Reborn

Chapter 3
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Three days had passed since Jack first woke up in the hospital and he was recovering well. He spent each morning with Isabella, learning how to walk again. He was growing more confident and he could now walk across the room without her assistance. He resented needing her help, but he recognized that it was a necessary step to regaining his independence.

When Emma arrived at midday, she was surprised to find Jack stood next to the hospital bed, talking to Isabella.

“Jack, you’re back on your feet!” Emma exclaimed.

He turned around to see Emma grinning at him from the doorway, but he was lost for words.

“He’s doing really well, much better than we expected,” Isabella observed.

Jack was relieved that he could now walk short distances without needing assistance. Doctor Palmer, who had initially thought that it would take Jack months to learn how to walk again, had described his progress as ‘unexpected’ and ‘remarkable’.

Emma stepped closer to them until she was stood at the end of the bed. Jack was now stood in-between the two women and he had to crane his neck upwards in order to see their faces.

“That’s great, is it okay if I talk to him in private?” Emma asked.

“Of course, let me know if you need anything.” Isabella replied.

Isabella left the room and Emma moved closer to Jack.

“How are you feeling?” she queried.

He wasn’t entirely sure. Although he was glad that he could walk again, something else was troubling him.

“Better, I can walk now. But...” Jack said.

“But, what?” she said.

Jack hesitated, it was hard to hold a conversation with her when he couldn’t look her directly in the face and craning his neck was becoming tiring.

Sensing his discomfort, Emma knelt down in front of him so that it was easier for them to talk. She was still taller than him, but he could now look up at her without hurting his neck.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” she asked.

“I think...I think I’m incontinent,” he mumbled.

“It’s okay, you’ve managed to start walking again, give it some time and things will get easier,” she said in a reassuring voice.

Jack frowned and shrugged his shoulders, before looking down at the floor. Despite being able to walk, he had a feeling that things were about to get worse before they got any better.

“I know it’s going to be hard for you but we just have to take it one day at a time,” she continued.

There was a knock at the door and Emma stood up to check who was there. A few moments later Doctor Palmer stepped into the room.

“Sorry to interrupt. Jack, I’d like to perform an MRI scan on you so that we can take a closer look at your brain.” Doctor Palmer said.

Jack glanced up at Emma nervously and then looked back at Doctor Palmer.

“My brain? Why?” he queried.

“It’s not just your body that’s changed, your brain has too. We didn’t expect you to retain the same cognitive abilities that you possessed as an adult. You’ve retained your memories and even your linguistic abilities, we’d like to find out why.” Doctor Palmer explained.

He had been so preoccupied with the changes to his body that he hadn’t considered whether his mind might be affected as well.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“We just want to make sure that there are no nasty surprises in store for you. We also need to monitor you for any signs of confusion, memory loss, things like that,” he continued.

The words confusion and memory loss frightened him. He had already lost his physical independence and now he was facing the possibility of losing his mind.

“Okay.” Jack said meekly.

“Jack, if you feel able to walk, can you follow me? It’s just a short distance down the corridor.” Doctor Palmer said, gesturing towards the door.

Jack nodded his head and walked carefully towards Doctor Palmer.

“Emma, you can accompany him if you’d like,” the Doctor suggested.

As they followed the Doctor out of the room, Emma held the door open for Jack and waited for him to pass through. He walked slowly and attentively, taking one step at a time.

Doctor Palmer led them into a room containing an MRI scanner, where another man was waiting for them.

“This is our radiographer, he’ll be performing the scan.” Doctor Palmer explained.

The radiographer was a tall scrawny man who appeared to be in his forties. He glanced at Emma and then down at Jack.

“Nice to meet you both,” the radiographer said, “Jack, please lie down on this bed,” he instructed.

Jack peered up at the bed positioned in front of the MRI scanner and then glanced towards Emma.

“Jack, let me help you,” she offered.

He turned towards her, but he couldn’t bring himself to respond verbally or look at her face. Instead he looked straight forwards at her thighs and hoped that she would be able to read his body language.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he muttered.

Bending down, she placed her hands under his armpits and then hoisted him onto the bed. Jack was troubled by the fact that she was now significantly stronger than him. Before the accident they used to enjoy playfighting with each other, he enjoyed pinning her down and tickling her until she begged him to stop. One thing would lead to another and they would usually end up having sex. He knew that those days were gone and that they were never coming back.

The radiographer proceeded to explain how the scan would work, but Jack had difficulty paying attention as he was more concerned about his bruised ego. As he was lying in the scanner, he continued to fret.

He wondered whether Emma would stay with him out of pity, or whether she would get bored of him and eventually leave. She was a young woman and she had desires that he could no longer satisfy. He considered the possibility that she might cheat on him and then conceal it from him in order to spare his feelings. He decided that was probably the best case scenario.

When the scan was over he scooched over to the side of the bed until his legs were dangling over the side, then Emma lifted him down to the floor again. Doctor Palmer led them both back to the room that they had come from and then left them alone to talk. They stood in silence momentarily, Jack wanted to confide in her but he struggled to put his fears into words.

“It feels...weird, when you lift me up like that,” he remarked.

“Yeah, I know, weird right?” she replied.

He felt drowsy and wanted to take a nap, but he was reluctant to ask for her help getting back into bed. He looked up at the bed and then back at her.

“Can you?” he mumbled.

Emma bent down and lifted him onto the bed.

“I’m kind of tired, I think I’m going to have a nap,” he announced, as he crawled under the covers.

“That’s alright. I’ll go get some lunch and I’ll come back later, okay?” she said reassuringly.

He couldn’t be sure, but he thought that the way in which she was speaking to him had changed. It wasn’t the words that she was saying that bothered him, it was the way in which they were being said. It seemed as though she was increasing the pitch of her voice slightly when she spoke to him, like she was speaking to a child.

Once Emma had left the room he rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, it didn’t take him long to drift off to sleep.

When Jack woke up from his nap he saw Emma sat next to his bed, she was reading a magazine and taking sips from a cup of coffee.

“Hey, what time is it?” he queried.

She looked up from the magazine and checked her phone.

“It’s four p.m. I should probably get going soon, will you be okay?” she asked.

They were interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open, then Doctor Palmer entered the room carrying a clipboard.

“I have some good news for you both,” Doctor Palmer announced.

Jack and Emma turned to look at one another, then looked back at Doctor Palmer.

“Good news?” Jack asked.

Doctor Palmer smiled and adjusted his glasses.

“I want to keep you under observation for tonight, but I’m happy to let you return home from tomorrow,” he revealed.

Jack wasn’t expecting to be allowed home so soon and although he was pleasantly surprised, he was also concerned for his own safety.

“Thank you Doctor, but will he be okay?” Emma inquired, clasping her hands.

Doctor Palmer cleared his throat and flipped through the notes on his clipboard.

“He seems healthy, given what he’s been through. I still want to conduct regular testing though, which means I need to see you both back here on Tuesday the 27th,” he replied.

Emma looked at Jack, nodded her head in encouragement and smiled warmly.

“So, it’s safe for me to go?” Jack questioned.

“I believe so, but if you feel unwell you must contact me immediately. If you experience any pain, any confusion or any unusual symptoms, don’t hesitate to get in touch.” Doctor Palmer explained.

Despite his low mood, he had to admit that he felt physically healthy. Although his muscles were weak, he wasn’t in pain and he didn’t feel sick.

“So what time can he leave tomorrow?” Emma asked.

“If you call over at around 4pm, he should be okay to leave by then. We’ll run some more tests in the morning.” Doctor Palmer replied.

Jack felt conflicted about going home. Part of him was excited to leave the hospital, but he was also haunted by the uncertainty of what his new life would be like.

“Jack, I could go shopping in the morning and buy you some new clothes. Then I’ll come pick you up in the afternoon.” Emma suggested.

He hadn’t had time to consider what going home would actually entail and it suddenly dawned on him that all of his clothes would need replacing.

“Yeah...thanks. It’s just a bit overwhelming,” he replied.

“You’ll feel better tomorrow, try not to worry,” she said in a soothing voice.