The Royal Contract

Her fingers touched the picture frame displayed on the shelves. They were photos of her sister. Some of them had their other families in them.

There were a few of her and Roseann. And one with David in the middle. But nothing of her alone or her and David. But that was not unusual since this was her sister's place, not hers.

"Are you sure you will be fine alone?" Her sister had taken leave from work since she came home with her, showing her the ropes of her new life.

But now, she had to return to the hospital before they took her out of the program. She learned that being a doctor was a demanding job. Her sister had to sacrifice most of her single life, devoting it to the practice of healing people.

"Don't worry about me," Rosella assured her sister as she moved toward the kitchen to prepare herself something to eat.

Somehow, she could remember how to fry some eggs and do menial jobs. But still, her past remained a blur. She could hardly remember anything, not her childhood, not the time when she was working, or the relationship she had with David.

Her memories were all blank. The doctors suspected that it might be due to the trauma of the accident. But they were not giving up on the chance she might still remember.

She just needed something to trigger her memories. But she and Roseann had done many things that her sister claimed she loved to do with their childhood, but nothing reminded her of her past.

"Of course, it is my job to worry about you. I am the doctor, right?" Roseann acted like the big sister as she helped her on the couch.

"Remember that you have physical therapy tomorrow and a session with Dr. Linday." Her sister pointed out her schedule.

She was glad to have her around. She was a tremendous help with her condition. She would not know what to do with her situation if not for her.

She was just glad that her motor skills were slowly returning to normal. She could finally move around without needing much help.

"Thanks, Roseann." She did not want to be a burden to her sister, but she had no choice. She still had to learn to live again in this world. And it felt like she was starting from scratch.

"By the way, you mentioned you had a dream earlier," Roseann said as she walked over to the counter to get her bag and keys. "Do you remember it now?"

She thought about it. She remembered bits and pieces of it. It was vague. It seemed real. But it could also be just a dream. She guessed she had no way of knowing.

"Hardly." She did not want to say more, thinking it might be nothing. "But I am sure if it was a memory, then I might be regaining my memories back."

It was a hope she would like to hold on to as she thought of the few pieces of images she could remember from her dream.

"Well, you should still mention that in your session with Dr. Linday." Her sister suggested, which was not a bad idea.

Then, her mind remembered those eyes that were staring at her. She believed those were real. She had seen it since she woke up from this nightmare.

"You better go." She reminded her sister that the clock was ticking. And she was going to be late.

She would not lie. She was a little scared to be left alone in her apartment. She felt like a child about to get her first shot at responsibility.

But, of course, she would never admit that to her sister, or she would never leave. She had to pretend to be the big sister who called the shot.

"Fine. But my number is pinned on the ref." She pointed to the paper dangling on the metallic cover with a magnet. "Then, you remember how to use the phone."

Somehow, she might have a vague recollection of these mundane activities. Therefore, she nodded to satisfy her sister's questions.

"I will see you later," Rosella assured her sister that she had this covered.

Roseann had arranged most of the things she would need while she had gone out to work. Therefore, she could not see any impending problems.

"Ok." Finally, Roseann exited their apartment, leaving her alone for the first time since she came to live with her.

Now what?

She looked around the room, wondering what else she could do while she waited for her sister to return. She had tons of pictures to look at, reading materials to peruse, and memorabilia that she needed to look at.

Nonetheless, she still had a long stride before she could have a semblance of normalcy in her tragic life. If she had such a great life before the accident, why did this tragedy need to happen to her?

"I don't understand." She mumbled as she closed her eyes, wondering if some memories would suddenly pop up in her empty mind.

After a few minutes, nothing.

She hated that she could not remember anything. It was saddening, terrifying, angering, and frustrating, all at the same time.

She finally moved toward the counter, limping her way to the cabinets. She wanted to prepare some tea. She hoped it would help her body to calm down.

But as she reached the top shelf for a cup, her foot lost footing, making her imbalanced. She barely held on to the cup as it smashed on the floor.

"Damn!" She shouted, both shocked and furious with herself. She felt like an imbecile who could not even take care of herself.

"What is going on here?" Suddenly a heavy voice boomed across the small room, filling the air with a thrill that raised the hair at the back of her neck.

Of course, she recognized him. But she was surprised that he stood before her as she turned to face him. She was not exactly expecting company.

Besides, he never visited her since she came out of the hospital. The last time she saw him was that night when he just brought her things. But he did not stay long. She would not have seen him at all if she did not peep through the opening in her door.

"I was aiming for the cup, but it aimed for me." She tried to joke about it, but it did not sound funny. "Anyway, what are you doing here? And how did you get inside?"

She tried to recall if her sister even locked the door when she left or just left it open for anyone to walk in unannounced. Luckily, he was not just anybody.

She was safe with him. Was she?

"I was in the vicinity. So I asked Roseann how you were doing. She said that she was at work. Therefore, I decided to check on you myself." He explained as he moved further inside the room while watching her.

She could not help but get self-conscious. She kept reminding herself that this man used to be her fiancee. At least based on everybody's recount. Still, her mind could not confirm it.

Except for her dream, nothing about him came to mind. She was still staring at a stranger as far as her memory was concerned.

"As you can see, I am fine." She pointed at herself as she watched him step closer until he stopped just a few feet from her.

"No, you are not." He immediately stated as he ran toward the other side of the counter and grabbed a towel.

Then, he knelt before her at the speed of light, at least, from her standpoint, since she was moving like a snail.

That was the only time she realized she must have cut herself with the ceramic cup when it landed on the floor. She did not even feel it, but the blood oozing on her skin, tainting the floor, was the evidence of the accident.

"Oh! It is just a cut." She did not want to make it a big deal. But before she knew it, he was already carrying her in his burly arms. Then, he moved her into the stool, where he sat her down while he attended to her injury.

"It is more than just a small cut. But I don't think it will need stitching." He announced after he had carefully examined her wound. She noticed it was long but shallow.

And the bleeding had somehow stopped after he had cleaned it and applied pressure. "Thanks, but I can..."

"No, I am not yet finished." He interrupted her as he moved toward the bathroom and returned with a few medicines in his hands.

She wondered how he knew the layout of this apartment so well. Did he come here often?

"We still need to put some of this." He stated as he stepped into his previous position. Then he applied the cream over the wound before putting a plaster on it.

"You seem to know much about treating an injury." She stated, just needing something to say. She did not know if she was still in shock because of the accident or his sudden presence.

Whether she remembered him or not, it was apparent that she was attracted to him if she was not mistaken.

But she knew she was still confused about how she felt for him. There were moments she thought she knew him. She assumed it was more of a feeling.

But then again, her memory would remind her that he was still a total stranger. Nevertheless, someone that she could not ignore.