The Princess and the Jock Ch 4

“Eric, honey?” Samantha’s voice brought him out of his slumber. “Dinner is here, but the Doctor wants to talk to you first.”

Eric pushed himself up in bed and wiped sleep from his eyes. He was still Eric. Part of him was hoping that he’d wake up as Erika again. He longed to see his parents, crazy Aunt and Tricia.

“How are you feeling, Eric?” the surgeon asked as he pulled a chair up next to Eric’s bed.

“Tired and hungry.” Eric yawned and rubbed his eyes again.

“Hungry is a good sign.” The surgeon smiled. “Having surgery of any kind is stressful on the body and causes you to want to sleep a lot. It is normal. Have you been up walking the halls yet?”

Eric shook his head. “I haven’t even been out of bed. As much as I hate these pee bags, they make it convenient for being lazy.”

“I’ll have the nurse come take that out in a few minutes. Meanwhile, I want you to make a few laps of the hall ever hour or so. A bit of fresh air might also be good. Take the elevator up to the roof garden and get some sun.” The surgeon paused. “How is your memory? Have you started to remember anything?”

“No.” Eric shook his head frustrated.

“Give it some time. It’ll come back. Just be patient.”

“Easy for you to say, I can’t remember my parents dying, my dating Samantha or even getting married.”

“I wish I could forget my first marriage.” The doctor joked. “I’ll come by in the morning before breakfast and remove the packing in your nose. Sometimes it can make you a bit nauseated, so I like to do it on an empty stomach. Once you’ve had lunch, we’ll see about discharging you.”

“Hear that, we get to take you home tomorrow.” Samantha smiled as the doctor took his leave.

Eric smiled at his wife. He didn’t want to tell her that going home right now was a scary thought. The last thing he remembered about his parent’s home was spending Thanksgiving with his parents, Aunt Carrie, and Tricia’s family. He was Erika then, a boy, living high school life as a girl.

“Perhaps you’ll start getting your memory back once you’re in familiar surroundings.” She sounded excited.

Eric smiled and gave her hand a squeeze, “Perhaps.”

A knock on the door admitted a nurse. “I’m going to have you step out for a moment.” She told Samantha. “I’m here to take out his catheter.”

Samantha gave Eric’s hand a squeeze and heaved herself to her feet. “I’ll be right out in the hall.”

The nurse pulled a privacy curtain and lifted Eric’s blankets. Eric looked down at his opened gown and looked at his genitals for what seemed like the first time ever. His penis looked huge to his eyes. The female part of his mind began to think of how uncomfortable the gaffe would be to hide such a large organ.

After the nurse pulled what seemed like a mile of tubing from his penis, Eric slowly got to his feet and marveled at how small everything looked from his now taller vantage point. He found a pair of sweats folded next to the bed and slipped hairy, muscular legs into them and pulled them up. He figured the strange slipper/socks that the hospital had put on his feet would work. He took the I.V. pole in one hand and walked slowly out into the hall.

“Dinner will be here in just a few minutes. We’ll have time to make a lap or two of the hall.” Samantha slipped her small hand into his free one and smiled up at him. “I thought that after dinner, we could walk down to the hospital chapel.”

“What for?”

“Pray.” Samantha squeezed his hand. “Ask the Lord for your memory to come back but without having to relive all of the horrible emotions with it.”

Eric stopped in the middle of the hall and looked down upon his blonde wife. “Are we… I mean, am I religious?”

Samantha’s face fell. Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh God, please give me strength, I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” She took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm herself.

Eric reflexively wrapped his arms around her in case she fell.

“You honestly don’t remember?” tears streamed down her cheeks.

Eric could feel Samantha lean into him.

“I think I need to sit down.”

Eric looked around. A small deserted waiting area was just a little ways down the hall. He guided her to a chair and helped her sit. He pulled a chair over and sat down facing her.

“You seriously don’t remember?” She pulled a small gold crucifix on a delicate chain from under her blouse.

Eric shook his head. “I’m sorry, Samantha, I don’t remember a thing.”

Samantha held up the small pendant, “You gave this to me the day that you and I were baptized.” She turned away, dropping the crucifix and crying into her hands. “We were saved, together. We started our new lives, together. And you don’t remember any of it.”

Eric’s heart ached. It felt as if his chest was shrinking around, it, constricting it, making it work for every beat. He swallowed a thick lump in his throat. However horrible this nightmare seemed to him, it was just as bad or worse for Samantha. She after all was married to a man who didn’t remember anything about their relationship, their courting, their falling love, or their marriage. He lost five years, and she lost a husband, friend and partner.

Eric gathered her into his arms and held her close. Tears fell from her cheeks onto his neck. She had always seemed so larger than life when they were thirteen, so confident, so strong. Here he was holding a woman, his wife who was fragile, vulnerable. Someone he admired for her might, still trying desperately to hold it together with every ounce of her strength.

“Come, love.” He said softly. “Let’s go down to the chapel. Maybe praying will help bring it back.” He gave her a squeeze, and then helped her up. “I hope God will forgive me if I can’t remember.” He grinned.

A smile cracked through her tears. Samantha wiped tears from her cheeks and stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “That is why I love you so much.”

“Why is that?” Eric asked.

“Because you can take the most serious of issues, turn them around and put people at ease.”

“I do remember that there were these pretty spectacular girls at a summer camp who helped to make me look at things that way.” He smiled down at her.

His mind reeled as a memory flashed before his eyes. He was holding Samantha’s hands in his. Her face was a glow as she smiled up at him as he said his vows to her. The memory only took a second but it had seemed like three minutes.

“Are you okay?” Samantha looked concerned.

Eric nodded. “I just had a memory of our wedding day.”

Samantha waited for him to explain.

“It was real quick.” He smiled at her. It was of me repeating my vows to you.”

Samantha wrapped her arms around him and embraced him lovingly. “What about your dinner?” she asked pulling away.

“I’ve waited this long. I think I can wait a little longer. Besides, if I wait long enough, it might actually taste good.”

The two of them made their way to the hospital chapel. No one was there, although a few candles burned near the alter.Eric crossed himself, bowed then led Samantha up to a small pew near the front.

“We’re Catholic?” he asked.

Samantha nodded.

The thought of him being religious was hard enough to take. The discovery that he and Samantha were Catholic almost made his head whirl.

“I haven’t burst into flames yet.” Eric smirked.

Samantha squeezed his hand and put down the padded kneeling board and knelt.

The words and gestures came naturally to him as they began to pray. It felt a little weird at first, but towards the end, Eric felt a calm wash over him.

After their prayer, the two sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, each enjoying the feel of the other.

“When did I become Catholic?” he asked in a soft voice.

Samantha sighed. “It was shortly after your parents passed. You kept running out into the night, trying to flee the quiet of your empty house. You would call me and ask me to come get you. I would find you crying in one church or another, Usually a Catholic church. Julian was the one who suggested that you start going to mass with him.” Samantha paused. “After a few weeks, I began to join you for support. Soon, we took the plunge, so to speak, and were baptized.”

Eric’s stomach rumbled loudly.

Samantha looked from his stomach to his eyes. Her face softened whenever she looked at him. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

Eric helped her to her feet and the two returned to his hospital room.

“Well, it’s about time you two showed up.” Julian greeted.

“Julian.” Samantha greeted with a big smile. “I thought you didn’t do hospitals.”

“As a general rule, I don’t.” Julian smiled, “But as my calling requires me to frequent them from time to time, I figured I’d better start facing my fears and get used to them. Besides, Eric is my best friend. I couldn’t let him eat the food here.” He held up a fast food bag. “I got you some burgers. A guy could starve in this place.”

Julian embraced Eric in a hug and then made room for him to get back into his bed. “Cute gown.” He chuckled. “I think I prefer the one you wore to homecoming though.”

Eric felt his face burn. He was sure it was turning beet red. He wasn’t used to being teased about something so personal so openly. The last thing he remembered, Julian still knew him as a girl.

“He doesn’t remember anything between his first surgery and this one.” Samantha stated.

“Still?” Julian questioned.

Eric nodded. He wasn’t used to looking Julian in the eye. The last he remembered he had to look up at his friend.

“Well, I guess that is a blessing as well as a curse.” Julian sighed. He handed Eric the bag of burgers. “I guess it is a bit like being baptized; starting a new life, except that you don’t remember the transgressions of your old one.” He looked to Samantha. “Did you take this up with God?”

“We just came from the chapel.” She nodded.

Julian helped Samantha to a seat then took another. “What did the doctors say?”

While Eric ate his burgers greedily, Samantha told Julian what they had been told by the surgeon as well as what she had been told by the psychologist.

“So when do you get to get out of this place?” Julian asked.

“The Doctor says probably after lunch tomorrow.” Eric stated between bites.

“Going home should jog the memory a bit.” Julian nodded. “If you two need someone for support, don’t be afraid to give me a call.”

“He already had one memory.” Samantha beamed as if he had won a marathon. Her face flushed with what could only be described as love. “He recalled a memory of our wedding.”

“Well, let’s hope that this is a start of a trend.” Julian heaved himself out of the chair. “I just wanted to stop by and say hi. I really should be going.” Julian loomed over Eric’s bed as he paused to say good bye.

Eric flinched back. The hospital room around him was gone as another memory flooded his mind, taking over everything.

“What are you doing at this hour in this part of town, Erika?” Julian demanded as he loomed over her.

“None of your business.” Erika snapped. The old street lamp overhead flickered but stayed on washing everything in a sickly yellow. “I could ask you the same question. What are you doing here?”

“I’m. . .” Julian looked around. He watched a car slow down as it approached, then speed off down the street. “I’m helping the homeless and bringing the word of Christ to those in need.”

Erika rolled her eyes. “Sure you are.”

“Come on, I’m taking you home.” Julian ordered.

“You are not. I’m staying here.” Erika pushed at the large guy’s chest. “You aren’t my keeper.” At one time the large swimmer’s chest was something that she would have welcomed snuggling up to, now it was nothing but a barrier to her goal.

“Do your parents know that you are dressed like that, walking these streets?” Julian asked, referring to Erika’s short skirt, low cut top, fishnets and high heels.

“Mind your own business, Julian.” Erika snarled.

“What happened to you, Erika?” Julian’s voice was almost pleading. “You were so nice when we went to Homecoming. What has happened? Are you on drugs?”

“Do I look like I’m on drugs?” Erika pushed again. “Just leave me alone.”

The dark street vanished, replaced by the hospital room. Julian had his hand on Eric’s arm. “Eric, are you alright?”

Eric took a deep breath to still his pounding heart. He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“What just happened?” Julian asked.

“A memory.”

“About what, Honey?” Samantha asked, concerned.

“Oh, nothing.” Eric tried to shake it off.

Julian and Samantha shared a long look.

“I’ll come by your place tomorrow evening and check in on you.” Julian gave Eric’s arm a firm, reassuring, squeeze. He looked to Samantha. “Give me a call if you need anything.” Julian smiled at Eric “See you tomorrow.”

To be continued. . .