I was awoken by a loud noise. Why do I have this splitting headache? Where am I?

I wish someone would turn off the damn lights and make everyone shut up. The sound and the lights were making my headache worse. I finally opened my eyes and looked around.

I was in a bed in a white room. Looking around, I could see that I was hooked to some medical instruments which was keeping track of my vitals. I realized I was in a hospital room.

Looking outside the room, I saw two people in a heated discussion. The guy was wearing the long white coats, making it safe to assume he is the Doctor, and the lady with him was wearing a nurse outfit. I could not hear them clearly and could only catch some of the words they said.

“... Lost too much blood … severe head wound….girl didn’t survive....”

I wondered who they were talking about. Finally, the Doctor noticed that I’m awake.

He was an old guy with a lot of wrinkles on his face. You could make out that he was an experienced Doctor the way he carried himself. He looked exhausted. Guess it must have been a long day for him. But he still put on a smile before speaking with me.

“Hi. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, I guess. But I have a severe headache.”

“Do you know where you are?”

I tried my best to come up with the correct answer. But I couldn’t remember anything at all.

“I think some kind of hospital. But I can’t remember how I reached here.”

“It’s okay, you need rest now. You were injured and have been unconscious for a while now.”

I got worried hearing that. I wanted to know more. Did I have any serious injury? Was that why they were looking at me like that?

“Really? Am I alright? What happened?"

“We were hoping you could tell us what happened. But we will get to that later. You need to rest now.”

The Doctor gave me an injection, and I felt myself drifting back to sleep again.

I woke up again after some time. The headache was still there, but it felt much better.

I saw the nurse sitting on the bed next to mine. She was young wearing very clean clothes for a nurse. I would guess she got it recently. Probably someone who has joined here recently. She seems completely absorbed in the movie that was playing on the TV.

Good luck with getting the excellent care that you were promised.

I made some sound to let her know that I’m awake. She seemed startled.

“Hi, how are you feeling now? How is your headache? Do you remember anything now?"

She fires one question after another at me. And my headache starts getting worse again.

“Could you please talk slowly? My head hurts.”

“I’m sorry, I have been waiting for a long time for you to wake up. Let me get the Doctor. He has asked me to notify him as soon as you are awake.”

After checking my vitals, she left to bring the Doctor.

I kept trying to remember how I got here, and my headache only got worse for my effort with no results.

The nurse came back soon with the Doctor.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Better, but my head still heads.”

“Do you remember anything from before now?”

“Not much”

The Doctor had a slight worry on his face.

“How about your name?

“I can’t remember. The more I try, the worse my headache gets.”

After waiting to see if I would add anything, the Doctor finally gives me some details.

“Your name is Jacob, and you have received a severe blow to your head. In such circumstances, you might temporarily have difficulty in remembering things.”

I was scared when I heard that. Will I never be able to remember anything?

“Do you know how long it will last?”

“It varies from person to person. Some recover in days or months, or in rare cases, they don’t recover at all. Anyways yours is a special case, and I’m not supposed to talk too much to you right now. I’m supposed to inform the police as soon as you are awake. They have been waiting for some time now.”

“Police. Was I involved in some kind of accident?”

“As I said, I’m not supposed to talk right now. The police will tell you everything.”

He left soon. I tried to recall where I have been and why the police would be interested in me. Was I involved in some kind of crime? The only information I had right now is my name. Jacob.

I try to recollect all the information I have as of now. The way the Doctor and nurse looked at me. It didn’t seem to contain any accusations but more condolences. And I heard them talking about a girl. My head starts to hurt again, and I stop trying to remember things.

I decided to accept things as they come.