“Well, my life started May 15th, 1996, when I awoke from a coma, at St. John’s Hospital, here in Big Bear Lake.  I was spotted at the bottom of a ravine by a group of hikers on the other side of the lake.  No one knows how long I was in the ravine, but best guess was at least three days.  When they got me to the hospital, they found I had a massive head injury, a dislocated shoulder, three cracked ribs, and a broken leg.  I was severely dehydrated and suffering from exposure.  I was out of it, for almost three weeks,” said Mark 

“I’ve heard that people in a coma know what’s going on around them.  Is that true?” asked Lance.

“Yeah, kind of.  There is no sense of time. At first, I thought I was dreaming a bad dream. I would get short blips, words, phrases, smells, and touches.  It was like listening to a radio, when the station keeps fading in and out.  Most of the time it was just noise.  But after a while I started to react to the stimulus. You start recognizing voices, some make you feel good and others you don’t like.  Near the end, I looked forward to two voices. A male voice, he made me feel safe, and a female voice, always so sweet and caring.  Then the words started to run together into statements, statements that I understood. I realized it was not a dream, but that the voices were real and they wanted me to wake up.  But I was awake, in my head, I just couldn’t open my eyes.  It was a real struggle, I knew I needed to wake up.”

“When you woke up what happened?” asked Chris.

Chuckling, Marc recalled that day.  “The female voice was there, talking so sweetly, telling me it was time to wake up.  Fussing around me, touching my hand and face.  I wanted so badly to open my eyes for this person.  Then I heard her walk away.  I was trying so hard to open my eyes and this sweet person was leaving.” 
 “I was crushed, she left before I could see her.  Then a few minutes later, I heard her returning.  This was my chance, my eyes started to open, it was so bright, and someone was standing next to my bed.  My eyes finally  were able to focus, and there stood the ugliest nurse I have ever seen.”

“What was your reaction to seeing the nurse? asked Joey.

“I just screamed,” Marc answered, smiling.

“Who was she?” Joey asked.

“Nurse Winters,  head nurse on the second floor.  She is old, and looked like she sucked lemons all day.  As it turned out, it was her voice I didn’t like when I was out.  Well, all the screaming brought Dr. Morgan and nurse Sara running into the room.”

“Was Sara the voice you wanted to see?” asked Lance.

“Yep, Sara was my angel.  And Doc Morgan was the other voice I remembered. As it turned out my head injury caused amnesia.”

“You didn’t remember anything?” asked Chris.

“Oh, it was not full amnesia.  I knew how to talk, I could read, I could identify objects, I just had no memory of me.  Nothing at all about me, I had no name, no family, no past.  I knew things that I had to have learned in school, but I have no memory of school.  No memory of growing up in a family,” Marc said softly tears starting to run down his face.  “There was this big empty spot in my head, where I should have been.  But I wasn’t.”

Lance put his hand on Marc’s, giving a gentle squeeze.  “Marc, if this is too hard for you, you don’t have to do this.”

“It’s ok. My psychologists said this is good for me.  It keeps me from kidnapping celebrities and holding them for ransom,” Marc said with a slight smile.

“We don’t want to go against your psychologists. How did you get your name?”  asked Joey.

“Well, after confirming my amnesia, Dr Morgan asked me what name would I like to go by.  Remembering what the sweet voice, Sara, kept calling me, I said Prince Charming.”

“Prince Charming?” they all said with big smiles.

“Yeah, Prince Charming.  Sara kept calling me that, when I was unconscious.  I was looking at her when I said it.  She turned so, red.  And all her dad could do was laugh at her reaction.” 
“Dr Tom thought that Prince sounded more like a dog’s name, than the first name of a person.  So I chose Marc.”

“Why, Marc?” asked Chris.

“I don’t know. For some reason I liked Marc.  For all I know, it really may be my name.”

“And Newman?”

“I was starting a new life.  I was a new person, ‘new man’ seemed to fit, so I became Marc Newman.”

“Your birthday?”

“The day I woke up.”

“Now, we understand the third birthday.”

“Doc Tom estimated my age at 19, from physical traits, bone, dental, and muscle development.  He said his guess would be within six months, give or take.”

“How long did they keep you in the hospital?” asked JC.

“Six weeks,  I had a broken leg that was in a cast for three more weeks,  then  physical therapy to learn to walk again.  During that time, I started to read.  My  mind was like a sponge, everything I would read, I would remember - everything.  And the speed at which I read kept getting faster.  I was able to look at a page, for just a second and I knew everything that was on it.   In two weeks, I read every book, and magazine in the hospital library.

“I finished the medical library a week later.  The nurses started bring books from the public library.  They would get six at a time, drop them off at the start of their shift and pick them up when they got off.”

“What kind of books?” asked Justin.

“Books on every subject. The only thing I stayed away from was fiction.   Textbooks were a favorite.  The librarian kept a list of all the books checked out by the staff for me so I wouldn’t repeat any.”

“How many a day?” asked Chris.

“I had 10 to 12 people each day bringing me books, over 60 a day.  But they would come in staggered, as the shifts are. So I was able to read them all over 16 hours.”

The guys kind of had a stunned look on their faces.

“You have to realize I could read a 500 page text book in about 10 minutes, and if there were lots of pictures it took less time.  It went on like that for five weeks. Then I had a break down.  Doc said it was information overload.  My brain said stop, no more, need time to process.  For three days I couldn’t talk, my eyes wouldn’t focus, I was unresponsive.  I slept most of the time.  Doc feared I had a stroke.  But after three days I woke up normal, everything working again.”

“Were you still able to speed read?” asked Chris.

“Yea, I could still speed read, but I didn’t enjoy it any more.  I found reading at a normal speed was more enjoyable.  I just slowed down.” 

“After the break down, Tom set up some testing to see if a level of education could be established.  After all, I didn’t have a high school diploma and I needed to get my GED.

“Two eggheads came from Madison and started giving me tests.  I Q tests, SAT, if there was a test, I took it.  At first it was fun, but after four days it started to get boring.”

“And how did the tests turn out?” asked Lance.

“It seemed I passed most all of them.  I got my GED.  I.Q. turned out above 180.  And they offered me a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin.  I was put into accelerated programs.  I had qualified for a lot of credit hours, in a lot of subjects.  All I had to do was take a few courses in each major, to get a degree.”

“Degrees in what subjects?” asked JC.

“Well I’ve earned my bachelor’s degree in Computer Sciences, English Literature, and Music.  I should complete my masters in music this fall.  I also have minors in accounting, business management, and business law.”

“Wow, you completed all that in three years.  When did you find time to have a life, hang out with friends?” asked Joey.

“School became my life, it was everything. I didn’t make friends, I was too busy learning.  The only people I had any kind of relationship with were Doc Tom and Sara.”

“I’ve heard you call Sara sis. Did they make you a part of their family?” asked Chris.

 “Well they are two of the most important people in my life.  Sara and I bonded right off.  She would put up with my endless questions.  She would listen to my fears, help me work through my emotional times, give me support when I needed it and give a kick in the rear when I needed that too.  She is my best friend and I love her a lot.

“Tom, he kind of became my dad.  He always makes time to listen, helps me make big decisions by talking me thru the problem.  He’s been there for me, from the start, showing his support and love. 

 “On my first birthday, we went out to dinner, to celebrate.  After dinner, Tom handed me a birthday card.  In it he had written ‘Marc, over the last year I have watched you grow and develop into an outstanding young man.  Sara and I have grown to love you deeply.  Will you consider a name  change, and agree to become my son?’

“I told them both that nothing in the world would make me happier than to become part of their family.  But I couldn’t.  Not knowing who I was, or if I had a family out there somewhere.  They understood.  But unofficially we became a family.  I have a dad, and a sister in my life and I know I will always have them there for me.

“On my second birthday Dad hands me a big envelope.  On the outside is written ‘Just in case you change your mind.  Love Dad.” 

“What was in the envelope?” asked Justin.

“Adoption papers.  With a note attached: ‘For when the time feels right. Love Dad.’

“And this year I got an updated version for my birthday.”

“That’s real cool, do you ever think you’ll sign the papers?” asked Lance.

“Maybe, some day, but I have to try to find out about me, first,”  Marc said, looking around the table at his new friends. Marc glanced at the table,  “But first we need to clean up this mess.”    “Since Lance and I cooked supper,  you guys can decide who gets K P tonight.”

“I thought we were guests,” said Joey.

“Oh, guests, right,” Marc replied, reaching for the pad of paper on the counter.  “Let’s see,  accommodations for five, in a rustic lake side resort cabin, $250.00 each a night.  Gourmet meal with floor show, $125.00 each, minus Lance’s discount for helping with dinner.”

“All right, we get the picture.  Come on Josh, let’s get this cleaned up.,” said Joey, getting up from his seat. 
 

“I’m glad you two finally volunteered your services.  I need to make a few phone calls, be back in a few,” Marc said, getting up from the table, turning and heading to the den.

“Well guys, what do you think about Marc?” asked JC

“I think he’s cool,” said Joey.

“Yeah, I like him a lot,” said Chris.  “He’s sure had a rough life.”

“You know what I like best about him?” asked Lance.  “It’s the way he is around us.  He’s a fan and all, but he’s different.”

“Yeah, he treats us like normal people, not celebrities.  He doesn’t put up with our shit.  I like that,” said Justin.
Smiling, Josh added, “Yeah, I liked how he shot us down about being guests.  I think we’ve found a new friend.”

“Guys, I know we had plans for this week.  Would you mind if we just hang out with Marc?  I’d like to get to know him better,” said Justin.

They all exchanged looks and agreed it would be neat.

Marc went to his desk, picked up the phone and dialed a number.

“Hank’s Body Shop, Hank speaking.”

“Hi, Hank.  It’s Marc.”

“Hay, Marc, how are you doing?  Heard you had an accident.”

“I’m doing alright.  That’s what I called you about.  The van I ran into needs to be fixed right away.  It’s a rental, Alamo, and I don’t want them to get stuck with the repair bills.”

“No problem.  What kind of damage?”

“Right side sliding door.  I put a big dent in the lower half and messed up the paint.”

“That won’t take to long to fix.  You can have it back in three days.”

“Great! What do you have on the lot that can handle six?  There’s no way we can squeeze six into my car.”

“The blue Chevy will seat eight.  Will that do?”

“Perfect.  Can you drop it by in the morning when you pick up the van?”

“Yeah, no problem.  Do you need anything else?”

“Yeah. On your way out, stop by the  bait shop, and pick up five out-of-state fishing license.  That way we can spend the day on the lake.”

“You got it.  I’ll drop it off around 6 a.m.  And I’ll see to it all the paperwork is taken care of.” 

“Thanks, Hank, have a good night. Bye.”

Marc looked up as Lance walked in.  “Hi, Lance.  You guys need to get all you stuff out of the van.  The body shop will be picking it up early in the morning to fix the door.”

“Ok, I’ll tell the others.”

A few minutes later Justin came in with the folder from the sheriff’s office.  “What do you want me to do with this?” 

“It’s yours, do what you want with it.  But my suggestion is destroy it.  You don’t want any reporters getting a hold of it.”

“Yeah, you’re right.  I’ll go throw this on the coals.”

“Justin, first what is the file number?”

“BBL74589 why?”

“I want to check on something. Bobby Lee gave in too easily.”

The other guys came into the den with their bags as Marc booted the computer.

The computer said, “Please identify.”

Marc said, “This is my tree, don’t pee on it.”

Identity confirmed.

“Computer, connect to county sheriff’s system.  Use back door.  Security protocol Beta.” 

Connection confirmed.

“Computer, search for file BBL74589.”

File located.

“Computer, display file.” On Marc’s monitor was displayed Justin’s arrest record.
Everybody gathered around the desk to see the monitor.  When Justin saw the screen he  softly groaned. 
“Damn you, Bobby Lee! You’re not going to get away with this.”

“Computer, search for all reference to Justin Timberlake.”

Results, current file.

“Computer, delete current file.”

File deleted.

“Computer, activate worm program Marc 21.”

Program configuration.

“Computer, search and delete all reference to Justin Timberlake and /or file BBL74589.”

Life?

“Computer, life 90 days.”

Program configured.

“Computer, upload to connected system and run.”

Upload confirmed.

“Computer, exit system.”

Exit confirmed.

“Computer, shut down system.”

Confirm shut down.

“Computer, confirm shut down Marc 7.”

Good bye.

“What exactly just happened,” asked Chris.

“Bobby Lee gave us Justin’s paperwork  without any arguments, that was not like him. So I just checked the police computer to see what he was hiding,” said Marc. 

“Is it not against the law to break into a police department computer?”  asked Josh.

“It is, but I didn’t break in.  I designed and built that system.  I just did some routine maintenance.  Cleaned out some old files and started a house cleaning program,”  said Marc with a sly smile.

Getting up Marc said to Justin,  “Let’s go barbeque that file.”  Everybody went out to the patio to watch Justin place the folder on the still glowing coals and see it burn.

Justin said, “I’m beat, I’m going to head on to bed.  See you in the morning. Good night.”

“Good night, Justin,” everyone said.

“It’s sure quiet out here,” said Lance.

"That’s why I love living here. It’s so peaceful at night.  And look at the sky, have you ever seen so many stars?”

Everyone just stood there for ten minutes in silence, enjoying the view of the sky.

“Well guys, I’m going to head to bed.  I get up at six to go running.  I’ll try to be quiet so you can sleep in.  See you at breakfast.”

“Good night, Marc,” they all answered.

Marc stopped  by the bathroom and changed into a clean pair of shorts and headed to bed.  Marc was surprised to find Justin had chosen to share his bed.  As he crawled in under the covers Justin rolled over to face Marc. 

“Marc, thanks for being there today.  I don’t think I would have survived in the jail.  You’ve been a good friend.  I really appreciate it.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t do anything special.  I don’t have many friends, but when one needs help, there’s nothing that can stop me. Now lets get some rest.  Good night, Just.”

“Good night, Marc.”

TBC