I pull out my phone and turn on some music. When she hears the Beach Boys song come on, she smiles. It’s a bigger smile than I’ve seen before. She has a beautiful smile.
I nod to the cards. “Can you pick the ace of spades?”
She looks down and stares at the proper card. Then she looks at her hand, almost as if willing it to move.
“You can do it, Sara. Show me the ace of spades.”
Her hand inches over past the queen of diamonds and then her finger lands on the correct card.
“That’s right. Now pick it up.”
She looks at me like I’ve asked her to bench press two hundred pounds.
“Come on, you can do it. Pick up the card and hand it to me.”
I put my hand out, about six inches from hers.
She’s able to pull the card into her hand, but she can’t pick it up and hand it to me, so I reach over and pick her hand up for her, then I extend her arm a few inches and put her hand in mine. “There. See how easy that was? Next time you’re going to do it all on your own, okay?”
Her other hand moves slightly, giving me a thumbs up before her eyes close and she falls asleep.
An hour later, I sit in the corner while a team of people put Sara on that bed thing again that has her standing up and sitting down. This time, her head doesn’t flop around so much, so it’s not quite as difficult to watch. She’s getting a little more muscle control, but she still has a long way to go. I’m just glad Oliver will finally be here to help her along the way.
After lunch, I’m on my way back up to Sara’s room when I hear someone talking on his phone in the elevator. A Brit. And he’s talking about an art gallery.
After he hangs up, I ask, “You’re not Oliver Compton, are you?”
“Denver Andrews, I presume?”
I hold out my hand. “Glad you could make it.”
“I still can’t wrap my head around it,” he says. “How can someone lose three years of memories and not the lot? How can they be sure it won’t come back?”
“To be honest, I don’t think they’re sure of anything. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve said anything can happen. But I’m not a doctor. You should ask Dr. Miller.”
When we arrive at the nurses’ station, I introduce Oliver to everyone. Dr. Miller is just coming out of Sara’s room, so Oliver meets him as well.
“It looks like Sara can be cleared to leave in a few days.”
“What?” I say. “You’re kidding, right? She can’t even—”
He raises his hand to stop me. Clearly, I’m missing something.
“She’s not going home,” Dr. Miller says. “We’re a long way from that. She’ll be transferred to a rehabilitation facility. We don’t have the resources here for the rehabilitation she needs. And now that her fever is down and her injuries are healing, she’ll be better served getting intense rehab at a dedicated facility.”
“But are you sure she’s ready?” I ask. “She just woke up two days ago.”
Dr. Miller nods. “She’s surprised us all, quite frankly. I wasn’t positive she’d even wake up, let alone be able to follow directions and communicate. She’s progressed further than any of us expected her to. So, yes, she’s ready. It’s best to dive right into rehab before she loses any more muscle tone than she already has.”
I peek through the window and watch her sleep as Oliver questions the doctor about her condition. He seems to be mostly concerned with her memory, not the fact that she can’t eat, sit up, or even talk. But I guess that makes sense. He has no idea what he’s in for when he walks into her room. How do you introduce yourself to someone you love when that person has never met you?
Oliver finishes talking with the doctor and then stands at the door, hesitating.
I hang back at the nurses’ station, thinking how my job here is done. He’s here now. I guess that’s my cue to leave. But then Krista nudges me forward. “You should go in with him. She’ll need a familiar face in there.”
“You think I should?”
She nods. “This is scary for her. She needs people she can trust. Right now, she trusts you.”
As Oliver walks in the room, I step in behind him, moving off into the corner where Sara will be able to see me standing behind him.
“Sara?” he says.
She opens her eyes, groggy and confused as usual.
“Sara, luv, it’s me, Ollie.”
He picks up her hand tentatively, like he expects her to pull it away. She doesn’t. Or she can’t.
Sara looks at him, then she looks at me. I give her an encouraging nod.
She looks back at Oliver, studying him as if she’s trying hard to remember. It’s now that I notice she doesn’t look at him the same way she looked at me the first time she saw me, which is confusing since she seemed so upset that I wasn’t him. She looks at him like you might look at the checkout lady at the grocery store.
“Sara. Do you remember me?” Oliver asks.
She averts her eyes and then gives him a reluctant shake of her head.
I take a few steps forward. “Sara, this is your boyfriend, Oliver. The one Joelle and I told you about.”
“Fiancé, actually,” Oliver says.
Sara’s eyes go wide as do mine. It almost makes me laugh because it’s the biggest reaction I’ve seen out of her. Normally, it’s like she’s only half conscious, like she’s in some dream-like state.
“Fiancé? Really?” I ask.
My eyes immediately go to her left ring finger. “But she’s not wearing a ring.”
He sits down next to her bed, still holding her hand in his. “That’s because it only happened a few days before I left town.” He looks back at her. “You didn’t want to tell anyone until you could show them the ring. The one I got was too small and wouldn’t fit over your knuckle, so we sent it out to be sized. Isn’t that right, hun?” He shakes his head and then brings her hand up to his lips to kiss it. “Sorry. It’s going to take me a while to remember that you’ve forgotten about us.”
“I guess congratulations are in order,” I say.
“Thank you.” He leans over and kisses her forehead. “I’ll pick up the ring today. That way we can start telling people. It was so hard to keep my mouth shut, especially on the cruise with all my mates.”
“Maybe you should hold off on that a while,” I say. “You know, give her a chance to acclimate.”
“The doctor said that the best way to treat her is the way we always did. So my plan is to treat her like my fiancée. Like the woman I love.”
I nod. What else can I do? He’s her loved one. I have no say in the matter anymore.
“You don’t have to stay,” Oliver says. “I’ve got this now.”
“You’ll be here with her? You’ll stay with her all day?”
He laughs. “Well, not all day. I do have a job. One it looks like I need to keep so we can pay Sara’s hospital bills.”
“The way I hear it, she won’t have any problem paying those.”
“Of course not,” he says, looking at me as if he wonders how I know so much about her. “But I still don’t want to lose my job. I’ll be here when I can, mate.” He addresses Sara. “I won’t leave you again, luv. I’ll cancel my upcoming trips and clear my schedule as much as possible.”
I’m happy to hear him say that. I start to back out of the room when Sara makes a noise. She grunts and holds a hand out to me as much as she can.
“You want me to stay?”
“You can go,” Oliver says.
But he isn’t the one I was asking. Sara nods her head, staring at me intently.
“Okay, I’ll stay. I’ll just sit right over here.”
“That’s not necessary,” Oliver says.
“If she wants me to stay, I’m staying. Don’t take it personally. I’m sure she’ll grow more comfortable with you the more you’re here.”
“Fine,” he says.
And for the next two hours, he sits by her side. He makes some call
s. Responds to some texts. Every once in a while, he’ll comment on something having to do with art.
He sits by her side, but he’s most definitely not here for her.
When he gets up to leave, I pull him aside before he reaches the elevator.
“Oliver. Listen, man. I’m not going to tell you what to do.”
He laughs. “Really? Because that sounds precisely like what you’re about to do.”
“You need to talk to her when you’re here. Save your calls and emails for later. She needs you to speak to her. Fill in the blanks for her. Show her pictures of your life together. She’s scared. She doesn’t remember you. You could be anyone to her. And you’re not married yet, so there’s nothing to say she has to go home with you.”
He studies me with a tight jaw. “Actually, there is. We live together.”
“You do?”
He nods.
“Then how in the hell did you not know she was in an accident? Didn’t you wonder when she never came home?”
“I told you, I was out of the country. I left before her accident.”
“How convenient.”
“Convenient?” he bites at me. “You think I didn’t want to be here by her side? I didn’t know she was in an accident. One could say you’re the arrogant arse, sitting with a stranger day in and day out to try and get your hands on her bloody money.”
“Her … You’re kidding, right?”
He shrugs. “Why else would you come here every day? She’s no one to you. You’re no one to her. And you’re a civil servant of New York. I’m sure that doesn’t pay much. I could have you thrown out of this hospital, you know. She’s going to be my wife. I love her and I’ll protect her. Fiercely if I must. Now, are we going to have a problem with this, mate?”
He seems like a different person out here in the hallway. It’s like a switch went off. Now he wants to protect her. Maybe it’s just now sinking in. Maybe he couldn’t show emotion in front of Sara, but he’s clearly emotional now.
I take a step back and lean against the wall. “How about a truce?” I say. “You don’t throw me out and I won’t be an arrogant … What did you call me?”
“Arse.”
“Right. I won’t be an arrogant arse. But I would like to continue to help her when you can’t be here yourself. I only work a few days a week. It’s really no trouble. And believe me, I’m not after her money, Oliver. I didn’t even know she had any until Lydia told me about it.”
“Who’s Lydia?”
“Sara’s childhood best friend,” I say, wondering why he wouldn’t know this about someone he’s engaged to.
Part of me wants to follow him home. Or have Jake put a tail on him to see if he is who he says he is.
“Oh, Lydia, the waitress from high school. Of course. They had a falling out some years back, before Sara and I met.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and nod.
“So why the interest in Sara?” he asks.
I try to think of what Marcus would want me to say to that question. I shrug. “I suppose it has something to do with my parents dying in a car accident or some psychobabble shit like that.”
“Sorry to hear that, mate.”
“Listen, I won’t step on your toes, okay?”
He nods. “Fine.”
“I have to work tomorrow. Do you think you can spend the day with her?”
“Not all day,” he says. “I have a lot of work to make up after my holiday or I’ll be sacked for sure. But I can be here in the morning.”
“I’ll call Joelle and see if she can make it in the afternoon.”
“I’m sure Sara would fancy that,” he says, pressing the call button on the elevator.
I hold my hand out to him. “I’m sorry if I came on too strong earlier.”
“I guess I should be happy that Sara had someone looking out for her.”
He turns to step onto the elevator when something occurs to me. “Oliver,” I say, holding the doors open. “Did you know Anna? Her friend who died in the accident?”
His jaw twitches. “Not particularly.”
“I thought Joelle said all you artist types run in the same circles.”
“Sara is the artist. I’m just the one who—how do you Americans say—pimps their shit?”
I remove my hand and let the doors close as he gives me a curt wave goodbye.
Sara is sleeping again when I return to her room. I see she’s back on the vent. It’s understandable. She’s had a tough day with all the therapy and then meeting Oliver.
She’s sleeping restlessly, so I decide to play some music. Beach Boys, of course. It calms her down.
When she wakes up, it’s almost time for me to head out. She looks at me and then around the room, seeming relieved that it’s just me. This must be so hard for her. I wonder how she must feel about waking up to find out she’s engaged to be married to a guy she doesn’t even know. And she lives with him. I think I’ll let him be the one to tell her that little piece of information. Luckily, she won’t be going straight home. That will give her time to get to know him again.
Before I go, I pick up the deck of playing cards. I made a promise to myself earlier when I saw Neil working with her that I’d do everything I could to reinforce what he’s doing. I raise the head of her bed and put the same four cards in her lap.
“Do you remember what card I asked you to hand me this morning?”
Her eyes go straight to the ace of spades, and I can’t help the smile that overtakes my face. She’s committing things to memory.
She lifts her right hand slightly and moves it over six inches, where she drops it like a dead weight onto the card. She works hard to maneuver the card between her fingers and then she pushes it towards me.
I reach out and take it from her. “Great job, Sara. See how much you’ve improved since this morning?” I tuck the card into my back pocket. “I’m keeping this one. I’ll bring it back with me the next time I visit.”
Her lips curve into a small smile.
“I know you’re almost an expert card player now, but don’t go playing strip poker with anyone. Especially the guy two doors down.” I make a ridiculous face. “I’ve seen his bare ass and I can tell you, you don’t want any of that.”
The smile on her face grows bigger.
I smile back at her. “Bye, Sara Francis. See you soon.”
Her fingers come off the bed in an attempt at a wave.
Krista calls to me on my way out. “You’re coming back, aren’t you?”
I pull the card out of my pocket. “Of course, I have to return this.”
She smiles knowingly. “You’re good for her,” she says.
“Oliver will be, too. I think he’s still in shock by all this. He literally just found out and he’s having to process it very quickly.”
“That’s true, but I heard your conversation by the elevator and I wanted you to know he can’t have you thrown out. He’s not her husband. Fiancés have no say unless they have power of attorney.”
“I’m not going to go against his wishes. He’s in love with her. They live together.”
“Still, don’t stop what you’re doing. She responds to you and that’s more important than who she’s supposed to be in love with. Sara’s healing is all that matters.”
I nod, agreeing with her. “It is. And I don’t plan on abandoning her.”
“Good. Because I think the other nurses would miss having you around. They don’t get much eye candy up here.”
I laugh. “Oh, the other nurses, huh?”
She shows me her ring. “Happily married here,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t look.”
I teasingly put a little swagger in my step when I walk away. “See you later, Krista.”
I hear her sigh melodramatically as I saunter down the hallway.
In the elevator, I think about what Krista said. Sara’s recovery is what’s important here. Not where she lives or who she’s going to marry. I’ll just have to fi
gure out a way to participate in that recovery without stepping on Oliver’s toes like I promised.
And the only way I see doing that is to make friends with him.
Chapter Eleven
Bass’s wife, Ivy, comes walking through the doors of the firehouse with an armful of flowers and a baby stroller.
Bass hops up off the couch to help her.
“Thanks,” she says. “We had extra in our delivery today, so we thought we’d drop some off and liven up this place.”
“We?” Bass says, looking at the baby.
“Well, she’s got to start sometime if she’s going to be a master florist.”
Bass picks up the baby and holds her expertly in his arms. Watching him with her is surreal. He’s as big a guy as the rest of us. Strong. Built. Tough. But you put a baby in his arms and he becomes an entirely different person. Still a protector, but more like a huge teddy bear. I can see how much he loves her. Loves them.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Brett leaning against the wall, staring. It’s obvious he wishes he had the same kind of relationship with his wife and son. I feel sorry for the guy. He’s basically been like a single dad ever since Leo was born. Leo’s nanny brings him by the firehouse often on their walks. Leo has become like the unofficial mascot of the firehouse. Amanda, on the other hand—I hear she hasn’t been seen at the station since before Leo was born.
I watch Ivy arrange the flowers she brought. She puts one vase on the table. Another on the kitchen counter. She pulls a flower out of one of the vases, a daisy I think, and hands it to Bass. Then he kisses her.
My phone pings with a text.
Joelle: Sara is asking for you. I told her you were at work today. Do you want me to tell her you’re coming by tomorrow? I wasn’t sure now that Oliver is back.
Me: She’s talking?
Joelle: No.
Me: Then why do you think she’s asking for me?
Joelle: She seemed sad today, so I started asking her questions. When I asked her if she wanted you here, she nodded. When I asked her if she wanted Oliver here, she stared blankly at the wall.
The Men On Fire: A Complete Romance Series (3-Book Box Set) Page 38