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“Nope,” Bobby said, dashing his hopes.
“Did he do something to attract attention or threaten her?” Melodie asked, joining in on the conversation. Having worked with Cole on a few cases, she was perceptive when it came to picking up on details.
“No. He was just walking behind us. He didn’t say anything or make any hostile moves toward us.” They’d been over the scene a dozen times but hadn’t come up with clues that explained Natalie’s strange behavior. She was the only one who could give them those missing pieces to the puzzle. “But whoever he is, without a doubt he’s what set Natalie off.”
“Then we’ll just have to wait until we can talk to Natalie and find out who the guy is,” Bobby replied pragmatically. “The way things look right now, the department can’t even start an investigation on the guy, not unless Natalie gives us more information to go on.”
Noah shoved both hands, palms out, into the back pockets of his jeans. “I’m sure she’ll cooperate once she’s feeling better.” At least he was hopeful she’d share more information than she had earlier.
Forty minutes later, a doctor in green scrubs came out of the double doors separating the waiting room from the staff.
“Who here is a relative of Ms. Hastings?” he asked, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose as he glanced around at the people in the area.
Noah automatically stepped forward. “I am.”
The lie slipped out with ease. He didn’t know if she had any family in the area and hadn’t found anything in her purse to indicate so. Though he’d discovered a prepaid phone, there had only been two contacts saved and named—Murphy’s and Gina from work—which he’d found odd.
He needed to know Natalie’s status, wanted to make sure whatever threat she’d seen didn’t make its way any closer to her. And the only way he could assure her safety was to appoint himself as her full-time bodyguard until this mess was straightened out. Which meant lying when necessary.
He shook the other man’s hand. “I’m her fiancé,” he added, just for an extended measure of believability. He caught Melodie’s big, rounded eyes and Cole’s raised brow from behind the doctor, and ignored them both. “How is Natalie?”
“She’s in stable condition right now,” the other man said, clasping his hands in front of him. “She has no life-threatening injuries but did suffer a concussion when her head hit the ground. She’s regained consciousness a few times, so that’s a good sign.”
A huge blanket of worry lifted from Noah’s shoulders. “So she’s going to be okay?”
“Physically, she’ll be sore and bruised for a few days, but she’ll recover just fine,” the doctor reassured him. “Emotionally and mentally, though, we’re a bit concerned. We ran tests and X-rays and did an MRI just to be sure we ruled out anything serious, but it does appear that she’s suffering some memory loss. She only remembers bits and pieces leading up to the accid
ent, and it’s apparent that part of her memory is blocked.”
“Are you saying she has amnesia?” he asked incredulously.
“The technical term for what she has is called ‘retrograde amnesia,’” the doctor clarified. “It’s quite common with people who have sustained head injuries, or have suffered from something traumatic leading up to an accident.”
That certainly qualified in Natalie’s case. Noah glanced in disbelief at the trio listening in on the conversation, then back to the calm, patient doctor standing in front of him. “So, how long does this amnesia last?”
“It can last anywhere from hours, to days, to weeks. The amnesia in this case is very selective, and there is usually a full recovery in time. We’ll be keeping her overnight for further observation, but I do suggest that once she’s discharged from the hospital she isn’t left alone until she’s feeling confident about her surroundings and the people in her life.”
“That’s not a problem,” Noah said abruptly, and wove another lie to keep her safe from potential harm. “We live together.”
“Very good, then.” The doctor smiled pleasantly. “When you see her, don’t pressure her to remember things, because that can cause her more stress and can possibly suppress her memories deeper. Just let her remember things as they come to her, and in her own time.”
“Can I see her?” he asked hopefully.
“She’s resting right now—”
“I swear I won’t bother her,” he interrupted quickly, desperately. “I just need to see for myself that she’s okay.”
The older man glanced around the waiting room, his gaze briefly settling on Bobby, Cole, and Melodie. “Are there any other family members here?”
“No, her family doesn’t live in the area.” The fibs kept getting easier and easier to fabricate, and he was grateful that nobody interfered.
The doctor hesitated a moment, then gave a succinct nod of his head. “That’s fine. In fact, I can have one of the nurses bring in a cot to her room for you if you’d like to stay the night. That way, she can wake up to a familiar face.”
“That would be great.” He shook the other man’s hand again, appreciating the opportunity to be close to her. “Thank you.”
After issuing goodbyes to his brother, Melodie, and Bobby, and promising to let them all know what he found out when he was able to question Natalie, he followed a nurse to Natalie’s private room.
“I’ll be back with a cot and extra blankets for you,” the nurse said, then left him alone with Natalie.
