A/N: Okay, so I realize (yet again) that this isn't a Christmas With Derek update. See, a train just so happened to plow itself into the Christmas With Derek Factory, so all further production of ideas and conclusions have been stalled i.e., the story's on a temporary hiatus.
All the meanwhile, other unchartered factories have began producing new ideas for new stories. This is one of them.
I'm sorry for the wait on the other story...but in the meantime bear with me and enjoy!
OH! And before you begin, note that I obtained the plot idea after reading Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. It's a fantastic book by Gabrielle Zevin - a recommended read.
Beep...beep...beep...
Casey McDonald let out a groan—well, she tried. What really came out was an unheard of, scratchy pig noise.
Well that's…different.
And there was that beeping again. She attempted to lift her arm in order to shut up the noise, but there was a slight problem.
She couldn't move a muscle.
Literally—not a muscle. Casey felt as though she'd been shot with a tranquilizer and was paralyzed from head to toe. Omigod, she thought to herself. Am I dead?
"Casey?"
Yes! Not dead!
"Casey, can you hear me?"
It was a male's voice, and not one she recognized. She tried to open her mouth or blink or something, but her body just felt too…tired. So, instead, she settled for the pig noise.
"Good, good…just relax, Casey. You're going to be fine."
Fine? Mr. Formal Tone sounded like he knew what he was talking about…but could she trust him? Oh, who was she kidding. Being fully paralyzed didn't exactly allow her to do much else.
And that's when she felt it—the will to move. She tried furrowing her eyebrows (success!) and then moved on to the eyes… Then BAM! A blinding, white light filled her vision, instantly making her regret that eye-opening decision.
"Casey!"
A woman's face came into her line of sight.
"Oh, Casey—thank God." Tears rimmed her eyes. "Casey…it's Mom."
Mom! Of course! Relief flooded through Casey as she smiled weakly.
"How are you feeling? Does…does it hurt at all?" she asked worriedly.
Hurt? Why would she be hurt? "Aside from paralysis? I'm fine. Now, can you tell me what's going on?" she tried to ask after peeling her lips apart. Her voice was dry and raspy—too hard to understand.
Yet somehow her mom knew. "Case, honey…you were in an accident. You've...You've been in a coma for three days. You're okay now, but…" Her mother's voice trailed off as she frowned. "The family's here to see you! I'll go get them."
Casey watched her mom hurry out of the room and took this chance to look around the place. She was in some type of bed, the walls were white, and there was a monitor (beep…beep…beep…) sitting next to her. Oh, and an IV hooked up to her arm.
Hospital, anyone?
What kind of "accident" was I in?! she thought to herself frantically.
The next thing she knew, what seemed like a parade had assembled inside Casey's room. Right away, she recognized her father and Lizzie. Although it was a relief to see familiar faces, she had to wonder who the rest of these people were.
Lizzie took a spot by Casey's side. "Are you okay? Need anything? Enough pillows? I brought cards!"
Casey laughed weakly. "I'm fine, Liz."
Lizzie smiled in return and took a step back. Casey watched as her father nervously made his way over.
"Hey, kiddo," he said softly. "We've been worried about you." Her dad leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I knew you'd be fine," he told her. "Your mother, on the other hand…"
"Dennis!" Nora scolded.
"What? She knows I'm only kidding."
"She just woke up—"
Casey rolled her eyes, tuning out the ever-so familiar argument that was just beginning. Before it had a chance to escalade, however, a middle aged man who'd been standing there stepped in.
"Nora," he said, gently grabbing her arm. "Think about Casey…"
Who was this guy, her therapist? Did he not know Casey was used to the former Mr. and Mrs. McDonald getting into a few disagreements? Especially when they were in the same room…
The man approached Casey, a big smile on his face. "How are you feeling, Case? We've all missed you… Even Derek. Coming home anytime soon?" he joked, laughing nervously.
Who the—Weren't hospitals supposed to have tight security systems? Only family members allowed in the rooms? What happened to the good old days? And who was this guy?!
The man must've read Casey's expression, because his smile faded. "Casey…is something wrong?"
Her mom stood next to the man, looking worried. She glanced at him before leaning down slightly and searching her daughter's eyes. "Casey…do you remember George?"
Um, "no" would be the understatement of the year. "George," she repeated, as if that would somehow jog her memory.
"Case," the man said, taking her hand, "I'm your stepfather."
"What?!" she cried. No. No way that could be possible. Yes, her parents were divorced, but…a stepfather?! She would remember something like that.
Just then she looked at the rest of the people in the room. There was a wide-eyed boy who seemed to be Lizzie's age, an even younger girl who was nervously chewing on a sucker, and a teenage girl with a plastered-on smile.
Those cannot be his kids…
"Casey," her mother cooed. "The doctor said you might experience some memory loss, but… You really don't remember George? What about Edwin?"
Casey shook her head.
"Marti?"
She raised an eyebrow, but shook her head again.
"Emily?"
More head shaking.
"Not even Derek?"
"Are they all in our family?!"
"Well, not Emily. She's actually your best friend… We told them she was your cousin so she could see you," her mother told her, smiling sheepishly.
"I should go," Emily said suddenly, nervously backing out of the room. "I'll, um…I'll visit you later, Case, okay? Just…feel better!" And with that, she was gone.
Nora turned to Casey with a comforting smile. "She was worried sick about you, honey. She just—Emily will be come back later." She turned around to face the crowd. "Edwin? Do you want to talk to Casey?"
"Um…yeah." He took a step forward. "I'm your step-brother and we get along great. Now, do you remember how to use your new stereo? 'Cause if not, can I—"
"Edwin!" George yelled, grabbing his son's ear.
"What? She's okay now and I was just wondering…"
"Edwin…" Nora muttered, shaking her head. She turned back around. "Marti? You wanna talk to Casey?"
The little girl walked over to Casey's side. "Couldn't you've slept at home?"
Casey opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"Derek's going to be happy you're up," she smiled. "He missed you, too."
Nora smacked her forehead. "Derek! That's right! I forgot to explain—"
Casey shook her head, confused. "Who's this 'Derek' again?"
"Right, sorry—George's other son. See, he couldn't exactly make it…"
Edwin rolled his eyes. "Right."
Nora sent a warning look toward her step-son. "I think he was busy with a project… But he'll stop by later," she clarified. "I think that's about everything… Oh! That's right—your boyfriend's visiting tomorrow. He has football practice tonight, so he couldn't make it."
Boyfriend and step-brother: apathetic jerks. Dully noted.
Nora smiled down at her eldest daughter. "I'm so happy you're okay, sweetie. George and I are going to drive the kids home, then I'll be back later tonight." She took a deep breath in. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't need anything?"
Casey thought for a moment. "Photos."
"I—what?"
"You know, a photo album? Maybe that could help." She doubted it.
"Yes! Of course, Dr. Reily thought that'd be a good idea. I'll put some together tonight and bring them in tomorrow. Anything else?"
"Sleep," Casey replied, yawning.
Nora laughed. "We'll let you rest."
Everyone said their goodbyes and Casey could swear she saw her mother tearing up again. As she sat alone in her room, she felt—needless to say—overwhelmed. A step-family, best friend, and boyfriend had somehow slipped her memory. And all because of this "accident"?
Just then Nora popped into her room again. "Sorry, forgot my magazine." She picked it up and headed back toward the door.
"Wait!" Casey said suddenly as a thought came to her mind.
"Yes?"
"It's just…how old am I?"
That familiar teary-eyed expression crossed her mother's face. "You're eighteen, honey."
"Eighteen," Casey muttered.
Fantastic.
A/N: Okay, so if you're confused - let me know. What you should've gathered by now is 1) Casey's been in an accident (you'll find out specifics later) and can only remember certain things from her past. 2) The reason Casey feels "paralyzed" is because her body's basically been asleep for 3 days - so it takes some time to get back to functioning normally. She's not really paralyzed...just has a sleepy body.
Hope that helps...?
Beep…beep…beep…