A young man, dressed in a summer suit, visited Ashley’s hospital room. He bowed politely, adjusted his glasses, and spoke.
“The permit issuance has been delayed, so the arrival date will be delayed too.”
To enter the frontlines, you need to pass through three checkpoints, and without a permit issued by the army headquarters, civilians can’t access the area.
“I heard the police chief can pass without a permit,” Ashley’s assistant, Desirik, said, almost to himself.
Ashley, however, didn’t seem interested in the conversation. He turned to look at the woman lying in the hospital bed.
“It’s better we go outside,” Ashley said.
He led Desirik outside the field hospital. They stopped in front of a tall tree, and Ashley looked down before glancing at his assistant.
Desirik knew Ashley had something important to say, so he waited for him to speak first. It had been five days since Ashley had called him.
“Come to the field hospital, there’s something urgent,” Ashley had said on the phone.
Ashley handed Desirik a folded piece of paper.
“Check into this,” Ashley instructed.
On the paper, the name “Natalie” was written.
“Is she the one lying in the bed?” Desirik asked.
“Yes, that’s her.”
Desirik was confused. He knew a nurse named Natalie was transferred from the military hospital, but why was Ashley asking about her?
“Was she the one who got shot during the transfer to the field hospital?” Desirik continued.
“Yes,” Ashley replied simply.
Ashley turned and began walking back. He was worried about the woman in the hospital bed, and Desirik silently followed him.
Before they reached the hospital, Eliana, a nurse, came rushing toward them.
“Hurry, go upstairs! Natalie…,” she trailed off, implying something had happened to her.
Ashley hurried upstairs to the second-floor room. When he reached the door, he heard a loud sound. It was the door being slammed open. Inside, two people, Haut and Adel, were standing near the bed. They both looked at him as he entered.
“What’s going on?” Ashley asked, his eyes scanning the room.
Adel, with red eyes, stepped aside without answering. Ashley saw the woman in the bed. She had just been lying down with her eyes closed, but now she was staring straight at him. As he walked closer to her, she didn’t look away.
Ashley paused for a moment, his voice shaking slightly. “You’re awake.”
He smiled softly, trying to keep the atmosphere calm so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable or upset.
“Um…” The woman moved her lips slightly.
Ashley looked down for a second, waiting for her to speak. She took a deep breath before saying, “Who are you?”
Ashley turned to Haut, hoping he could explain the situation to her. Haut was the doctor and would know what to say.
Haut nodded and continued the examination. The woman had regained consciousness after ten days, and aside from a sore shoulder, she seemed fine.
“I have a few questions for you. Just answer honestly,” Haut said.
The woman nodded.
“Can you tell me your name?”
“Do you mean my name?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“My name is… Agatha,” she replied without hesitation.
Her voice was clear and soft, similar to Nurse Natalie’s, but her tone and expression were different.
“Did you say Agatha?” Haut asked.
“Yes,” she answered.
She couldn’t remember her last name.
Her face turned pale all of a sudden.
“I… can’t remember my last name…” she whispered.
“Do you know where you are?” Haut asked.
“Isn’t this a hospital?” she said, looking around the room and confirming it.
Agatha was sure this was a hospital. The man in a white coat seemed to be a doctor, and the woman beside him was probably a nurse. But the tall man standing in the room, who was he?
Agatha looked up at him, trying to recognize him. He was staring at her, so intently that it made her nervous.
“Can you explain why I’m here?” Agatha asked softly, her voice trembling.
Haut didn’t answer right away but asked another question, “Are you sure you don’t remember anything?”
“Anything?” Agatha repeated.
“Is there anything you can remember?” Haut pressed.
Agatha closed her eyes, trying to recall. Something had to come back to her.
“I… have a younger brother,” she said, trying to remember his name, but her head started to hurt.
“Ouch!” she gasped, holding her head.
“Natalie Nurse, are you okay?” Adel asked, helping her sit up.
Agatha seemed panicked now. “Did you say Natalie?”
Adel, surprised, couldn’t speak right away. She wanted to tell Agatha that her name had been Natalie, but now she was someone else.
“At the field hospital, they called you Natalie. But your real name might be Agatha, right?” Haut said, trying to explain.
Agatha didn’t seem to understand. Her memory was completely blank, like a clean slate.
“I can remember a girl with red hair,” Agatha added.
“A red-haired girl?” Haut asked.
“I can’t remember her name, but she felt like a friend,” Agatha continued, her face scrunched in confusion.
She could clearly picture a twelve-year-old girl with freckles, talking nonstop and laughing.
“At least you’re remembering something. Don’t worry, with time, your memories will come back,” Haut reassured her.
“Do you really think so?” Agatha asked, her voice filled with doubt.
“I’m sure. Don’t rush it,” Haut said gently.
“Okay, I understand.”
Haut patted Agatha on the shoulder and left the room. Adel followed him out, leaving Agatha and the tall man alone in the room.
The man stared silently at Agatha, his intense gaze never leaving her. Agatha couldn’t look away, her face flushing from the pressure of his stare.
“Hello,” Agatha said softly, bowing her head, feeling shy.
Although she didn’t recognize him, she felt like they had met before. The man seemed to know her well, walking into the room and standing so close to her.
“Natalie Nurse, I’m so glad you’re awake,” he said in a calm, emotionless voice.
His words felt cold. Agatha couldn’t help but think he seemed like a very distant person, as if his cold eyes and presence chilled her spine.
Agatha nervously looked up at him. “Can you call me Agatha, please?”
Her memory was completely blank, but she knew one thing: her name was Agatha, not Natalie. The name Natalie felt completely foreign to her.
“Agatha. I like that name,” the man replied, almost as if he was testing it out.
“Can I ask, who are you?” Agatha asked, still unsure of this man.
Her face met his, but his expression remained unreadable. He didn’t respond right away.
Ashley’s gaze seemed to be searching her, his eyes cold and calculating.
