Chapter 17
Daniel
"Who am I?"
Silence. All the colour drained from Isma's face.
"Who am I, Isma? I am your brother Daniel, right? I want to remember something of my past. I want to be sure that I'm your brother. Help me remember something of my childhood or of my past. Please, Isma, I want to remember something." I paused; I was voicing all the questions in my mind to her. "I'm your brother, right? Tell me, who am I?"
"How can I help you remember something of your past when I know nothing about it?"
I frowned a bit, not comprehending her question.
"You are not my brother Daniel."
I just stared at Isma, shaken and speechless in shock by her revelation.
"I know nothing about you except for the fact that you were almost murdered and left to embrace your death that night. I lost my brother the same night."
"Isma?" stuttered Narissa, stepping back towards the wall, aghast.
Isma averted her gaze before narrating what had happened that fateful night about two years ago.
"I was the doctor on duty at the hospital that night. The next day was Narissa's birthday; Daniel, my brother, had told me that he was planning a surprise for her at midnight in the pub where she works. At around half past one that night, I received a text message from him, asking if I was free as he wanted to talk to me. It was a calm day and there were no emergency cases at the hospital so I called him back as soon as I could exit the building.
Daniel's silence worried me that night; he was usually chatty and jovial. I asked him what happened; he told me that he had just broken up with Narissa. I asked him why; he remained silent. I asked him where he was; he said he was walking down a deserted lane. He was obviously upset. I asked him what he was going to do then; he remained silent again. I told him to run until he felt better and then return home.
I knew I didn't have to say that. It was what he usually did when he was unhappy. Being a sprinter, running was normally the only thing that could calm his nerves when he was upset. I asked him again what was the reason for his break up. Narissa has been lying to me all these days, he started to answer me when I heard him shout to someone else. I asked him what was wrong but he wasn't listening to me. He was running, I could sense that. All I heard after that was the honking of a motor vehicle and a loud screech of tyres followed by silence.
I called out to Daniel over the phone but I received no response from the other end of the line. The call had got disconnected. When I called him back again, his number was unreachable. I tried and tried again but to no avail. I was sure what happened to him was an accident from what I heard over the phone but I had no idea where the accident could have happened.
Exactly around twenty minutes later, the ambulance van arrived at the hospital with two injured men, not just one. Only one heart was beating though; that was yours. My brother had been declared brain dead on the spot. I tended to you as you were still alive. I was blur but my duty was calling me, without even letting me inform our family or realize that I had just lost my brother.
You were terribly injured, worse than Daniel. It was obvious that someone had tried to murder you by stabbing you and hitting you on the head many times. We doctors didn't have an explanation for the miracle that you were still alive. My brother died on the spot even though he wasn't injured as much as you were. Despite your injuries, you were still alive. Perhaps it was your determination that you wanted to survive. For who or for what, I didn't know.
You were in a coma at first. We needed to inform your family or relatives about the accident but we didn't know who you were. The only thing we found on you had been your wallet and it seemed stripped of all traces of your identity. The person who had tried to murder you didn't expect you would survive and had removed any ID cards or evidence of who you were so that no one would be able to identify your deadbody after you die.
You woke up from your coma in a few hours. But your injuries placed you in a state where you couldn't move a single limb or open your eyes. You tried to speak though your voice was strained. Unfortunately, what you spoke then clarified our doubt; the blows you had received to your head had wiped out your memory.
We didn't know who you were; you didn't know who you were too. Moreover, there was someone who wanted you dead. As I was the only doctor in charge at the hospital that night, I switched your blank file with my brother's file. I wanted you to be safe till you're able to look after yourself and this was the only solution that seemed feasible. Anyway, Daniel was no more and his face was distorted after the accident so no one would be able to recognize him.
I didn't disclose the truth to anyone in our family at first as I wasn't sure if they would support what I had done. You were a complete stranger; I knew nothing about you or your background. I had no proof to know whether you were a good person or not. If I told my family, I feared they wouldn't accept you. But you were one of my patients and I wanted to ensure your safety so I let my parents believe what the world believed.
You came to my house as our Daniel after staying months at the hospital while recovering. I thought I would tell my family the truth slowly. But I never got the chance as you won all their hearts by blending into our family perfectly. I waited for the day you would recall your past but that day never came even till this moment."
My knees buckled under me and I fell to the floor. I was not who I am. I am not Daniel Sorrens. Then who am I? Who was I before? Two years have passed since that accident but no one from my past has found me or recognised me. Does that mean I was someone whom no one wanted? Someone who was better off dead?
"Daniel..." Isma's voice trailed off as she touched my shoulder, seeing my upset state of mind.
I shrugged her hand off my shoulder. I am not Daniel, I never was. I never was her brother. I never was a part of this family. I never belonged to them. Then who was I? Where are you, my memory? Please come back to me. I want to remember something. I want to remember who I really am. I feel so helpless and I hate this feeling; it is the worst emotion I have ever felt.
"I am a drugs distributor." Narissa's declaration broke my chain of thoughts. With a stifled voice amidst tears, she continued, "I didn't realize that it was drugs at first. But when I did, I informed Daniel first. He advised me to stop helping in the drug distribution trade and stop singing at the pub too. So I followed his advice and tried to leave the pub.
But I was stopped by my boss. He had proof that I was a drugs distributor and there was nothing I could do against him if he showed the proof to my family. If I told Daniel that, he would get mad and might react in haste. And though my boss appears to be a nice person in front of my Dad, I know he is dangerous too. So I didn't want Daniel to get into trouble with him.
I lied to Daniel that I had pulled out from the drugs distribution but was gonna continue singing at the pub as that was Dad's wish. Despite the fact that Daniel wasn't happy with my explanation, and although he kept persuading me to tell Dad the truth and leave the pub, I didn't.
That night before my birthday, when Daniel came to surprise me at midnight, he saw me just when my boss was giving me a packet of drugs to send to another person. He was upset upon realising that I had been lying to him for days. Before I could explain, he left, saying that our relationship is over. I went after him but he was fuming in anger. I knew there was no point talking to him when he was angry. So, I let him go and decided to meet him the next day.
When I heard about the accident, I was shocked as it was obviously my fault. It was I who had upset him last night and that was the reason he had been running at that time and been hit by the bus. But when you told me that he had survived with memory loss, I was so relieved because he wouldn't remember now all that he had found out the night before. Alas I didn't know it was not just his memory that was lost, but it was he who I lost that night."
Pressing her back against the wall, Narissa slid down to the floor, letting her tears overwhelm her. "I hid the truth about myself from all of you till now. But if this truth is the reason for Daniel's death, then what is the point of hiding it again? I lost a person who mattered a lot to me just for the sake of this job. It's not worth his life; nothing was worth his life."
Isma tried to calm Narissa while I was frozen and speechless.
Yes, nothing was worth his life. Nothing was worth the real Daniel's life. He had a family, a lover, a good job and everything anyone could ever wish for. But what about my life? If I actually mattered to at least one person, someone would have come to find me or recognised me over these two years. But no one did. Didn't I have a family, love, job or anything worth living for before I lost my memory?
"You won't forget that I'm waiting here for you, will you?" "I would never forget even the seconds I have spent with you." Wait... by any chance, could I be Tiara's husband, Darien Caruso? No way! Tiara would've recognised me; she had always been pointing out the differences between me and Darien from the time she met me. But she was blind then. After her eye surgery, she... oh my gosh... she called me Darien.
Oh my, am I Darien? Darien Caruso? Tiara's husband? Mila's father? I hit my palm to my forehead. Isn't there any way I can remember my past and know who I really am?
"Relax, Danny." Isma approached me.
"What do you mean relax? You know who you are. There is no confusion for you. My head is bursting with confusion! What if I was Darien Caruso, Tiara's husband? Why did you let me get married to Narissa? Who am I? Will I ever remember anything?"
To be continued...
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