Sweet Twenty-first's

It had been a long night.

Sami could hear people moving around her and talking but she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. Why does my back hurt so much? She thought as she tried to run her hand over her back. She couldn’t move her arm, she couldn’t even open here eyes. What the hell is going on? She felt sedated, she could feel stuff going on around her, but she couldn't tell what it was.

She felt a hand close around hers, it was rough and hers smooth. She heard a sigh that sounded like Kevin. She wasn't sure how she could tell it was Kevin just from his sigh, but she was sure of it. Why was Kevin here? Where was here? What happened last night?” Overwhelmed with thoughts Sami’s eyes fluttered open to see Kevin sprawled out into the chair that sat beside the bed. He looked like hell. He looked as if he had been up all night, which he had been. He was staring at where their hands joined. She was so tired and her eyes shut again as she moved her fingers in his hand. She was trying to get his attention

Kevin looked at the girl in front of him as he felt her fingers moving in his hand. She opened her eyes again and forced a crooked smile onto her face before her eyes closed once more. She was glad that he was there; even if she wasn’t quite sure what was going on.

Kevin jumped out of his chair, and rushed to the door to find Mark, who was in search of some much needed coffee. Kevin saw him round the corner holding two cups coming closer.

“Mark! She’s awake!” he shouted down the hall. He didn't care that it was extremely late, or extremely early, depending on which way you looked at it.

Mark dropped the two coffee cups and started running. Thank God! he thought to himself. He dodged a nurse, but he wasn't quick enough. He didn’t bother to stop and help when papers went soaring through the air. His sister was awake and that was all he cared about at the moment. His mind kept replaying clips of last night. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He felt like he should have kept a better eye on her, His baby sister kept falling into Kevin’s arms. I knew I shouldn’t have brought her out with us, she is still too young… she’s twenty-one… it doesn’t matter she could have died!… oh shut up! She is alive and that is all that matters. That was his last thought as he walked through the door.

Sami looked up at her brother. She still wasn't quite sure where she was or why for that matter. Why does he look so surprised? she wondered silently. Where did Kevin get to? As if on cue Kevin walked in with a doctor following him. Now she was really confused. Where the hell am I?

“Hello Miss Parks,” The doctor said addressing Sami.

“Hello,” Sami replied quite hoarsely. Was that me? she thought looking around for some water. Noticing her distress Kevin walked forward twisting the cap off of a water bottle that he had purchased earlier that night in the hospital cafeteria. He handed it to her. She drank. And drank some more until the whole bottle was gone. The doctor was not phased by this in the least bit, but the two boys looked at the girl in bewilderment.

“Thanks,” she said feeling better, she hadn’t realized how thirsty she was. She felt like she was in a daze. She felt as if she wasn't herself. As if she was watching from above. She could see herself reacting to things, but she couldn't feel it.

The doctor noticed the looks on their faces, “That can be expected. With all the medicine she has pumping through her at the moment she is going to be quite thirsty for some time. Now let’s figure out how she’s doing.”

The doctor reached around his own neck and pulled off his stethoscope placing it in his ears. Kevin and Mark watched in silence hoping that there was nothing wrong. He pressed the cold metal to Sami’s chest.

“Deep breath,” he instructed Sami. He repeated this step several more times, moving the metal to a new location each time. Then he took her blood pressure.

“A little elevated, but nothing to worry about,” he said to no one in particular as he recorded the numbers on her chart, “Sami, do you remember what happened last night?”

“Not really…,” she hesitated for a moment, “I remember dancing with Kevin, and i needed some air, but that’s it. I cant think of anything after that. Is that weird? What's happening to me?”

“Hmm,” the doctor responded ignoring her question with a frown, “Can I speak with you two outside?” the doctor asked the men. Sami thought to herself for a moment; Why can't i remember last night?

The three men made their way out of the room and into the hallway. The doctor turned to look at the men and began to talk as the door clicked shut. Damn, so much for listening?

“It seems that the trauma has caused Sami’s brain to block out the memory of the event and the moments leading up to it. This is both good and bad. The good part is, she wont have to deal with this stress of being attacked and she should be able to heal more progressively. The bad…” he paused sighing, “It’s hard to say when she will get her memory back, if ever. Fortunately, all things considered it wasn’t that horrific of an attack, don't get me wrong, it was bad, but not as bad as it could have been. The odds of her never recovering her memory are very slim to none. It could be a day, a week, a month. There is one thing that you must understand about her situation. You must let her come to it on her own accord though. She must not be told what happened. --”

Mark interrupted him, “but what about talking to the cops? How are they going to go after this guy if they don't know anything?”

“I trust a report has already been filed, and that you--," he pointed to Kevin, "have told them everything you know," the doctor asked.

“Yes, but..”

“But that is it. If you tell her what happened she wont trust you. Not only will she not believe you, but she will shut you out completely as the real memories begin to come through and she will twist her memories to what she wants to believe. The mind is a wonderful thing. It can make her worst nightmare come to life, her fantasies become nightmares, and she can make herself believe anything. It is absolutely imperative that you don’t let her know what happened, for her own good.”

The conversation went on for several minutes until the doctor finished explaining the situation, and what would happen with her release. When the doctor was finished explaining all the things she may need help with. The three men exchanged handshakes, and the doctor walked away to have a nurse prepare Sami for release.

Mark turned to Kevin, “Go and keep her company, I have to call our parents. I promised I would call them back when she woke up. They can't make it all the way out here, so I have to keep updating them.”

“Okay, no problem,” Kevin responded opening the door to Sami’s room. He was the first to get to see Sami, and have to lie to her. He tried to act as if nothing was up and walked through the door.

“I have good news,” he said to her, “you get to go home today, but it’s bed rest for a few weeks. And there is going to be a nurse who will stop in a few times to look at your back.”

“Oh, how exciting,” she exclaimed sarcastically.

“I knew you would like that, plus, Mark and I already called and took off of work so we are all bunking at your place. We weren't sure what you were going to need so we thought we would help you out. Mark is doing it because he has to, I am doing it because I want to,” he said watching her reaction, he was wondering how much of their dancing she remembered. He knew that by the end of the night he was falling for her. She remembered most of, if not all of it. She remembered all of the feelings that were running through her body making her feel flushed and warm. She remembered his touches warming her body wherever it was that he touched her.

“You want to stay with me?” she asked with a sly grin on her face. She had always had a schoolgirl crush on him, and now it seemed that everything was changing in her favor.

“I do,” he said without even breaking eye contact. Sami extended her arm, holding her hand out inviting him closer.

“Come lay with me?” She asked wanting him to come closer.

“I can’t, what would Mark think?” He was still worried about Mark kicking his ass for messing with his little sister.

“I don’t care what he thinks, I am a big girl and I can take care of myself.”

If only you knew how untrue that was he thought.

“Fine, just until its time to leave,” he said moving closer. He would move as soon as he heard Kevin coming back into the room.

Sami moved to the side of the bed with only a dull pain in her back because of all the painkillers I must have fallen down the stairs or something, she thought to herself. The doctor insisted she be loaded up on painkillers until her memory started to come back, not that Sami understood why.

Kevin climbed into the bed laying down next to her, locking fingers with her extended hand. He wondered why he had never noticed her before. He wondered why now, all of a sudden his feelings for her were so strong.

They just watched each other for a few moments until Sami finally broke the silence.

“Stay with me, I don’t want to be alone,” she said drifting off to sleep.

“I would never leave you alone,” and with that comforting thought Sami moved closer and fell into a deep sleep as Kevin watched her, not wanting to move. He brushed the hair out of her face admiring her beauty God, am I screwed or what.