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“Works for me.” I stand up just as he pushes the door open and peeks outside.
“Alright, the coast is clear.”
I jump when he slides his arm around my shoulders and tucks me into his body as he leads me outside.
“Just go with it. People will see a regular couple leaving the hospital, most likely after visiting someone.”
I don’t argue, though it makes me uncomfortable. I keep my head down, shielding my face, and let Nathan lead me to his car.
The noise picks up as we head toward the front of the building and the group of reporters hoping to catch me as I leave. I don’t look in their direction, adopting the tried and tested ‘if I can’t see them, they can’t see me.’ Thankfully, it works. Nathan manages to get us in the car and out of the parking lot without being seen.
It isn’t until we put a few miles between us and the hospital that I take my first deep breath.
“You doing okay?” He looks over at me briefly before his eyes return to the road.
“Yeah. Um… You know where you’re going, right?”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry.”
He says that to me a lot, but how can I not worry? Someone out there tried to kill me. And they’ll know that with the drug they gave me, I won’t remember them, so they’ll want to finish me off before my memory comes back. How can I not worry about that?
I lean my head against the window and watch the world go by. None of it is familiar. I recognize McDonald’s and Starbucks when we pass them—but as a brand, as opposed to places I’ve been.
I don’t understand how any of that is possible. Still, the doctor said different parts of the brain are responsible for different things, like that vague explanation explains anything at all.
Am I happy I don’t have to relearn how to walk or speak? Of course, but I don’t know what my favorite food or color is. I don’t know my medical history or if I was popular in high school or how I like my coffee. I don’t know anything, and it’s making me want to rip my hair out.
By the time Nathan pulls up to a small house, I am so worked up that as soon as the car stops, I unhook my seatbelt and dive out of the car. Bending over, I suck in a lungful of air, not wanting to throw up in case my neighbors are watching. Nathan’s hands smooth up and down my back until my breathing is back under control.
Once I feel steadier, I stand up and feel myself flush. “I’m always having a meltdown around you. You must think I’m a nutcase.”
“What I think is that you’ve suffered a traumatic experience, and you’re hanging in there like a boss. I’d be rocking in the corner like a baby.”
“You? A big badass cop?” I say skeptically.
“Ah, so you’ve noticed, huh?” He lifts his arms and flexes his biceps before kissing one, making me laugh. When he smiles, I realize that’s exactly what he wanted.
“Seriously, Rue, cut yourself some slack. Just because your physical injuries were superficial doesn’t mean the mental ones are anything to laugh about.”
“Logically, I know that, but that doesn’t change how I feel. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to figure it all out.”
“You just take it one day at a time.”
He holds his hand out to me. I look at it for a moment before slipping my hand in his. He walks me up the pathway to thehouse. I take in the front yard. It’s neatly mowed with flower beds full of a variety of purple flowers, making me wonder if that’s my favorite color.
Once we reach the door, I stop, taking in the yellow police tape blocking the entrance. Nathan rips it down before pulling a key from his pocket.
“How do you have that?”
“Once we found out who you were and where you lived, we were able to find out that you rented this place. Your landlord gave us the key so we could search for any evidence.”
“Did you find anything?” I ask quietly as he unlocks the door and pushes it open.
“No, nothing. There was no forced entry, nothing appeared out of place, and there were no signs of a struggle. Your purse, cell phone, and house keys were still on the counter. A half-eaten sandwich was beside them.”
I frown. “It sounds like I left on my own and in a hurry if I didn’t take my phone or purse with me. Did you check my call log and text history?”
“We did.”
