“Gabe...” I start to say but he raises a hand to stop me. “Answer me Damien.”

“2015”

His mouth drops open and he turns a helpless look at the doctor.

“Can someone tell me what the bloody hell is going on?” I finally snap. “What is wrong with my head and why the hell am I on this Godforsaken bed with a dozen machines attached to me?”

The old doctor shakes his head at my outburst but Gabe is smiling. The angry glare I throw his way does nothing to wipe his grin. He’s the only one I know who has always been unfazed by me. A fleeting memory pops in my mind of someone else, but I can’t catch it. It’s gone before I can exhale on my next breath. Ignoring it, I turn to the doctor waiting for a response from him.

He takes the glass from me and puts it on the table next to me before he says, “You’ve been in a severe accident that has injured the back of your brain, which means that you may have lost some part of your memory. How much, we’ll have to conduct tests to ascertain. But as of now, it seems that you’re suffering from some form of amnesia.”

I give him a fierce look.

“That can’t be true,” I scoff.

His lips flatten and he crosses his arms in front of him. “With due respect, Your Grace, that is true because the year is 2020 and you seem to be missing five years of your life. I’ll be back to conduct a few tests once you’re settled in with this information.”

I massage the back of my neck, my thoughts spinning. The doctor exchanges a nod with Gabe before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

“Holy Mother of God!” I turn to Gabe.  “This is so confusing. Tell me what happened Gabe. No wait, why did the doctor address me as Your Grace?”

Gabe takes a tentative step forward. “A week ago, you met with an accident. Your car burst into flames as you crashed into a tree. The medics found you a distance away from the burning car. You survived, but with a severe injury to the back of your head. You were operated on and have been in a coma since. And...”

“Go on,” I urge him as he pauses.

“Your father and elder brother died ten days ago in another car accident. You are now the Duke of Kittridge.”