Evelyn O’Connell looked up from the table she’d just set a stack of books on. “Yes?” she asked the policeman standing before her, as she removed her reading glasses.
Holding his hat in his hands, the policeman took a few steps closer. “Are you Mrs. O’Connell?”
“Yes...is something wrong?” she asked, nervously, hoping nothing had happened to her family.
“I’ve just come from London Hospital, there is a strange man there who’s lost his memory and we have no idea who he is, or where he came from.”
Evy blinked. “How would I be able to help?” she asked, relieved that it didn’t appear to be her husband, son, or brother.
“Well, I read in the papers how you’ve done archeological work, and know all about ancient something’s-or other…”
“Egyptian.”
The man nodded. “Yes. Well this fellow seems to be Arab and has these strange tattoos on his face—”
Evy gasped, and dropped her books.
“I say—”
Evy cut him off, grabbing his arm when he started to pick them up.
“What does he look like?” she demanded.
“Uh, well…long dark hair…beard…”
“Tall? Wearing black robes?”
The policeman nodded. “Why, yes.”
“Take me to him!”
“What happened?!” Evy asked the doctor, after being shown in to see the patient, and seeing that it was indeed who she thought it to be.
Ardeth Bay.
“Head injury,” the middle-aged doctor said, as if it wasn’t obvious.
Evy walked closer to the bed in which her good friend lay, asleep. He was pale; there were scattered cuts on his face and a bandage around his head. “No, I mean how did he get hurt?”
“Bus accident.”
“What?”
“There was a major bus accident early yesterday morning. He was on it.”
“Oh my.” Evy sighed, shaking her head. After all that Ardeth Bay had experienced with undead mummies and whatnot, he gets injured in a stupid bus accident? “How bad is his injury?”
The doctor sighed. “I was told that after being a human cushion, he supposedly insisted at the scene that he was fine, but then passed out—”
“Human cushion?” Evy asked, bewildered.
“He was on the left side of the bus. The bus swerved and tipped onto that side, and all the people on the right naturally flew to the left. I was told several of them landed on him; the poor chap has bruises all over. He has been unconscious ever since, until about an hour ago. He could not tell us who he is, or where he came from. He obviously has a concussion. As for the memory loss…I don’t know if it is temporary or permanent.”
Evy’s jaw dropped. “It might be permanent?!”
The doctor shrugged. “It’s possible that he could wake up again and have regained his memory, but there’s a chance that he won’t. We hoped to find someone who knew him, if that was indeed the case.”
Evy shook her head, placing a hand on Ardeth’s arm.
“What is his name?” the doctor asked.
“Ardeth Bay.”
“Er...how do you spell that?”
She told him, and he wrote it down. “Where’s he from?”
“Egypt.”
“How old is he?”
A year younger than Rick. “32.”
The doctor was about to ask something else, when Evy felt Ardeth’s arm tense under her hand. “Ardeth?” she said. “Are you awake?”
She got no answer, and wondered if Ardeth didn’t realize that she was talking to him. Reaching forward, she brushed a lock of hair off his bandaged forehead, and whispered his name again.
This time, he opened his eyes, halfway.
Evy smiled, relived to see him awake. She had to force the smile to stay when she saw no recognition on his face.
“Ardeth?” she said. “Do you know who I am?”
Ardeth blinked at her for a few seconds, before shaking his head, slowly.
Evy saw him wince, and she sighed. She was surprised when Ardeth spoke.
“Do you…know me?” he said, wincing when she placed a hand on his shoulder.
Evy quickly pulled her hand away, realizing that he’d probably landed on the shoulder when the bus had tipped. Evy sighed; his voice was soft and weak, and it nearly broke her heart to see Ardeth so vulnerable.
“Yes,” she said. “Your name is Ardeth Bay. You are a very good friend of mine.”
The information seemed to please him, and he smiled slightly, before closing his eyes again. When he didn’t reopen them, they realized he’d fallen back to sleep.
Evy sighed again; shaken by the situation, and its implications. “How long are you keeping him here?”
The doctor shrugged. “It depends on where he’s going when he’s let out.”
“With me, naturally.”
“Good. I’d hate to see him have to fend for himself in such a state. As for when; we’ll have to see how well he does. Perhaps the day after tomorrow.”
Evy nodded. “All right. I need to tell my husband about this, can I come back later?”
The doctor nodded. “It would be good for him to get used to you before you take him to your home, so that he won’t feel as if he’s with strangers.”
Evy nodded, sighing at the word ‘strangers’. “Thank you.” With another look at Ardeth, Evy left.
“Rick!”
“Welcome home, honey,” Rick said, walking to meet her halfway and puckering his lips for a kiss.
Instead Evy grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the couch.
Rick opened his eyes with a disappointed frown when he didn’t get the expected smooch, and followed her, surprised when she pulled him down on the couch pretty forcefully. “What’s wrong, Evy?” he asked.
Evy took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to tell him. “While I was at the museum today, a policeman came and told me there was a man at the hospital who has no memory, and they needed my help.”
Rick frowned, trying to figure out where the story was going.
“He asked me if I could identify tattoos on the man’s face…”
Rick jumped to his feet. “Ardeth?”
Evy nodded, somberly.
“At the hospital? With no memory?”
Evy nodded again.
Rick gaped at her for a minute, seeming unable to speak. “What are we standing around for? Let’s go!”
Rick and Evy sat at Ardeth’s bedside quietly, waiting for him to awaken. The doctor and a couple of nurses came and went every once in a while, and after a few hours both Evy and Rick were falling asleep, from being motionless for so long.
As they were drifting in that half-asleep, half-awake mode, they heard a sound, and both of them opened their eyes to see that Ardeth was awake, sleepily looking around.
“Ardeth!” Rick said, sounding relieved.
Ardeth looked at him, and Evy’s heart sank to see no recognition for Rick either in Ardeth’s eyes.
“You know me also?” Ardeth asked.
Rick felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. His best friend had no idea who he was! “Yeah, Ardeth, you’re—we—we’re friends.”
Ardeth seemed a little more coherent this time, and he looked around the room. “Where am I?”
“At a hospital in London,” Evy told him.
“London? Where is that?”
Evy looked at Rick, shocked that the memory loss was so extensive. “A country called England.”
“And…that is where I live?” Ardeth asked, sounding confused.
Rick shook his head, in as much shock as Evy. “No, you live in Egypt.”
Ardeth frowned again. He tried to sit up, and was rewarded with his head spinning and enough pain to almost knock him out.
Evy and Rick both jumped out of their chairs and went to grab his arms, but Ardeth gasped and held his head, shutting his eyes tight.
“Ardeth…” Evy said, distressed to see him in such pain.
“Go get the doctor, Evy,” Rick said urgently, holding on Ardeth’s arm.
Evy ran out of the room and almost collided with the doctor, who’d been about to come into the room.
When the doctor saw Ardeth, he took some pills out of a bottle. “We have to get him to take these.”
They waited a minute for Ardeth’s pain to subside somewhat, before they tried to move him. Evy had to tell Ardeth twice what they were going to do before he showed some form of acknowledgment.
Rick gently held him up so he could take the pills and drink the water, then carefully laid him back down.
Ardeth closed his eyes with a sigh, and didn’t reopen them.
“Asleep,” the doctor said. “Why don’t you go home, he’ll probably sleep the rest of the night, until we wake him.”
“Is he at risk to slip into a coma?” Evy asked, nervously.
The doctor shrugged. “If you asked me that this morning I would’ve said yes, but he’s already woken up three times on his own, so I would say no, at this point.”
Evy and Rick both sighed with relief.
“Okay, doc, we’ll be back tomorrow,” Rick said.
Contrary to what they thought, Ardeth was not asleep. He was trying to listen, to see what—if any—clues he could gather, regarding these people, and himself. Who am I? he thought. And why can I not remember? The woman had said that his name was Ardeth Bay. The name did not sound familiar at all; neither did the people look familiar. He sighed, wishing the terrible headache would go away so he could think. He didn’t have long to wait, for he fell asleep instead.
“Where have you two been?”
Rick and Evy walked into the house to see Jonathan standing in front of the fire.
“Ardeth is here,” Rick said, walking to the couch.
“Really!” said Jonathan. He looked behind them, not seeing anyone else. “Er…where?”
“In the hospital.”
“What?! Why?”
They told him, and Jonathan was as upset as they were.
“Lost his memory! I can’t believe it! How on earth will he get it back?”
They all sighed.
“That is something we have to figure out,” said Evy. “And that isn’t all. Ardeth obviously came to England for a reason.”
She watched the men’s faces, until they realized what she meant, and looks of shock crossed them.
“Oh no…” Jonathan wailed.
“Ardeth must’ve come here for our help,” said Rick.
Evy nodded. “Exactly. And now that he has no memory, he can’t tell us what he needed our help for, and whatever has happened will not be stopped.” She took a shuddering breath, the implications overwhelming.
“It may be too late now to save the world.”
The next day, either Rick, Evy or both stayed with Ardeth at all times.
Ardeth still didn’t remember anything, but he became aware of some interesting feelings. The woman, Evy, is very tender and caring, he thought. It reminds me of…someone. Perhaps I really do know these people. Her husband, Rick, I feel a…camaraderie with, as if we were brothers. He sighed, listening to Evy speak to the doctor. How I wish I could leave this place.
Evy came back in, and saw his eyes open. “You’re awake! How do you feel?”
“Not good,” he replied, tiredly.
The answer surprised Evy. Ardeth usually didn’t admit to pain even when he was half-dead with it. The stoic Med-jai always tried to be strong, even when he was not. The change made Evy worry more; the injury had not only robbed him of his memory, but had changed his personality as well!
Evy tried not to let the worry show on her face, as she sat in the chair next to the bed. “The doctor said you can leave here tomorrow.” In truth, the doctor had wanted to keep him longer, but Evy had insisted that they let her take him the next day; citing the probability that Ardeth would recover better at her home, instead of at an unfamiliar hospital surrounded by strangers. Familiar things were what he needed to be around.
Things that were once familiar, at least.
Ardeth said nothing, though he looked relieved. “How did we meet?” he suddenly asked.
Evy hesitated. “Oh…uh…Rick, I, and my brother Jonathan were trying to find Hamunaptra, and you…er…found us.”
Ardeth frowned, saying nothing for a minute. “Go on.”
“And then Imhotep—He Who Shall Not Be Named—was accidentally unearthed…” she left out mention that she had been the one to do it. “…and he tried to kill us, but we defeated him…”
During this time, Ardeth merely stared at her.
Evy stopped, and stared back. “Do you believe me?”
Ardeth didn’t answer for a minute. “I found you? What was my…” he paused, searching for a word. Evy had found today that Ardeth was having trouble remembering certain English words. The fact that he recalled the English language at all was interesting.
Evy knew what he was trying to ask. “You are the leader of the Med-jai, a tribe that watches and protects the city of Hamunaptra and other ancient places, from whatever evil may arise.”
Ardeth frowned. “I am the leader?” he asked, incredulous.
Evy nodded, trying not to sigh. He didn’t even remember the Med-jai!
“And we put the creature back into its grave?”
Evy noticed that he called Imhotep ‘the creature’ like he used to. “Yes. Twice, actually. Do you remember?”
Ardeth thought for a minute, and shook his head. He winced, regretting the motion. “Is there anything else that I should know?” he asked.
“Uhh…” Evy thought for a minute. What do you not need to know? she thought to herself, sarcastically. “We live in London in a very big house that I’ll be taking you to tomorrow. I work at the British Museum, we have many artifacts that I’ve found on digs, and artifacts that you’ve given me.”
“I have?”
Evy nodded, leaving out the part that many of them he’d given to her for safekeeping against various foes, and those were in her house, rather then on public display at the museum.
Ardeth sighed, and put a hand to his aching forehead, closing his eyes.
“Are you all right?” Evy asked, concerned.
“Why can I not remember?” Ardeth asked, instead of answering.
Evy patted his arm. “It happens, Ardeth, a head injury can jar the brain and make it swell, causing what they call ‘concussion’. I don’t know why your memory was affected, I don’t think doctors have made it far enough in their knowledge to understand why.”
Ardeth sighed, keeping his eyes closed, seeing that it hurt less to be in the dark.
Evy kept her hand on his arm, in sympathy. She couldn’t even imagine what he was going through.
“Thank you,” he suddenly said.
“For what?”
Ardeth kept his eyes closed. “For staying with me, for caring…” his voice trailed off as he fell asleep.
Evy smiled, her eyes misting. She blinked the moisture back, and begged God to give her friend back his memory.
The next morning, Evy and Rick went straight to the hospital, intent on getting Ardeth out of there as soon as possible, afraid that the longer he stayed in an unfamiliar place, the worse his chance of regaining his memory.
The doctor tried to change their minds, telling them that his patient’s pain had not yet improved and that it obviously was not a wise thing for them to do. He relented only when Evy promised that they would have their family doctor treat him, and would bring him back if something bad occurred.
Evy was glad that she and Rick had stayed with Ardeth, for they had gained his trust, and he let them lead him to the car and carefully help him inside.
That was something that actually bothered Rick. Ardeth would never so easily hand his life over to ‘strangers’, it shocked Rick that it had been so easy.
Ardeth tried to watch the view out the window, trying to see if anything was familiar, but he quickly gave up when the fast-moving scenery started making him dizzy, and he had to put his head back and close his eyes. The car ride was bumpy, and he realized it would not be a comfortable trip.
Evy looked into the backseat, and easily saw Ardeth’s discomfort. She realized that she should’ve stayed in the back with him. “Try to avoid the bumps,” she told her husband.
“I am,” Rick told her.
Evy sighed. “We’re almost there, Ardeth,” she told him. It wasn’t quite true, but she hoped that it would bring him some comfort.
When they finally pulled up, Ardeth’s pain was worse and his head swam when Rick helped him out of the car. He was lightheaded, his legs felt weak and he leaned against Rick, who saw what was happening and held onto him until it passed.
“Ardeth!” Evy said, alarmed.
“Shhh,” said Rick, as Evy had spoken pretty loudly.
Ardeth stayed there with his eyes closed, one hand on his head, the other gripping Rick’s arm, in an attempt to stay upright. When the stabbing throbs finally started to subside enough for Ardeth to open his eyes, he let out a shaky breath and attempted to straighten up.
Evy took his other arm, and tried to support some of his weight as she and Rick helped him into the house.
They immediately brought him over to the fire, which Evy had told Jonathan to make sure he lit, as it was winter and Ardeth was not used to the cold. They carefully sat him on the couch, and Evy went to get him some tea.
Rick sat in the armchair to the right of the couch, and watched him anxiously.
Ardeth realized he was being studied, and opened his eyes. He tried to lift his head up, from resting against the back of the couch, but it felt too heavy.
He sighed, feeling angry and frustrated.
“Ardeth?” Rick said.
“Yes?”
“Do you recognize this house?”
Good idea! Hope of regaining his memory helped Ardeth to slowly lift his head and look around the room. His hope died down when he saw that he recognized nothing.
He looked back at Rick, who could read the expression on Ardeth’s face. He heard Ardeth sigh, and knew the answer.
“I am sorry I do not remember you and your wife,” Ardeth said. “I hope you are not insulted.”
“Insulted?” Rick shook his head. “Of course not! It isn’t your fault.” He grinned. “You know, most of our meetings were usually when something terrible was happening, maybe it’s a good thing you don’t remember us!” He laughed.
Ardeth frowned; wondering what could possibly be that terrible.
Evy came back with the tea then, and handed Ardeth his in a huge beer mug that belonged to Jonathan. “Now drink it all,” she said, as if she were talking to a child.
Rick had to suppress a laugh when Evy didn’t let go of the mug while Ardeth sipped it. “Evy, I think he can hold it himself.”
Evy shot Rick a stern look when she saw him grinning at her, and she let go of the glass.
“Shukran,” Ardeth said to her.
“Afwan,” she replied.
She didn’t see the surprised look Ardeth gave her upon hearing her speak Arabic, which he’d spoken without thinking.
“This is very good, Evelyn.”
Evy stopped pouring the tea in Rick’s cup, and looked at Ardeth. “You called me Evelyn!”
Ardeth looked at her with a frown. “Is Evelyn not your name?”
Evy nodded, putting the teapot down. “Yes, but I didn’t tell you that. I told you ‘Evy’.”
Ardeth’s eyebrows went up. “So you did.”
“You remembered something!” Rick said, happily.
“This is wonderful! Maybe everything will come back to you now!” said Evy.
They were all quiet as Rick and Evy watched Ardeth, waiting.
“Well? Do you remember anything else?” she asked, after a few minutes.
Ardeth sighed. “No.” He put the empty mug down, and laid his aching head back on the couch.
Evy walked closer to him. “You should be in bed.” She beckoned for Rick to come over, and they slowly helped Ardeth to stand.
They held onto him tightly when he swayed a little, blinking back dizziness. When he felt that he could walk without falling over, he nodded carefully, and they helped him walk up the huge staircase.
“One thing...I know I don’t remember,” he said, when they’d paused to give him a rest.
“What’s that?”
“So many stairs.”
The statement got a short laugh out of them. They finally made it to the top, and brought him to the bedroom directly across from theirs. Evy noticed that climbing the stairs had seemed to make him limp slightly, and she wished Ardeth could tell them what had happened in that accident. Ardeth didn’t complain about his leg, so she said nothing as they brought him in and got him settled.
“Are you hungry?” Evy asked him.
“No,” Ardeth said, his eyes closing slowly.
Evy wanted him to eat, but she patted his arm, and pulled the covers up to his chin. “If you want something and none of us are in here, just tug on the bell-pull,” she said, indicating the huge rope that hung next to the bed.
Ardeth glanced at it, making a face as if he’d been wondering what it was.
Rick came over after lighting the fireplace, to see that Ardeth was asleep. He and Evy tiptoed out of the room, and down the stairs, Evy wanting to put away the tea service before it was forgotten.
“I can’t believe this,” she said, picking up the teapot. “Something as stupid as a bus accident taking away his memory.”
Rick nodded. “After all the things he’s survived.” He shook his head. “Ironic.”
“What is?”
“Remember what he said after we took care of the mummies on the bus?”1
Evy shuddered. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that, dear.”
Rick sighed. “I know. Anyway, remember after we killed all the mummies, I asked him if he was okay and he said, ‘This was my first bus ride’.”
Evy smiled, laughing softly. “Yes, I remember at the time that it was that absolute last thing I expected him to say.”
“Well, this was his second bus ride, and look what happened.”
Evy nodded, holding the whole tea service tray. “Oh, Rick! That’s true.”
Rick shook his head. “Ardeth and buses don’t mix. Or maybe it’s Ardeth and England in general.”
Evy laughed again, and brought the tray into the kitchen.
Rick was about to sit in his chair near the fire when he heard a noise. Looking up, he saw Jonathan stumbling down the steps in a lazy, half-asleep fashion.
He stood. “Jonathan!” he tried to whisper-yell. “Shut up! Ardeth is up there.”
Jonathan stopped dead, and almost tumbled down the remaining stairs. “What? He is?”
“Yesssss,” Rick said, annoyed.
Evy came back in then, and shook her head at her brother. “If you promise to make it there quietly, you can look in on him. I don’t want him woken up.”
“Right, Old Mum.”
“Oh, Rick,” Evy said, turning at the bottom of the stairs. “Could you call the doctor, and get him here please?”
“Sure honey.”
“Thanks,” she made a sweet face at him, and he smiled back.
The doctor had come, and expressed the same opinion as the hospital; he had no idea when or if Ardeth would regain his memory.
Jonathan stood well behind everyone, waiting for the doctor to leave. He had an idea, and he hoped it would work.
After the doctor left, Jonathan strode over. “Ardeth, old boy! Put any mummies back in their graves lately?”
Ardeth looked at him with a confused frown.
Jonathan sighed. “It didn’t work, eh?”
Ardeth just blinked at him, not knowing for the life of him who this strange person was.
Evy sighed as well, wishing it had worked. “Ardeth, this is Jonathan, the brother I mentioned.”
Ardeth nodded. “Ah.” He sighed. “I am sorry I do not remember you, Jonathan.”
Jonathan shrugged it off, waving his arm in a ‘doesn’t matter’ fashion. “Quite all right, hardly anyone ever remembers ol’ Jonathan anyway.”
Suddenly the phone rang, and Ardeth jumped. He hoped no one noticed.
Rick picked it up. “O’Connell residence…sure, hang on. Evy?” he held the phone out to his wife.
She took it. “Hello…what? Can’t find it? I can’t...oh for goodness sake…all right. Goodbye.” She hung up, and turned to the three men who were staring at her, wondering what that was all about.
“That was the museum. They seem to have misplaced Nefertiri’s Goblet.”
Jonathan laughed. “A goblet, eh?”
“They need you to go in and help them find it?” Rick asked.
Evy nodded, looking exasperated.
“Why such commotion over a cup?”
Evy sighed, going over to the mirror in the room and fussing with her hair. “One of the newspapers is going to do an article on certain items, and that is one of them. They need it for a picture.”
“Oh.”
Evy sighed, looking at Ardeth, whose eyes were closing again. “Oh dear, Ardeth, are you hungry yet?”
“That’s okay Evy, I’ll cook!” Jonathan told her.
“We want to get him better, not poison him,” Rick muttered.
“I heard that.”
“I am fine, Evy,” Ardeth said, wishing everyone would be quiet.
“Oooh…” she said, annoyed that the museum had to bother her at a time like this, when she told them the previous day she’d be out for a time. “They’ll just have to wait. I have to feed you first.”
Ardeth looked at Rick as if to say, ‘Is she always this persistent?’
Rick made a face back, as if to say, ‘yup.’