Текст книги "Love's Secret Torment"

Автор книги: Stacy L. Darnell

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Tamron stood up and said, “I’m going to get some more chips and salsa. The guys look ready for another round. Alison would you help me with the beer?”

Alison started to rise from Riley’s lap when Quinn stood up.

“I’ve got it, Alison,” he said.

Tamron’s panicked expression returned, but neither Alison nor I were able to help her at that point. And it needed to happen anyway, so we nodded at each other as Quinn followed Tamron inside. A few minutes later, I joined Alison.

“Maybe we should go get the chips and beer, because I doubt they’ll be out anytime soon.”

She nodded. “Good idea.”

When we walked inside, muffled voices sounded from Quinn’s bedroom. I grabbed the food while Alison snagged the drinks, and we walked back outside.

Riley looked up at us as we set the food and drinks down. “Well . . . are they talking?”

Alison tsked at him. “It’s not like we eavesdropped, Riley.” She looked around and smiled back at him. “But we did hear muffled voices.”

Everyone exhaled a sigh of relief, and it was then I realized just how much Tamron and Quinn’s situation had affected all of us.

After about an hour, Tamron and Quinn walked back outside, smiling, holding hands, and looking quite relieved. It gave me hope to see a strong relationship make it through a difficult and trying time.

Quinn sat down in a lounge chair and pulled Tamron onto his lap. When Riley handed him a beer he looked over at me and smiled sincerely and I nodded my head back at him.

It was late when everyone started to crash, we were exhausted, and a little buzzed, so we decided to stay one last night in Emmett’s room upstairs. I fell asleep in Emmett’s arms as his fingers played with my hair.

We got home to our new apartment in the morning. The thought of home and Emmett brought a warm, happy feeling to my heart. I smiled as we brought his things inside from his room at Riley and Quinn’s. I was surprised how many of my clothes had been left in his bedroom. Emmett laughed and said he’d been planning to hold it all ransom if I hadn’t taken him back. I smacked him on his fine, mouth-watering ass and ran past him into our apartment.

As Emmett unpacked in our bedroom, I was excited and felt such peace about us officially living together. He felt like my home.

Passing by in the hallway, I peeked into the bathroom to find Emmett stashing his things away. I remembered the last time he’d done so, and the fight we’d had because I couldn’t handle seeing his things where Alec’s had once been. The memory I had with Alec’s things was painful, because it was a stark reminder of his hope for me to take him back. Alec’s memorial had changed everything. I was happier, more understanding, and excited about my future with Emmett.

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. He looked up at the mirror, the corners of his mouth lifting up in a smile. I relaxed into him when he turned around in my arms and leaned his head down to kiss me. It started out so softly, almost reverently, but, like everything with Emmett, soon turned heated and electrifying.

He walked me backwards out of the bathroom, toward our bed and leaned his body into mine, nibbling on my ear as he lowered me down. I smoothed my hands down his back, settling my fingers in his waistband and pulling him in to me. I opened myself up to him, to the passion that consumed us both.

We fell asleep after making love and woke up to hungry stomachs. I prepared sandwiches, and we ate in comfortable silence, stealing glances and smiles.

When we were done eating we drove back to Atlanta, and my parents’ house to pick Gage up and bring him home with us. I couldn’t wait to see them. As we pulled into their driveway, I saw Gage lying on the front porch. I chuckled as he yawned, lifting his head to see who interrupted his nap. He jumped up and wagged his tail with such enthusiasm, his entire back end wiggled back and forth. Emmett parked and walked around to open my door, but Gage was already there, greeting me with slobbery doggy kisses. Emmett laughed when he received his own Gage kiss.

Mom stood on the porch with a glass of tea, and as I climbed the steps, I could smell dinner roasting in the oven. My mouth watered just thinking about the meal she’d prepared for us. I hugged her close and kissed her on the cheek.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hello, Mrs. Lang,” Emmett said, pulling her in for a hug.

My mom giggled. “Emmett, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Maggie? You’re practically family now.”

Emmett smiled as he held the front door open for us. “Okay, Maggie, it’s great to see you. Is Vance around? I’ve been meaning to catch up with him. There’s a car show in Atlanta next week. I wanted to see if he’d like to check it out with me.”

“Yes, dear, he’s just finishing for the day, in his office upstairs.”

“Good deal, ladies, I’m going to go have a chat with him.”

I watched as he climbed the stairs and shook my head, wondering if he was up to something. But I’d seen the ad for the car show in the paper, so I let it go.

“Well, are you excited to be moving in with Emmett?” Mom asked.

“Oh my God, yes. It’s awesome!” I looked up and saw her soft smile. We giggled like young schoolgirls until her face turned serious.

“Now, Samone,” she started.

I tensed, knowing something important was on her mind.

“I hope you and Emmett are being careful,” she finished.

I sighed. “Yes, we’re always careful. I did actually pay attention when you had ‘the talk’ with me.”

“Oh thank God.” She exhaled a deep breath as she wiped her hands down the sides of her apron.

“Mom, do you need any help with dinner?” I asked as she walked to the oven.

“No, honey, I have it all taken care of. It should be ready soon. Why don’t you take Gage for a quick walk? He’s been itching to go for the last hour, but with your Dad working upstairs and my cooking dinner, I haven’t been able to get him out,” she replied.

“Okay.”

I grabbed Gage’s leash and harness and went out to the front porch to get him ready to go. As I walked the neighborhood with Gage, I thought about him being a part of my home with Emmett. Something about it gave me a sense of completion, like having my own little family all in one place. It felt good to feel the burn in my legs, as we jogged up the hills. We walked back to my parent’s house, and I heard hushed voices as I walked up the front steps.

When I walked inside, everyone was downstairs, and the curious side of me couldn’t help but wonder what they’d all been talking about. They were laughing about something, and it just felt off. As I turned the corner and tip-toed into the kitchen, my parents, each in turn, peered at me with content smiles. Emmett looked like the cat that ate the canary. I planned to ask him about that later. He always found ways to distract me from things like that.

“So, are you kids all moved in and set up?” Dad asked as Emmett was packing up Gage’s supplies.

“Yes Sir, we are,” Emmett answered. “Maggie, dinner was delicious, as always.”

“Thank you, dear.” She grinned. “And let me know if you two need anything for your kitchen. I have so many pots and pans and other stuff, I could probably stock at least half of yours.”

“I think we’re good, Mom. But thanks,” I said as I cleared the dished from the table.

“Well, let us know if there’s anything we can help with,” Dad said, handing me Gage’s leash.

“We will. Thanks, Dad.”

As the sun was setting on the drive back home to Auburn, Emmett was quiet. I thought it the perfect opportunity to ask a few lingering questions.

“Babe?”

“Yeah, Peach?”

“What were y’all laughing about when I came back in from walking Gage? Y’all looked happy, but you looked like you were up to something. It kinda seemed, I don’t know. Just weird. What was that all about?”

“Oh, nothing really. I was telling them a joke I’d heard on the radio. So are you happy to have Gage coming home with us?”

“Yeah, I really missed him.”

He changed the subject, so I let it drop. But something still felt off.

We got home and took everything inside. Emmett walked Gage outside around the apartment. I was so tired and couldn’t wait to go to bed. Emmett brought Gage into our bedroom and he settled in nicely on the floor at the foot of our bed.

I woke up before Sam and just lay there watching her sleep. She was so peaceful. Sometimes I was still surprised we’d finally moved in together. But we were finally ready, and I was more than ready for the next step, as well. I hoped she was, too. Just thinking about it made me feel complete. I couldn’t wait to ask her. But I knew I had to make it special. I wanted it to be memorable, something she would forever look back on with happiness.

The night before, at her parents’ house, I’d gone upstairs to talk to her dad, and ask him for his blessing to marry Sam. He said of course and was very happy and excited for us.

When we went downstairs to tell Maggie, she couldn’t contain her happiness. We heard Sam and Gage coming back from their walk and changed the subject quickly. I wasn’t sure when I was going to ask her, but I knew the right time would come, and I would know. I wanted to have the ring ready for whenever that may be.

I left a note for Sam by the Keurig that I needed something from Aunt Robin’s house then drove to the jeweler’s with a light heart. I wished we’d stayed over at her parents’ house so I didn’t have to drive back to Atlanta, but I’d seen some engagement rings there while waiting to pick up the pendant I’d had made for Sam. There was one that would be perfect for her. I knew what I wanted . I just wanted to get there already. I stopped at another red light, irritated at hitting every one. Maybe I looked both ways once it turned green. The again, maybe not. Who knows. Either way, I don’t remember anything after that.

I regained consciousness on a bed in a room divided by curtains, hanging from a beaded chain attached to the ceiling. It slowly dawned on me that I was in a hospital room. I blinked, looked around, and saw a beautiful young woman brush the curtains aside and step up to my bed. With tears streaking down her face, she placed her hands to my jaw and kissed my cheeks.

“Oh my God, Emmett. Are you okay? Are you in pain? What happened? I got a call from a nurse here that you were in a car accident,” she said.

It was then I realized I probably knew her. She obviously knew me. I tried not to frighten her, but my expression must have shown my confusion. The only thing I knew then was that my name must be Emmett. Not so bad as far as names went. Better than it could have been.

Her expression was tight as her eyebrows knit in thought. Then her eyes grew wide with panic. “Emmett? Babe? Do you recognize me?” she asked.

I studied her at length, then shook my head. I couldn’t get the word no to come out of my uncooperative mouth.

Her eyes filled up with tears again. “It’s Sam . . . Peach. Remember? Oh my God. I have to find a doctor. I’ll be right back. Don’t worry. I am sure you’ll be okay.” She glanced back at me as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand again and disappeared through the curtains.

I wasn’t sure just what in this situation would pass for okay. Something bad must have happened. I must have some kind of relationship with her. She was beautiful, which made me smile. I was clearly doing all right with my unknown life. If I could only remember.

“Damn it,” I muttered.

I was feeling empty with so many questions and unknowns floating around my head. I took a few minutes to gather my thoughts while waiting for the young woman to return with a doctor and assess my injuries.

My arm hurt, and I had a splint around my right wrist. There was pain in my lower left leg, I looked down and saw a cast around it. I reached up and felt a gauzy wrap around the top of my head. No wonder I felt like I had a migraine from hell. There was also a finger splint on my left hand. I guessed that wasn’t bad as far as injuries went, but whatever happened had stolen my memory, too, and that was bad. Very bad.

I was looking all around the room when I saw a pair of sandals, adorable red painted toenails, and the slender ankles of very sexy legs stop next to a larger pair of black shoes and baggy sea-green pants on the other side of my curtain wall.

I could hear faint whispering and some sniffling, which, I assumed, must have been my doctor and this Sam woman. I couldn’t make out everything, but heard the words trauma, lucky it was only memory, and scans were clear.

The doctor spread the curtain, and I saw I was in a larger room with windows and an automatic sliding door. The look on the young woman’s face was heartbreaking, and frankly, rather disconcerting. I felt a weird connection to her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on that connection. Clearly, my heart knew she was important. My head just needed to figure out why.

“Mr. Walker, I’m Dr. Pace. I’ve been overseeing your care since you arrived here via ambulance.”

The beautiful, young woman, Sam, watched me closely as the doctor went over my list of injuries. She looked at each part of my body as he referenced them, her brow furrowed and mouth turned down as she chewed at her bottom lip with worry.

But when he started to inquire about my memory, she hiccupped in a broken way, and I looked over and saw her wipe at a tear.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions. Do you know your name?”

“Well . . . she called me Emmett and you just called me Mr. Walker, so . . . Emmett Walker, I assume?”

“Do you know what year it is?”

I immediately looked around the room, subconsciously looking for clues. “No. I’m not sure.”

“It’s okay,” he reassured. “What color is your blanket?”

I looked down at it and smiled, I knew that answer. It was a small thing, but it felt reassuring still. “Blue.”

“Very good. Do you know what country we live in?”

“Yes, the United States.”

“All right, good. Well, there’s no way to be sure of the exact cause of your memory loss. But given the extent of your injuries, there’s a high probability of head trauma. However, your scans came back clear. So there doesn’t appear to be any medical reason, although it has been known to happen.”

I groaned as he continued.

“Most people regain their memory after a period of time, by simply being back in their normal living environment. We’ll run a few more tests to be sure there aren’t any unseen complications. I wouldn’t worry at this point, you really need to just relax. I’ve requested an evaluation consult with Dr. Shaw, one of the hospital’s on-call neurologists.”

Sam’s breath hitched, and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. I wondered what that was about. With a nod, Dr. Pace left us alone to check on another patient.

“Umm, Sam? Are you okay?”

“Oh, do you remember me now?” Her eyes lit up with hope. “You just called me Sam.”

“No, I’m so sorry. I still don’t remember you. I just remembered you said your name was Sam.”

“Oh.” She nodded and twisted at the bracelet she wore. “It’s okay. I just got a little hopeful, that’s all. Well, is there anything that you need?”

“Yeah, in my cell phone, wherever that is, I have a list of contacts. Could you call my brother, Alec, for me? I’m sure he must be worried.”

She gasped and her hand flew back to her mouth as tears started filling her eyes. She shook her head, mumbling something unintelligible, then turned around, brushed the curtains aside, and ran from my room.

I lay there wondering what it was I’d said that could have upset Sam so badly. Did she know Alec? I guessed, by the way she was acting when she first saw me, so familiar and loving, that she must know my family, Alec and Aunt Robin. They were both good people, so I didn’t understand what could have caused her reaction.

I looked around for my phone and saw my clothes in a bag on the bottom shelf of the stand next to my bed. On top laid a pitcher of water with a straw coming out the top. Then I saw my phone. It managed to survive the accident and still had a charge.

I opened my contacts and scrolled down to Alec’s name then called, but it didn’t even ring. It went straight to an out of service message.

What the ever-loving hell is going on?

I redialed his number from memory; at least I still remembered my family. I got the same message. I called Aunt Robin, but it went to voicemail. This was getting weirder and weirder. I clenched my fists as I wished so badly I could just remember.

Later, when Sam came back in, she looked much better. Dr. Pace followed her in, along with another physician, Dr. Shaw, according to his nametag. He had his hand on Sam’s shoulder, which seemed kind of odd, like he was familiar with her. I figured maybe they knew each other somehow. I didn’t know what Sam did, but it was possible she worked at the hospital. I had all kinds of questions, but simply had no answers.

There were so many things I didn’t know. I couldn’t get ahold of Aunt Robin, and God only knew what the hell was wrong with Alec’s phone.

“Mr. Walker, this is Dr. Shaw. He’s the neurologist I spoke with you about earlier,” Dr. Pace said.

I looked at Dr. Shaw and had a strange sense of déjà vu, but, as with everything else, I couldn’t place it. My stomach tightened with nausea when I met his eyes.

“Dr. Shaw will run a few tests so we can rule out some possibilities regarding your memory loss,” Dr. Pace finished.

“Okay, whatever we need to do,” I replied.

I kept looking at Sam while Dr. Pace and Dr. Shaw talked in the corner of the room. She kept glancing from Dr. Shaw back to me. I began to ask her what the deal was between them, but she retreated through the curtain, followed closely behind by both doctors.

“A nurse’s aide will be in shortly to take you down for an MRI,” Dr. Shaw said on his way out.

About an hour later, a man wearing blue scrubs came in with a wheelchair.

He helped me into the wheelchair and propped my leg up on a metal flap that folded out near my calf. As we approached the elevator, Sam stepped out with a woman garbed in a dressy, knee-length skirt and a long, white lab coat.

The awkwardness of the moment gave me time to read her nametag. Melody Kisner, Grief Counselor. What was Sam doing with this woman? Was it just coincidence they were on the elevator together? I breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed Sam’s hand when she reached out for me.

“I’ll see you when you’re done downstairs,” she said.

The physical contact felt odd, like we knew each other intimately. If only I could remember. I roughed my hands through my hair, getting more and more frustrated by the minute. The nurse’s aide left me in a room with the technician who’d be running my MRI. It was cold in there, even more so than my room.

I laid down in the machine for the test while the technician wrapped me in another thin blanket, more like a heavy cotton sheet for all the warmth it provided. Even with three, I still felt a slight chill.

When the test finished, I went back up to my room, only to find Sam sitting by my bedside with the woman from the elevator. She stood up and wiped the tears from her face, as she cleared space for the nurse’s aid to help me back into bed.

“Emmett, this is Ms. Kisner. She’s the hospital’s grief counselor. I . . . I umm, asked her to speak with you.”

“What the hell? Why do I need a grief counselor? I just lost my memory. Where’s my brother? I don’t understand what the fuck is going on here!” I flinched from the pain in my splinted finger, when I reflexively tried to run my hand through my hair.

“Mr. Morris, please try to calm down. Ms. Lang and I need to talk to you. With your memory loss, you’re forgetting some very important events. I’d like to discuss these with you,” Ms. Kisner stated.

“Yes, I know I don’t remember Sam, but that doesn’t explain why I’d need to speak with a grief counselor.” I regretted throwing my head back against the bed when instant pain shot through my skull.

“Emmett, please just let Ms. Kisner continue. This is hard enough as it is,” Sam pleaded.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Look, I’m just so frustrated that I can’t remember you. I feel a connection, but I just can’t place it.”

Sam squeezed her eyes shut.

Ms. Kisner cleared her throat and continued as if I hadn’t interrupted her at all. “Mr. Walker, we need to talk about your brother, Alec.” She paused . . . and let that information sink in.

“What about him? I’ve been trying to call him, but it goes directly to a message that says his number is no longer in service.”

The tears were filling Sam’s eyes again, and a dark foreboding set in.

“Mr. Walker, Alec was in an accident about a year ago. He had an epileptic event as a result, and died here, in the hospital later that night,” Ms. Kisner explained.

“Bull shit! You’re lying. Get the hell out of my room!” I screamed at the lady, but my eyes were locked onto Sam, and I saw the cold, painful truth of it, in her bloodshot eyes.

A boulder settled heavily into the pit of my stomach. The nausea I’d felt earlier crawled up my throat. I snatched the bowl off the table and threw up. My entire body convulsed painfully, my leg twitching and head pounding as I retched.

Sam cried freely then, and I could feel the tears running down my face, as well. This couldn’t be true. They were wrong. There was abso-fucking-lutely no way my little brother was dead. No fucking way!

Sam jumped to my side and slipped her small, soft hand into mine, while I reached up with the other and bit my knuckles. I couldn’t breathe. I wretched again, but only green bile came up.

The next thing I knew, a nurse was running into my room.

“Get the fuck away from me!” I tried to lean away from the nurse as she pulled a syringe from her pocket, and inserted the needle into my IV line. After a moment, my body felt weirdly over-relaxed. My eyelids grew heavy, and everything turned black.