Return of the past

“Hitomi! Misako!” I yelled.

I jolted awake, gasping for air. My vision was blurred, I could not see a single object with clarity. My chest was numb, I could feel it beat with erratic pulses and timings. Looking at my hands: they were drenched, sweat dripped from my arms like I’d experienced a fever. I felt weak in the frame, my legs numb from presumed deep recovery. The hospital room was suddenly flooded with nurses and doctors alike.

“Are you okay, Mister Taylor?” The doctor asked me.

“I-I’m fine. Where is Misako?” I asked in a panicked state.

The doctor placed a hand on my hand. He wanted to ensure I did not panic or move erratically.

“Calm down, Mister Gojo. Everything is going to be okay. You are in the hospital.” He spoke.

“I-I need to see Misako, where is she?” I asked again.

“Sir, first calm down. There is no one here, it’s midnight.” He replied.

I tried to prop myself up from the bed, but the nurses held me down with force. They would not allow me to get up.

“Please don’t try to agitate yourself, you need to stay calm.” One of the nurses said to me.

“I-I need to get home. I need to tell Misako that I-”

“You cannot go home just yet, Mister Taylor. We need to evaluate your health. It could take a few days.” The doctor interjected.

I wanted to see Misako, I needed to tell her. My memories of my past had returned to me. I needed to tell her everything. I needed to apologize about the other day. I needed to tell her everything. I needed to tell her about us, I needed to tell her about the watch. I slumped my head back on my pillow, my body ached and pained.

“Wh-what day is it?” I asked unprompted.

“It’s Sunday. You’ve been in the hospital for a week now.” He said to me.

“No, no, no!” I said, “A week?”

“You had a seizure, we had to operate on you. You might be prone to more seizures now.”

“I-I missed it…” I trailed off.

‘Golden Week…I missed all of Golden Week.’ I thought.

“Sir, if you relax, we can monitor you. Then, if everything seems okay, you could be discharged in the next few days.” A nurse said to me.

“I can’t stay another moment longer, I need to speak to Misako.” I replied.

“It can wait. Your health and well-being are our top priority. We cannot let you leave.”

I slumped back down, defeated. I needed to speak to Misako.

“I’m okay. I’m just a bit tired.” I said truthfully.

“Let us be the judges of your health. If everything is green, you could perhaps leave tomorrow.”

“Fine.” I replied.

For the rest of the late evening, the nurses and doctor monitored me. Prodding me, drawing blood, checking my vitals. I could hear them speak to each other about my miraculous recovery. Then, the head doctor walked towards me.

“Do you remember your name?” He asked me.

“David Taylor, twenty-one years old.”

“And what country are you in?”

“Japan. I go to university in Tokyo. I study business. I had a seizure due to my poor health and my brain had bled. I assume from my traumatic brain injury I had from when I was fifteen. Rugby accident.”

The doctor scratched his head from my direct answers.

“Two days ago, you experienced a loss of memory. But it seems they have returned to you.” The doctor stated.

“But I’m better now, right? It means I can go home?” I asked.

“Tomorrow, perhaps. For tonight, you must stay with us. And in the morning, I will give my final verdict.” He replied.

It was not the answer I wanted. I needed to see Misako. I looked to my left in defeat. And a plan had erupted within my thoughts. A plan that would set me free from the hospital. I knew it would work.

“Fine.” I stated.

The doctors left me in my room, turning off the lights to let me rest. I waited a few minutes before I acted. When I believed to be left alone, I used my arm to grab my phone off of a desk next to me. I prayed that it had power. And it did. I swiped to my contacts list, and saw the name:

“You better pick up.” I muffled.

‘RING’

‘RING’

‘RING’

‘…’

‘FWIP’

“Hello? Who’s this?” Hiroshi asked.

“It’s me, you beautiful bastard.” I replied with tears in my eyes.

“D-David?!” He yelled.

“The one and only.”

“Y-you’re up? And you remember me?”

“I could not forget your name and face, even if I wanted to.”

I could hear Hiroshi stutter, then sniff. He could not have been crying, not over me. That was not the Hiroshi I knew.

“Hiroshi, I need your help.” I asked.

“W-What? Aren’t you in the hospital? Are you okay?” He asked frantically.

“I need to escape.”

“No way in hell. You aren’t going to die because of me.”

“The doctors said I’m good to be discharged tomorrow. Please, I need to speak to Misako.”

“Buddy…I can’t. I will come visit tomorrow.”

“I beg, I can only rely on you. I PROMISE you I’m okay. I just need to see her, right now. You’re my best friend.”

There wasn’t a reply from Hiroshi. I waited a moment. I needed him, I needed his tricks and schemes. I needed the dumb Hiroshi to rescue me.

Then:

“Say that again.” He said to me. His voice was shaking.

“Say what?” I asked.

“The last part. Say it again.”

I knew what he wanted me to say.

“Hell no, it’s embarrassing.”

“See you tomorrow then!”

“No! Ugh…Please come and save me…B-Best friend.”

Silence. Then:

“I’m bringing backup. I cannot do a mission without my fellow pupil beside me.” He commanded.

“Oh no…”

“Oh yes!”

“Please, no guns.”

“No promises.”

Hiroshi hung the phone on me. I knew that whatever was about to happen, was going to end in one of two ways: