A New Essence

Chapter 4

The house which Cora was taken to was way too familiar to her. It was as if she knew it from an eternity, but still the memory was too distant to her. Her house was more like a mansion and there were butlers and maids all around. They all came to greet her politely and she backed away from them a little scared. But there was this one woman who stroke the string of familiarity in Cora. She was an elderly woman, almost in her sixties, wrinkled face, short and a little on the stouter side, she had a smiling face and had a very calming presence. She smiled at Cora gently and she took a step forward, towards the elderly woman.

"Are you-" Cora trailed off, trying to remember her name. It felt like she knew all about the woman, yet somehow couldn't recollect it.

"I am Oprah, Miss Rhonda. Your caretaker from when you were very little," she smiled gently. Somehow, this woman seemed more close to her than her own mother. "I missed you."

"Oprah?" Cora repeated after her and slowly images started forming in her head. It felt like she had heard the name Oprah many times. A silhouette of this woman, a younger version of her appeared in her memories. Somehow it brought a warm feeling in her and she smiled. "I know you, Oprah."

Cora's mother wasn't really happy with this. Even though she had to be feeling happy about Cora finally recognizing someone; because it is not her, Cora's own mother, she was a little mad. Sensing Mrs. Rhonda's displeasure, Oprah backed away.

"I shall get your food preparations ready. Please excuse me, miss," she bowed to them and quietly made her exit from the hall.

"I know Oprah," Cora turned towards her parents. "Though I wonder why the memories with you aren't so clear."

Mrs. Rhonda frowned and Mr. Rhonda cleared his throat. "That's okay. You'll slowly recollect them. I'm sure, darling. Do you want to go and freshen up? I'm sure your mother would love to show you your redecorated room. Audrey?" He looked at his wife.

Cora's mother felt threatened by her own maid. Whose child wouldn't recognize their own parents before their maids? But little did she know that Cora was pondering over the same thought. She really didn't understand why she would almost immediately remember a maid from when she was little than her own parents.

Her room was all in pink and her stomach lurched at the sight of it. Everything was frilly and too bright. There were so many soft toys and dolls which were creepy to boot and she really didn't feel like stepping inside.

"Why is this room so creepy?" She asked and Audrey just gaped.

"What in the world did you find creepy in this room?"

"For starters, everything. I don't like this room. Where is Oprah? I am sure she knows what I like."

Audrey frowned. She didn't like how Cora was placing her maid in front of her own mother. But then, it somehow made sense. All through her childhood when she was away from her child, Oprah was the one who took care of her. Maybe that is the reason she felt closer to the maid. Back then she didn't really mind being away from her child, but right at the moment, she really regretted not having spent enough time as to even know what her own child likes.

"Let's speak to Oprah and see how we can redecorate this room, shall we?" She smiled, finally giving up. Now that she finally realized that her child is more important than anyone else, she somehow let all the ego bend to some extent.

Charlie was at home, getting ready for work. He wondered how Cora was doing at her place. Even though he knew that he shouldn't overly think of only one patient, somehow his thoughts all zeroed in on Cora. He couldn't understand what he was feeling towards her.

"Looks like someone is in a deep thought," Jesse remarked as she leaned on the door frame of his room.

"It is bad to peep into one's room while they are changing. Especially your brother's room. That's i****t," he said as he finally buttoned his cuffs. "Or do you really like how your brother looks under all this?" He pointed at his torso.

Jesse rolled her eyes, "please, I'd rather poke my eyes out rather than peep into your room. Anyway, drop me at my office."

"What makes you think that I will?" He raised a brow at his over confident sister. She was getting way too cocky with him which he did not like even one bit.

"What makes you think that you won't?" She countered and that was exactly the moment when he felt like strangling her.

"Because I don't feel like it?" He shrugged, controlling his temper. He was not gonna kill her yet. At least not that day. "Where is your car?"

"It broke down."

"Mom's?"

"It is getting serviced."

"Dad's?"

"He already left somewhere."

"Ask Jackie to pick you up!"

"He is already at the office."

"Caitlyn can pick you up! She loves you, doesn't she?"

"She does, but she already left," she sighed. "Did you really think I'd ask you something without trying another way out first? You are my last option, Charlie."

"Is that so?" Charlie drawled on, his s******c side peeking out from his composed self. "How about your last option ditching you? Ever thought about that?"

"I did. That is why I have your car keys with me," she spun them around her finger.

"You are forgetting that I have a spare with me," he opened his shelf. But it was empty.

"Oh, did I mention that I have your spare key with me as well?" She jingled the other key in front of him and smirked. "My bad."

"I am going to kill you someday," he said through clenched fists and she smiled innocently.

"I know. But it is not today, so let's get moving!" She exclaimed and left him seething in his room.

Halfway through their journey, when Charlie didn't speak or comment on Jesse, it was getting very awkward for her. She was so much used to them bickering with each other that the silence between them felt very abnormal.

"Why are you so awfully silent today?" She asked, trying to get him talking.

"You are always awfully noisy, but then I never really commented on that, did I?" He said not once looking at her.

"I feel sorry for myself for trying to make you talk," she muttered under her breath and he sighed.

"Hey, I didn't really mean that," Charlie said, "I mean, I was just wondering what kind of treatment I should be giving Cora so that she regains all of her memories properly. It has been bugging me quite a lot, you see."

"Don't tell me! Do you really like that woman?" Jesse widened her eyes in shock. "Do you?"

"No! I don't!" He immediately denied. "She is my patient, Jesse. How could I probably even think like that?"

"Who knows? After all, you never seem to step back when there is a woman involved."

"I don't go after each and every woman I see!" He protested. "You make it sound like I am some kind of a p********e!"

"Well, you were no less than one," she shrugged.

"You better shut up before I kick you out of my car," he growled and she started laughing.

Soon he was in the hospital, going through all the records which he had to follow up. There was a door knock, followed by the door barging open and Cora showing up.

"Well, well, doctor. Did you miss me?" She said, sitting on a chair in front of him, her legs put one over the other. She was radiating confidence and her clothing screamed bad chick all over. She wore a tank top, with a loose unbuttoned shirt and jean shorts, paired with camouflaged hiking boots and aviators which were right then on her head, keeping her wild curls away from her face.

She sure is from a rich family, looking at her behavior. Looks like she at least didn't lose the attitude, Charlie thought as he looked at her posture which was way different from what he saw the other day. Maybe she is recovering. But then, he had to admit that he never thought that he would see Cora with such kind of clothes. At least, when he saw her first, she had pale, porcelain like skin with wild curls and she was in a hospital gown and looking at her, he never thought that she would ever dress like that. He would slowly know who she really was when she gained all her memories.

"Cora, behave," her mother chided as she let herself in. "Morning, Dr. Baxter."

"Call me Charlie, Mrs. Rhonda. So, how are you feeling, Cora?" He maintained his professional tone.

"I seem to have gotten back a few memories, Charlie. I recognize a few maids back at home and I, for certain, know that my room was never pink."

Audrey rolled her eyes and Charlie look bewildered.

"We had this conversation before, Cora. We will remodel it again and scrap everything from your room until it looks like how it was before. Okay?" She sighed and looked at Charlie. "I am so sorry about her behavior, Charlie. Looks like her attitude was never lost in all that chaos."

"One's identity can never be lost no matter what they go through, Mrs. Rhonda. If she picked up so much in a day, then I can assure you that she will be fine very soon. Her recovery rate seems to be very good."

"That's a relief!"

"So, Cora. Have you felt anything abnormal at all. Anxiety or fear? Did you feel stressed at all yesterday? Anything out of the ordinary by seeing something?"

She went silent for a while and didn't speak a word, which was very weird to Charlie. Maybe she was recollecting something. When she fidgeted with her fingers and her gaze went back to her mother, Charlie realized that there was in fact something which was not sitting well with her.

"Mrs. Rhonda?" He smiled politely. "May I have a personal session with your daughter, please? I may have something to ask her."

Audrey clearly looked surprised, but left when Cora didn't refuse or ask her to stay with her. "I'll wait outside, okay?" With that, she left.

"I see that you have something to say?" Charlie probed and Cora looked into his eyes.

"I don't know if these are really memories or just illusions, but I keep having them repeatedly," she admitted and looked down.

"Tell me what you see. It's okay to tell me everything."

"That house which we live in," she began, "whenever I see some place familiar, I tend to remember a few memories which happened there. But there is some kind of emptiness every time a memory pops up. It is almost as if..." she trailed off.

"As if?" He probed further.

"As if, someone is missing."