Starless Night - Chapter 3

     Jesse awoke to the sound of chirping birds and sunlight on his face. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that he had shifted positions while he slept. Instead of sitting in a sitting position that was reclining back like he had originally been in, Jesse was now lying on the armrest of the couch, his feet stretching to the opposite side.
     Slowly as he became more awake and alert, he realized that there was a pillow under his head and not the armrest itself. Someone must have moved me after I fell asleep. Probably Nurse Joy, he thought sluggishly. He was alerted by a crunching noise by the foot of the couch, and looked down to see Dusk eating a bowl full of Pokéfood.
     Yawning, he sat up and noticed his lab coat sitting across from him on the table, neatly folded and a clean white color. The scent of detergent reached his nose, and he realized that someone must have washed it.
     Suddenly the previous day's events rushed back into Jesse's muddled mind, and he sat up quickly with a sharp inhalation. Dusk stopped eating, fur bristling in alarm. Jesse paid him no mind and instead jumped off the couch in a hurry. He paused briefly to grab his lab coat and shrug into it quickly while Dusk looked up to him.
     Jesse ran over to the front desk, his footsteps echoing in the empty lobby. Nurse Joy was not at her desk, and Jesse decided to try to pushing through the double doors to see if he could find her. He jumped, startled, when she opened the door herself just as Jesse's hand had been about to touch the metal.
     Nurse Joy looked up with an expression of surprise. "Oh, you're awake! Did you sleep well?" She questioned. "You were tossing and turning."
     "No, I didn't," Jesse admitted. "I have a lot on my mind."
     "I'm sure anyone would, if they were in your place. I gave your Umbreon some Pokéfood earlier this morning; it was looking rather hungry. I also washed your lab coat. All the blood was cleaned off and it looks as white as ever." Nurse Joy explained.
     "Thank you. Would I be able to see the girl?" he asked.
     "Of course! There are a few complications, though, and we were wondering if you could help us with them." Nurse Joy said, concern lurking in the back of her lighthearted tone.
     Complications…? Jesse thought. What could that mean? He kept this to himself and mutely nodded. Nurse Joy pushed open the double doors slowly, holding them open before they could shut on Jesse.
     He felt something brush by his legs, and looked down to see that Umbreon had snuck along as silently as a shadow.
     The doors swung shut behind them, and Jesse looked curiously around the short hallway as he followed Nurse Joy. A row of stretchers rested against the wall. That's why Chansey was able to get one so quickly last night, Jesse realized. The polished floors shined under the light's bright glow. An IV-unit stood nearby a row of chairs.
     Jesse followed Nurse Joy past a few closed doors until she paused in front of an open doorway. Jesse could hear voices coming from inside. She stopped for a split second to knock lightly on the door, peering into the room as she did so. "May I come in?"
     Someone's voice answered with a quick "yes". As Jesse followed Nurse Joy into the room, he glanced around. Windows lit up most of the room, the ruby curtains pushed back all the way. A table and cushioned cream-colored chairs were directly under the windows, and a bed was against the wall. A night table and lamp stood to one side of the bed. A floor lamp stood in one corner, while a fuzzy white rug lay on the floor. Another closed door lead to what Jesse assumed was the bathroom. The room was rather small, and the furniture filled up most of the space.
     A girl sat in one of the chairs, looking tired. Jesse momentarily wondered who she was. Suddenly he realized that she was the girl he had rescued. She healed amazingly fast!
     He had never gotten a proper look at her face, and was surprised to see how pretty she really looked.  Her forest green eyes stood out against her lustrous golden hair. It was tied up nicely with a black ribbon. Her eyes seemed troubled, and she was looking down towards the floor.
     Across from her was a man who looked to be in his late thirties. He wore a white doctor's coat over a dark blue shirt. His hair was a shining chestnut tone, and he had a bit of stubble around his chin. A black stethoscope hung from his neck, and various other doctors' tools stuck out of his coat pockets. He was looking at the girl with a concerned expression, holding something red and torn looking in his hand. By the foot of the girl's chair lay an Eevee, who looked up to the girl with saddened eyes.
     The doctor turned towards them as they walked in. "Thank you, Joy. We haven't made much progress at all."
     "Oh…I guess this is a more serious case, then." Nurse Joy replied with a worried tone. "I need to go back to the front desk, but let me know what happens." She left the room without another word, leaving Jesse with the Doctor and the mysterious girl.
      "I'm Doctor Williams, the one who has helped this young girl recover. I sincerely hope that you will be able to help us with it, though." The doctor said solemnly, looking now at Jesse.
     "Um, I could try." Jesse offered hesitantly. What can I do that a real doctor can't?! He thought in a panic. He didn't voice this aloud, though. He instead stayed silent. Dusk sat by his feet, but was staring curiously at the Eevee.
     "Last night, as soon as you brought her here, out Chanseys were able to save her and her Eevee from an almost sure death by using the move Healing Wish. This was a slower process than usual; as she herself isn't a Pokémon. It took most of the night, but the wounds did heal leaving only minimal scarring. I was able to determine that they were the result of a combination of a sword blade and a Pokémon's slashes. Her brush with death was caused more so by the blood loss than the actual wounds, although they were serious. I thought that recovery was going to be fine, until we discovered that her Trainer Card was ruined.
     "Normally, this would not be so much of an issue. You could just re-test for one at any police station. Our situation, though, was not this simple. When I asked for her name, this girl wasn't able to answer. She had lost her memory, and become a victim of amnesia.
     "The type of amnesia she has is known as retrograde amnesia. When one has this form of amnesia, they are unable to recall events that occurred before the amnesia developed. It is usually caused by trauma that results in brain injury. Remote memories that aren't connected with what happened directly prior to the trauma are usually easier to regain or access. This is where you come into play. Did you ever know this girl? If you did, you would be able to help us greatly." Dr. Williams stated.
     Jesse's head was spinning with all of the information he took in. So this girl has amnesia? Maybe I can help her even if I don't really know her.
     "I'm sorry, Doctor, but I never knew her prior to when I discovered her in Ilex Forest." Jesse said apologetically. "I could try and help you anyway, though."
     Dr. William's face fell noticeably. "Thank you for your offer, but-"
     Jesse interrupted him, an idea dawning. He turned to the girl and asked, "Did you send out your Pokémon at all? They might jog your memory."
     She looked up to him shyly. "Um, no, I didn't, actually. Thank you for reminding me." She stood up slowly from her chair and walked a few paces to the center of the room. Reaching for her belt, she unclipped two Pokéballs.  She tossed them into the air gracefully, and they hit the ground with a thud. The Pokéballs opened in a flash of light, revealing two Pokémon.
     A Houndoom and Murkrow stood in the center of the room, glaring. Jesse shuddered when he saw the Houndoom. They made eye contact and the Houndoom's eyes narrowed. It let out a menacing growl while the Murkrow gave a hoarse caw. The girl stared at them with a face of concentration, but her expression did not change into one of recognition.
     The Eevee got up and wove around her feet, purring softly. She reached down and picked it up, giving it a hug. "I can't remember…" she whispered, burying her face into the Eevee's fur. After a moment she relinquished her hold on the Eevee, placing it back on the ground before recollecting the Pokéballs and recalling her Murkrow and Houndoom. "What an ominous pair." She said to no one in particular.
     Now it was Jesse's turn to sigh. "I'm sorry; I really thought that would have an effect." He said, half to Dr. Williams, half to the girl.
     "That's alright…" The doctor began before trailing off. "I don't believe I heard your name, young man."
     "Oh, sorry! Ventus, Jesse Ventus." Jesse answered automatically. Suddenly the girl groaned and grabbed her head, clutching it in her hands.
     "Miss! Are you all right?"Dr. Williams asked, turning quickly to face her.
     "My…head…" she whimpered. "It hurts…" She closed her eyes and her skin turned pale as she wobbled on her feet.  Jesse ran forward to try and steady her, but instead caught her in his arms as she pitched forward and lost her balance.
     "She fainted!" Jesse said, sounding shocked. He looked down at her face, which was more relaxed looking, her pain seemingly gone.
     "She is still in a fragile state, after all. You name seemed to provoke a reaction, though. Are you being completely honest when you say you've never met her?" Dr. Williams questioned.
     "Yes, sir," Jesse answered respectfully. "I've never seen her before encountering her at Ilex."
     "Alright. Help me move her to the bed so she can lie down, would you?" The doctor asked. Jesse nodded as Dr. Williams got up off his chair, walking over. He helped Jesse support the girl as they half carried her, half stumbled to the bed. They lifted her as gently as possible over the covers, setting her down in a comfortable position.
     Jesse sat by the foot of the bed, looking at her with concern. "Don't worry. It shouldn't take long for her to wake up." Dr. Williams reassured. Jesse nodded.
     To distract himself, he fished around in one of his jean's pockets. His fingers closed around what he was looking for – an unopened box of Pocky. He brought it out of his pocket, looking briefly at the red carton before tearing it open at the perforated lines. He opened the sealed bag inside and selected one of the chocolate-coated breadsticks to eat.
     Jesse chewed thoughtfully, wondering what his connection to the girl could have possibly been. There is none, right? He guessed. It would have been impossible to forget someone that looked like her, he thought, a small blush spreading across his face. He finished the first Pocky stick and reached for another, nibbling at it slowly.
     A noise from the other end of the bed diverted his attention, and he looked over to see the girl was stirring. Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at the ceiling, seemingly muddled. "Are you alright?" Jesse asked, leaning over so he could look into her eyes. The unfinished Pocky stick dangled from his mouth, much like a farmer's piece of wheat.
     "What happened…?" she asked, still sounding disjointed.
     "I told you my name, and then you suddenly passed out," Jesse explained.
     "Oh," the girl replied. She sat up slowly, resting against the headboard. Jesse pulled back, sitting on the opposite side of the bed. He chewed on the rest of his Pocky stick quietly, looking at the girl.
     He nearly jumped when Dr. Williams cleared his throat. "I don't know if there's really much more we can do at this point."
     "Oh," the girl repeated. She sounded crestfallen. Jesse felt just as bad as she did. For some unknown reason, he felt guilty about just leaving her. She was alone in the world, with nowhere left to go. Before he could stop himself, Jesse spoke up.
     "You could travel with me, and see if your memories return. You seem to know me somehow, even if I don't know you." The girl looked up at him, her eyes hopeful.
     "Would you really allow that?" she asked.
     "If there's any way that I can help you, I'll try it." Jesse answered. The girl's face pulled into a smile and she jumped off the bed, rushing over to Jesse and embracing him tightly.
     "Thank you!" She said warmly. She acted as if he had just given her five hundred dollars.
      He felt his face get hot as he stuttered. "Um, uh, y-you're welcome," he managed to blurt out. His arms were pinned to his side, the box of Pocky clutched in one hand, so he couldn't hug her back even if he wanted to.
     She pulled away after a moment, standing with a renewed purpose. Jesse slowly stood up himself, brushing off dust that wasn't there from his pants with his free hand. Having finished the Pocky stick previously, Jesse took another one and stuck it in his mouth. Not wanting to be discourteous, he held the box out to the girl. "Do you want one?"
     "Thanks, but no thanks." She smiled.
     "So, that's it, then." The doctor put in. "I sincerely hope that you will be able to get your memories back. Quite the accident you were in, Miss." He said, turning to the girl.
     "Me, too, sir," she said with a nod.
     "Alright, I suppose that's all that needs to be said. Come along; we can get going now." Dr. Williams said, turning towards the door. Jesse and the girl obediently followed. Dusk and Eevee jumped up from where they had been lying to travel by each of their respective master's legs. Jesse fished another Pocky stick from the box, beginning to chew on it almost unconsciously.