The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 648 Destination Memory

Sheryl lowered her head slightly as if nothing had happened. She did not look at Sue nor Anthony. She simply kept to herself. Noticing Sheryl's reaction, Anthony told Sue,"I just arrived, and haven't had time to tell you yet."

Sue smiled and asked, "What is it? Are you going out?"

"Yes," replied Anthony, "we're going out to have something to eat. Would you like to join us?" His tone, however, gave him away.

Sue realized that Anthony was just being polite, so she shook her head in refusal and lied, "No, no, I... I've already had my dinner. Thank you though."

She then threw him a half-smile and felt the need to add, "Let's eat together next time. I won't bother you now."

Sue obviously didn't mean it, but couldn't show that.

Although she had a fall out with Sheryl, she could not let Anthony know so; otherwise, he would be done with her as well.

That meant she would not stand a chance with him any longer. So she tried her best to put on an act for his sake.

Anthony was no fool, however. He knew something was up. Thankfully, the elevator opened up shortly after her words. He faked a smile too, and tried to end the awkward conversation. "All right, well... will see you later then." With a respectful nod towards Sue, he grabbed Sheryl's hand and stepped inside the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, he turned his face to Sheryl and inquired, "Ok Sher, what is going on with you?"

Startled, Sheryl could only let out a confused "Huh?" With her eyebrows raised high, she looked at him and asked, "Sorry, what did you say?"

Anthony clarified on a slow pace, "I want to know... what happened between you and Sue. You two are acting quite strange today."

Sheryl didn't want Anthony to know anything. So, in true reverse psychology style, she joked, "Oh you know, we fight over guys every day." She went on forcing a laugh and pretended like nothing was wrong. "C'mon! You're overthinking it. There isn't anything going on between us. We are good friends."

That left Anthony even more confused. Therefore, he insisted, "But you two... didn't even exchange a word just now."

Fortunately, the elevator reached the ground floor quickly. So Sheryl took the opportunity and changed the subject,"All right. Hurry up." She grabbed Anthony's hand and pulled him out of the elevator saying, "I'm hungry."

He eventually gave up and replied, "Ok, fine. Let's go." Then, heading over to a fancy car parked nearby, Anthony opened the passenger door for Sheryl to get inside. Sheryl didn't know where Anthony had gotten the car from, but she didn't ask either. They both got in and he started heading towards the suburbs. About half an hour later, they stopped in a dark, though full parking lot. The place looked eerie. Shery could not help but feel apprehensive; so she asked him,"Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yes," Anthony confirmed with a nod. At the sight of Sheryl's suspicious look, he continued, "We're not there yet, though. We have to get out of the car and walk for a few more minutes."

Sheryl hesitated for a moment. She really did not feel like getting out of the car. So she tried to reason with Anthony, "Would you double check the location details, please? This can't be the right place." "Just trust me for once," Anthony pleaded. With an unrecognizable twinkle in his eyes, he added,"And hurry up now, or you'll really lose your seat."

Just around the corner, they could spot one lighted side of a majestic restaurant, in a semi-secluded location at the top of a mountain. It offered the most spectacular views of the whole city, and people were packed like sardines in the lines for the cable car. If Sheryl hadn't lost her memories, she would have recognized the place. It was the Peak Restaurant, where Charles had also brought her many years ago.

Maybe fate liked playing tricks on her. As luck would have it, Sheryl and Anthony were the last couple to be allowed on a cable car; so everyone behind them was utterly disappointed to miss the opportunity. A number of people began throwing a fit, raging at the guards and kicking pebbles around.

One lady ran up to Sheryl as she was getting inside the cabin and begged,"My friend, can you leave it for us, please? My boyfriend and I don't want to miss this opportunity. We only see each other once in a blue moon..."

Sheryl wasn't sure how to reply. Even though she felt bad for the lady, she also felt bad for Anthony's efforts. He had made all the arrangements so, if anything, he would have to be the one to make the call. Confused, she only managed to let out an "I..." before Anthony cut her off. He had lots of plans for that night and no lady was going to ruin them. With an impatient attitude he argued, "Tough luck for you, ma'am! Sorry, we can't give it up. My girlfriend and I also meet only once or twice a month."

"Girlfriend?" the lady taunted. She looked at Shirley, who was holding Anthony's hand, and felt the urge to comment in a derogatory tone, "You already have a child, but she is just your girlfriend?! Oh, I see... is this one your mistress?" She pointed at Sheryl. Without waiting for an answer, she went on,"It's a shame! I tell you... people like you don't even deserve to eat here at all."

After having waited for so long in line and then hearing that stranger's accusations, Anthony had reached his limit. His blood was boiling and he couldn't keep his mouth shut. With eyes locked onto the rude woman and a scary scowl on his face, he stepped forward and began insulting and arguing. The situation rapidly escalated and more people joined in the fight. The commotion triggered a strange reaction in Sheryl. It felt like another out of body experience. Flashes, street lights, noise... they were all twirling in her head in an unorganized manner. She peered around unable to make any sense of it all. At that moment Anthony turned his face to her, to let her know he would be right back. However, when seeing her pale face and lost eyes, he immediately ceased the argument.

"Sher, what's wrong?" he exclaimed. His wrath had quickly turned into worry. As Sheryl crouched down, he hurried to hold her from falling. Extremely concerned, he asked again,"Are you not feeling well?" Sheryl gazed across the area and couldn't replace her words. She kept saying "I..." The crowd didn't seem to want to give Anthony a break, however. The rude lady began accusing him again,"Oh did I touch a soft spot? I knew it! Look at her guilty face. That's what happens when you mess around with these kinds of men." Sheryl was sweating; her heartbeat was irregular, and her vision was getting blurry.

"Shut your mouth!" Anthony revolted. He gave the woman a furious look and went back to Sheryl. He was so angry. He had fantasized about that night for so long, imagining how he would kneel down and take out that ring. All of that had gone down the drain! Their entire soiree was ruined, and on top of that, Sheryl wasn't feeling well.

Maybe Anthony's concerned look or Sheryl's sickly appearance made the rude lady realize that she may have gone a bit overboard. So she stopped saying a word.

Anthony lifted Sheryl in his arms and then told Shirley,"Please follow me, sweetheart. I have to take your mother to the hospital, okay?"

"Okay," replied the little girl obediently. She wasn't sure what was happening either, so she just followed him to the car, and later into the hospital.

Anthony was a doctor but, when it came to Sheryl, his emotions would completely bias his medical skills. So he wanted someone else to check on her as soon as possible.

After examining her, the doctor couldn't replace anything out of the ordinary. Yes, her blood pressure was a bit off, but nothing alarming. He told Anthony to not worry as Sheryl was fine. At that moment, Anthony's concern turned into anger. He grabbed the doctor's collar and retaliated, "She's lying in bed unconscious and you're telling me she's fine?! You're going to have to do better than that!"

"Calm down first," replied the doctor on a neutral tone. He was trying to keep his composure and act professionally. He then proceeded to ask Anthony,"Has she ever... lost her memory?" Anthony was stunned by the doctor's words. He looked him right in the eyes, paused, and then hesitantly released his collar. He replied in the affirmative with a troubled stare.

His suspicions were killing him, so he had to clarify,"But... what does her coma have to do with her amnesia? Listen, I'm also a doctor and I know it's almost impossible for her to recover her memories." The doctor disagreed, "Just because she hasn't remembered anything so far, it doesn't mean she won't. Yes, the chances are slim, but they still exist." He fixed his collar and then continued, "She is showing symptoms of recovery... increased brain activity in her hippocampus, new electrical signals on her MRI scan indicating perhaps new synapses, as well as random babbles in her sleep. Since you're a doctor, you must recognize the symptoms too."

Wide-eyed, Anthony expressed his disbelief, "Nooo, it's impossible." He stared at the doctor with his mouth open for a while and eventually began arguing again,"In none of the clinical case studies for her medicine has anyone recovered their memories, even partially. How do you explain that?"

"Keep your voice down, please!" the doctor demanded with an irritated tone. What was happening to Sheryl wasn't his fault, so he didn't have to take Anthony's bad mood. He straightened out and then explained further,"As I already mentioned, just because it hasn't happened yet, it doesn't mean it won't. There have not been enough case studies done on this medicine, anyway. So she might be its new breakthrough. Right now, all you should do is be there for her and help her through the process. We do not know what may happen next."

The doctor was eager to end the conversation. So without even waiting for an answer from Anthony, he turned around and left him standing there all alone.

Anthony did not know how to react. He was in complete shock. Sheryl was about to recover her memory. His chest suddenly started feeling heavy.