1. Attacked

He opened his eyes. His vision was blurry.

"Hello, dear." A woman was standing over him with a kind smile on her face. He didn't recognize her.

"Unh, wha…?" He tried to sit up, but she gently held his shoulder down, telling him he needed to rest. He felt utterly exhausted. It was then that he realized he was in a hospital bed, and she was a nurse.

"Where am I?" He managed to ask.

"You're in Lima Central Hospital, honey. How are you feeling?" He ignored the question.

"What happened?" She sighed and looked down.

"Honey, you were attacked. If you could tell me your name so we can contact your parents…" He was confused, and his head hurt, and he still didn't understand what was happening.

"But… what do you mean I was attacked?" She looked at him with pity in her eyes.

"I'll explain the extent of your injuries later, but right now I need you to tell me your name." He sat there for a minute, and realized that he had no idea what his name was. So he just looked her in the eye and said, "I don't know."

She pursed her lips and said, "I was afraid of that. I'll call your doctor." She got up to leave, but the boy shouted 'wait!'.

She turned around and said, "I'll be right back, sweetie."

"Okay." And she left the room.

The boy sat there, trying to remember… anything. His name, mostly, but he also tried to remember his parents' names. Or his friends' names. Or anyone's name.

He couldn't.

He suddenly burst out into tears. He was in a hospital, and he had no idea why, except that he was 'attacked.'

Attacked…

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I hear murmuring over me, but I can't open my eyes. There seems to be two voices… A man and a woman. After a little bit, I can make out what they're saying. The woman says, "…attacked. Beaten." She gulps. "It's appears that he was raped, doctor." The man sighs, "Run a rape kit." "Doctor?" "Yes, Melinda?" "He sustained severe blows to the head." I hear another sigh, again coming from the man, "Perform an M.R.I." "Yes, doctor." The voices fade away…

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The boy's mind returned to the present, and tears sprang to his eyes. "Beaten." "Raped." "Severe blows to the head." He didn't remember any of it.

He cried silently for a few minutes, then he heard voices coming from behind the door. They were the same voices that he had suddenly remembered.

"…physical state appears to be stable. But he seems to have amnesia, doctor."

"That isn't surprising. He scans don't show any permanent brain trauma, though. He should heal over time. Have you told him what happened?"

"No, doctor."

"Alright, I will then."

"Yes, doctor."

The boy quickly wiped his eyes.

The door to his room opened, and a man in a white coat entered. He flashed the boy a kind smile and sat down next to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts."

"Don't worry, that will go away soon, and we've got pain killers in the mean time." This made the boy laugh for a second, but then his face fell.

"Was I raped?" He asked. The doctor suddenly looked concerned.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Well…" The boy hesitated. "I remember…" The doctor had a strange mixture of hope and pain on his face.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember you, and… Melinda. The nurse. Talking. She said that I was beaten…" His voice wavered, "And… and she said I was raped."

The boy's voice broke on the word raped, and he burst into tears.

The doctor took his hand and squeezed it. "I'm so sorry."

The boy pulled himself together long enough to say, "And I also heard you talking in the hall just now. You said I have amnesia?"

"Yes, but it's only temporary. Gradually, you will begin to remember things. It's a great sign that you've already began to remember some things."

The boy sniffled, and the doctor handed him a Kleenex. "Thanks." The boy muttered, and blew his nose.

"So," The boy began, "What, exactly, happened?"

"Well, we can't know what exactly happened, but we do know what injuries you've sustained. I appears that you were assaulted by at least three men. You were beaten, like you said. Cut with what appears to be a steak knife. And raped." The boy looked down when he said this. "We collected three different DNA samples, so once you've recovered and can give us more insight into what happened, it shouldn't be hard to convict your attackers."

By this point, tears were streaming down the small boy's face. The doctor looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Now, with your permission, we can release your photo to the press so that we can identify your family members. We won't mention the details of the attack, just that a boy around the age of fifteen was found with no ID, and is suffering from temporary amnesia. Would that be okay?"

"Um, sure." He said. "Is there anything else?" The boy asked in a small voice.

"Well," the doctor shifted in his seat. "Now that you mention it, it seems you were branded."

"Branded?"

"Um, yes. Your attackers burned a word onto your buttocks." The boy was horrified.

"What word?"

The doctor coughed, and hesitated.

"Faggot."

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A/N: Hope you liked it. As you can tell, it deals with some very sensitive themes, and the story will become more graphic as it proceeds. Just thought you ought to know.

Now, I want reviews. I already have the next chapter written, but I won't post in until I either get three reviews or a week goes by. They don't have to be positive reviews, but I would like honest feedback. Thanks.