SCARLETT
I woke up to sunlight streaming through the window and Mum looking at me. “Hey,” she whispered.
“Hi. How are you? Dad? Jeremy?”
“We’re all okay. What about you?”
“I’m good. What time is it?”
“Almost nine. Dad’s going to be released soon.”
“Good.” I wished I would be too. “Mum…did Noah come?” I bit on the inside of my bottom lip anxiously as I waited for her reply.
“Of course. Said he’ll be back for visiting hours.”
The relief I felt scared me. I really liked him. Most of my friends had boyfriends and all the boy drama that came with it. I’d decided I wasn’t going to worry about relationships until I was out of school, possibly even university, but then Noah crept his way in. Now I had boy drama.
“He’s been beside himself, worrying that he’d never get to see you again.”
“He’ll definitely be here at visiting time?”
“Absolutely,” she replied.
Jeremy came in, followed by a new doctor.
“Scarlett, I’m Dr. Thorn. How’re you feeling?” he asked in a thick Scottish accent. His bulging belly touched the bed as he leaned down and raised a penlight, no doubt to shine in my eyes.
“Head hurts, but I feel fine.”
“Okay, I’ll sort something for the pain. It’s good to see you back with us. We were worried.”
“I can’t believe I slept for so long.”
“It’s not unusual when there has been head trauma,” Dr. Thorn replied. “I’m just going to check you over and give you some Tylenol.”
Once I’d been poked and had a light shone in my eyes, the doctor left to get me something that would hopefully stop the hit-by-a-bus feeling.
“Can I see Dad, please?” I asked. Last night I’d fallen back asleep before I’d seen him or Noah.
“Let’s wait until the Tylenol kicks in, and then I’ll go and see if he’s awake yet,” Mum replied.
“What time does he get to leave?”
“After lunch.”
“What about me?”
She smiled and took my hand. “As soon as you’re feeling better.”
That meant forever. I didn’t like to be still for long, especially not in the same place. Never had in any situation. I was even feeling bored from staying in one house for the three years we’d been there. We’d always traveled and moved around.
“I feel fine.”
Mum laughed. “Oh, do you really? Relax, Scarlett. You need to give your body time to heal. You were lucky, sweetheart. We almost lost you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize! Just rest and get better.”
“Okay. Can you see if Dad will come now, please?”
When the pain meds kicked in, I fell asleep, waking up every now and then. I’d had hours and hours of sleep but felt like I’d had none at all. Dad was fine, and it was good to see him. He exchanged his room for mine, refusing to go home until they were kicked out at night.
At two o’clock in the afternoon, it was visiting hours, and I sat up in bed waiting for Noah. My parents and Jeremy had gone to the café to get some lunch and to give me and Noah some time alone.
“Scarlett, you’re awake!” He rushed over, sitting on the bed and wrapping his arms around me. “You okay? I was so scared.”
“I’m fine,” I replied, burying my head against his neck.
He pulled back, looking me over to make sure I wasn’t lying. He checked everywhere with his eyes and fingertips. I closed my eyes as his fingers trailed over my cheek, jaw, chin, neck. His touch made me feel more alive and more awake than ever.
“You’re really okay,” he said once he’d finished his examination.
“Yep, I’m really okay. I had some weird dreams when I was coming around though. I don’t know what they mean.”
He raised an eyebrow. “They probably don’t mean anything. They’re dreams.”
“But it was so weird and so real.”
Smiling, he said, “All right. Tell me what happened?”
“I don’t remember all of them, just pieces. Mum—but she looked different—brushing my hair. Jeremy chasing a girl. Candles everywhere. Being in some old building with lots of flowers and everyone was wearing white; then there was some sort of fire. I’m not sure. Wow, okay, maybe that does mean nothing.” What I could remember just sounded stupid when I said it aloud.
He took my hand, squeezing a little harder than usual. “Don’t worry about it. Perhaps they are memories or nothing at all, but right now we should focus on you healing. I thought you would want something ‘decent’ to eat,” he said, handing me a packet of Oreos.
I took them and stroked the pack. “Thank you! Do you have any idea how much hospital oatmeal, lasagna, and carrot cake sucks?”
He turned his nose up. “I can imagine. Do you know when you will be discharged yet?”
“No, but it’ll probably be a day or two. Bet I’m all better right for the start of the school term,” I said, turning my nose up. “Evelyn!”
Noah looked at me like I was crazy. “What?”
“Evelyn. That’s what the girl in my dream was called. The one Jeremy was chasing.”
“Are you sure you feel all right?”
“Yeah. That has to mean something, right?”
“Not really, Scarlett.”
“You don’t know that.”
“All right, you’ve just been knocked out a day. I don’t think it’s a good idea to be stressing yourself out over a dream.”
“Dreams. There were a few and apart from the one where Mum was brushing my hair Jeremy was in most. Who’s Evelyn though?”
He shrugged.
“She was younger than Jeremy, probably younger than me too.”
“They were dreams.”
But were they? They seemed like more. I wasn’t fully asleep when I’d had them but not fully awake either. Something wasn’t right.
“They seemed more like memories.” One of his eyebrows rose subtly. “Look, I know you think I’m crazy right now, but what if I’m not?”
“About what, Scarlett? About Jeremy chasing a girl? He probably did. You’ve probably seen a room full of candles and had your mum brush your hair. I’m not doubting you, but you’ve had head trauma, and as you were waking up, you were piecing back together who you are and what happened. Things got muddled and you’re confused.”
“Right, but these things were from before I lost my memory.”
“How old were you in the dreams?”
“I don’t know. Young. No, three. I was three, and it was almost my birthday. I think.”
“You think? So you could have been four, and half dreaming, half trying to remember what was going on.”
I frowned. That was a possibility but I thought I remembered my fourth birthday coming up. Was it a birthday? “I wish you weren’t so cynical.”
Turning more toward me, he grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be. It’s just that…Scarlett, you almost died. You’re hurt, and right now you’re stressing over dreams. I would rather you focus on figuring out what your dreams mean once you’re better.” He swallowed. “I thought I’d never see you again, and I just want you to be okay.”
He was right. Even if they were memories of before the fire, they were still silly little memories that didn’t mean much. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, not really. Not that I could remember now anyway. With all of my focus was on Jeremy and Evelyn, the other dreams had faded.
“Yeah, sorry. I just thought it might be the start of getting those years back.”
He groaned. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be insensitive. I just need you to be all right.”
“I’m okay.” I zipped my mouth. “No more dream talk. What have you been up to while I was out of it?”
“Waiting for you to wake up. Worrying that you wouldn’t. Snapping at everyone. Then there was more waiting and more worrying.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for being in an accident.”
“Right, sorry.”
We both laughed at the same time, and he leaned back against my pillows. “My dad was released?”
“Yes, I saw them on the way up. That’s good news. It’s just you that scared everyone to death.”
“I know. Jeremy barely has a scratch on him, thankfully. Guess I’m a good pillow, huh!”
Noah frowned.
“Too soon?” I asked, and he nodded.
I was glad that I was able to save my brother from the impact. I didn’t want him to be hurt.
“What’re we doing for the rest of break, then?”
He shrugged. “What do you want to do?”
“Movies? Hanging out with the guys. The usual.”
“Sounds good. When you’re better though.”
I saluted, and he smiled so wide it made me laugh.
Noah held his hand up and shook his head. “All right, that’s it. You need to sleep.”
“You think I’ll dream more if I do?”
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my lips. “Sleep, Scarlett.”
Once Noah left, I drifted in and out of a very light sleep. Just when I would nod off, I’d see the flicker of the flames, feel the heat, hear a woman’s voice that wasn’t my mum’s, and I would see Evelyn. She was so young and so pretty. I felt her eyes on me. As she ran past with Jeremy, she watched me; it was only for the briefest second, but that one small glance stirred familiarity and it wasn’t something I could just forget.