Memory's End: A Powerful Sci-fi Romance

by Luna Athena

  “Get the defibrillator, we need to resuscitate her,” said the doctor. “Why hasn’t she been put on a ventilator?”

  “We can’t use a defibrillator,” said one of the nurses. “And no ventilators.”

  “She signed an agreement with the hospital forbidding it,” said the other nurse.

  The doctor looked at Tessa.

  “I’m the doctor on duty tonight. Who are you?” The doctor said frantically.

  “I’m her granddaughter,” said Tessa.

  “She’s dying, fast. I can save her, but I’ll need to use a defibrillator,” the doctor said. “And I’ll need to put her on a ventilator.”

  “Gran signed an agreement with the hospital,” said Tessa, crying. “Gran doesn’t want any of that.”

  “Listen to me,” said the doctor, frantically. “I’m trying to prolong your grandmother’s life. Even if it’s just for a few days, we can save her. I don’t care about any agreement she signed with the hospital. You’re now in charge. Give me the consent I need, and I’ll do it.”

  Tessa’s memories came back to her. She remembered everything exactly. Gran did not want to go to the hospital. But Tessa had taken her hand and promised her no heroic measures, no defibrillators, no food tubes, and especially no ventilators.

  Gran had been very specific about the ventilator and the food tubes.

  “Damn it,” said the doctor. “Let me save her.”

  Tessa could barely breathe. It was really happening. Gran was dying.

  Tessa tried to open her mouth. She tried to say it. She tried to tell the doctor it was okay, that he could save Gran. But Tessa couldn’t do it. She couldn’t betray Gran like that.

  Tessa made a decision. Her lips became a thin grim line. She shook her head at the doctor.

  “That’s it, that’s consent,” said the doctor. “Nurse, get a ventilator in here. Where’s the defibrillator? Why isn’t it here already?”

  “No!” said Tessa. “It’s not consent. You don’t have consent. It’s in the agreement she signed. And I promised her. Now get out.”

  The doctor froze. He looked stunned.

  “I said leave!” Tessa said.

  “Okay, it’s your choice,” said the doctor.

  The nurses looked at the doctor. He hesitated a moment longer. Then he got up and began to leave the room. The nurses followed him.

  Rowan had been standing in the background. He began to leave, as well.

  “Not you,” Tessa cried.

  Rowan stopped and came back. He awkwardly laid a hand on Tessa’s shoulder.

  “Idiot,” Tessa said to him.

  Rowan said nothing. He only tenderly gripped her shoulder.

  Tessa looked at Gran. Gran’s mouth opened for just a moment then shut again. Her eyes flickered. Then suddenly her face became still, utterly still. Her chest no longer took in any air.

  Up on the screen that measured Gran’s heartbeat, the line went flat.

  And then, Tessa waited. She just waited. She waited for everything to be okay.

  But Gran’s vitals did not return. All the numbers were flat, and they were not coming back.

  Tessa tried to say it.

  “Gran’s...Gran’s...” Tessa stopped.

  Tessa realized she couldn’t breathe. Breathing meant living, going on, and doing everything without Gran.

  And how could Tessa do that?

  Gran was everything to Tessa. How could Tessa go on without Gran?

  For a moment, Tessa thought about jumping up. Running to the door. Shouting for the doctor. They could resuscitate her. They could bring her back to life.

  Let them put her on a ventilator. Let them stick the breathing tube down her throat and a feeding tube down her nose. Just keep her alive.

  But Tessa knew she couldn’t do this. She knew it would have been wrong.

  Rowan was suddenly down low, nearer to her. His arm went around Tessa’s shoulder. He pulled her near.

  “Breathe, Tessa,” he said. “Breathe.”

  “She’s gone,” gasped Tessa. “She’s really gone.”

  To Tessa, it felt like a massive black hole opening up inside her gut. And it was now swallowing her up from the inside out.

  The pain of it. The pain of the realization. It hurt. It hurt worse than anything she ever could have imagined. Nothing had ever hurt this bad before. Dying would be easier than experiencing this pain, thought Tessa.

  She needed the pain to stop. She needed it to end. She had to cut it out of her gut, no matter what it took.

  Tessa let go of Gran’s hand. She fell out of her chair onto her knees. Rowan was there, keeping her from falling. He’d gone to his knees as well.

  And then there they were, face to face, both of them on their knees. Tessa grabbed Rowan’s hands.

  “Do it, Rowan!” Tessa said. “Do it. Take away this memory. Do it right now, please.”

  “Tessa,” Rowan said softly.

  “Do it,” Tessa said. “I’m begging you. You were right. You were right, you were right, you were right! I don’t want to feel this pain. It hurts too bad. Take it away. Please.”

  Rowan winced. His own eyes watered now.

  “Tessa, I can’t,” he said.

  “What do you mean you can’t?” Tessa said. “Do it!”

  Tessa scrambled for the insides of Rowan’s coat, trying to find the device. She’d find it herself, throw it on her head, and just start touching buttons. She didn’t care what it did to her, so long as it stopped the pain.

  But Rowan grabbed her. He pulled Tessa in close. He held her against him. He kissed the top of her head.

  “You were the one who was right, Tessa,” said Rowan, his own voice cracking. “We have to remember. No matter how much it hurts, we have to remember.”

  “Oh, Rowan, no,” said Tessa.

  And then finally her tears came in earnest, a dam exploding. And she began to breathe again, deep long breaths of air.

  “Rowan,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “You’re going to live,” said Rowan. “And you’re going to be fine. You’re going to make Gran proud of you. Because you’re going to do all the things she wanted you to do.”

  Rowan was right. Gran wouldn’t have wanted Tessa to wilt like this. She’d have wanted her to be strong.

  Tessa buried her face in Rowan’s chest. She nodded.

  “I will,” Tessa said. “I will.”

  Rowan stroked her back.

  “Of course, you will,” he said.

  When finally Tessa had gotten a little more control of herself, she looked up at him.

  “But what about you?” Tessa said.

  Rowan shrugged.

  “What will the they do to you?” Said Tessa.

  “You mean when I quit,” Said Rowan.

  Tessa’s eyes widened. She understood everything Rowan intended to do now. She nodded at him.

  Rowan looked at her with sad eyes.

  “They will take my memory away and dump me someplace,” Rowan said. “We had an agreement, and I’m about to break it.”

  “Don’t go back. Stay here,” Tessa said.

  Rowan shook his head.

  “If I don’t go back, they’ll come for me. And they would find me,” Rowan said. “Tessa, I took peoples lives away from them when I erased their memories. It’s time I faced the consequences for what I’ve done.”

  Rowan tried to smile.

  “One thing is for sure,” said Tessa.

  “What?” said Rowan.

  “I’ll find you,” said Tessa.

  “You’ll find me?” Said Rowan.

  “Where ever they dump you,” Tessa said. “I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll find you.”

  Rowan smiled.

  “It’s a nice thought, Tessa,” he said. “But don’t worry about me. Live your life, okay? Please.”

  Rowan reached into his coat. He began to pull out rolls of hundred-dollar bills, as well as several small diamonds.


  “What are you doing?” Tessa said.

  “I have to go now. The sooner I get back the fewer questions they’ll ask me. I don’t want to lead the Tigrath back to you,” said Rowan. “They can’t know that I left you with your memory.”

  “Rowan, no,” said Tessa.

  “I don’t need any of this money,” said Rowan. “And the diamonds are worth a lot. Sell them.”

  Rowan started stuffing rolls of money into the pockets of Tessa’s coat. As well as the diamonds.

  “Give your Gran the funeral she deserves,” said Rowan. “And the rest should give you more than a head start for college.”

  “Rowan!” Said Tessa.

  “I have to go now,” Rowan said. “The longer I’m here the more problems it will create for you.”

  Rowan stood up and Tessa with him. They both looked at Gran.

  Rowan took Tessa’s hand.

  “You’ll be okay,” said Rowan. “I know it.”

  Tessa looked once more at Rowan’s big blue eyes. Honest eyes that would never tell a lie. She reached up and kissed him.

  “I’ll find you,” Tessa said.

  “Live your life,” Rowan said. “But I hope we do meet again, some day, some how.”

  “We will,” Tessa said.

  “Goodbye, Tessa,” said Rowan.

  He let go of her hand. He turned away. And he left. Tessa watched the door close behind him. Then she turned back toward Gran.

  She sighed. All at once, a strange sense of relief washed over Tessa. Gran was finally at rest. And so was Tessa.

  Tessa leaned in close to Gran’s ear.

  “I love you, Gran,” Tessa said. “I’ll always love you.”

  Epilogue

  The girl came out of nowhere. She slammed right into Daniel. She nearly fell down, but Daniel reached out and grabbed her before she did.

  Now Daniel and the girl stood there awkwardly. They simply looked at one another. The girl gazed up into Daniel’s eyes.

  If Daniel didn’t know better he would have said she was star-struck. He half thought she had run into him intentionally, so she could get a good look at him.

  Daniel brushed the silly thought aside. A girl as attractive as this one didn’t need to run into boys to get their attention.

  But then Daniel felt it. It came out of nowhere. But it was there, unmistakably. He felt something familiar about this girl. Yet for the life of him, he could not put his finger on it.

  There were large gaps in Daniel’s memory. And what he did remember made no sense. But this was the first time Daniel had experienced something like this since waking up in the hospital.

  “Sorry,” said the girl. “I must not have been watching where I was going.”

  “It’s fine,” said Daniel.

  The girl looked at him so intensely. He could have almost sworn her eyes were watering, as if she were getting ready to cry.

  She was so attractive! Daniel almost couldn’t catch his breath.

  But the girl began to turn. She was leaving.

  “Wait,” Daniel blurted out.

  The girl turned back. Her eyes went right back to his. She stared at him so unabashedly. No one had ever looked at him this way.

  “Yes?” The girl said.

  “I don’t think I’ve seen you around campus before,” Daniel said.

  “Oh, no, I just transferred in,” said the girl.

  “Transferred?” Said Daniel.

  “Yeah, I’m pre-med. How about you?” The girl asked.

  “Pre-med? Really? Me, too,” Daniel said.

  “Small world,” she said.

  “Isn’t it, though?” Daniel said.

  He wanted to keep the conversation going. But for the life of him, he didn’t know what to say.

  “If you don’t mind me asking,” Daniel finally said. “What’s your name?”

  “Tessa,” said the girl.

  And it felt so familiar, so palpable. Daniel found himself smiling stupidly. He knew what he needed to do. He needed to get her phone number or to ask her out. But instead, he just stood there stupidly.

  But then Tessa spoke.

  “Say, I just finished my last class,” she said. “Would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?”

  “Is that a trick question?” Said Daniel. “I’m mean, yeah, that’d be great.”

  “Cool,” Tessa said.

  “You’re very pretty,” Daniel said.

  The words escaped his mouth before he’d even realized what he was saying. He’d just blurted it out. He thought she might be angry, because maybe it was too forward. Instead, her face lit up.

  “Yeah, you said that already,” Tessa said.

  “I did?” Daniel said.

  Then Tessa surprised him. She put her arm in his. What surprised Daniel even more was how perfectly natural it felt.

  “Come on,” said Tessa. “Let’s get some coffee, and I’ll tell you about it.”

  The end.