Page 36 of Nightstalker

We? What is all this we shit? Who is we?

“Lincoln, do you agree?” The doctor now asked him.

What in the actual fuck? Why was the doctor asking Lincoln his opinion on my medical treatment?

“I will support Laura in whichever treatment she chooses. The important thing is that she is healthy.” Lincoln kissed me.

“Very well, I want to discuss all of the possible side effects of the treatment. That is why we are video recording todays discussion. As I told you, a side effect can be chemically induced amnesia. This could range anywhere from complete memory loss, short term- meaning you could lose the last few months, give or take. It could be permanent or your memories might come back over time. This is experimental; I cannot give you any hard data on this drug cocktail.” The doctor paused to look at Lincoln. “Laura could wake up and have no memory of you what so ever. She might not know who you are.”

“My only concern is that Laura is safe and the seizures stop. I made her fall in love with me once, even convinced her to marry me. I am sure I can do it a second time around.” Lincoln smiled at me.

WHAT THE HELL! Full stop, what? I scrambled, trying to find the arrow button on the screen. I needed to rewind that shit. I think I might have been dazed and off into la la land. I thought I heard Lincoln say “marry me”. After fumbling for a minute I found the back arrow button and backed up a few frames and hit play one more time.

Lincoln’s voice came through the laptop strong and clear. “My only concern is that Laura is safe and the seizures stop. I made her fall in love with me once, even convinced her to marry me, I am sure I can do it a second time around.”

“I don’t know how I could ever forget you Lincoln. I love you more than anything in this world. I can promise you it would be impossible for my heart not to know yours.” I sounded sure and strong. Love was shining in my eyes as I looked into Lincoln’s smiling face.

“I love you too, baby.” He twisted the ring on my left finger.

I heard a loud smash in the kitchen. I slammed the laptop shut and jumped up, my heart pounding in my chest.

Lincoln. He had come back into the house.

His face was murderous. I wasn’t sure what I had done wrong this time, but he looked like he was going to strangle me. I should’ve ran up the stairs and hidden under the bed. That is what the smart thing to do would have been. That is not, however, what I did. Instead I let the hurt and devastation pour out of me. The agony of everything I had lost.

“You lying asshole! A meaningless fuck, a means to scratch an itch. That’s what you said to me. That is what you said the time we spent together was. Fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you some more!” I sobbed out.

Lincoln did not speak, he just stared at me. I needed him to get pissed and scream back at me. I needed to fight; I needed something to make me feel something other than pain.

“Speak, asshole! Tell me something, anything. Why, why, why?” The tantrum I was throwing would have been embarrassing if it were not so heartbreaking.

“Woman, I warned you about that fucking mouth of yours. You’re letting it get away from you again. I think I also warned you about asking questions you didn’t want to know the answers to. You are not ready for the truth,” he growled out his response.

“Lincoln, please! Why didn’t you tell me that? I don’t understand? Was all of that on the video part of your cover?”

Maybe I should have really gone with my first instinct to run away from him. He stomped towards me, grabbing me by my biceps when he got near, and shook me so hard my teeth gnashed together.

“Woman, I come home after two fucking years to finally claim my WIFE, and she throws shit at me and says I am nothing but a warm dick to her. That I am nothing more than some asshole to keep her bed warm. Two mother fucking years I had to wait. The only thing I could have of you was updates from my brother. Not knowing if you were sleeping or safe, if you were sad and lonely. I fought my ass off to get back to you and...” He stopped midsentence and shook his head. “You know what? I don’t have time for this shit.”

He stormed away from me, slamming the door behind him. Leaving me for a second time all alone.

Wife.

Chapter Sixteen

Jasmin

I skipped lunch and dinner with the team; instead I hid in my room like a coward. I could not face them yet. Eric and Zane both tried to come up and talk to me. I sent them both away. I was not fit for company. Either I was sobbing or angry as hell. I had watched the rest of the video, now I was wrecked with grief and regret. I wished I could go back and change what I had done. I would take the memories of my torture and the seizures if it meant I could remember the Lincoln in that video. He looked at me with so much love. I ached inside to have that again.

I did have that again, I had it yesterday. I saw the passion and love in his eyes last night. I just didn’t understand it. I ruined everything.

I needed to get the hell out of this room, out of this damn house for a while. I quietly opened my bedroom door and checked to make sure the hallway was empty before I tiptoed down the hall, making my way to the stairs. Looking down to make sure no one was blocking the front door, I silently descended the stairs and opened the front door. Freedom.

I strolled down to the water’s edge, enjoying the silence when I heard footsteps behind me. Christ Almighty I was going to have to shoot someone. I just wanted peace.

“Jasmin,” it was my uncle Tom.

“Mr. President,” I joked back.