Friday, October 19th, 2018

Tatianna's POV

"Better yet, who am I?"

"Tatianna, do not be angry. I know what Niko just said is because of a concussion. It better be before I go off in this hospital."

"Your name is Niko Kostopoulos. Niko, I'll be right back with the doctor."

I stood up out of my chair and went to the nurse's station.

"Hi. Can you page Dr. Manilio Masiello, please? Niko Kostopoulos just woke up from his coma. My name is Tatianna."

"I'll page him right away."

"Thank you."

"Dr. Masiello, please report to room 1020."

I waited for Manilio outside of Niko's room. Within five minutes, I saw him step off the elevator, running towards the room.

"Niko came out of his coma, but he asked me who I was."

"Just as I feared. Give me a few minutes to do an exam."

"I'll go sit in the waiting room. I need to call the family."

"I will come and get you."

After walking to the waiting room, I called Lukas, my mom, Aiesha and Matti. I asked them to come as soon as they could. Lukas said Nana Dory is coming with him.

In the meantime, I went to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. After ordering something to eat, I went back upstairs to the waiting room.

Within 20 minutes, Lukas, Nana Dory, Cass, and Evangeline had arrived.

"Niko came out of his coma awhile ago."

"That's great news, Tatianna," Nana Dory says.

"But, Niko has Amnesia. To what extent, I do not know. Manilio is in Niko's room as we speak."

"That's not great news."

"No, it's not. And, when Niko saw me, he asked who I was."

"Oh no. That's not good at all. I'm sorry, Tatianna."

"We are going to have to be patient with Niko to help him gain his memory back."

My parents, along with Aiesha and Matti, entered the waiting room.

"Is Niko okay?" Matti asked.

"He came out of his coma, but Niko has Amnesia."

"Oh no. That could last for days or even months."

Manilio entered the room. "Niko is getting an x-ray and CT scan. Once he comes back, I will take three at a time to see Niko. Who would like to go first?"

"Lukas and Evangeline, you can go first."

"How about you come with us, Tatianna?" Lukas asked.

"Of course." We waited for about twenty minutes. Lukas, Evangeline, and I followed Manilio into Niko's room to see if the nurses brought him back. They did.

"Niko, some of your family came to visit you. Do you remember your parents?"

"I'm guessing these are my parents. Sorry, but I don't remember. What are your names?"

"I'm Lukas. And, this Evangeline."

"And, who is the woman standing with you? I saw her earlier. You did say they were my family."

"I'm Tatianna. We are engaged."

"We are what?"

"Niko, we are engaged to be married. Our wedding is in August of next year."

"Listen, your beautiful and all, but I don't remember our engagement."

I was afraid this would happen. "Niko, how about we do this - take our time getting to know each other again? Then, we can talk about our engagement. For now, we need you to get better so you can get out of the hospital."

"Let's do that. Right now, can I get some rest?"

"Of course. We'll come back later."

The four of us walked out of Niko's room.

"I'm sorry, Tatianna. What I want you and the family to do is show Niko some pictures. Help Niko try to remember what he can. And, keep it simple. Take baby steps, which will in the long run help Niko with his memory."

"We'll do that. Thank you, Manilio."

We walked back to the waiting room.

"From the looks on your faces, something is wrong."

"Nana Dory, Niko didn't remember Lukas and Evangeline. And, he didn't remember that we are engaged. I told Niko we should get to know each other. I have dealt with Amnesia patients before. I can't make him remember, but I can help by taking baby steps."

"Baby steps are the way to go. That way, we will not overload Niko with information. Tati, whatever you need, you know we will be there for you. We'll come to see Niko tomorrow."

"Thank you, mom and dad. I think I am going to head home now for some sleep. I'll be back tomorrow."

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Saturday, October 20th, 2018

Lukas gave me several picture books for Niko to look at in the hospital. I found a close parking space. So, after parking, I grabbed the books and went to Niko's room.

As I entered Niko's room, he was finishing up eating his lunch.

"What is your name again?"

I just sighed. I need to have patience, big time.

"My name is Tatianna. Lukas gave me some picture books for you to check out. They may help you remember things about your family. Take your time to look at them."

"It's not like I can walk anywhere soon, so I'll take a look." I handed Niko the books, then went to take a seat. I heard him whistle.

"I wish I could remember our engagement."

Even though he has Amnesia, he hasn't changed. Still as fresh as ever. I guess that's a good sign.

"I want to ask you a few questions. The first one is what do I do for a living? Like what is my job title?"

"Well, for one thing, you own the best telecom company in the United States and across the globe. You are also the owner of several restaurants and Greek supermarkets across the country, as well as in Greece."

"So, I'm Greek? And, wealthy?"

"Yes, you are indeed very wealthy."

"What do you do?"

"I am a doctor. I was a general practitioner at this hospital until you hired me away to work at your telecom company. I am the doctor for the executive team, including you."

"Guess I am one lucky man. Greece is a beautiful country from the pictures in this book."

"Greece is definitely a beautiful country. You were born and raised in Mykonos. You also have a beautiful home in Santorini."

"From the way things look now, I won't be traveling anywhere for a long time."

"No, you won't. You have a long recovery road ahead of you."

"If you don't mind, I'm going to get some rest."

"That's not a problem. I'll come back later."

As I exited Niko's room, I saw Nana Dory, Cass, and Lukas.

"Hi, everyone. Niko just went to sleep. I'm going to the waiting room."

"We'll come with you. I brought you something to eat, Tatianna."

"Thank you, Nana Dory."

After we walked to the room, Nana Dory handed me the food. "Nana, you spoil me so much. Thank you."

Nana Dory made Choriatiki (Greek salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta cheese, and olives dressed with salt, pepper, Greek oregano, and olive oil), Pastitsio (baked pasta dish), and my favorite Greek dessert - Loukoumades (fried dough sprinkled with sweet syrup, walnuts, and cinnamon.)

"You're welcome, Tatianna. It's my pleasure. You've gone through a lot in the last month. I gotta keep my girl fed well."

"I appreciate it because this is the first real meal that I have had in a few weeks. I haven't cooked like I used to before Niko's accident. It has been mostly snacks and food from the cafeteria."

"Starting today, I want you to come to the house for dinner."

"You don't have to tell me twice. I will be there."

****************

Nana Dory and I went to visit with Niko. "Hi, Niko. I brought your Nana with me."

"I'm your Nana Dory. And, I brought something for you. I made you some Loukoumades."

"I remember seeing you in some of the pictures I looked at earlier. Can I ask what it is that you brought me?"

"Loukoumades is one of your favorite desserts. It's fried dough sprinkled with sweet syrup, walnuts, and cinnamon. Have you had your dinner yet?"

"Not yet. And, the food is actually delicious here. Typically, hospital food is disgusting."

"The food here is pretty good. The sooner you get better, the sooner you will be able to go home."

"Good. I have an out of the blue question to ask. What is my personality like?"

"You're stubborn and absolutely hard-headed. But you're sweet and protective of those you love. At work, you are a no-nonsense kind of boss."

"Am I really stubborn?"

"Tatianna, let me answer that one. Niko, you are indeed stubborn. If you listened to Tatianna in the first place, you wouldn't be in the hospital with a broken arm and leg. You and Tatianna should be married already, then telling me that Tatianna is pregnant with my great-grandchild."

I don't know about the great-grandchild part. Nana Dory is no joke.

"Okay. Ouch. Why did not listening to Tatianna cause this accident?"

"Niko, you suffer from migraines. I told you to call me when you had a migraine, and I would drive you home. The reason the accident occurred was because of a migraine you suffered. Your vision became blurred, which caused you to crash."

"That explains what my Nana just said."

One of the nurses entered the room with dinner for Niko.

"Niko, Nana, and I are going to leave. We will come to see you tomorrow."

"Drive safe, and don't do what I supposedly did."

I won't. "Thank you."

Nana and I left the room. "Let's get home and have some dinner ourselves, Tatianna. And, you're coming to the house, right?"

Nana arched her eyebrows at me.

"Absolutely. Let's get out of here."

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