AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh my goodness, it’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed.
I stood up and quickly gave her a hug. “Oh, man, I miss you! How’s it going?”
She shrugged. “Same old thing.” She glanced around. “What are you doing here? Kayla said you were just hanging out?”
I laughed, trying to cover the awkwardness I felt. “Yeah. It’s a bit strange, but I was hoping that some time here would help me with some of my memory.”
“Really?”
I nodded once. “Yeah. I’ve been getting things back slowly, but usually it’s because something familiar unlocks it. Nothing so far here though…”
“Well, you didn’t exactly spend a lot of time in the waiting area.” She glanced back toward the hallway. “You want to come sit at the nurses’ station for a bit?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Seriously? Yeah!” I quickly looked back at Jake. “Oh, I mean…”
He smiled. “You go. Don’t worry about me at all.”
“Are you sure? I can stay,” I offered, even though I was dying to see if time behind the curtain would carry the key to any memories.
“Go. Call or text me when you’re ready to go home and I’ll come get you.” He tucked the cards in the pocket of the duffel bag and stood up, tossing it over his shoulder.
“You’re the best.” I stepped forward and lifted my face for a kiss. “Thank you,” I said sincerely after he gave me one. I looked at the clock. “Maybe an hour?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Just call me. If it’s going well, you might want longer.”
He was totally right. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Go find your memories. I’ll be here when you need me.”
I followed Julie back to the nurses’ station, already feeling a bit like I had at home, settling into a place I had missed without realizing it. I sat behind the computer where I usually did, instinctively pulling my phone out of my pocket and setting it on the shelf where it rested during my shifts. It usually never chimed though.
A memory broke through. It was me, reaching for my phone, seeing a text from someone labeled in my phone just as three fire symbols.
Missing you today.
In the memory, Julie asked,“Who’s that from?”and I jolted, nervously dismissing the message and flipping my phone facedown.
“No one,”I said, but I could feel the smile on my face even in the present.
Back in the present, I turned to Julie. “Did you know I was seeing someone?”
She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “Girl. We all knew you were seeing someone, but you wouldn’t tell us who. I stopped trying to get you to spill.” She pointed toward the waiting room with wide eyes. “Was that him? You were dating Firefighter Jake all that time and you never told us!” Julie groaned. “The girls are going to flip out. Seriously? You know all the hearts you’re going to break?”
Another memory, fuzzier, came into view. Three other nurses sitting around and chatting. Jake had just dropped off a patient.
“He’s by far the best-looking one, right?”
“Those Minden guys are all pretty cute… What is it about that district?”
“I’m going to give him my number next time he’s here.”
I was sitting across the nurses’ station from the conversation, biting my cheek and trying not to smile.
I laughed at the memory. “Oh my goodness. The number of times they went on about him! When did that start? I don’t remember any of that from before.”
Julie shook her head. “He stopped by the desk one time after dropping a patient. You were there,” she offered.
I tried to find it but shook my head. “No, I don’t remember. Tell me more.”
