The Passenger by Jacqueline Druga (ebook reader ink .TXT) 📕

letting go of him, not out of their embrace, not yet, maybe never.

Haley watched. She sat behind the board when it happened. She wasn’t the only one who heard it, it seemed everyone, especially those who knew Chip’s situation, just stopped. Hand over her mouth, she had watched Jonas push through the crowd, calling out, over and over. “Mom! Mom!” until he found her, grabbed her and held out.

Haley knew the reason he froze on stage. There was no doubt.

The moment Jonas saw his mother, he remembered.

He remembered it all.

TWENTY-FIVE

It wasn’t like he believed it would happen. Jonas had seen amnesia portrayed in movies and television before. It wasn’t some big giant wave of memories and suddenly he was alright. It was bit by bit, then blast. And the memories that came first weren’t good. They were arguments with his parents, things he had said, ugly things. The memories that had probably kept him from remembering.

Everyone attributed it to his mother triggering his memory. But it wasn’t. It was his father.

Something about the look he gave Jonas from across the stage, just before the song started. It caused some voice inside his head to remember his name and recognize Grant as his father.

It was then he turned around, finding Maw-Maw to focus on and he saw his mother.

He had to close his eyes to play, to sing the song, to believe the words, because the entire time he sang, the memories kept coming.

He raced from that stage wanting only to hug her. Somewhere though in their emotional reunion, he passed out.

Waking up in the emergency room.

The feeling was strange, his time in Williams Peak, suddenly knowing how it felt to not remember who he was.

It wasn’t just relief that hit Jonas, worry, fear and regret came along for the ride.

How would they look at him? Jonas wasn’t just seeing Haley, Pastor Rick, Maw-Maw and Joe the way he did, as Chip anymore. A blank page was filled in.

They weren’t strangers to him, as he expected would happen when the memory returned. They were family, and just like he felt with his mom and dad, he wondered if he was worthy enough to be around them.

After being so good for so long, sitting there on that hospital examining table, alone in the room, Jonas felt like a fraud.

Doc Jenner slid open the glass door and stepped inside. “Good news, everything looks good.”

“I’m fine, I don’t understand why you had to run all those tests.”

“One … you passed out. You had trauma and I wanted to make sure everything was working as it should. Getting your memory back affects you physically.”

“I’m fine.”

“I know. Do you feel like you’re still missing anything?” Doc Jenner asked.

“The accident. I mean, I remember my drummer handing me my phone because it fell on the floor. My mom …” He forcefully exhaled. “My mom had texted, and I blew them off.”

“Do you remember the accident?”

“Same as before, the guy in the car. I can see him clearer now though. I remember him being in the car when I got in. Then after the windshield thing … nothing. Nothing until Ann the nurse was with me the next morning.”

“Well, unfortunately, a lot of that had to do with the drug in your system. That causes black outs.”

Jonas nodded.

“I’ll get you all signed out. You have people waiting in the waiting room to make sure you’re alright,” Doc Jenner said. “Why don’t you go see them?”

Jonas didn’t reply.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Just … it feels weird now, that’s all.” Jonas slid from the table and walked to the door. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Doc Jenner replied. “And I’m glad your memory is back.”

It wasn’t that long of a wait, an hour or so, Grant lost track of time. He was nervous about being at the hospital, seeing Jonas all over.

Doc Jenner told them he believed Jonas was fine and was waiting on the results. That was the last Grant heard. He sat in the waiting room with Cate, Marge, Joe and Haley. They were the only ones there, the emergency room wasn’t busy at all.

He wondered how much Jonas remembered. Everything? Only a little?

Two cups of coffee later, Jonas came from the back through the doors.

Everyone stood.

“Are you all right?” Cate rushed to him.

“Yeah, I think I need to take a walk.”

“Maybe, it’s not a good idea,” Cate said. “One of us could go with you …”

“I’m fine.”

“Or …”

“Mom!” Jonas snapped. “I’m fine.”

It was a bolt of shock that went through Grant when he heard the tone to Jonas’ voice. “We’re just worried, Jonas.”

“Worried enough to lie to me?” he asked. “You spent all that time with me. Hanging around and not once did you tell me who you are. How could you do that to me? Huh? Did you hate me that much, hate who I was, that you just wanted to pretend I was someone brand new? Or better yet, maybe you wanted me never to remember?”

“Don’t …” Marge softly scolded. “Don’t blame him. Do not put the blame on them. You want to blame someone. Blame me. I believed you didn’t want to know until you remembered. Now you do. Nobody wanted to lie to you. I was just going by what you said.”

“You’re right, I did say that. I ... have to take a walk.” Shaking his head, Jonas walked out of the emergency room in a storming manner.

“And just like that.” Cate said softly. “The old Jonas comes back.”

“Please don’t say that,” Haley said. “Please believe in him.” She turned and hurried to catch up to Jonas.

Cate closed her eyes and sat back down. “That … that was wrong of me to say.”

Marge sat next to her. “I know it’s hard. But I truly think he’s just confused. Imagine … this morning he woke up one person and in the middle of service he remembers not only who he was, but a person he thinks is completely opposite of the Chip