5 | He is your father

On a bed with crisp white sheets and a thin pillow under his head, Alex lay there unconsciously as he was in a small, quiet toom. The scars he got from the assailants hitting him were evident, even the scar over his left eye.

He had been in a coma for nine months and luckily, the fisherman who rescued him took care of him, along with a country doctor. The silence in the room immediately got broken by the noise of chickens clucking loudly outside the room.

Alex stirred from his sleep as the chicken's cluck disturbed his sleep. For the first time in nine months, he opened his eyes and moved his fingers. Finally conscious, he found it difficult to recollect, focus or bring himself to recall how he got to the room. He could not even remember who he was or why he was in a room. He felt like he was a newborn baby that had graduated from college recently. And then, he tried his best to piece two and two, or to remember anything but still, his mind was in a blank state.

Confused and scared, Alex looked around the room with anxiety pumping in him as he felt awkward, he could not even understand the unfamiliar feeling within him. He noted his surroundings and the walls there were painted in a faded shade of blue. Alex tried again to recall anything or even move his body but everything he tried was futile. He felt very weak, sore, and paralyzed and could not understand how he felt.

The door creaked slowly and Alex gazed at it, preparing himself to bombard anyone he see with questions. A tall man with shoulder-length, grey hair walked into the room and his jaw dropped at the sight of Alex’s opened eyes.

Immediately Alex sighted the tall man, he exclaimed, “Why am I here? I mean... Am I kidnapped? Why can't I remember anything? Did you inject something into me? I can't even move my hands, am I paralyzed or what?” Alex asked and his hands trembled immediately. He gazed at his trembling hands and he realized that he was not paralyzed, he was only weak and scared.

Upon seeing Alex’s reaction, the tall man named Jack stared at him with pity in his eyes as he could not bring himself to tell Alex the full story.

Nine months ago, he was about to return home after fishing that night, but after he found Alex in the water, he saved him. He called the country doctor for help since the hospitals were far from the boat launch and he was scared of the huge medical expenses in the city.

Afterward, the country doctor took care of Alex, and then Alex became unconscious. Meanwhile, Jack tried his possible best to search for Alex’s family member but it was to no avail since he only knew Alex’s first name, Alexander, which Alex muttered before getting unconscious.

Jack was unsure of what to do, he could probably tell the young man, Alex that he was a stranger with no family member or he could keep the story to himself.

Jack rushed out of the room considering Alex’s condition, he called the country doctor that lived near his small house immediately. Soon the country doctor was in the room, examining Alex.

“How do you feel now?” The country doctor asked and Alex touched his forehead, “I feel a throbbing pain up here,” Alex spoke as he felt he needed their help.

The country doctor sighed, then muttered, “Do you remember anything?”

“No,” Alex shook his head.

“Hand the torch over to me,” The country doctor spoke and Jack hastily obeyed him. The doctor turned on the torch and he pointed it at Alex’s face.

“Remember anything?” The doctor asked again and Alex shook his head as nothing came to his mind.

The doctor muttered, “Alex, this man here saved you-” and Jack cut in, “It is all my fault you are in this miserable condition. You tried to kill yourself and as your father, I'm truly responsible!” Jack spoke quickly and Alex became confused.

He felt an awkward feeling toward Jack interrupting the doctor, then he turned to the doctor to know if the man named Jack was lying or not.

The doctor nodded slowly, “he is your father,”

Alex’s jaw dropped at that statement as his thoughts rambled around his mind. “What made me kill myself? And why can't I recognize my father? Is my condition very worse?”

“It was, but you are better. In a few months, you will slowly start to recover and recall things. Do not panic when you have a flash of memory, just embrace it and store it.” The doctor spoke and Alex nodded, feeling a little safe with him.

Jack walked toward the doctor and he questioned him calmly, “Is there a need for Alex to use drugs?”

“Yes!” The doctor exclaimed, then he turned to Jack, “But only for the throbbing pain in his head. Immediately I get back from the city, I will bring the drug along, no need to worry.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” Jack exclaimed with a huge smile on his face while Alex watched warily as the two of them converse.

“I should be thanking you for saving this young man-” The doctor spoke then he paused, before stammering. “I mean, I should be thanking you for staying by your son’s side throughout the time he was in a coma. If it were to be someone else, they would have left him.”

Jack nods, then he muttered, “It was my duty,”

The doctor smiled lightly and then walk away before Jack escorted him out. Alex sighed as he was unsure of what Jack told him.

“Is he truly my father?” Alex muttered to himself and he drifted the thoughts away.

“I should not strain my brain on that, I should focus on moving forward from now on,” Alex muttered again, as he gulped his statement down. He gazed at his hands which had stopped trembling after he gulped and he managed to move them to touch his face, his brown hair and beard.

“Need to shave?” A feminine voice spoke, he looked up and he sighted a young girl whose hair is packed in a ponytail. She looked a little tall for her young look and she was also slim.

She confidently walked towards Alex like a bully would and she muttered, “I’m Emma, unfortunately, your younger sister,”

“What do you mean by, unfortunately?” Alex asked, a little terrified at her confident actions. Emma gazed at him and muttered, “Come help me in the farm.”

“We have a farm?” Alex questioned in shock and Emma rolled her eyes, a little annoyed. “Maybe you should get out of your boring old self and check the surroundings,”

“Boring old self?” Alex muttered, then he grabbed by her right ear. “Acting older because I got sick, uh?” Alex spoke, scolding the young girl.

“Oww, it's painful,” Emma exclaimed and he released his grip from her ear. He looked around the room warily, and he faced Emma. “Tell me, is there anything I'm supposed to know?” Alex asked, his gaze scanning everything in the room as he was still suspicious of Jack.

“Yes,” Emma replied, rubbing her warm ear, as she made Alex eager to hear what she would say.

She moved closer to Alex and yelled, “I dropped out of school because of the expenses to get you treated! You better get your butt into the farm and start working!”