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Eleven
Aubrey twisted her hands as Dr. Mitchell thumbed through a stack of papers. She’d spent most of a day last week at the doctor’s office, undergoing a battery of tests to determine if there’d been any improvement. The other woman hummed, then nodded, then hummed again.
“I’m pleasantly surprised.” Dr. Mitchell’s kind smile made the good news better.
Aubrey let out a nervous laugh, notably relieved. “I was worried you’d tell me something I didn’t want to hear.”
“I might. But overall, I’m pleased with your progress.”
Aubrey wasn’t. Over the last month, she’d been the opposite of barraged with memories of her life. The recollections came more as a trickle, and even then they weren’t complete. Though she’d recalled many bits and pieces of her life, a significant chunk of her memory was AWOL.
“You have had many memories, and better yet, you haven’t forgotten anything from the last few days.” Dr. Mitchell set the paperwork aside. “According to Vic, anyway. You two have been spending a lot of time together.”
“Yes.” She’d filled out the questionnaire and then had asked him to corroborate her memories. As the doctor had mentioned when Aubrey had picked up the forms, “There’s no other way for me to know if the new memories you’re creating are sticking.”
Aubrey had joked to Vic about leaving out her stickiest memories of the loft and the time spent in his bedroom. He had given her a wicked grin and said, “I’ll spare your doctor the filthy, fantastic facts, but you should feel free to share them with me in as much detail as possible. And if you’d like a reenactment, just yell.”
She’d been understandably nervous about the assessment. Would Dr. Mitchell tell Aubrey that she was healing too slowly? Would any of her answers trigger a warning?
“Does this mean I can return to work?” Aubrey asked.
“You’re close, but not yet. I’d like to see a bit more progress before you take on the stressors of returning to the workforce.”
“But I—”
“You love your job. I understand, Ms. Collins, but good stress is still stress. I would also prefer you didn’t drive yet, as an extra precaution.”
Aubrey let out a frustrated sigh and then blurted, “What about riding a horse?” She’d wanted to climb onto Titan the moment she’d laid eyes on him.
“This is a common question among you Texans,” Dr. Mitchell said with a chuckle. She stacked the paperwork and tucked it into the file by her elbow. “I moved here from Chicago, and after nearly eight years, I still can’t wrap my head around those animals.”
Just when Aubrey thought her request would be denied, the doctor continued, “No bronco riding, but if you want to go for a steady trot, I don’t see the harm. Navigating an open pasture is different from changing lanes in thick freeway traffic. Give me the benefit of not worrying about you behind the wheel yet. Okay?”
“Okay.” Aubrey would take the win. A tepid trot on horseback was at least some forward progress. She exited the doctor’s office and found her mother in the waiting room. Aubrey quickly relayed the state of her health as they walked out of the hospital and to her mother’s car.
“Will you drop me off at the Grandin ranch? I want to surprise Vic.”
“I don’t care what your doctor says, I’m not comfortable with you riding a horse.” Mary’s mouth pulled into a frown as she steered out of the parking lot.
“It’s not like I’m in a rodeo. I miss riding. I feel like it’s been forever.”
“Ever since you and Vic—” Her mother shook her head as she drove.
“Ever since me and Vic what?”
“You stopped riding ten years ago.”
Funny how that timeline seemed to coincide with not only her memories of him, but also the engagement ring hiding in his drawer. “Why?”
“You were focused on college.”
Again with the college excuse? Hadn’t she known that it was possible to be, do and have more than life as a college student? She understood pursuing her beloved profession had taken dedicated attention, but what about the years after she’d earned her degree? Why hadn’t she returned to doing what she’d loved before? Like riding horses, or marrying her freaking boyfriend?
“I’m not allowed to go back to work yet, so this is the first good news I’ve had in a while. I’d appreciate if you didn’t ruin it for me,” Aubrey clipped. Her frustration was aimed at the wrong person, but she couldn’t help herself. “I will call a car service from your house if you refuse to take me to see him.”
“All right, all right. Goodness, you’re spirited today.” Mary sounded reluctant when she admitted, “I’ve missed this side of you. Maybe this incident is a blessing in disguise.”
Aubrey liked the sound of that, especially since she had been enjoying her life lately. She had no way of knowing if she was behaving differently than normal—but she had zero complaints.
