Undone (Wild Men 2)

And then it stops – or I pass out, I don’t know which, and frankly I don’t care.

“What is your name?” the annoying guy with the penchant for torture asks me again, shining the pen light in my eyes.

“Told you already.”

“Tell me again.”

“Kaden.”

“Kaden who?”

“Kaden—” It’s right on the tip of my tongue. I mean, obviously, I’m Kaden…Kaden who?

Why the fuck can’t I remember my own name?

The wiggle in my mind is expanding, turning into a snake trying to swallow me whole. I’m shaking, my breath coming in a funny rattle.

“Don’t panic, Kaden,” the man says in what might pass for a soothing tone of voice. I’d punch him if I wasn

’t so shaky. “This is perfectly normal.”

Well then.

“Fuck you,” I manage through chattering teeth. “This isn’t fucking normal.”

He shakes his head as if I’m making him sad, and turns to go.

“Wait!” I make a grab for him, but don’t manage to catch him. “What is my name?”

“Kaden,” he says with a perfectly straight face. “It will come back to you, I’m sure.”

That makes one of us.

Because it should have come back to me already, shouldn’t it? What kind of booze makes you forget your name for so long?

How many hours will I need?

There’s a glass of water on my bedside table. I can’t remember anyone bringing it, but I grab it and take a long gulp. I just need to hydrate, and maybe eat something.

Yeah, eating something would be good. It will help me recall what the fuck I did to land in this… hospital.

I am in a hospital.

Never a good sign.

My heart is booming in my chest, and I slam the glass back on the table, feeling sick. My stomach is churning, threatening to bring the water right back up.

Why am I in a goddamn hospital? What happened?

What do I remember?

I try to think back, but my head starts to throb. My heartbeat pounds behind my eyes, hammers against my temples.

Fuck. Who can tell me? Who can I call?

A face flashes through my mind, and I lean my aching head back, relieved. Yeah, of course. I may have forgotten my own name, but I could never forget hers.

I need to call my girlfriend.