“Hello Joyce! Do you recognize me?” asks the doctor, rushing to her side.

“Noo,”

Joyce hesitates, afraid to give the wrong answer.

”Good—good. You are not supposed to know me at all. Actually, the first time I saw you, you were already in coma.”

“Coma?!” asks Joyce, scared of the very word, not to mention the reality.

”Well, unconscious, then.” The doctor seems surprised. He looks toward Gabriel.

“Doctor, I did not tell her anything yet. I called you immediately to help her stay awake. I do not want her to go back to the… Can you excuse us for a moment, dear? Doctor, I would like a word with you outside.”

In the hallway, Gabriel tells the doctor that he wants to be the one who explains everything to Joyce. He asks the doctor to take care of her physical and health needs, while he takes care of her emotional stress.

While he is still talking to the doctor, voices interrupt:

“Daddy, is everything alright?”

“What’s wrong with mom?”

”Does she remember us now?”

“Children, dear children, relax, I believe that everything will be fine. Just give us a little more time. When she is ready to see you all, I will call for you. I love you.”

“We love you too, dad.”

***

After the doctor has finished his examination and left, Gabriel pulls a chair up to Joyce’s bedside and then takes Joyce’s hand. Her fear eases as he gently asks her, “Tell me, Joyce, what do you remember?”

“I remember everything! I met you when I was seventeen years old, and you were eighteen. You said you’d have to marry me just so you could kiss me—and you did. We got married one year later, and we came to live here. Then we had Michael the next year.”

“And you’re certain that Michael is nine years old now?”

“Yes, of course… Gabriel Jr. is seven and Christelle…”

”But if Michael is nine years old, then I must be twenty nine years old. Do I look as if I’m twenty nine?”

“Well, perhaps not… you look different. But you are still my handsome husband, though you are a bit…”

“Older?”

“Yes, but still handsome! But Gabriel, dearest Gabriel, what has happened to me?”

“Two months ago, we were at home, and the whole day you were complaining about a severe headache. We thought it would go away, but it didn’t. Later on, you sounded confused, asking where the children were. I then decided to take you to the hospital. When we arrived here, you were already unconscious. “

“I have been here for two months?!”

“Yes, and would you believe that our children are all grown up? Our Michael is a twenty nine years old young man, Gabriel is twenty seven, Christelle is twenty six, Geanna is twenty three, and even our baby Carmel just turned twenty?”

“No … no…”

Her eyes wide open and frightened, she cannot believe his words. “But how?”

”Apparently during your coma, you lost most of your memory. Yet the presence of the children and I seemed to awaken some parts of your memory, the parts which are dearest to your heart: their childhood. That’s why you think they are still children! Yes, when they were little, life was so crazy but so joyous. I believe that God could have created them to be independent soon after birth but instead He made their infancy and childhood longer because He knew that this period of life is the most precious one: when they are totally dependent on you and trusting you.”

“This is so hard for me to accept… A few days ago I was holding baby Carmel in my arms, singing to her while you were playing in the snow with the children.”

“Yes, that was almost twenty years ago. I had forgotten about that. I made them a sleigh and pulled them all around—how they screamed and laughed… Precious time; it’s gone, just memory now, beautiful memory.”

”No…,” she begins to cry.

He hugs her tightly. “Your memory may come back; give yourself some time. God will help us through this difficulty.”

“I am sure He will, but in a way, I’m not sure I want my memory to come back. I want to stay in the past, which seems like the present to me. I am confused… I need time to adjust to all that has happened.”

“The children are waiting outside… Let me know when you are ready to see them.” He smiled.

“I need to rest right now. I am tired.” She was exhausted. She turned her head to the other side and closed her eyes.