Random, You're My Hero

Twisting the ring around my finger I strain to remember, and depressed by my failure to do so, I sink back into my bed just about to doze off again when Michelle and the crazy man re-enter. “Ryan?” Michelle said quietly and it took me a moment to realise she was talking to me. “This is Bam. He knows you don’t remember anything, but I think it would be good for you two to talk alone, is that okay?”

Taking a minute to look at the bright blue puppy eyes currently residing on Bam’s face, and then to the gentle, encouraging smile on Michelle’s face, “okay” my voice slowly become clearer, although my throat still felt as though I had swallowed broken glass.

In the corner of my eye, I see Bam trying to restrain himself from jumping to the ceiling, making me feel instantly better about agreeing to let him stay. He obviously cared deeply, and keeping my eyes on Michelle for the time being, I thank her and she tells me she’ll be back in the morning if I need her.

---*

Awkward silence filled the room. Bam slowly steps to take a seat in the chair beside my bed, when suddenly, and I don’t know why I did, I patted the space beside me on my bed. Inviting him closer to me.

---*

Two weeks passed and Bam had come in everyday to see me. The tension and awkwardness of our first meeting slowly dissolved as the days went by. I’ve been deemed healthy enough to go home today, so I wait patiently for Bam to arrive. He had offered for me to stay with him for a while, until I get back on my feet, but I felt it was more necessary to be on my own, so that I can work out what I want to do next with my life.

It turns out that the ‘family’ Michelle mentioned that first day was actually Bam and the “crew”. Dico, Novak, Raab and the others had come to see me a couple of times, but they felt more like acquaintances than friends and I only felt any sort of connection to Bam.

I had tried several times to ask Bam about the ring, but every time he managed to change the subject and eventually I gave up, I had plenty of time to work it out once I got back to my home. If I had a wife, wouldn’t she have come to visit me in hospital? And if she couldn’t, she’d most certainly be waiting for me at home.

---*

Bam waltzes through the doorway and sees that I’m dressed and ready to go. “Ready?” I got up and walked out of the room, giving him a quick glance, silently telling him he was asking a stupid question, and brushing past him. We fill out all the discharge papers at the nurses’ station and I hug Michelle goodbye.

We drive to my house in silence, Bam seeming to focus on anything he could. “You okay?” I asked him, breaking the silence.

“I dunno...” he shrugged “...you’re just different”. I rolled my eyes at Captain Obvious while he continues “We used to go crazy. You know, one time we camped out in a sporting goods store, and another time, we got stuck in a cherry picker for hours… man those were good times. OH! And the time we…” That was about the time I phased out. I didn’t need to be told how I ‘used’ to be.

A few minutes later, I snapped out of my daze and noticed him looking at me, expectantly. “Look, I’m sorry okay? It’s just everything is forcibly different now. I don’t remember the old me, and I’m not sure I want to. I don’t want to hurt you, you’re the closest thing I have to a friend or family right now, but I need time to figure things out...”

He looked at me stunned, then turned back to focus on the road ahead, but I could see the tears pooling in his eyes.