“Thanks, Jules. I …” I started to say.

“There’s no need for thanks, Aerin. I told you before that I’d … we’d always be here for you, remember? That’s my role, Aerin … the one your mom said someone would play in your life, like you’d told me when you’d asked my advice about having a relationship with Chris …” she cut in.

Chris. I remember Chris distinctly. But I also seemed to have a gap that occupied the same, or bigger, proximate area that Chris occupied in my thoughts.

Dr. Button was talking to a nurse about scheduling a battery of tests such as an MRI, EEG, and CT for me as Jules and I talked.

I mentioned to Jules that the doctors were still in my room, so she’d said she’d be ringing off, and would call me when she got to LA.

“We’re not sure if you have transient global amnesia, or TGF, Aerin,” Dr. Brooks explained gently after I asked her again what was wrong with me.

“You may have hit your head on something, or the general trauma of what you experienced may have triggered this, if you do have a form of TGF,” she continued.

“You clearly have normal cognition, and, your ability to remember who you are, who your friends are, as well as the lack of a sense of paralysis or involuntary movement, are signs.”

“How long…” Bai started to ask.

The pretty doctor hesitated as she looked at both Bai and Olivia, and then at me.

I guessed that she worried about whether I was comfortable about having them hear about this personal medical information.

So I assured her, “Dr. Brooks I’m by myself here, and they’re clearly here to make sure I’m alright, so … it’s ok with me if we talk about what’s happening with me while they’re in the room.”

She smiled at me and gripped my shoulder briefly, “It could be temporary, and your memories could return in a day, gradually perhaps. Have you had seizures or epilepsy or …”

I shook my head, and then asked, in a hopeful voice, “So I could start to remember things from the past week in a day, or so?”

“I don’t want to get your hopes up, Aerin,” she said gently. “We don’t know yet. We’ll also want to see whether you can start to form new memories. What I want is to rule out anything life-threatening, alright? ”