Bruised and Scarred.
Even Robots Need Blankets
Niall’s pov
I climbed in the ambulance with her and didn’t look back. I don’t care if anyone saw it and blabbed about this to the press. As long as I was with Jessa it didn’t matter to me. People could say I was dating Demi again and I wouldn’t care. Jessa is the only thing that matters to me right now. “Can you tell me your name?...Can you hear me?...Can you speak?” the EMT asked her a couple questions to inspect the damage and wasn’t getting very far. What struck me most was when he asked, “Do you know who this is” she shook her head in response and that just made my heart sink and crack into a billion pieces. She doesn’t even know who I am.
As we pulled up to the hospital one EMT guided me out then turned to assist Jessa. A nurse told me I was allowed to follow, but wait outside the room when they got there. I did as told and waited once we arrived at a small clean room with a single bed in it. They lifted her onto the bed and started poking and prodding at her with needles connected to machines checking every system in her body. Of anything this seems a whole lot scarier than the last time. It seems so real and I just don’t want it to happen. Even worse, her sisters are being carried away by mad men working for her father.That is what I thought until I got a call from Agent Barns, “No need to worry about them two, Niall they’re safe. Focus on Jessa and don’t leave her side” I hung up and texted him so I didn’t have to sob into my phone and hear him ask what I was trying to say. This seems all too much for me.
~
“Niall right?”
“Yes, sir”
“I can’t always remember which on you are; my daughters are crazy about you guys. Anyways Jessa is suffering some head trauma and from that she has a bit of short term memory loss. There are some minor scratches from falling, but those aren’t anything to worry about. I think if you start her off fresh by introducing yourself and telling her some things about her, her memory should start to connect these things and remember a little bit at a time. You two are dating aren’t you?”
“To the public we’re not”
“Hmm keep those details away and start her off with the simple stuff. If she loved you then you should be the one to jog her memory. Good luck Niall”
I nodded and entered her room slightly shaking and nervous. She’s lying in bed staring at her phone looking confused. “Jessa” I whispered just loud enough. She turned her attention to me and looked even more confused. “You were in the…the moving box thing” she pointed out. I nodded and came closer to her bed.”Yes, I was”
“Who are you?” Another piece of my heart just chipped off and fell into and endless pit of nothing, full of old memories I’ve taught myself to forget; even recent ones I never wanted to remember in the first place. “I’m Niall”
“Oh, I think my name is Jessa”
“It is”
“Why are you here? You don’t look like me, so you can’t be my sibling?”
“We’re friends, really good friends. We’ve known each other for ages you just don’t remember. What’re you trying to do with your phone there?”
“I was trying to figure out who the person was and why the numbers were in the way”
“ Let me see”
She handed me her phone and I took it carefully typing in her password-9139- the month, day and third digit of our birth years. Scrolling through her photos I found that exact photo of me under her collection of photos labeled ‘Niall <3’. “There” I showed her the picture of me and her. “When was that taken?”
“Not too long ago, maybe the middle of April”
“Oh” She sat back in her bed and stared off at the ceiling before turning towards me again. “If you’re my friend you must know a lot about me. Tell me all I should know”
I must have sat there for hours scrolling through her pictures and telling her the basics of her life while leaving out anything too traumatizing for her current state. She laughed along with me and listened carefully when I told stories of our pranks, and of when we were in High School. Soon I scrolled all the way up until we started dating and my face fell. Smile gone and all remains of the happiness that was there an hour ago; gone.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s too soon for me to tell you about that
“Ok, well am I an only child?”
“You were for the longest time, until just recently you found out you have twin step sisters Lola and Lindsey, and a half brother Brayden who you think the world of” I continued showing her pictures on her phone and then turned over to mine. Every now and then she stopped me and stared, then asked who was in the picture or guessed to see if she knew who it was. Most of the time she got it right, but others she blanked out.
During this whole time she caught me off guard once by asking, “Are you with anyone?”
“What?”
“Are you with anyone like dating?”
“Umm I’m…”
Just then there was a knock on the door. The Doctor entered, carrying his clipboard ready to take notes on her progress I assume.”Niall, I’m going to have a chat with Jessa. There are some friends and family waiting outside if you want to fill them in a bit”
I nod then stand up moving to exit the room. Upon exiting I was met with so many familiar faces ranging from the guys, the band, Paul, and the twins. Instead of talking all at once like I’d expected them to Liam stepped forward and asked, “What the hell happened?”
So I sat for about an hour outside her room explaining to everyone what happened; no one’s expressions really changed. Lindsey and Lola sat farthest away, hugging each other and trying not to listen.
~
A couple people got to see her for about twenty minutes max, just to help jog her memory going from the picture to the real person. She knew who the guys were, remembered a little about Harry, and Louis mostly about how the fans blow their bromance out of proportion. Zayn, she remembered just sitting back and being real chill, also teaching her how to skateboard when we all met. About Liam she could remember trying to wrestle and arm wrestle, but that’s about all she could remember about each of them. Half way through the band visiting she asked, “Where’s Lou and Lux?” At that I started getting excited until I realized the plethora of pictures in our photo libraries of the mother and daughter. Jessa recognized Paul right off the bat and had a full conversation about whatever they like to talk about. When it came to the twins however Jessa looked sad. “I remember them, but it’s really fuzzy in my head. I can remember lot’s of fish and a little boy, but that’s all” Lola teared up a bit where Lindsey stayed pretty quiet and still. I asked if they wanted to stay any longer and they shook their heads. For a minute I stepped out of her room and talked to Lindsey, Lola, Paul, and Liam. First I asked Liam if he minded having them stay in our shared hotel room to which he didn’t mind. Second, I asked Paul to bring them to their hotel room to pack up and check out. Lastly, I decided I’d help pick up Jessa’s clothes and such, and then clean up my clothes in my hotel room so they didn’t have to stumble over my mess.
~
Everything has been going as planned so far. Lindsey and Lola have grabbed their bags, I grabbed Jessa’s and now we’re headed to the hotel I’ve been staying at. Paul was just about to turn on his blinkers a little ways ahead of the driveway to the hotel when I spoke up and said, “Keep going straight, I have a feeling someone’s behind us” He didn’t ask any questions and went forward. We drove a couple blocks and saw that the car that had been following us is still behind us. I got onto my phone and found a way out of the city that could get us back without going too far. It only took half an hour extra than we originally planned, but we lost them in the end.
Once in the hotel room I started picking up my stuff that was strewn all over the place. Liam however was pretty clean and I really liked that. The girls got changed while I finished picking up and soon after I left to go back to the hospital. No way am I leaving her alone.
~
As I walked into her room I almost had a heart attack in seeing that she wasn’t there. However a nurse walked up to me and said, “She said she felt trapped so we let her use the piano in a room down at the end of the hall” I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and thanked her before going to that room. I could hear a piano playing somewhere in between soft and loud that I enjoyed very much. It was when she started singing that I slowly opened the door and stood inside to listen.
“…Singing “Oh, love get me out of the cold”
Hold me right by the fire and I’ll show you what home means now
The words came with a new kind of sadness
They meant everything, you mean everything to me
I’ll take the first train out of this town
With a glare in my eye and my pockets full, ready to die
And when I get hazy I will think just maybe you’re out there somewhere…”
Her voice is so raw and emotional that I felt a tear slowly slip down my cheek. She remembered something and it pains me that it’s this song that she remembers. When she finished I slowly start clapping and she jumped up from her seat, touching her hand to her heart silently saying that I startled her. “I started thinking and remembering a bit. Then I was looking through the music on my phone and came across a song that made me remember even farther. I felt like singing and doing something with my hands so I asked if I could come down here. Playing that song made me realize and remember that we were together, or are together depending on what you think” I was so amazed she remembered that much.
“I wouldn’t get too overjoyed I only know that we were or are together”
I walked towards her and gently hugged her; we stood there hugging for a while and it felt like the best time in the world to be holding her again. She played some more songs after that and I sang along before one of the nurses came in and said we can come back down tomorrow. I walked her back to her room and helped her into bed. As I was about to make up the chair beside her bed into a make shift bed she said, “Niall will you lie with me, at least until I fall asleep?” I smiled and sat in bed next to her with my arm wrapped around her shoulder and thumb running over her fingers. “Oh and Jessa”
“Yeah?” she said sleepily.
“We’re definitely together”
I climbed in the ambulance with her and didn’t look back. I don’t care if anyone saw it and blabbed about this to the press. As long as I was with Jessa it didn’t matter to me. People could say I was dating Demi again and I wouldn’t care. Jessa is the only thing that matters to me right now. “Can you tell me your name?...Can you hear me?...Can you speak?” the EMT asked her a couple questions to inspect the damage and wasn’t getting very far. What struck me most was when he asked, “Do you know who this is” she shook her head in response and that just made my heart sink and crack into a billion pieces. She doesn’t even know who I am.
As we pulled up to the hospital one EMT guided me out then turned to assist Jessa. A nurse told me I was allowed to follow, but wait outside the room when they got there. I did as told and waited once we arrived at a small clean room with a single bed in it. They lifted her onto the bed and started poking and prodding at her with needles connected to machines checking every system in her body. Of anything this seems a whole lot scarier than the last time. It seems so real and I just don’t want it to happen. Even worse, her sisters are being carried away by mad men working for her father.That is what I thought until I got a call from Agent Barns, “No need to worry about them two, Niall they’re safe. Focus on Jessa and don’t leave her side” I hung up and texted him so I didn’t have to sob into my phone and hear him ask what I was trying to say. This seems all too much for me.
~
“Niall right?”
“Yes, sir”
“I can’t always remember which on you are; my daughters are crazy about you guys. Anyways Jessa is suffering some head trauma and from that she has a bit of short term memory loss. There are some minor scratches from falling, but those aren’t anything to worry about. I think if you start her off fresh by introducing yourself and telling her some things about her, her memory should start to connect these things and remember a little bit at a time. You two are dating aren’t you?”
“To the public we’re not”
“Hmm keep those details away and start her off with the simple stuff. If she loved you then you should be the one to jog her memory. Good luck Niall”
I nodded and entered her room slightly shaking and nervous. She’s lying in bed staring at her phone looking confused. “Jessa” I whispered just loud enough. She turned her attention to me and looked even more confused. “You were in the…the moving box thing” she pointed out. I nodded and came closer to her bed.”Yes, I was”
“Who are you?” Another piece of my heart just chipped off and fell into and endless pit of nothing, full of old memories I’ve taught myself to forget; even recent ones I never wanted to remember in the first place. “I’m Niall”
“Oh, I think my name is Jessa”
“It is”
“Why are you here? You don’t look like me, so you can’t be my sibling?”
“We’re friends, really good friends. We’ve known each other for ages you just don’t remember. What’re you trying to do with your phone there?”
“I was trying to figure out who the person was and why the numbers were in the way”
“ Let me see”
She handed me her phone and I took it carefully typing in her password-9139- the month, day and third digit of our birth years. Scrolling through her photos I found that exact photo of me under her collection of photos labeled ‘Niall <3’. “There” I showed her the picture of me and her. “When was that taken?”
“Not too long ago, maybe the middle of April”
“Oh” She sat back in her bed and stared off at the ceiling before turning towards me again. “If you’re my friend you must know a lot about me. Tell me all I should know”
I must have sat there for hours scrolling through her pictures and telling her the basics of her life while leaving out anything too traumatizing for her current state. She laughed along with me and listened carefully when I told stories of our pranks, and of when we were in High School. Soon I scrolled all the way up until we started dating and my face fell. Smile gone and all remains of the happiness that was there an hour ago; gone.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s too soon for me to tell you about that
“Ok, well am I an only child?”
“You were for the longest time, until just recently you found out you have twin step sisters Lola and Lindsey, and a half brother Brayden who you think the world of” I continued showing her pictures on her phone and then turned over to mine. Every now and then she stopped me and stared, then asked who was in the picture or guessed to see if she knew who it was. Most of the time she got it right, but others she blanked out.
During this whole time she caught me off guard once by asking, “Are you with anyone?”
“What?”
“Are you with anyone like dating?”
“Umm I’m…”
Just then there was a knock on the door. The Doctor entered, carrying his clipboard ready to take notes on her progress I assume.”Niall, I’m going to have a chat with Jessa. There are some friends and family waiting outside if you want to fill them in a bit”
I nod then stand up moving to exit the room. Upon exiting I was met with so many familiar faces ranging from the guys, the band, Paul, and the twins. Instead of talking all at once like I’d expected them to Liam stepped forward and asked, “What the hell happened?”
So I sat for about an hour outside her room explaining to everyone what happened; no one’s expressions really changed. Lindsey and Lola sat farthest away, hugging each other and trying not to listen.
~
A couple people got to see her for about twenty minutes max, just to help jog her memory going from the picture to the real person. She knew who the guys were, remembered a little about Harry, and Louis mostly about how the fans blow their bromance out of proportion. Zayn, she remembered just sitting back and being real chill, also teaching her how to skateboard when we all met. About Liam she could remember trying to wrestle and arm wrestle, but that’s about all she could remember about each of them. Half way through the band visiting she asked, “Where’s Lou and Lux?” At that I started getting excited until I realized the plethora of pictures in our photo libraries of the mother and daughter. Jessa recognized Paul right off the bat and had a full conversation about whatever they like to talk about. When it came to the twins however Jessa looked sad. “I remember them, but it’s really fuzzy in my head. I can remember lot’s of fish and a little boy, but that’s all” Lola teared up a bit where Lindsey stayed pretty quiet and still. I asked if they wanted to stay any longer and they shook their heads. For a minute I stepped out of her room and talked to Lindsey, Lola, Paul, and Liam. First I asked Liam if he minded having them stay in our shared hotel room to which he didn’t mind. Second, I asked Paul to bring them to their hotel room to pack up and check out. Lastly, I decided I’d help pick up Jessa’s clothes and such, and then clean up my clothes in my hotel room so they didn’t have to stumble over my mess.
~
Everything has been going as planned so far. Lindsey and Lola have grabbed their bags, I grabbed Jessa’s and now we’re headed to the hotel I’ve been staying at. Paul was just about to turn on his blinkers a little ways ahead of the driveway to the hotel when I spoke up and said, “Keep going straight, I have a feeling someone’s behind us” He didn’t ask any questions and went forward. We drove a couple blocks and saw that the car that had been following us is still behind us. I got onto my phone and found a way out of the city that could get us back without going too far. It only took half an hour extra than we originally planned, but we lost them in the end.
Once in the hotel room I started picking up my stuff that was strewn all over the place. Liam however was pretty clean and I really liked that. The girls got changed while I finished picking up and soon after I left to go back to the hospital. No way am I leaving her alone.
~
As I walked into her room I almost had a heart attack in seeing that she wasn’t there. However a nurse walked up to me and said, “She said she felt trapped so we let her use the piano in a room down at the end of the hall” I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and thanked her before going to that room. I could hear a piano playing somewhere in between soft and loud that I enjoyed very much. It was when she started singing that I slowly opened the door and stood inside to listen.
“…Singing “Oh, love get me out of the cold”
Hold me right by the fire and I’ll show you what home means now
The words came with a new kind of sadness
They meant everything, you mean everything to me
I’ll take the first train out of this town
With a glare in my eye and my pockets full, ready to die
And when I get hazy I will think just maybe you’re out there somewhere…”
Her voice is so raw and emotional that I felt a tear slowly slip down my cheek. She remembered something and it pains me that it’s this song that she remembers. When she finished I slowly start clapping and she jumped up from her seat, touching her hand to her heart silently saying that I startled her. “I started thinking and remembering a bit. Then I was looking through the music on my phone and came across a song that made me remember even farther. I felt like singing and doing something with my hands so I asked if I could come down here. Playing that song made me realize and remember that we were together, or are together depending on what you think” I was so amazed she remembered that much.
“I wouldn’t get too overjoyed I only know that we were or are together”
I walked towards her and gently hugged her; we stood there hugging for a while and it felt like the best time in the world to be holding her again. She played some more songs after that and I sang along before one of the nurses came in and said we can come back down tomorrow. I walked her back to her room and helped her into bed. As I was about to make up the chair beside her bed into a make shift bed she said, “Niall will you lie with me, at least until I fall asleep?” I smiled and sat in bed next to her with my arm wrapped around her shoulder and thumb running over her fingers. “Oh and Jessa”
“Yeah?” she said sleepily.
“We’re definitely together”
As good of an idea as that is I don't see how I could do it unless it was Nialls pov.
And I'm afraid of making Niall sound too girly as it is when I write from his pov.
Maybe if I did write a sequel I could do a few chapters from the other guys' povs.
Thanks though!
11/18/13