Fall From Grace - Chapter 1

I opened my eyes slowly only to find myself confronted with two deep emerald pools staring back at me.  I could sense concern in that gaze and that concern gave me pause.  Was there a reason that someone should be so worried about me?  I blinked, trying to sort out the thoughts that were flickering through my mind.  

"Hey…you're awake…good.  You're safe now.  Just stay still 'till I have a chance to see how badly you're hurt, ok?"  The voice that went with those eyes was soothing in its confidence.  Something about this man made me want to obey without question.  That wasn't really like me…was it?  Hurt?  Was I hurt?  How did that happen?

I hesitantly nodded my reply as I once again tried to sort out my situation.  Slowly I turned my head and took in my surroundings.  I was in a room of what appeared to be an abandoned house.  I assumed it was abandoned by the amount of dust and debris that littered the floor.  I could see the odd shapes that indicated random pieces of furniture left behind and now covered with mildewed sheets.  Nothing looked familiar.  I had no idea where this place was.

While my eyes wandered around the room I was vaguely aware of the gentle prodding of strong hands along my scalp.  Occasionally one of the touches would elicit a wince or involuntary groan of pain.  Each sign of injury brought a soft apology and an answering wince from my pseudo-physician.  I watched the intensity of his gaze as it traveled, along with those searching hands, to my arms.  

He slowly moved first my right and then my left arm, wrist and then hand.  As he slowly flexed my right wrist I couldn't stop the yelp of pain that the movement provoked.  "Damn, I'm sorry.  I think the wrist is broken.  Sammy?  Can you find me something to splint her wrist with?"  I heard the affirmative answer coming from somewhere behind me and realized only then that we were not alone in the room.

"Who are you?" I asked, hearing the roughness of my own voice and feeling the parched dryness of my throat as it worked to produce sound.

"My name is Dean and that guy over there is my brother Sam."  He answered automatically, never stopping his examination.  His hands had moved down to my legs and I tilted my head to see what he was doing.  It was then that the room began to spin.  I didn't have time to warn him as I quickly turned my head to the side and dry heaved.  Thankfully it appeared as if my stomach was empty already.

"Whoa…slow down there.  I'm pretty sure you have a concussion so you probably want to take those movements a bit more slowly."  

I started to nod my agreement and the room began to shift again before I realized my mistake.  Abruptly I stopped and waited for the dizziness and nausea to pass.  Once I felt steady enough I took a closer look at the man who was, even now, binding my wrist with pieces of his torn T-Shirt and what looked like slats of wood from an old couch.

"You're bleeding."  There was blood slowly trickling down the left side of his face.  It seemed to be coming from somewhere higher up, hidden by his spiky blond hair.  Seeing it, I fought the sudden urge to touch that hair…it looked so soft… I pulled my eyes back to his face, trying to push the thought out of my mind.  It must be the concussion.

"That? That's nothing.  Just a scratch.  It'll stop in a minute.  Scalp wounds just bleed a lot.  They always look worse than they really are.  Don't worry."  He smiled reassuringly and once again I found myself soothed by his voice.  What the hell was wrong with me?  Do I usually get this loopy over a cute guy?  That's when it finally hit me…I didn't know the answer to that question.  In fact, I didn't know the answer to a lot of questions.  Like, what was my name?  What was I doing here?  Who were these guys?

I could feel the panic start to rise in my chest as I searched for any memory prior to opening my eyes in this house.  There was nothing.  It was all blank.  Before I could stop myself I felt my heart begin to race and my breathing speed up.  I was hyperventilating.  I knew that but I couldn't seem to stop it.

"Hey…calm down.  Come on.  Work with me here.  Deep breaths.  I'm not gonna hurt you.  It's ok.  Breathe with me.  In… and out…"  His tone was calming and as he demonstrated by taking long deep breaths I found myself mimicking him.  Slowly, my breathing came back under my control.

"That's it… better.  Keep breathing.  Now, can you tell me your name?" He looked expectantly at me and I hesitated.  Did I know him?  Was he checking to see if my concussion was worse than he thought or did he really not know me and needed me to tell him my name?  

"Don't you know it?" I hoped he would provide the missing detail.  Maybe if he said my name the rest would fall into place.  I found myself holding my breath as I waited for his answer.

"Emm…no… why?  Have we met before?"  Now it was his turn to look confused.  I could tell he was trying to take a closer look at me but the dim lighting wasn't helping.

"I don't know."  There, that seemed like a simple enough answer.  When all else fails, stick with the truth.  I realized that sometime during the examination his brother had come back.  My eyes flickered to him to see if I recognized him.  He was younger than Dean.  Tall with shaggy hair.  He was too far away for me to make out the color of his eyes in this lighting but close enough that I was able to ascertain that I had no more memory of him than I did of his brother.

"You don't know if we've met before?"  The question brought my gaze back to those green eyes.  Surely I'd remember those eyes, wouldn't I?  Had we met before?  Maybe we had, that would explain why I felt so instantly comfortable with this man touching me…running  his hands over my body… whoa, slow down there girl, he was just checking for injuries.  God, I sure hoped it was the concussion that was making me think like this.

"Yes…No… I mean… I don't know.  I don't know anything.  I don't know who you are and…I don't know who I am… What's wrong with me?  Why can't I remember my own name?" I could hear the panic slipping back into my voice but was helpless to stop it.  More than that, I didn't want to stop it… I secretly hoped that he would pick up on it and wrap his arms around me, comfort me and make me believe that all this was going to just go away and everything would be fine.

I watched him share a quick glance with his brother before turning back to me.  The closeness of their relationship was evident in that glance.  It was as if they had had a whole conversation in that one look.  I saw Sam stand up out of the corner of my eye and begin to gather some items from the floor.

"I'm sorry.  We don't know your name either.  You were here when we got here before… never mind, we'll talk about that later.  For now, let's get you out of here.  Maybe with a little food and rest things will come back to you.  Do you think you can walk?"

I almost cried when I realized they were taking me with them.  I hadn't realized how terrified I was that, hearing that I had no idea who I was, they would just wash their hands of me and leave.  A warning bell was ringing somewhere inside me.  I knew I shouldn't just go with two total strangers but everything about them read safety to me.  Unsure why, but willing to accept it, I thought about the question.

"I think so. Can you help me up?" My voice was still shaky and I sounded like a two-pack a day smoker (Did I smoke?) but at least it was audible.  I waited as he moved behind me and slipped my left arm around his neck.  As we finally made it to a standing position I knew I had been wrong.  There was no time to tell him before the room spun wildly and I fell back into the black hole I had so recently awoken from.