AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Williams clears his throat, “Lieutenant Owens, I understand your desire to get out of here, but without your memory intact, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to do basic tasks and make rational decisions. This protocol is for your safety.”
His earlier words—‘mental health facility’—echo over and over in my head. Blood starts to drain from my brain. I sit up on the edge of the bed. “You mean you can just lock me away, and I might never get out?”
Doctor Williams shifts in his squeaky sole shoes. “The amnesia could be over like that.” He snaps his fingers. “Some people literally get everything back in a flash. Or it may never come back. The reality is now the only thing to do is wait and see. If you go in-house, there would be a rehab program to try to assess your ability to live on your own, eventually.”
Eventually…I swallow roughly.
The young doctor who was busy talking medical jargon is now fidgeting with his lab coat hem, as if he’s as uncomfortable as hell.Good,he should be. Keeping an innocent woman locked up is wrong. So what if I can’t remember anything before waking up in the hospital?
Williams adds another sucker punch. “Tomorrow’s the last day. Then you’re off to the next stop. I want this bed for someone who really needs it.”
I fight the urge to scream. Irritation crackles in my chest. Soon, it morphs to desperation. I’m not above begging. “Listen, please. It’s not like I forgot how to eat or brush my teeth, for heaven’s sake. I’m fine to go to my apartment or house or wherever I live to wait this out. I’m sure, in no time, I’ll be back on track and ready to—”
The man who says he’s Colonel Payne, my commanding officer, watches me from below his heavy eyebrows. Something almost fatherly passes through his gaze for a few seconds. “Look, Sierra, this isn’t up for debate. The hospital has done its job—”
“I understand. Then let me go. I’m perfectly capable.” When they just scowl at me, I reach for anything. Desperation fueled by anger roughens my voice. “You can’t keep me.”
Shifting his folded arms, the Colonel says, “Wecankeep you. Technically, you’re a ward of the United States Air Force.”
Pressing my hands to my eyes, I moan and pray for this nightmare to end.
Payne says, “Hang on there, tiger. We’re working on a solution. Major Slaughter is trying to reach your fiancé now, but if he can’t get in touch, then I have to send you to a mental health unit, for the time being, at least.”
Fiancé?Everything in the room shrinks down to the space where that word hits my eardrums.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t move.
It feels like the world is falling from beneath my feet. How can I not remember I have afiancé?
Fiancés have sex. Fiancés say ‘I love you’. Fiancés know each other’s names!
A pained whimper burns the back of my throat.
The door to my hospital room bangs open, and a tall, angular man in a matching uniform strides in. His face is hard, but relief is plain in his eyes. “I got him. He’s coming.”
Something inside of me flip flops. Maybe my gut. Maybe my heart. All I know is that a falling sensation makes me sway. I’m not sure how to react. The guy I don’t even remember, the man I’m engaged to, is coming to get me. My voice is tight and my mind is full of uncertainty when I ask, “When?”
“Tomorrow. He’s flying in as quickly as he can.”
“Alright,” the doctor says, dismissively. “That’s settled, then. In the meantime, rest. I’ll be in to check on you tomorrow before you’re discharged.”
I don’t bother saying goodbye or good riddance when he and his medical student leave.
The older man watches me as I rise from the bed and move to the window. “I know this has to be tough. But just try to take it easy. I’m sure you’ll be feeling better soon. I’ve got to get back to base now.” He moves toward the door and then turns back. “And do me a favor. Try to stay out of trouble until Master Sergeant Strong gets here.”
I stare after him, still dumbfounded, as he disappears out the door.
The other man’s watching me when I turn my eyes to him. “My fiancé’s name is Master Sergeant Strong?”
“Ring a bell?”
“No. None at all. Who is he?”
He smiles, fondness in his eyes. “A good man.”
My mind pinwheels over the cold hard facts. Over not being able to remember why everyone calls me Lieutenant Owens. And definitely, over the fact that tomorrow I’ll be face to face with a man I am supposedly in love with.
