This is a small side project I've had on the mind for a while. It's about a guy, Erik, who has an accident and suffers from amnesia, causing him to see the beautiful women in his family as just that, beautiful.
Massive thank you to my editor, AirSearch1, he's been fantastic even with a busy schedule.
I hope you all enjoy it. And please do leave your feedback, or email me with what you have to say. I love that part.
The Ritzy Family Hotel
Part 1
The Ritzy Hotel. A family run business founded by Erik Edbury's grandfather, Arthur Edbury. In the early 1900's, Arthur inherited a small fortune and purchased a building overlooking the sea on a rocky countryside.
Arthur spent the next few years tidying the building up, renovating it and slowly turning it into a liveable and functionable hotel. Due to its location and noticeable high-end luxury, the hotel started to make waves across the country as a popular holiday destination.
Arthur soon found himself a steady fortune and a lovely wife. He then had children, James his son, and Lily his daughter. James and Lily both started working at the hotel when they came of age and before long it became a family run business.
As the years went by, the Ritzy Hotel came across several issues including unhappy neighbours willing enough to cause many unnecessary problems and ever-increasing storm damage. Over time the hotel had its ups and downs but stayed active even during the harshest of years.
The stress of it all eventually got to Arthur as he died late into his seventies. He left the hotel to James and Lily, part owned as an equal split, hoping they would continue the family business. They did, and before long they each had their own children to help run the hotel.
"Erik. Can you hear me? Please wake up. I don't mind if you want to annoy me like you always do. Just... please wake up."
James married his wife Audrey and had two children, called Erik and Elena. While Lily married her husband Brian and also had two children, called Violet and Layla. With all four eventually coming of age, the hotel had an entire roster of family to suit each job role required, and truly became a family run business.
James and Audrey committed themselves to the business and still continue to run it to this day. While Lily and Brian moved on with their lives by retiring early. They only live a couple of hours away, but their children, Violet and Layla, remained at the hotel to continue their work.
Every single one of the Edbury family loved the hotel. Including distant relatives. But like all things, with love and freedom came turmoil and conflict. Lily and Brian just couldn't handle the bickering and difference of opinions on a near constant basis. It became too much. So they sold their shares of the business to James and left on fairly good terms.
"Dad. Tell me Erik's going to be okay. He's always okay."
"I promise you sweetheart, he will be fine. He will come back to us."
Erik and Elena had grown up with Violet and Layla. Their ages being within six years of each other, they found it incredibly easy to get along. They got on so well, and had known each other since birth, that the word "cousin" was very rarely used. They were closer than that. Closer than even family. The four were nigh on inseparable.
Erik happened to be the oldest of the four, then Violet, Elena and finally Layla. Twenty-five, twenty three, twenty one and nineteen. They were best friends, and on such good terms that it was practically poetic.
It had been a successful summer. Hundreds of guests in and out with happy faces and memorable experiences. Friday was usually the changeover day, and the girls had been busy cleaning rooms nonstop. They were so busy in fact, that not a single one of them had heard their brother and cousin fall down one of the flights of stairs.
Erik laid flat against the waxed hardwood flooring with blood pouring from his head. Unconscious and unresponsive. It was his sister Elena who had found him first. The doctors estimated him to have been laying there for at least an hour before his sister found him.
Now in the hospital and seemingly in a never-ending coma, Erik fights for survival as his family sits close by awaiting the news. Elena had never left her brother's side. Even when they were children, she was always close. And now sitting beside his bed in the hospital, she felt as far away as she could possibly have been.
"Umm, Mr. and Mrs. Edbury?"
James and Audrey both look up with horrifyingly sad faces. "Doctor!" Audrey is first to speak. "Please tell me he's going to be okay?"
The doctor looks up at Audrey and prepares to give her the news. "It appears your son has taken a serious injury to the back of his head. While stable, the damage it may have caused is not yet known. We should know more after running a few more tests, but at the very least he's in the clear for the time being."
James nods to the doctor as Audrey breaks down into tears. Elena looks up from Erik's bed with an equal expression and focuses back on her brother.
A day later the same doctor walks back into the room with more information. "Hello again Mr. and Mrs. Edbury. I have some more news for you regarding your son." The doctor waits a few moments for the couple to compose themselves in preparation. "I have good news, and unfortunately some bad. Erik will make a full recovery, physically."
"Wha... what do you mean? Asked Audrey.
"Well, physically he will be fine. Good as new in fact. However, the blow to the back of his head has likely caused some amnesia. From a small bleed in his brain it's effected the area where memory is stored. It's highly likely that when he awakes, he will suffer from some form of amnesia."
The parents are both delighted with the news, but the thought of their son forgetting who they are, breaks their heart on an unparalleled level.
"S...some form of amnesia? So you don't know what he will remember?"
"Well, it's possible that he'll only suffer from short-term memory loss, but it's just as likely that it's long-term... or..."
"Or what doctor?"
"Well, there's a small chance that it could be permanent."
James, Audrey and Elena all break down into some form of crying. James managing to contain his sadness with only a few loose tears.
"I'm sorry the news isn't as good as I'd have hoped."
"No, no it's fine. He's going to be okay. That's all we needed to hear. If he can't remember something, then we'll bring him back. As a family." Audrey smiled at the doctor and went back to her son's bedside.
Several more days passed with little signs of life. Then, one night just as the family was about to head home for the night, Erik started to stir in his sleep. First his limbs moved every so slightly. Then his eyes flickered.
"Oh my god! Erik! Are you there?" Spoke Elena with utmost urgency.
"Urghhuhh..."
"He's coming around mum, dad! He's waking up!"
The three of them stood either on side of his bed and stared down in hopes for his eyes to open once more.
"Nuhhh, where... where am I?" Erik's first words in over a week.
Audrey immediately started to tear up hearing her son speak. "You're in the hospital sweetheart. You had a fall, but you're okay now."
Erik's eyes slowly started to open allowing the light in. The first thing he saw was a woman. A young woman with long light brown hair and green eyes, however slightly red and tear ridden.
He tried to focus his attention on her. She was beautiful. Impossibly smooth skin, puffy pink lips and body seemingly built for everything naughty. The woman bent down and edged herself closer to him, allowing Erik the slightest chance to look down her top at the mouth-watering cleavage before him.
Erik didn't know this woman. Why would such a beauty be beside him? Beside his bed?
"Why? What's... what's going on? Who are you?"
Elena looked at Erik, her expression changing from thankful to worried in an instant.
"I'm, I'm your sister. Elena. Erik don't you remember me?" The tears once again beginning to form under her eyes.
"Elena? I don... uhh I don't know you. Who's Erik?"
James mustered up the strength to speak. "That's you. Erik, you were involved in an accident and hit your head."
Erik slowly moved his head, unfortunately looking away from the beautiful woman by his side. "I, I can't remember. Who are you?"
"I'm your father, James. And this is Audrey, your mother."
"James... and Audrey?" They both nodded at him. "And you're my mum and dad? Why can't I remember you. I can't remember anything! Why is this happening to..."
"Easy Erik, easy now. We'll explain everything. Just stay calm. It's all going to be okay. I promise." James rested his hand on his son's shoulder.
Erik laid there mildly panicked but attempted to do as the nice man asked. Everyone felt like a stranger to him, even himself. Erik didn't know what he liked or what he didn't like. What made him happy or sad. No memories or dreams of the future. He was suddenly nobody.
The Edbury's had a quick discussion outside of Erik's room to come to an understanding of what to do next. Deciding that it was best to take things slowly, Elena offered to fill him in on the basics. Hoping it would jog his memory, while trying not to overwhelm him at the same time.
Elena walked back into her brother's room alone and sat down beside his bed where she had been for the better part of the week. Erik found himself to be excited as she entered. Even though he didn't know who she truly was, somehow he found to be comfortable around her.
"Hi Erik. I'm glad you're awake."
"T-thank you, I guess. Hey ummm, Elena was it?" Elena sadly nodded in his direction. "Can you do me a favour and grab me a mirror. I want to see what I'm working with."
"Uhh sure?"