Lost In The Fog

           He opened his eyes and was surrounded by medical staff inside the emergency room of a hospital. A doctor stood over him shining a small silver flashlight into the pupils of his eyes as a nurse prepared bandages to treat his wounds.

           Although the whole scene seemed very traumatic, what bothered him most, was the fact that he could not remember what brought him to this moment in the first place. In fact, he did not remember anything. Not even his name.

           The doctor spoke to him, though sounds were muffled, and his words were unclear. The only word he could make out was, “accident”.

           The scene was very chaotic. He spotted two police officers standing across the hall. One spoke into a radio that was attached to his lapel. The noisy room became quiet and darkness filled the room until all that was left were his thoughts.

           The next time he awoke, sunlight shone through a nearby window. James shaded his eyes with the palm of his hand. He was now in a different room. He tried to sit up but realized his arms had been restrained by leather bindings. The two officers that he had spotted earlier were now seated near the foot of his bed. One of them got up and approached the bedside.

           “My name is Sergeant Paluso and this is my partner, Constable Flannery. What can you tell me about last night, Mr. Parker?”

           “Mr. Parker”, he thought to himself. “That must be my name.”

           “I’m sorry officer, but I don’t remember a thing about last night. It is a complete blur to me. Honestly, I can’t remember anything including my name. All I know is that I woke up in the hospital, my head hurts like hell, and for some reason, I am strapped to a bed. Do you mind telling me what is going on here?”

           The officers glanced at one another then the seated officer, Constable Flannery, began to speak.

           “Mr. James William Parker, age: thirty-two, height: five-feet-eleven inches tall, weight: one-hundred-eighty-four pounds. Divorced. Two children, Harry, sixteen, and Maria, twelve. Both children reside with their mother full-time.”

           As the officer gave the description, flashes of his wife and children entered his head, but he still could not piece together the entire puzzle. Sergeant Paluso took over the conversation.

           “Mr. Parker, you were involved in a tragic accident last night. Witnesses say that you were driving erratically eastbound along Howard Street around 8:00 PM. Your vehicle collided with a second vehicle at the intersection of Howard Street and Peterson Avenue. A child in the other vehicle was fatally injured in the collision and his parents are in serious condition as well.”

           Remorse kicked in for the victim of a crime that James could not even recall. He sunk back into his pillow as a great weight pushed down upon his chest. He had difficulty breathing. The cardio monitor began to beep as his heart rate increased. A nurse rushed into the room and told the officers that they were going to have to leave while her patient got some rest. They obliged and told James that they would return with more questioning another time.

           The nurse injected a syringe filled with clear fluid into his I.V. and the pain soon subsided. Before leaving the room, the nurse introduced herself as Loretta. She was in her mid-thirties with an attractive face and brown hair pinned up in a bun upon her head. James thanked her before falling back into a drug-induced sleep.

           “James. James. Wake up, James.” came a voice from out of his darkened stupor. He slowly forced his heavy eyelids open to see a blurry image of a woman standing by his side.

           “Who are you?” James inquired.

           “You mean, you don’t recognize me? It’s Rebecca, your wife. I should say, ex-wife. I was going to bring the kids, but when I heard that they had you restrained, I thought that it might be too disturbing for them.”

           “I’m so sorry, Rebecca. I lost my memory. I was told that I was in an accident that killed a kid last night. Do you know where I was last night?”

           “You were supposed to call the kids to wish them a Happy New Year before they went to bed, but you never did. When I tried to call you, it went right to voicemail. Then I found out through the secretary at your office, that you went to an office party after work and left early. This morning, I received a call from a Sergeant Paluso telling me that you were in the hospital.”

           “If I was at a party, then someone there must be able to fill me in with more details. Do you know any of my co-workers? What is the name of the office that I work at?”

           “You work at McCaulley’s Advertising. The only co-worker I remember that you mentioned was a woman named, Lisa. I don’t know the last name.”

           Officer Flannery walked into the room and Rebecca excused herself.

           “How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Parker? Are you feeling up to answering a few questions for me today?”

           “That’s fine, but as I said, I don’t remember anything.”

           “I will try to keep it as simple as I can then,” Constable Flannery replied.

“The woman that just left was my ex, Rebecca. She informed me that I was at an office party last night. Maybe you can talk to someone that was at the party. She said I worked for a place called McCaulley’s Advertising and mentioned a woman named Lisa.”

“Yes, sir. Sergeant Paluso is at your office now speaking with the staff. Have you had any of your memories return yet?”

“No, Constable. All I get are pictures in my mind that make no sense to me. I have no recollection of what they mean.”

“Well, keep trying. Once Sarge speaks to your co-workers, I am sure he will follow-up with you again. Try to get some rest.”

Another day had passed and the only visitors that James had, were the nurses and his doctor. The doctor informed him that his memory loss may only be temporary and that it was common after receiving hard blows to the head as James had during the accident.

James did, however, start getting more frequent recollections of memories from his past. He remembered sitting at a table with Rebecca in a dimly lit restaurant. He kneeled beside the table and proposed to her. Another memory showed him and Rebecca pushing the kids on a swing in their backyard. Then a disturbing memory of squealing tires. He remembered a thick fog, then the impact with something hard. The sound of a car horn sounded in his mind.

Sergeant Paluso showed up later in the evening to speak with James once again.

“Mr. Parker, as you know, I questioned some of your co-workers. Would you like to know what they said?”

“Yes, sir. I would appreciate that,” James responded.

“It turns out that you did go to the office party to celebrate New Year’s and you had quite a lot to drink according to witnesses. You and Lisa Linbauer; that is the woman that you had been dating recently, had left the party together at approximately 6:15 PM. According to Miss Linbauer, you went back to her place for more drinks and sex. She said that she tried to get you to spend the night, but you told her that you needed to go see your kids. You left her home at approximately 7:45 PM.

According to the toxicology report, your blood-alcohol level was four times the legal limit when you arrived at the hospital. There was a dense fog that night which may have contributed to the cause of the accident, and it will be taken into consideration, but regardless of the weather conditions, you were in no condition to be driving a motorized vehicle. It will be my recommendation that you be charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. I need to read you your rights at this time.”

The Sergeant read James the Miranda Rights. He gave him the number of the court-appointed attorney’s office, then went to discuss a release time with the doctor. James sat in silence absorbing all of what had just transpired, and it felt like a bad dream to him.

Two weeks had passed, and James was released into police custody pending his trial. Rebecca refused to allow the kids to see him in jail, so she came by herself to visit.

“Hey James,” she began, “it looks like you are in pretty deep this time. I tried to call your friend, Joey a few times, but I am just getting his voicemail. I was hoping he could come to visit you too.”

“Thanks, Rebecca. I appreciate all that you have done already. I was wondering why my parents had not come to see me either in the hospital or in jail, but then I recalled that they had both died. Am I right?”

“Yes, they died within a week of one another. Your father had a massive coronary and died instantly. Your mother was so lost without him, that she died in her sleep six days later. I am so sorry. They have been gone for nearly a year now.”

“My trial is in a few days and I could use a little moral support. Do you think you could be there?”

“Yes, James, I will be there.”

It was the day of his trial, and James was escorted in by the court officer and he was told to have a seat behind the defense attorney’s table. The judge took into consideration the testimonies from witnesses, the prosecution, the officers involved, and from James before retiring the jury to their chambers to decide on the verdict.

As the jury filed back in, the judge asked the jury if they had come to a decision. The jury foreman stood up and spoke.

“We have, your honor,” a gangly gentleman in his sixties started saying. “On the count of vehicular manslaughter, we, the jury find James William Parker guilty. On the count of driving under the influence of alcohol, we, the jury find James William Parker guilty.”

A murmuring began in the courtroom as onlookers and reporters discussed the verdict. The judge pounded his gavel upon his large oak desk and shouted out, “Order in the court! Order in the court!” until the room once again fell silent.

“Mr. Parker, please stand for my final decision.” James stood unsteadily as the judge read out his charges.

“Mr. Parker, you may not have intentionally killed this child, but you did have a choice when you got behind the wheel after consuming so much alcohol. It is my decision, that on the account of vehicular manslaughter that you serve the full term of fourteen years in prison. You will be fined $2,000 and be made to attend a rehabilitation program for alcohol abuse. Do you have any final statement that you wish to make?”

“Yes, your honor. Thank you. I would like to offer my heartfelt apology to the parents of the child that I took away from them. If that happened to my children, I don’t know how I would react. I am deserving of this punishment…”

“Wait! I have something to say!” A man shouted as he burst through the courtroom doors.

“Bailiff restrain that man!” the judge demanded, and the man was grabbed by the court officer.

“What is the meaning of this intrusion in my courtroom, sir? Who are you and what do you want?”

“Your honor, if I may,” the stranger said. “My name is Joey Fontaine. I am the best friend of James Parker, though I haven’t been one lately. You are sending the wrong man to prison, your honor. I am the one who deserves to be behind bars. I want to state under oath, if I may, what actually happened that night.”

“Bailiff, please accompany Mr. Fontaine to the stand to be sworn in. I will accept his statement.”

“On the night of December 31^st, at around 7:30 PM, I received a call from James Parker. He told me that he was over at Lisa’s house and had to go see his kids, but he was too drunk to drive. I told him that I was just around the block and that I would drive him there. I waited by his car, and at about 7:45 PM, he came out of Lisa’s house and handed me the keys. I helped him into the car and then got behind the wheel. The fog was quite thick that night and it was difficult to see anything past the hood of the car. We were heading along Howard Street when I realized at the last minute that the traffic light was red. It was too late. We were already at the intersection. We collided with the passenger side of another vehicle and I went crashing into the windshield, shattering it. The car was not equipped with airbags and I was thrown from the vehicle. James was tossed around inside the cabin of the car before collapsing on the seat.

I panicked and fled the scene once I saw the bloodied bodies inside the other vehicle. I got out of town and stayed with a friend of mine for a few weeks hoping that it would all blow over. My phone kept ringing, so I turned it off. I did not want anyone knowing where I was.

When I finally listened to my voicemails, I realized how much trouble I had made for James and I decided to testify on his behalf. So, you see, James did the right thing. I am the one who is guilty, not him.”

The judge pondered Joey’s testimony before speaking.

“In light of this new evidence, I feel it necessary to drop all charges against James Parker. Mr. Fontaine, however, will be placed into custody pending an investigation to corroborate his statement. Bailiff, please take Mr. Fontaine into custody. Mr. Parker, you are free to go.”

James, still suffering from partial memory loss, looked to his friend with admiration and Joey nodded in understanding. James then turned toward the courtroom and saw Rebecca sitting with their two children beside her. She smiled with tears rolling down her cheeks when he neared her.

“Congratulations, James. I am happy for you,” she said with sincerity.

“Thank you, Rebecca. I am happy that you came.” He looked at his children.

“I am extremely happy to see these beautiful faces as well. I would like to see more of them too,” James stated as he glanced over toward Rebecca.

“Perhaps we can discuss it over dinner tonight?” Rebecca suggested coyly.

“I would love that.”

Rebecca leaned over to whisper into his ear, “What about Lisa?”

James discretely responded, “You are here today, and she is not. That tells me that I am not important to her. As far as I am concerned, I don’t want any memories of her to return.”

Rebecca smiled and squeezed his hand tightly. “Let’s go home,” she said, and they left the courtroom together.

The new year brought a new start to their marriage and within the next couple of months, his memories had returned, though James chose to keep some hidden away in the fog forever.