to glare at her, "What, there's obviously something wrong with him"

"Aveline, this is no time for jokes. You're brother just woke up from his coma, please behaviour like you care"

Scott eyes darted over to the girl. She wasn't Maddie. Long brunette haired replaced by blonde one, a cheerful smile replaced by devious one. "Brother?" Scott repeated, making sure he hadn't heard wrong.

"Yes, Aveline and you are--"

The woman cut short by the man. His expression unchanging, "leave it up to the doctors"

**

Scott was feeling like a book. His life written on each page being read aloud by the reader. Scott thought he knew the story of his life. He's lived it up until so he would know. For some reason he didn't know his life. What was written upon till this point wasn't what was being read aloud. Suddenly there was a long pause. There were pages ripped from his life and he didn't know when or why it happened. Leaving him to fill out the blanks.

Scott appetite was long lost but he tried to continue on eating. Anything to distract him from Aveline words. If she was his sister then those two would be his parents. The more he thought the more it didn't make sense. The doctor had came back and made Scott do a few more test, saying he would be back again. The silence was killing him and the only person who seemed genuinely happy was the lady. She had bought Scott food despite his protest. He was just going to ask one of the nurses. The woman was just far too persistent.

Night had fallen when the doctor came back, the same nurse from before behind him. The woman was fluffing Scott's pillow after putting the tray away.

"I see your doing well" the doctor greeted, smiling faintly at Scott. "There's something that we would like to discuss with you and your family" everyone was all ears.

There goes the doctor, using the word family. "Did you find Elijah?" Scott asked, earning a silence respond from the doctor, nurse included.

"I'm afraid not" the doctor said. "We're here to discuss your condition" he switched topics.

"Condition?"

"You were in a coma for three months" he told Scott. There was no way that was possible but he listened anyway. "There was a lack of oxygen flow to your brain after an incident. Everything is okay now" he assured them.

"But" Scott knew this was going to be the harder part. The situation was all too difficult for him. It all seemed too unreal. "You've forgotten your family"

"I haven't" Scott blurted out, the nursing resting a hand on his shoulder telling him to calm down. "I haven't forgotten my family. They just aren't here. Maddie's not her, Simon's not here and my mom and dad"

"Scott I would like for you tell you what you remembered" the doctor approached with caution.

Scott proceeded to tell the doctor about everything that had happened upon till Parker trying to kill Elijah. The sobs from the woman filled the room, the doctor nodding when necessary. Even the nurse was shock. By the time Scott was done he was crying, all the painful emotions welcoming themselves.

"What I'm about to say, I want for you to take it bravely" Dr. Florence said, Scott had caught his name from his coat earlier on. "Everything you've just told me was a dream"

Like a stab wound, Scott was unable to recover. Dr. Florence was lying. There was no way everything Scott had experienced upon till now was fake.

"A dream?" his real mother said.

"Yes" Dr. Florence confirmed. "There has been previous patients who have woken up having similar dream like events like Scott. In Scott's case as most comatose patients wake up unfamiliar with their surroundings-- with people. And with him experience a dream during his comatose state which was likely affected by things said around him" he pointed to the nearby television in the room. "His dreams mirrored reality, partially consisting of made up scenarios. Example: Elijah and his family." He gestured towards his real family.

"There was only one addition which was 'Simon' the made up scenario" Scott couldn't believe his ears, the tears not being able to stop. "The recent violence in the news might be the cause of the gang and said Parker person. As for Elijah, another made up scenario" it was harsh but it was the truth. "I'm sorry Scott. We've yet to determine if this is temporary or permanent."

"Can I be alone" Scott requested his head hanging low. They exited one by one still trying to process what the doctor had said.

When they were all gone, Scott allowed himself to fully break down. The pages of his life didn't suddenly disappear they were replaced with something false. The real story was only just beginning.