A high-pitched ringing sound filled Vincent’s ears as he regained consciousness. He grimaced as he opened his eyes, seeing that he was back in the hospital bed. According to everyone else, he had been unconscious for two years during the first time he lost consciousness. He was afraid to know how much time had passed now.

“Mr. Barabossa, can you hear me?” Dr. Pluskota’s voice cut through the ringing sound as it started to fade away.

Vincent glanced around, seeing Ian by his side with a worried look on his face. When would this guy go away? He turned to Dr. Pluskota on his other side.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Ian said that you passed out in the bathroom,” Dr. Pluskota said. “Were you feeling lightheaded?”

Vincent thought back, able to recover traces of that memory. He remembered feeling dizzy when he got out of bed. Then, he looked in the mirror. His eyes shot open when he remembered the person that he had seen in the mirror. It hadn’t been him, but… it was him. It was his mind in a different body. It didn’t make any sense to him.

“I’m… not myself. This isn’t my body!” Vincent said, looking at Dr. Pluskota with a worried look.

"What exactly do you mean, Mr. Barabossa?"

"This is me, but it isn't me. I'm not the person you're looking at. My hair isn't blond." Vincent explained. Whoever it was in the mirror wasn't him, but everyone in the room was looking at him as if he had lost his mind. He needed help figuring this out because he was lost.

 He then closed his eyes and lowered his eyes, doing what he knew best in situations he didn't understand—Pray. "Dear Lord, please provide me clarity and guidance.”

Ian stared at Vincent in confusion as he continued to pray.

“He doesn’t do this. We’re not religious,” he told Dr. Pluskota. “Are you sure this is normal?”

“We’ll take him back for tests now,” Dr. Pluskota said before motioning to a younger resident doctor in the doorway to help the nurse wheel Vincent’s bed out of the room.

Vincent continued to pray. Even when they told him not to speak or move, he kept his eyes closed and prayed in his mind. He needed God’s guidance more than ever. Even if it felt like it, he refused to believe that he was in Hell. The machines all around him were foreign, and he saw clothes and hairstyles that were also strange, but he had to still be on Earth.

***

“He has severe amnesia,” Dr. Pluskota’s voice broke through Vincent’s thoughts several days later after many lab tests and screenings.

Vincent opened his eyes as he laid in his hospital room. He gave Dr. Pluskota an unimpressed look.

“I know who I am. You’re mistaken,” he replied.

“What does that mean going forward? How can I help him remember himself? This isn’t him,” Ian asked the doctor, ignoring Vincent's comment. His face set tight in distraught.

Dr. Pluskota looked up from the chart in his hands with a heavy sigh.

“You just have to be patient with him. Let his brain adjust and heal. Being in a familiar environment could help his memory, though,” he replied. “I’ll have the nurse monitor him for another hour or two. If he’s still doing fine, I’ll discharge him so that you can take him home.”

Home. Vincent wanted to go back to the monastery and see his fellow priests. Maybe they could help him understand what God’s reasoning was for putting him through this situation. Plus, it would be nice to be away from these strange people, especially this man called Ian.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Ian said with a nod. Once Dr. Pluskota left, he turned to Vincent with a faint sigh. “We'll go to the villa in the countryside., do you remember the place, hm?"

Vincent looked away from him, not responding to his question. He knew of no villa.

"We had a lot of good times there before… everything that happened.” Ian continued.

Something about the way he said good times made the insides of Vincent clench. He turned to face Ian, meeting his eyes.

“I want to go to the monastery,” Vincent said firmly. He wasn’t letting this man take him anywhere. There was no telling what he would do to him. 

“Monastery?" Ian scoffed, "What are you talking about? You’ve never been to a monastery,” Ian told him, impatience and anger laced in his tone. He then sighed, trying to relax. “We’re going back home. I’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t want to be anywhere near you!” Vincent snapped.

Ian’s jaw tightened as he stared hard at Vincent. “You’ve forced my hand,” he merely said before pulling a small device out of his pocket and putting it against his ear. He started talking as he walked out of the room.

Vincent narrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering what odd gadget Ian was talking to. He had seen quite a lot of weird technology since he had woken up. What if he really wasn’t in 1935 anymore? He shook his head at himself. He couldn’t let these strangers confuse him. If he needed answers, he would pray on them.

For now, he needed to get out of here. He started to try to unhook himself from the machines all around him. Some of them beeped in protest, but he kept working. Unfortunately, he felt incredibly weak, so he moved slowly. By the time he undid the last wire, Ian walked back into the room with two huge men in black suits behind him.

Ian sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m sorry,” he said before nodding to the guards. “Get him.”

It didn’t matter how much Vincent tried to fight or shout, the guards grabbed him and hauled him out of bed. They didn’t even let him touch the floor. His arms were bound behind his back as they carried him out of the room.

Doctors and nurses paused in the hallway, watching with wide eyes. However, when they saw Ian, they backed away and went on with their business, pretending to ignore Vincent when he shouted for their help.

Ian strode ahead of the guards, walking up to a boxy, black car and opening the backdoor. He stepped aside to let the guards push Vincent into the backseat. He met Vincent’s eyes for a moment.

“It’s good to have you back, Eton,” Ian said. His smile was conflicted, though, a mixture of happiness and sadness. He didn’t know what to feel.

On the other hand, Vincent felt pure rage. He tried to lunge out of the car, but Ian slammed the door shut, trapping Vincent in the huge backseat of the large car. He looked around frantically, trying to find some way to escape, but he felt the car start to move. He had no way out, and he had no idea where he was going or what was about to happen to him.