Farmer's Daughter
Chapter 6
The CAT scan left them with more questions than answers, as it turned out that there were no injuries to any part of 'Brian's' brain which would explain his amnesia.
Dr. Saunders next ordered a round of blood tests, to see if there were any drugs present in his system.
"Drugs?" 'Brian' asked, "That doesn't sound right. I don't think I do drugs; and, I don't understand why you'd want to test for them."
"Well Brian," Dr. Saunders began "there's nothing on the CAT scan that shows any swelling or injury to any area of your brain. Normally, in the majority of any type of amnesia case, there is some visible injury to the brain, some swelling, some built-up pressure, which would interrupt the normal brain activity and interfere with memory paths and/or the creation of new memories, depending upon the type of amnesia."
"Ok, I think I'm following you so far."
"Conversely, if someone took large quantities of drugs, either over an extended period, or even a brief one, coupled with some type of trauma, this could also interfere with the creation or recollection of memories. For example, the so-called "Date Rape" drug commonly causes gaps in the recipient's memory. Mental patients who are kept in a prolonged drug-induced state of consciousness often have no recollection of the period of time spent in that drug-induced state, due to the drugs themselves."
"Gotcha. Although, I'm getting a slight headache from trying to follow along." 'Brian' quipped, smiling and wincing at the same time.
"I hear ya. Let's get some blood drawn and we'll go from there."
"Blood drawn? Do you mean, like, with a needle?"
"That's the only way we can draw blood, Brian."
"I don't like needles."
"You'll be fine. Betty here is very gentle."
The nurse expertly wrapped the cord around his bicep, tapping at the crook of his elbow to expose a vein. "Now, you're gonna feel a little pinch and some pressure; but, it'll be over before you know it."
"Oh God ..." he groaned, the color beginning to drain from his face.
"All done!"
"What?! Already? That didn't really hurt."
"Told ya so." she teased, playfully ruffling his hair. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cherry lollipop, offering it to him.
With a blush and a grin, he took the lollipop, removing the wrapper and popping it in his mouth. "Thank you." he mumbled through the candy.
"You're welcome, Sweetie. Let's get you back out to Lizzie and Bill so you can get some rest."
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"Are you sure there's no reason to keep him here?" Bill asked, knowing he was losing yet another argument.
"Bill, I'm 100% sure. Mike did a great job of sutchering the head wound and wrapping the ribs. The x-rays show that they're already healing. The bruises only need to fade, although our patient is going to be sore for a little while longer. As for his amnesia, there's no physical injury; and, the blood tests won't be back til tomorrow morning. We were able to rule out all of the standard illicit drugs: cocaine, meth, heroin, etc. We have to wait til morning to see if any of the stronger mind-altering drugs are in his system. Long story short: there's nothing to keep him here, not even for observation."
With a hand through his hair, Bill simply nodded in defeat. "Fine." he said, looking to his wife, "He can stay; but, he's not going to keep staying in the house. He can stay in the old ranchhand's quarters."
Knowing that her husband was truly trying to make an effort, Lizzie acquiesced "That sounds like a good idea, hon. When we get back, me and the girls will get to setting it right. No one's stayed in there since last autumn."
"Well, then, let's get going. Is he ready to go?"
"Yeah, Bill." Dr. Saunders replied, "Betty's going through the paperwork with him now."
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"Mr. and Mrs. Meyers," 'Brian' began, on the way back from County, "I can't thank you enough for your hospitality and your kindness. I'm not much good just yet, cause of my ribs; but, the moment they heal, I'd really like to do something to pay you both back for everything."
"Thank you Brian; but, it's not necessary. It's our Christian duty to help those in need. Isn't that right, Bill?"
"Yup. You just rest up and get well." he repsponded. 'and get out' he thought to himself.
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When they got back to the farm, Lizzie took 'Brian' back up to Billy's room, settling him back into bed and telling him that she'd have lunch in a little bit. She set lunch to cooking before rounding up her daughters and a whole slew of cleaning supplies, herding them out to the ranchhand's quarters.
Finding the house basically empty, Bill took the time to make a few phone calls.
"Tom. It's Bill. Have you gotten any missing persons reports over the wire?"
"No, Bill. We haven't. Is this about the man Amanda Grace brought back?"
"You heard about that?"
Chuckling, Capt. Tom Michaels quipped into the phone "Do you really need me to answer that? Especially living in THIS town?!"
Grinning for the first time since "he" came, Bill had to agree. "Ok, well, if you get any, let me know, will you?"
"Sure thing, Bill. In fact, I can do one better. Gimme a description of him; and, I'll have Lureen type up a John Doe report and send it out. Sounds like you want to get rid of him as quickly as possible and I don't see why we should wait for someone find HIM."
"I have always liked the way you think, Tom. Ever since we was kids."
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"What else are you doing to find him?" Howie snapped, his patience worn through.
"Well, Mr. Dorough, we've sent out a missing persons report nationwide, as well as internationally. Right now, there's just no trace. We've questioned every person in the area surrounding the bar, even the people that weren't even home at that time, on the off chance that someone saw ANYTHING."
"So, you're saying that we just have to sit and wait?" Kevin asked, incredulously. "You're kidding, right? How are we supposed to do that?"
"Kev, we'll find him. Let's let these men do their jobs." Brian soothed, placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "We'll find him." Even though he said the words, he couldn't quite find the faith to believe in them.
7