Entry 148: Remembering

Four Months Ago...

"How's she looking?"  Ethan Verone asked.

Dr Einmoch nodded approvingly as he looked over data on the holo displays, checking it off against old data from her last visit, "She appears to be perfectly healthy. She'll rouse herself in her own time."

Shalee whimpered a soft little sound as she started to awaken, her eyelids remained closed though her eyes darted back and forth.

Dr Einmoch monitored her closely, checking her vitals off while keeping his eyes on her.

Suddenly she blinked her eyes open, first looking at Dr Einmoch, then to Verone.

"Ah good, you're with us, and awake," the doctor said.  "Please keep your head down, give yourself a few minutes to gather your senses."

Verone smiled slightly to her and nodded.

She lifted a hand and rubbed it against her forehead. "Alright," she said rather softly, as if uncertain.

Verone tilted his head and watched her carefully as Dr Einmoch smiled, chuckling,  "Okay, I need to ask you a few basic questions, Shalee, alright?"

Shalee furrowed her brows at Verone as he watched her, a look of confusion flashed across her face, followed by a look of distress. She pulled her hand from her forehead, holding both hands in front of her,

"What...happened?" She searched for the scars.

Verone stood quietly and smiled to her, "It's alright, don't worry, you're safe and well. Just relax and work with the doc, okay?"

Dr Einmoch watched her carefully, "Shalee?"

She looked back to the doctor and nodded, as if to say go ahead.

"Your full name?"

"Shalee Lianne Cerra."

"Your current employer?"

"The Knight-" she hesitated. "No, that isn't right." She shook her head as if confused. "Am I crazy?" she looked to Verone, "Everything seems jumbled up....the Outlaws."

"No, you're not crazy." Verone said.

"It'll take an hour or so to slip into place," Einmoch said.  "Do you remember our coversation last night?"

"But it...feels like a dream. Like it didn't really happen..." She looked to Verone again, "Is Drem alright?"

"Drem? We'll talk about that later. How are you feeling?"

"Lightheaded."

Einmoch smiled to her, "Do you remember where you were born?"

"Adia."

"Your birthday, and age?" he questioned.

Shalee named off her birthday and the year she was born. "Twenty two."

"Good, excellent."

"Do you remember your previous employer, his name, and the name of the corporation?"

She answered softly. "Aldrith Shutaq. Knighthood of the Merciful Crown."

"Your new corporation, and their CEO?"

"Eran. Outlaws." She shook her head, "But it doesn't really seem real." She looked to Verone again, "Is Drem okay?  Can I see him?"

"Right now it's important that you recover, you can speak to people when you're feeling one hundred percent."

"I agree with Ethan," Einmoch said.  "Try to relax. Can you lift your right hand for me?"

"But there was so much blood," she said as she lifted her right hand.

"That was a long time ago, things are much different now," Verone said.

"It feels like it just happened."

"Can you tell me the current Date, Shalee?" the doctor asked.

She opened her mouth to say the date she was cloned at the facility then paused, remembering that months had passed since. She named the current date.

Dr Einmoch nodded, "Now a little motor test. Touch the tip of each finger to your thumb on your right hand for me."

She complied, daintly tapping her fingertips against her thumbs, "Like this?"

"And now the other hand, please."

Shalee touched each fingertip to the opposite thumb. "Is this necessary? I feel fine." She moved to sit up in the bed.

"Motor tests are part of the process yes. How do you feel, sat up? Any diziness?" he asked.

"Fine.  I feel fine." She blinked several times as everything started to swirl. "Yes."

He gently rested his palm on her forehead, adjusting various dials on her monitoring equipment,  "Stay layed down for now."

She laid back against the pillow as instructed. "He died, didn't he." She rolls her head to the side, looking at Verone. "That's what you're not telling me."

"Yeah, he did, but not from what happened with you." Verone said.

"Try to relax, Shalee," Einmoch said softly.

She nodded, trying to relax. "He was sweet." She looked upset suddenly. "He used to..." She gasped as a thought occured to her. "Did you kill him?"

"No, I didn't.  He was a good friend." Verone said, shaking his head.

"You know what he did?" she asked, her expression worried.

Dr Einmoch interrupted them, "This isn't the time for these types of discussion, focus on remembering more distant things."

Verone looked at her, "I know everything, yes. He told me everything."

Shalee shook her head as if everything is still jumbled up, "Everything is strange." She stared up at the ceiling. "I thought it was you."

"You thought what was me?" Verone asked.

"Him. When he came around as Niques."

"No, that wasn't me.  But I do know what happened."

She fell silent, saying nothing.

"Tell me what else you remember?"

"Everything, I think."

Verone nodded and smiled, "Good. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

She nodded very slightly. "But things aren't linear...it's a bit...jumbled."

"In the space of a few hours, it will reorder itself.  You should rest. I'd like you to stay here for 24 hours."

She nodded again, "Alright." She searched her memories as they flashed through her mind as if she were watching a holovid on fastforward.

Dr Einmoch nodded to her and smiled, ushering the two cloning techs out, then giving a final check over of her equipment, "You'll find all the entertainment you need for twenty-four hours in the holo-projector. I'll be back to check on you periodically, if you need anything, the staff here will be here non-stop."

"Alright. Thank you."

The doctor nodded to her then departed, leaving her with Ethan.

Verone nodded to Toma as he left and then pulled up a stool to sit beside her bed, watching her quietly.

"You wanted me to remember that it was you who helped me," she said.

"No.  I just didn't trust anyone other than Toma to do it.  If you hate me, then that's your choice. I can't change it."

"I don't hate you."

"Then that's your choice...how are you feeling now?"

"Just a little...unnerved, or something."

"Why's that?"

She shook her head, "I don't know."

"I'm sure you'll feel better after some sleep."

"Yeah, I guess. Hopefully."

He smiled to her as he stood, "Anything I can get you?"

"No I guess I'll be alright. You don't have to stay. I know you're busy."

"I'm fine, I have the night off."

"So you're going to nurse me back to health huh?"

He smirked, "Yeah, that's the Shalee I remember."

She laughed a soft little sound. "Can I have some water?" She attemped to sit up again, too fidgety to be laying around.

Verone nodded and headed to the side of the room, filling her a large lidded pitcher with ice cool water and a glass too. As he went to stand, he battered his head on the overhead cabinets, ducking and smirking before heading over to her. He offered her the glass, then rested the pitcher down beside her bed.

She giggled. "Did you forget how tall you are?"

"It happens."

Verone smirked and headed back over to the cabinets, dabbing at the back of his head with some gauze.  It stains with crimson as he walks back to her, "I've got probably more of a headache than you, now."

She frowned, "You're bleeding." She attempted to slide her legs over the bedside. Her feet touched the cool floor. "Let me help you."

"It's fine, lie down.  It happens all the damn time,"  He gently slipped his hand under her legs and lifted them back onto the bed, "Rest. You shouldn't be wandering about yet.  Doc's orders, not mine."

"But I don't want to stay in bed all night I feel like I've had tons of sleep."

"Your medication will kick in in an hour or so, and knock you out until morning, so that the memories can have a good chance to take."

She pouted, "So I just have to lay here bored?" With a sigh she stretched a hand out for the water he brought her.

"Yup, and get your head together."

"Boring." She scrunched up her brows as memories melded, playing in the back of her mind. Her face lit up, "I can fly a falcon now.  I just remembered."

Verone chuckled.

"I thought Miko would have been here."

"He was going to be. He got shot this afternoon, while on contract.  He's alright, recouping in the medical wing."

"It's dangerous to be around you."

"He wasn't on contract for me, but we take care of his medical needs.  He has the same problem as me, with his size. Toma is well versed in dealing with it."

"Oh."

"He wanted to be here.  Did you want him here?"

She shook her head no, "I guess not."

"Then why ask about him?"

"I don't know. Because you're not talking much.  And I have this nervous habit of rambling, I guess."

"I figured... I'd maybe have more to say, But i'm lost for words.  Why are you nervous?"

"Because it's you."

"Why do I make you nervous?"

Memories jumbled one on top of the other. A myriad of scenes flashed through her mind but not in order,  "I don't know. You just do."

"If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it before now. And I'd have left you a confused muddle, with no memories," he said.

"I know."

"Then relax.  And if you wanna talk to Miko, I'll send him up in the morning sometime."

"No it's fine, I'm sure Ill run into him sometime or other."

He shrugged and smiled at her, "You got about thirty minutes before you get knocked out for the night... I suggest you rest up, and I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright."

He smiled a little,  "If you remember anything, write it down in the holo interface and mail it to me, and we'll talk tomorrow and square your head away, okay?"

Shalee nodded as she sat her glass onto the table beside her bed. "Alright. I'll do that...." her brows scrunched together, "Are you looking for me to remember something specific?"

Verone shook his head and smiled,  "Nah, just anything in general you have queries about or whatever.  Rest up, we'll speak tomorrow, and if you need anything, the staff are here."

She nodded.

He headed to the door and tossed the gauze from the back of his head in the trash can beside it, "Sleep well."

He gave a brief glance back at her before leaving the room.