“He won’t stay still and let me do my job,” the lab technician protested.
Pam moved to the other side of the hospital bed and drew his eye. “John, I have the results of your ex-rays. I hope we are not disturbing you.” That statement was redundant, for his distress oozed out like poison.
“You – never - but can’t say the same for the vampire here. It disturbs me that she wants to suck my blood into those tubes? Five of them! I’ll have no blood left.”
Pam held back a grin and chanced to wink at the woman who stood ready to try again. “Look at me, sir, while I talk.” She grabbed his clipboard again and attempted to stretch the report out to allow the technician time for a sneak approach. “You, John Doe, have the heart of an athlete. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“No, but I’m not a lazy slouch – least I think I’m not.”
“People who run triathlons have to train themselves to quiet their hearts when they change activities to get the best results in their racing time. You, sir, have a steady, low beat that smoothly transitions. There is no scarring on the organ, and rich red blood is pumping through at a good rate.
“Yes,” said the woman parked on the other side of the bed. “Like the rich red blood samples right here.” She shook the tubes she’d abstracted from the patient.
“You tricked me!” He aimed the accusation at the doctor. Pam’s satisfied expression displayed, guilty as charged.
“The attractive Doctor Legend is a good distraction,” the technician said.
“Exactly what I told her – in different words – but she didn’t like it when I said it.” He looked at Pam with renewed interest. “You win, Doc. Test my blood and let’s get this charade over with. I’m feeling fit as a fiddle.” John laughed. “Now, if I could just remember my name.”
“A name is just a name. You need an identity to go with it.”
“Yeah, makes sense. But I’ll start with anything,” John said.
“Well, John, we will begin with a multitude of tests.”
“Just like back in school, huh?”
“Yes. And I expect you to be a better student from here on in. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to meet the hospital’s principal.”
The technician groaned. “Agreed! You don’t want to go there, sir.” She packed up her things and left the cubicle.
“So when do classes begin?” John asked.
“Suddenly you’re in a hurry?” Pam toyed with the words. This man was a pleasant diversion in an otherwise routine shift at the hospital.
“I feel like hurry is my speed, but have no clue why.” He sighed, and the shadow began to descend on him again.
“We’ll have none of that self-pity, young man. That will hinder your progress. Keep optimistic. We will figure this identity crisis out together,” Pam said.
“Together sounds better than alone,” he said.
“We’ve eliminated a heart problem, although I must admit yours is entertaining. Not sure I’ve ever heard quite the melody it pounds out.”
“Feel free to come and listen anytime you want while I’m here. You might need additional performances from this showbiz kid before we escape this place.” He laid a hand on his heart. “Just tuning up the instrument for a new set of tunes.”
Pam decided she liked this patient. Witty on the outside but she could sense a depth of character below the surface waiting to burst out. He was not bad to look at either. His hair was a sandy brown, trimmed short on the sides with just enough of a spike on top to look smart and tidy. When the bed’s overhead lamplight caught him at the right angle, his sea-blue eyes twinkled like the tops of whitecaps, and she drowned in their depths.
Pam shook herself free of his spell, wondering what was wrong with her. Maybe this second shift was asking too much from her already exhausted mind. But she’d traded it as a favor for a friend who needed to be at a family event all day tomorrow. Pam was free to sleep as late as she liked then head over to her regular haunt – the Christmas Boutique.
“There is a lull in my workload, so I’ll grab a copy of the oral test, and we can get you started.” Ten minutes later, Pam officially documented a definite memory problem on his chart.
“What sensations make you feel comfortable? Maybe they will link you back to a familiar setting in your mind,” Pam asked.
“The chill I felt earlier reminds me of snow. Come to think of it, any pictures flashing through my head have snow in it.”
“Maybe you live farther north and were traveling southbound to some destination when you ended up in a ditch.”
“North is a big area, Dr. Legend.”
“Agreed. Not much of a clue,” Pam said. “Unfortunately, no one from any of the cars involved in your accident or their relatives can identify you. It seems you were walking on the highway and hit when the vehicles collided.”
“Walking on a highway, you say? Not too smart.”
“Well, we haven’t discovered if you’re smart or not,” Pam said, biting back the smile. His eyes danced. He apparently loved to banter.
“Got me there, Doc.”
“So far, from your stay in the hospital, we’ve learned you don’t like needles. Did that spring up any bad memories?”
“Just the thought of someone taking the life-giving juice from inside my body is enough to bring the fight on.”
Pam sighed. It was time to quit the inquisition. “How about you rest. Often memory loss is temporary, caused by the blow to your head. Everything could come rushing back to you when you least expect it.”
“Suppose that scenario will work fine while I’m tucked safely in here with you. But I must
