Page 9 of It's a Date (Again)

I have a lot of questions. Number one, who am I? But I don’t ask any of them. Sure, they could tell me all my demographics, but that’s not who I am. Instead, I just tell the doctor I have no questions. I’ll figure it out later, I guess.

“All right, get some rest and take it easy, Peyton. You’re in good hands.” Dr.Hersh leaves the room.

We sit in silence for a few beats, exchanging glances and letting it all sink in.

“Well, what do you think?” Robbie asks.

“I don’t know. How can I just not remember who I am? How can I have no memories of the life I’ve lived?” Tears well up in my eyes again.

Maya pulls a tissue from her bag and hands it to me. I dab the wetness away. “They’re not gone, Peyton,” she says. “They’re just buried somewhere in that big brain of yours, but we’ll find them.”

“What if they never come back?” I feel my bottom lip tremble, so I pull it in.

The two of them exchange a worried look, but then I see it contort. They put on a brave face for me.

“Then we’ll make new memories,” Maya says.

An alarm sounds. It’s loud, and it’s coming from Robbie. He shoves his hand into his pocket and retrieves his phone, shutting it off. His brows knit together, and he groans. “I’m so sorry. I have to go into workfor a meeting. It’s terrible timing, but I’m presenting so I can’t miss it.” He squeezes my hand. “I’ll be back before you’re discharged, Peyton.”

I smile. It’s a small one, and I think it probably looks sadder than anything.

He pulls his hand from mine and stands, retrieving his stuff.

I want to tell Robbie,No, please stay. But I don’t know him, and I don’t think I have the right to ask him to stay. Judging from the dark circles under his eyes, it’s pretty clear he’s been here for days, waiting for me to wake up.

“Okay.” The word comes out just above a whisper, like I really don’t mean it at all.

“Don’t worry about it, Robbie,” Maya says. “I got it covered. You go take care of your business stuff or whatever it is you do for work.” She waves him off. “I don’t even have amnesia, and I can never remember what your job is.”

He chuckles. “I’ll be back soon,” he says, turning on his heel.

“Hey, Robbie,” I call out.

He glances back. “Yeah?”

“What do you do for work?”

That smile of his returns. “I’m an actuary, so measuring and managing the financial costs of risk and uncertainty with the use of mathematics and statistics.”

Maya pretends to snore and then jolts awake. “That’s why I never remember. Puts me right to sleep like a lullaby.”

Robbie leaves the room with a laugh. The door closes behind him, and it’s just me and Maya. My friend. No, my best friend. Or was Robbie my best friend? I don’t remember.

“His work seems kind of interesting,” I say, looking to her.

“That’s only because this is the first time you remember hearing about it.”

“Wait, what about my job? Do I have one? Do I still have it? Do they know I was in an accident?” I try to sit up a little taller in the bed.

“Yes, you still have it. I’ve been keeping them updated. They’re being extra supportive and flexible, so you don’t have to worry about it at all.” She points to the vases of flowers. “Several of those are from your coworkers and boss.”

I nod. “What do I do for work?”

“You’re a scientist.”

“Really?” I pull my chin in and try to think of science-y things. There’s the periodic table, but I can’t really recall any of the elements, except for silver and gold. Oh, and hydrogen. And potassium. And iodine. I know more than I thought I did. But it doesn’t seem like I know enough to be a scientist.

“Are you sure? I don’t really think that’s my career. It doesn’t feel like me.”

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