Chapter 5
It
is late afternoon when Joe Morelli finally wakes up. He's all alone
inside his private ward. His mother has gone home to prepare dinner and
his elder brother has not yet arrived. He opens his eyes and blinks
twice. He feels weak and tired but eerily calm. He slowly moves his
fingers and toes. He takes a deeper breath and immediately knows where
he is. He's inside a hospital. Joe Morelli smiles. He's no stranger to
hospitals, cuts and bruises. He can recognize the unique smell anywhere,
and all the nurses—young and aging, married or divorced—like
him. He looks around and wonders what happened to him. His head is
dizzy, his mouth is dry, but other than that he seems to be okay. He's
not in pain, and he doesn't have any broken rib or limb. He listens to
the vague voices and sounds coming from outside the door and tries to
concentrate and think. Why is he here? How long has he been
hospitalized? But tries as he might, his mind stubbornly remains a
complete blank. He's a little annoyed that he can't remember anything.
Not even his dream. And now he's also hungry. He never likes feeling
hungry.
A tall sturdy male nurse comes into the door and raises
his brows upon finding his patient awake. He goes out to call the doctor
right away and didn't waste any time smiling his trained pleasant
smile. Soon the doctor comes to check the vital signs of the patient and
ask a few questions. She then frowns at the answers and tells the nurse
to page another doctor. Modern medicine still has its limits. She
wishes one day she can know more about head traumas. And the legendary
patient looks even cuter when he's calm and awake. The doctor thinks
secretly to herself and gives Joe Morelli a small encouraging smile. She
is always intrigued by strong, handsome men's sad vulnerability, and
she has fallen in love with his permanent 5 o'clock shadow and lean
sleeping face. Even if she has issues with his dense body hair.
Anthony
Morelli parks his brother's car and whistles a happy song. He's not
exactly a loving elder brother but he does care about Joe. They have
been through a lot together, and he wants to be there when his younger
brother wakes up this time. His life has never been easy. His kids are
having problems in school. Both his boss and his wife are way too
demanding. His seemingly strong mother is falling apart under too much
stress and pressure. And he's going to be a father AGAIN in less than 8
and a half months. Anthony steps into the elevator and blows out a sigh.
He sometimes wishes he could change place with Joe. It's not that he
doesn't love his sweet but not little family. It's just that sometimes
he can't help wanting to run away from all the responsibilities and
duties of being a father and husband and be himself again. Now he can
understand why Joe never proposes to Stephanie. It's not about love.
It's not about trust. It's not about companionship or friendship. It's
about sacrifice, commitment and courage. And it's too much and too heavy
to bear if you are not 100 percent sure and ready.
Joe Morelli
starts to feel panic. He doesn't know why he can't be sure of anything.
He hopes he knows why he can't remember things more clearly. They say
his name is Joseph Morelli. They say he is a Trenton police detective.
They say he has been in a coma for more than 7 months until this
morning. They say he had suffered from a severe concussion. They say he
had several fractured bones. They say he may have memory loss. And they
ask him if "Cupcake" means something, anything special to him.
But he can't remember anything.
He
can't remember his name. He can't remember his birthday. He can't
remember if he has a pet. He can't remember who the president is. He
can't remember his mother's face. He can't remember who Stephanie is.
All he knows is he's hungry and thirsty and in a panic. And somewhere
deep, deep down inside his being, he knows he has forgotten something.
Something warm. Something soft. Something precious. Something essential.
Something sweet. Something very, very special to him. He knows he needs
that something. He knows he has to find that something. But he simply
can't remember what that "something" is. A drop of tear falls down Joe
Morelli's face.
And it scares the Hell out of him.
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