35.

At fifteen, he kept to himself. He had been playing on the school football team for some time and even at that, he still done his own thing. It was rare to join in on any banter or anything of the sorts even to the point if he were to be invited anywhere, invites most likely coming from so called teammates after games or training, he would turn them down.

There was nothing special or outstanding about his ability to play and he relatively remained quiet during games or training sessions, never calling for the ball and not being reactive to decisions and other certain moments which may call for a reaction. He was basically making up the numbers while also having something to actively do, so it was always good to have the game and the training ... he enjoyed it.

There were three guys on the football team in particular who seemed eager to get him to come out to whatever after game or after training get together occurring, whenever they were upcoming. It didn't matter whether these events were previously set up or were to happen spontaneously, each time they made an inquiry, he flat out turned them down and when an invisible member of the team, someone who always turned up to every training session and every game and never so much offer a word on anything to anyone, would be asked as to why he constantly turned down offers put to him, he just simply replied that it wasn't his scene and that he had no interest in making it his scene.

After one particular game, a biggie in terms of sports history relating to the school he attends, a biggie which saw the school team make a cup final for the first time in its history, the invitation was once again put to him and once again was turned down. This time an issue was taken with the declining reply. The bigger member of the trio took the most offence deciding his patience was thinner than it could be.

'What's wrong with you, punk?' the bigger fellow asked pushing the upper torso of the fellow he confronted with two fingers of his own right hand. 'Are you too good for us? Is that it?'

A step or two backward is taken with the feeling that the questions should not be dignified with a response. The pushing continues as did the questioning.

'What is it? You mute or something?'

'Leave it out ...' one of the other members of the trio would speak, feeling uncomfortable with what was occurring. Surely things were going far enough.

'No, I won't leave it out. He is gonna get it if he thinks he is better than us ...'

'C'mon ... he's not worth the hassle' the other member of the trio speaks.

The bigger fellow of the trio turns to his friends, unhappy with how they are reacting. He feels they should be backing him up and not backing him down. In this moment, he who had been picked on sees and seizes his opportunity to turn to run off.

'That's right freak' bigger fellow speaks seeing what has happened. 'You better run for you sure as hell won't be getting another offer like what we put to you ... you hear me?' his voice loudening as the recipient of the message gets further and further away.

Football had only ever been something he got into because of his want for activity. He didn't want to gain any kind of social stature or even gain any friends. It was the activity he desired. Being quite athletic, he ran a lot so running on this day came with ease and with the game on this day having come early evening, such a time had come where it had well and truly become dark by such time his current run began. He stuck to a darkened route home so if the others had decided to follow him, then he may not so easily be found.

There had been no intention to follow but someone had followed, and he who thought he had gotten away, hadn't seen it coming. A knock over the head from behind is what came and if he had not been knocked unconscious then he might have heard the words shouted at him.

'Why didn't you just accept and go with them? Don't you know how lucky you are? If only they had asked me, I would have gone in an instant, but no one ever asks the invisible guy ... no one. Do you hear me?'

This declaration came with kicks to the torso and one to the head of he who had been attacked. And what trickery this was with an attack coming not from a teammate or one of the three who had been verbal with their grievances, but another with a desire to make the team and ultimately not being given the time of day.

The next day came with the brightness of a new morning light, and this is when he would be discovered, still unconscious in the spot he had been downed onto. Six weeks of unconsciousness would be spent in hospital. Then another offer became something more probable, a more likely one to be accepted but not by him. This proposal was first proposed days after the incident. Turned down originally only to become something of a possible last hope.

This offer being one not just for son but for his mother too, mother accepted a role upon initial offer being made. She would go all in on what was being put to her. The hospital didn't seem to be getting anywhere with a potential recovery for her son so the offer almost appeared to be too good to be true, it had seemed off the beaten track but now a full decision would need to be made, and it now seemed easier to accept.

With a push of her gold rimmed glasses back up along her nose, she accepted the offer in full. If the hospital were getting nowhere and with what she is shown, then maybe all of this could go somewhere. A fourth bed of eight in an out if the way facility would eventually be taken up.

She would be so taken by the offer, all that has come and the want for her son to be well that being part of sneaking him out of the hospital did not come to be as much of a concern as it ordinarily would have, at that, her role in all that is occurring, all that has occurred had well got underway prior to jail breaking her son out of hospital.

36.

Maybe an opportunity could and should be taken to make that inquiry with the staff of The Mulberry Hotel. It could be of interest to discover which incarnation of Doctor Archer paid for seven nights usage of room 211 in advance of any memory loss occurring. Suspicion once more comes Archer's way as the staff employee known to the forgotten crew, or particularly more so to Henry, so happens to be on duty as she always appears to be.

It is coming up to evening time on day three of memory loss so it can be quite plausible that this Siobhan lady could be working up quite a few hours but still, she does seem to be around a lot and if Henry is ever dealing with a member of hotel staff, then it is always this Siobhan lady and no one else. So, Archer has taken a moment with Henry to make their inquiry at the hotel reception and it is Siobhan who the inquiry comes to despite the fact she knows not of the identity of such a Doctor Archer who made any such booking.

Siobhan goes and consults with fellow staff members and with management and soon returns to confirm that the man who booked and paid for room 211 is neither of the two men who stand in front of her so this information is indeed interesting but what can it mean? What relevance does it hold for the occupants of room 211?

The thoughts of the possibility existing, that a third alias Doctor Archer could be out in the world somewhere, are brought back up to the room. A lot of potential information has been brought together in such a short amount of time, but it is not really leading anyone anywhere. There is in this moment only one potentially worthy step that can be taken and that is to make an investigation where both Archer and Sue had woken separately. What could be discovered in that place? Well, it could be safe to say that it could be anyone's guess as to what secrets the building might hide.

It is rolling on into the evening time so maybe a trip to that ominous building can wait until the following morning. Evening or night may not be the best of times to go investigate such a place. Everyone is of course free to either go there, stay behind, or do something else. As it is, Henry and Archer are definitely going and that is with Archer not liking whatever it is that place is. It may be something to bring Bonnie and Sue too, depending on how Sue's feet feel of course.

Another thought which could be considered is as to the fact that it must be known that there is more than one person currently staying in room 211, so is Siobhan doing something to ensure that hotel staff do not find problems in this? On top of that, there has been no registered guest name given for an occupant for the room. It is only known that payment has been made.

***

A day bright and warm with nothing in particular on the cards, what better way is there to spend the afternoon other than to be out and about with man's best friend. With that thought, to the wide-open spaces of the town park it is. Man's best friend, an energetic Doberman, stays on his leash until a cordoned off area specially set aside for dogs is reached then it's off you go boy, have yourself some fun.

Plenty of dogs bring plenty of owners, so while his most loyal friend plays and mingles with others of his kind in that space cordoned off for dogs to be let off leashes, he himself takes a moment to claim a place on an unoccupied bench. It is only a matter of seconds until another dog owner claims their own spot on that bench.

'Some day huh?' she says. 'Way too nice not to be out ...'

'Huh?' he responds having been so lost in daydream that he didn't even know that someone had sat near to him, never mind barely realizing that someone is actually talking to him. Daydreams have been coming way too frequently of late. He had thought that an early retirement might have brought him a little more ... excitement.

'Oh, just the weather' she continues. 'It is some day to be out and about. It makes you feel ... alive.'

She is a couple of years or so older than what he is, and she probably is just as or even more so lonely than what he is or is becoming.

'That it is' he says finally joining the conversation.

'Which one is yours? Mine is the Poodle, I've had her seven years ... ever since Jerry died. Jerry was my husband. He died ... in his office. Heart attack they told me. We were married almost twenty-six years.'

'Sorry to hear that ...' he says. 'Not the married twenty-six years part but the ... well ...'

She smiles then lets out a little laugh. The laugh being something badly needed.

'You made me smile; you should be a doctor or something. You don't just make a diagnosis with a prescription, but you deliver too.'

His turn to smile came. 'Mine is the Doberman' he says responding to the question asked of him a moment or so ago.

'So, you are not married yourself?'

'Me, no, with all my years you might think I would have said I do at least once, but it never happened. There has been the odd lady or two over time, nothing ever went quite so ... far.'

'You were a Romeo, were you? ... or perhaps the opposite?'

She had looked away for a moment as she had asked her question and hadn't seen his eyes roll. When no answer comes, she turns back to him. His body, his whole body has stiffened and has begun to shake, and his shaking quickly becomes violent. She screams, at a loss for what to do until she calls out for someone to call an ambulance.

A crowd gathers, when the shaking stops and with him being unconscious he is aided into a position where his breathing won't be hindered. Aid does come and a week passes quickly. After the occurrence of a couple more seizures, a visit comes. One day fairly soon after this visit, a fifth bed is taken within a large rectangular room.