Mandy kept a loose hold on Amelia's fingers, eyes never leaving the slow rise and fall of her daughter's chest. The hospital lights hummed overhead; the beeps and whispers of night staff sank into the background until all Mandy could hear was her own heartbeat. The grainy video kept replaying behind her eyes, one image she could not unsee. Her jaw set.
When Amelia's lashes trembled, Mandy leaned forward so quickly the chair scraped. "Sweetie?" she breathed.
Amelia's gaze came into focus, small and hazy at first. She blinked as if waking from a fog. "Mum?" Her voice was thin.
Mandy laughed, the sound half sob, half relief. "Yes. It's me." She brushed a cool band of hair from Amelia's forehead and let her forehead rest against her daughter's hand for a long second.
Amelia's brow knitted. "What… happened?" Her fingers tightened around Mandy's as she pushed for something steady to hold onto.
"You had an accident," Mandy said gently but without sugarcoating. "You'll be okay. The doctors say your memory will come back slowly. Don't try to force it, love."
"The last thing I remember is… a party." Amelia's eyes searched Mandy's face, puzzled. "Then nothing. How did I...?"
Mandy's throat worked. She squeezed Amelia's hand. "It'll come back in pieces. Rest now." She gave a soft, practiced smile as if to make the world less sharp.
Amelia settled, eyes trailing after her mother. "When can I go home?"
"Tomorrow," Mandy answered. "We'll bring you home tomorrow."
As Mandy rose to find the doctor, she lingered at the doorway, watching Amelia lay back, lashes closing again. The feeling that had tightened in her chest all night finally snapped into action. She would move heaven and earth to keep her girl safe.
--
The next morning, Nathan stood at the iron gate to Amelia's house, breath fogging in the cool air. He'd hardly slept; the parts he remembered from the night before came in jagged flashes. By the time Mandy opened the front door, Nathan had rehearsed apologies in his head until they tasted empty. He stood straight, palms damp.
"Mum," he started. "Mrs. Hart"
Mandy's face closed the second she saw him. She didn't give him the courtesy of thinking he might have come with good intentions. "What are you doing here, Nathan?" Her voice was hard as chair legs.
He tried to cram the words out. "I wanted to... I need to talk to Amelia. To explain. To.."
"You need to stay away," Mandy cut in, every syllable cold. "We don't want you near her. Not now. Not ever if you can't understand that."
Nathan's breath hitched. "What? No,I didn't mean"
"You mean what you always mean," Mandy snapped, eyes flashing. "You think apologies fix this. She woke up and couldn't remember. Do you understand what you've done?" She rounded on him, fury tempered by fear. "Go. Now."
The door shut on the last word like a verdict.
--
Nathan didn't go home. He stumbled down the street until Jake found him on the corner, hair messy, jacket slung over one shoulder.
"You look like hell," Jake said, the joke brittle.
Nathan let out a sound that was half laugh, half sob. "Her mum shut the door in my face."
Jake followed his staggered gaze. "Why did she...?"
Nathan's voice was hoarse. "She said I caused it. That Amelia lost parts of her memory because of what happened." He tried to find his footing, to make sense of the blanks in his head. "I don't remember everything. I remember pieces. I don't know..."
Jake folded his arms and didn't answer at once. Then he stepped forward. "We figure it out. Together." He put a hand on Nathan's shoulder, firm. "You're not walking out on this. Not alone."
Nathan stared at the palm pressing into his shoulder like a lifeline. "I can't stay in this city," he whispered. "I feel like… like everything is collapsing."
Jake's jaw tightened. "You don't get to run, not without trying to fix it." He hesitated, then added, quieter, "But I'm coming with you. If you leave, I go too."
The offer steadied Nathan more than he expected. He nodded, the action small but real.
--
That evening, Mandy stood in the living room watching Amelia fold blankets on the couch. The house felt too loud with the silence that followed the fight.
"We're leaving," she said bluntly, voice calm in a way that made Amelia look up.
"Leaving?" Amelia blinked. "Why? I'm almost better..."
Mandy's face softened for a heartbeat. "You're not ready for this place. Not yet. New city. New doctors. A change of scene." She kept her tone practical because decisions were better made as facts than arguments.
Amelia's protest died on her lips. "But my friends"
"You'll see them again," Mandy promised, though the promise sounded small. "Right now, you need space to heal. Pack tonight. We go tomorrow."
Amelia folded her hands in her lap, the fight draining out of her. She let her mother's certainty fill the room, because she could see the way Mandy's jaw had tightened, this wasn't an impulse. It was a choice made out of fear and love.