Page 8 of Running to You

“I wish you’d stay with me.”

He stepped closer. He couldn’t help it. How was he supposed to be kind and…? What had Daniel said? Three minutes with Eliza, and Sam had already forgotten.

He leaned down, brushed her hair back, and kissed her forehead. “You need to rest. Let me know if you need anything. I’m just down the hall on the right.”

“Okay.”

He swiveled and escaped.

Headed back to the kitchen, where Daniel was still focused on his laptop screen.

Camilla was sitting beside him, sipping from a mug. She looked up when Sam walked in. “How is she?”

“The same.” He shoved out a barstool on Daniel’s other side but didn’t sit. He was too restless. He paced across the hardwood floor and opened the refrigerator.

He wasn’t hungry or thirsty.

He slammed it shut and crossed to the opposite side of his kitchen island from his brother. “Have you learned anything?”

Daniel looked up, blinked. “She has amnesia.”

“Amnesia? Eight years of med school, an hour behind that stupid screen, and that’s what you came up with?”

Daniel didn’t rise to Sam’s bait. “Amnesia isn’t uncommon with head injuries. The extent of it—losing five years of her life—that’s less common, but not unheard of.”

“What should we do?”

“She needs rest. I’d like her to go to a hospital for a CT scan, but”—he tipped his head side to side—“honestly, there’s no reason to believe she has a brain bleed or clot. She isn’t sick. Her headache isn’t getting worse. Her speech and motor skills haven’t been affected.” He turned to Camilla. “She had no problem getting cleaned up and dressed?”

“Right. She can take care of herself. She was moving slowly. I think she’s in more pain than she said.”

“It’s hard to think past a pounding headache.” Daniel didn’t seem concerned. Which was really starting to tick Sam off. “She has no broken bones. My guess is she was in a car accident. Did you see who brought her here?”

“A white pickup truck. It left as soon as I opened the door.”

Dan pushed the laptop away. “You didn’t recognize it?”

“How would I?”

Camilla recoiled from his raised voice.

Daniel barely reacted. “Let’s not wake her. She needs her rest.”

His house was big enough that Eliza wouldn’t hear him. But that wasn’t really the point. To Camilla, he said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

“You’re understandably concerned.” She was kinder to him than he deserved. She dumped the rest of her tea in the sink and slipped the mug into the dishwasher. “I’ll leave some clothes outside her door for tomorrow.” She gave Sam a quick side hug. It’s going to be okay.” She rounded the island, kissed Daniel, and said, “Don’t stay up too late.”

He held her hand until she was out of reach and watched until she disappeared. They were like newlyweds, those two, despite the fact that they’d been married twenty-something years.

Finally, Daniel turned back to him. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Uh… An ex with amnesia is sleeping in my guest room?”

“You’re acting weird.”

Irritation surged. “A woman who disappeared five years ago shows up on my doorstep and throws herself into my arms—a woman who clearly thinks we’re still together—and I’m acting weird. How’s a person supposed to behave in that situation? Is there a manual?”

Daniel fished something from his pocket and dropped it on the island between them.