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“What?” I gasp, my eyes growing wide as I stare up at him. My mind drifts to Mercedes. We took a cab back to my place after the club. “What about my friend, Mercedes? Is she okay?”
The doctor glances at mystery man before turning back to me. “Can you tell me what year it is, Miss Shaw?”
“Two thousand fourteen,” I answer, my patience quickly slipping away. Why the hell is he avoiding my questions about Mercedes? Did something happen to her? “Is Mercedes okay? She was in the car with me after the bar. We were going back to our apartment.”
Dr. Wilson sighs, compassion flashing across his face. “Miss Shaw, your friend, Mercedes, wasn’t with you.”
“Yes, she was,” I insist, interrupting him. I don’t know what kind of game he’s playing but I want to know where Mercedes is. That girl is like the sister I never had and if something happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself for forcing her to go out for drinks with me.
“Juliette,” he says, his voice soft but commanding. “She wasn’t with you when you came in because it’s two thousand nineteen, not two thousand fourteen. You’re in Miami and the man sitting beside you is your fiancé.”
“What?” I ask, my mind reeling as my gaze flicks back and forth between the two of them. Mystery man offers me a hopeful smile. “No. That can’t be right.”
“It is right, baby,” the man… my fiancé… says, grabbing my hand again and I stare at him with wide eyes. “I’m Gavin, your fiancé.”
I slowly shake my head, my heart thundering in my chest as my head aches. No, this isn’t right. “I don’t have a boyfriend… or a fiancé. I only broke up with Rick a few weeks ago. He… didn’t want to make the move with me so we ended things.”
“That was five years ago, sweetheart,” Gavin says, his voice soft and I continue shaking my head. No, it wasn’t. It was just three weeks ago. None of this makes any sense. Tears sting my eyes as I look back and forth between the two of them again, trying to organize my thoughts and make sense of everything they’re saying but after a few moments, it’s still a jumbled mess. I turn to Gavin.
“You’re my…”
“Fiancé,” he supplies with a nod and I suck in a breath as I mirror him. How is this possible? How can I be engaged to a man that I don’t even know?
“And how long have we been together?”
He smiles as he reaches up toward my face. I jerk back on instinct and his expression falls as well as his hand. Guilt fills me.
“I’m sorry.”
“Nine months,” he answers, his voice low and full of pain. “We’ve been together for nine months.”
“I…” I start before snapping my mouth shut. The sorrow in his eyes makes me ache for him but I have no clue what to say. Even as I stare at him, knowing that he’s my fiancé and searching my memory for just a glimpse of his face, I don’t recognize him. He’s a complete stranger to me.
“So, they didn’t have any Sprite…” a woman says as she walks into the room. Her voice trails off as she stops and turns to look at me, her eyes popping open before she grins. “You’re awake!”
She sets a can of Mountain Dew down on the table and runs over to me, knocking the doctor out of the way and he grunts.
“Oh my God, Jules. I was beginning to think we lost you,” she says as she wraps her arms around me and I wince as pain washes over me. She pulls back with an apologetic expression. “Sorry, babe. How are you feeling?”
I study her as she stares back at me, trying desperately to place her but she’s just as much of a mystery to me as the man to my left. She’s adorable with her purple streaked dark hair and combat boots and something about her makes me feel at ease but I have no clue who she is or how I’m supposed to know her. I frown.
“I’m sorry. Who are you?”
Her gaze snaps up to Gavin before returning to me. “I’m Nico… your personal assistant and like best friend. You don’t remember me?”
“She doesn’t remember me either,” Gavin adds and I didn’t think it was possible but Nico’s eyes widen even more before she turns to the doctor.
“What the hell is going on here?” she demands, getting in his face with a ferociousness that surprises me. “Why doesn’t she remember us?”
“Miss Shaw,” Dr. Wilson prompts as he turns to me, completely unbothered by Nico’s outburst. “Are you okay with me discussing your medical condition in front of Mr. Hale and Miss Harris?”
I shrug. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Okay,” he answers, stepping forward and placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “One week ago, you were in a very serious car accident with your father. You sustained a serious head injury in that accident as well as a few cracked ribs. All in all, I’d say you are incredibly lucky. Your injuries should have been much worse.”
I take in everything he’s saying but it’s like I’m in a fog. “Okay…”
“Why can’t she remember us?” Nico asks, her voice growing impatient and Dr. Wilson sighs.