Intimate Strangers (The Lisa Millar Series Book 1)

by Lasairiona McMaster

  “Yeah, I bet that’s a funny image for you. But it’s damn sure gonna hurt me. Look, when you two first started talking, all of this wasn’t supposed to happen. He was considering marrying Britt. I definitely didn't think that was a good plan, by the way – I mean, if he was going to marry anyone to give them a green card, it should have been me!”

  She laughed again. “Aha! I always knew you wanted him for yourself!”

  “I wanted to introduce him to a few girls, remind him that not every woman is like his ex and that he had other options open to him than signing years of his life away on a fake marriage. But he didn’t want to hear it. Then Chelsea talked about you, and I figured you’d be a bit of fun for him.”

  Seeing the look on her face, he quickly backtracked again.

  “Not that kind of fun! I just mean someone to talk to, let loose with, be himself with, someone to remind him that girls can be nice. Someone on the outside of the “group”. When we started to email and chat a bit more, I was starting to see how good you were for him, how happy he was, how you pulled all-nighters to follow our games and to talk to him afterwards. When he had to cancel his trip to see you because of the playoffs, you didn’t throw a fit like everyone expected you to. You even forgave him when you found out he was married – the one thing we all thought would break you.

  The night of his wedding, he broke down, Lis. He didn’t know how to tell you, or what to say. He was so scared of you walking away. And then you found out…like that…if you had walked, we all would have understood, because it’s not an easy situation to understand. But you stayed. You surprised us all, and, ok, this is going on a little longer than I had planned, you definitely bring out the chatty-Patty in me, so I’ll sum it up to where we are now. You’ve been at his bedside for five days straight – and your belief that he’s going to wake up is stronger than ever, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, my belief that you are perfect for him is stronger than ever, too, and don’t worry, my soppy soliloquy won’t last much longer. But it’s true. Everyone can see it. You bring out the best in each other. And you just, I dunno, you guys make sense. You’re on the same level or something. I dunno. Lis, if – when – when he wakes up, and sees you’ve made yourself sick with worry about him, he’ll feel like shit. He’ll be pissed at you. He’ll be pissed at me and everyone else who didn’t try and help you. Just lie there, and sleep for a few hours, and tomorrow night – Doc permitting – you’re going to dinner with the girls. Us guys will hold the fort down here for a while. If he wakes up, you’ll be the first call. I promise. But you need a break, and if it takes me to force a break upon you, then so be it. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. And for crying out loud, Lis, please let it be the easy way.”

  She smiled, crying again. She hugged him. That was a lot to take in.

  “This is so weird for me, you’re being-” she searched for the word,

  “Nice?” he joked. They laughed, she nodded. “Sleep!” he ordered as he turned to leave her to sleep.

  “Wait! What’s wrong with me?” she asked him. “Aside from the fainting.”

  “They said you had low blood sugar and a couple other numbers that were off. Basically, listen to Doctor Jeremy here. You aren’t looking after yourself. Dehydration. Exhaustion. They hooked you up to an IV, obviously. They’re going to rehydrate you, give you a vitamin B12 shot, magnesium and told me to get your ass out for some vitamin D at some point. ‘She’s Irish’ wasn’t a good enough excuse for you being translucent.”

  “That’s a big word for you, Jer,” she said smiling again. “Jer?” she called sleepily as he moved to leave.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m not American and I don’t have insurance. I mean, I have travel insurance, but I don’t really know what that covers. I just got travel insurance cause it’s what you do. But I’m guessing this fainting thing will cost me a fortune – did they tell you how much?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he told her.

  “Jeremy?” she persisted.

  “Don’t worry about it, Lis.” He repeated, “Art and Cindy have it covered. We’ll talk about it later. Sleep.”

  He didn’t need to tell her twice, because by the time he’d walked out of the room and the door had closed, she was already out for the count.

  Chapter 32

  Lisa woke up to Britt smiling at her.

  “Hey sleepy head,” Britt said softly, “How do you feel?”

  “My head hurts,” she answered honestly, “but I think I’m ok. How’s AJ?”

  “He’s still asleep. But he’s definitely moving a little more. It doesn’t seem on purpose, and everyone keeps getting a fright when he does it. He’s making more noises, but not speaking any words and he keeps kinda opening and closing his eyes – it’s freaky. It’s like he’s there, but he’s not there. Most of the time he just opens them a little, I’m not sure its intentional or not, but the doctor checked on him again, said he’s ok and that it’s all part of the process.”

  “He’s going in the right direction,” Lisa agreed, thinking back to her research and relieved at the continued though slow, progress.

  Slow and steady. It’s supposed to be slow.

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s nearly seven.”

  “PM? Wow. I guess I really did need some decent sleep after all. Have you been here the whole time?” Lisa’s eyes were wide with surprise.

  “No, no, we’ve been taking it in turns. The others and me. Ana’s next.”

  “Oh joy,” she groaned. “Man, I’m such a pain in the arse!”

  “Not at all!” she laughed. “It’s given us something else to focus on,” she told her. “I guess some of us needed a distraction from Pim. You still look tired. You should sleep more if you can – I promise we’ll come get you if he wakes up when you’re sleeping.”

  She nodded, turned over and went straight back to sleep. When she woke up at 3.30am she was feeling a lot better. Her head had cleared and the fuzziness had lifted. She felt well rested. Looking at her IV pole, she saw that a nurse had hung another rehydration bag but she wasn’t hooked up to anything else. Checking her phone, she learned from Jeremy that AJ’s room was only next door. The ward was quiet, and she guessed they figured that if they’d moved her to a different floor, she’d just become more of a pain, so they put her in the empty room next door. The nurse had told her that all being well, she could be discharged the following morning anyway. She got up and shuffled with her IV pole to the next room. Luckily the IV had wheels and she wasn’t restricted to the bed. That would have driven her insane. She would have been very grumpy had she woken up unable to pee, or walk around.

  Walking in, she saw Jeremy asleep in the chair. Not her chair though, he probably expected a visit from her at some point. Covering him in an extra blanket, she sat next to AJ on the bed. She took his hand, as usual, and she talked to him, keeping her voice to a whisper.

  “Hey there, mister. How are you? I’ve had a bit of a day. I was starting to think I had completely embarrassed myself as much as I could in front of your tribe. And then, in true Lisa fashion, I managed to one-up myself, as always.”

  She made small talk at him for a while and then she moved to take up her usual position in her seat and fell asleep with her head on top of AJ’s hand.

  ***

  Fingers in her hair.

  He knew it was something she enjoyed. She made a satisfied sound as the fingers traveled the length of her long, in dire need of a good brushing, hair.

  Wait a minute, she thought confused. Why is Jeremy stroking my hair? I know I’m lying on top of AJ’s hand…

  She felt wildly for his hand. No hand? What the hell? Where’s his hand? Did someone move me?

  Her head snapped upright at the sound of him saying his ex-girlfriend’s name.

  “Ange?”

  Chapter 33

  “Oh my God,” Lisa breathed, as yet more tears fell, “your eyes! They’re o
pen!” She gushed, “You’re moving your hand!” She stuttered as his hand came to her face and stroked her cheek. “You’re awake!” Realization struck, “Wait? Ange? AJ that’s not funny…”

  “Who are you?” AJ demanded, with no trace of recognition on his face. He looked at her like she was a stranger.

  “AJ…it’s me…Lisa, remember? I’m-” Her breath caught in her throat as she choked down a sob.

  He was clearly confused. “Who are you?” he repeated, clearly confused. He spotted Jeremy asleep, “Jer?” he called.

  Jeremy didn’t stir.

  Lisa hit the “Call nurse” button on AJ’s remote control and crossed the room to shake Jeremy awake. Confused, Jeremy met her gaze and saw her tears, “What hap-” He glanced at AJ in the bed and realized he was awake. “Did you call someone?” he asked her. She nodded and chewed at her lip.

  “The nurse. I pushed the button.”

  “Good. Why do you look so upset? This is good, right, AJ? You’re awake, man!”

  “He-” she started at the same time AJ asked, “Who is she, Jer?”

  Understanding registered on Jeremy’s face as tears trickled down Lisa’s face. “He thought I was Angela,” she mumbled.

  “This is Lisa, AJ. Your girlfriend. Don’t panic, she loves you and you love her, and I’m sure whatever is up with your memory right now will be temporary and you’ll be back to your old self in no time.” He sounded way more confident than he looked. He’d turned as pale as the bed linen and kept looking at Lisa with sympathetic eyes, mouthing, “It’ll be ok,” at her repeatedly.

  AJ looked visibly scared and was breathing faster.

  He’s starting to panic. She went to his side, pulling her IV pole behind her and tried to hold his hand, but he jerked it away from her in confusion. She backed away from the bed and let Jeremy take her place and hold his hand. He sat quietly reassuring his friend and attempting to keep him calm.

  By the time the nurse reached the room, AJ had fallen back to sleep. The nurse took some readings from the machines and left the room to page the neurologist, who appeared quickly, made brief introductions and asked Jeremy a couple of questions before repeating the coma-scale test on AJ.

  “AJ? I’m Doctor Murphy, I’m going to need you to open your eyes for me for a moment please.”

  AJ opened his eyes. She wrote something down.

  “Good. Do you know where you are?”

  “Hospital,” he answered simply.

  She wrote again.

  “Good. Do you know why you’re in the hospital?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “You have no memory of what happened?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “Do you know who these people are?”

  “I know who he is,” he answered, indicating to Jeremy, “but not her.”

  Her. Even the word sounded foreign and cold coming from him.

  “Ok,” she answered taking more notes, “What’s the last thing you do remember, AJ?”

  He thought for a moment, grimaced, as though thinking hurt. “Eh…I don’t know.” He was starting to get frustrated. “Why am I here?” he asked as he reached up tentatively and touched his bandages.

  “It’s ok, please try not to panic. You had an accident on the ice during a game a few days ago. You have had surgery and were in a coma. But you’re awake now and we are working on getting you back fighting-fit.” she assured him. “Let’s try moving your toes.”

  He obliged, and she did a few more physical exercises with him. “We’ll send you for a few tests in the morning, but for now, AJ, please rest and allow your body to heal. Don’t force it. When you’re awake, by all means try and talk to your friends in small doses – but don’t push yourself. It’s still early days and things are going to be very foggy for a while. It’ll take time. You’ll probably feel dazed and confused, and your body may not work the way you expect it to right away, ok? If you’re in pain, the nurse can give you something. Do you have any questions?”

  AJ shook his head slightly; he was barely awake and fighting sleep.

  “Doctor?” Lisa asked quietly from her corner, not taking her eyes of AJ, “What was his score?”

  “He’s at a 13,” she answered sympathetically, “much improved.” AJ was starting to doze and Dr Murphy lowered her voice a little. “I know Doctor Davis recommended some literature for you to read about coma patients waking up, Lisa, and I know this can’t be easy for you. Hang in there, ok? He’s woken up and he can speak and move. He responded when I called his name to open his eyes. This is all huge. It’s expected that things are a bit muddled in his mind for a while. He’ll get there. Just be patient and don’t rush him. If people are visiting, please make sure it’s one or two at a time, and for quick visits. I’m sure the nurses will make sure he isn’t overwhelmed. Stimulate his memory in short bursts, he’s going to get frustrated and agitated that he can’t remember things, or that his arms don’t do what he wants them to do. He’s going to pass in and out of consciousness a lot. His body will need sleep and he’s likely to fall asleep mid-sentence for a few days, at least. It’s going to be a long road, but he’s taking the first strides and we are hopeful he will make a full recovery.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Lisa managed through tears, “Do we have to call you each time he wakes up now?”

  “No, the nurses will increase their checks accordingly. Have a good evening.”

  When she left, Jeremy took Lisa into his arms to comfort her. “I didn’t expect him to not remember who I am,” she sobbed into his shoulder. “I mean, I knew it could be an option, but I never really believed he would wake up and not know who I was!”

  “I know,” he answered rubbing her back. “He’ll get there though. He loves you way too much to forget you.”

  I sure do hope so, she thought as she cried.

  ***

  She jolted awake.

  Disoriented. Her head had been resting on AJ’s bed again, and she glanced across to Jeremy’s empty chair trying not to move much for fear of waking AJ.

  Where is he? she thought.

  “You’re awake,” AJ stated.

  She bolted upright. “Yes…” she started, panicked, “I’m sorry, I just… you were sleeping and…”

  “It’s ok, Lisa,” he said softly. “Don’t apologize.”

  “Do you remember me?” she asked hopefully.

  “A little. Flashes of memories. Like someone dropped a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle, only the puzzle is my memory.”

  She nodded slowly. “You should probably rest.” She encouraged.

  “Please don’t,” he begged, “Please? I hate it when I’m sleeping. I keep having strange dreams, I can’t tell what’s real and what isn’t. That doesn’t happen when I’m awake. Please let me enjoy these few minutes before I’m dragged back into sleep?”

  “Ok. How do you feel?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

  “I feel like I’ve slept for a week,” he told her.

  “Close enough,” she replied. “We’re just hitting day six, seven maybe? I dunno what time it is.”

  “Really? It’s been that long?” he asked, surprised.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why were you connected to an IV earlier?” he asked her with raised eyebrows.

  “Shit,” she groaned. “I forgot about the stupid IV. I fainted this morning. You had what looked like a seizure, but I have no idea if that’s actually what it was because I freaked out. Then fainted. But I’m ok.”

  “Ok people don’t faint,” he answered matter-of-factly.

  She smiled at him. “Touché. I guess I’ve been running a little on empty,” she confessed. “Are you really ok? I’ve been so scared that you wouldn’t wake up.”

  “I’m feeling a little better now that I’ve calmed down a bit and am more aware of being conscious. For the last while, I’ve been able to feel people holding my hand and the nurse washing me, but I haven’t been able to do anything about it. I’ve heard voices, non-
descript, kind of like I was under water, but I couldn’t open my eyes. Having no control of my body, people doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted – even if it was medical staff. I didn’t know that at first. I could hear everything, but I couldn’t move, speak or stop them. I was helpless.”

  “It sounds so scary, AJ,” her voice was almost a whisper.

  “Terrifying,” he replied as a tear slid down his cheek. Her instinct kicked in and she wiped away his tear, stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead before realizing what she’d done.

  “I’m sorry,” she began. “You’ve just gotten done telling me that you basically felt violated by everyone these last few days and-”

  “Shhhhhhhh….” he soothed and held his arm out to give her an awkward hug. “I need you to help me remember,” he told her quietly as he held her. “I’ve felt like I was sitting in a white room, waiting. There was no light at the end of the tunnel type-deal for me. Waiting for what? I have no idea, but I’ve been scared too, terrified. And I have a feeling that this isn’t over, please don’t give up on me, Lis.”

  They were both crying. The exchange had clearly taken it out of him so she stroked his cheek and shushed him, to sleep.

  ***

  Lisa stepped outside for some fresh air. It was dusk, and she was starting to feel like the walls of the hospital were closing in on her.

  What’s that noise?

  She stopped in her tracks.

  Is someone crying?

  She started to look around and quickly caught a glimpse of a woman sitting on a bench, clutching tissue to her face, her shoulders shaking with each sob. As Lisa approached, she realized that it was Cindy, AJ’s mom. She froze.

  Shit. Do I go up to her? Do I turn around and risk being caught?

  What do I do? What do I do?

  “Lisa?”

  Double shit.

  “Hi Mrs. Williams, are you ok?”

  “Lisa, we’ve talked about this. Cindy, please.” She answered through the tissue as she dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. “I’m not really sure how I am, Lisa. I think it’s all just caught up with me. There’s only so long you can be strong before reality kicks you in the behind.” She went quiet, and her tears started to fall again.