Read Memory's Edge: Part One for Free Online

bite the inside of her cheek to
keep from showing her confusion.
    “My parents
live in Denver and my goldfish really couldn’t care less whether I’m home or
not. As long as they get their food, they’re happy.” Gretchen watched his face
carefully as she spoke. She could have sworn she saw the corners of his lips
turn up just a bit. Pushing away any thoughts that might take off from that
little hint, she tried to focus on what John needed, not what she wanted.
    “I wonder
where my parents live,” he said quietly.
    “Just give
it time,” Gretchen said.
    John sighed
and turned to look up at the ceiling. “It’s strange that I can miss people I
don’t even know. I can’t remember my family at all, but it’s like I can feel
their absence. I know they’re out there. I just don’t know where.”
    Trying not
to sound like a broken record, Gretchen attempted to comfort him without
reminding him it would take time for his memory to come back. “I’m sure they’re
looking for you, too,” she said.
    John
reached up to run his fingers through his hair. Touching his tender scalp made
him grimace, but he scratched a spot on his head before abandoning the effort.
He lay back on his pillow and stared at the ceiling for a while before speaking
again. “This feels so strange, not being able to remember anything. I don’t
even know where I am, or how I got here, or what my favorite color is. I don’t
know who you are, either. You’ve been watching out for me for days, and I don’t
even know your first name.”
    Well, if
coma patients could hear a person when they spoke, they certainly didn’t
remember what anyone told them.
    “I’m
Gretchen Gesner,” she said, reaching out to take his hand. She felt a little
silly, having already spent so much time with him, but for him it was their
first official meeting. John took her hand and shook it slowly. She loved the
fact that he didn’t have to stifle a laugh or hide a smile when she told him
her name. Everybody thought her name was old fashioned and strange, including
Gretchen.
    “Gretchen.
It’s nice to meet you,” John said. “I wish I could tell you what my name is,
but I’ve got nothing.”
    “Well, that
may be one good thing about losing your memory. At least now you can choose a
name you like and not be stuck with something like Gretchen,” she said.
    “You don’t
like your name?” he asked.
    She shook
her head emphatically.
    “I don’t
think there’s anything wrong with it. I kind of like it,” John said. His face
turned thoughtful for a moment. “I guess you could always just go by your
initials if you don’t like Gretchen, though.”
    “My
initials?” she said slowly. She really hoped he wasn't going where she thought
he was.
    “Yeah,
G.G., Gigi,” John said with a grin. “It’s cute, isn’t it?”
    Gretchen
groaned. It usually took people a lot longer to come up with that. She made it
through half of kindergarten before someone tried to call her Gigi. He only did
it once, because she bit him on the nose for it. High school had been even more
unforgiving when some guys thought Gigi would make a perfect name for the
profession they thought Gretchen should take up due to her curvy figure.
    “I hate the
name Gigi,” she said, trying to sound cheerful but deadly serious at the same
time. It didn’t quite work. “It makes me sound like I’m some kind of stripper.”
    That really
made John laugh. At least until it hurt too much and he had to calm himself
down. It took him a few minutes to stop grimacing, but he eventually found a
position that didn’t cause him too much pain. Relaxed on his pillow, he looked
as if he had forgotten his uncertain future for a moment. It didn’t last.
Eventually his face clouded up again and the set of his jaw showed his worry.
    “If it
helps,” Gretchen started, “I’ve been calling you John. Mainly because they put
John Doe on your chart, but it seemed like it fit you. It might be something to
start