“Really? What great news! So he’s a lot better, then.”
“Physically, he’s a walking miracle. Mentally, there’s definitely been an improvement. You know, I told you that first week he was speaking very slowly. Now, his speech seems pretty much back to normal. Plus he seems more alert.”
“And his memory?” Heather asked tentatively.
Dana pursed her lips and took in a deep breath.
“The same. He still doesn’t remember…me,” she said, her voice catching on the last word.
There was a pause. “I know how you feel.”
Dana gave a short, mirthless laugh.
“How can you know how I feel?”
“Have you forgotten my mom has Alzheimer’s?”
“Oh, right!”
How could she have forgotten that? Heather’s mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the past year and it had gotten worse over the last several months.
“I’m so sorry. All this time I’ve been feeling so alone in this, but you can relate, can’t you?” Dana said.
“Yeah. You know there are days when she does remember me but those days are becoming fewer and farther between. It’s pretty heartbreaking,” she said softly. “I feel your pain, Dana. What’s the prognosis, though?”
“The doctor says it’s possible he’ll regain some of the memories, though probably not all. I’m carefully optimistic. I know that with God all things are possible, but for whatever reason, it may not be His will, you know.
“Yeah, I know.”
“This experience has really forced me to surrender to God like I never have before. I’ve never realized how so many things are really out of our hands. We only ever make it through each day because of God’s grace and mercy. I’m just so thankful to have my husband alive. I’m trying to hold on to that positive.”
“May I say a prayer for you right now, Dana?”
“Please do.”
~*~*~*~
At the hospital, Dana was greeted by the usual paparazzi who took a few photos of her. While the number had dwindled over the past few weeks, they still maintained a presence there. She knew that the statement from Robert’s publicist would have to come soon, but she really didn’t have the time to think about even contacting him right then.
She made her way to Robert’s room where he was chatting with Marc. She noted that he was dressed in his own clothes; light blue jeans and a blue pin-striped oxford shirt. A small suitcase containing his things was packed and on the floor near the door.
She smiled. She felt more hopeful now that she had allowed herself to grieve for her dad. Such a long-awaited step had been cathartic. That, along with the prayers and the talk with Heather, had really helped to elevate her spirits.
“All set?” she asked as her eyes moved between Robert and Marc.
“Yes,” Marc replied. “I just want to speak with both of you before you leave.”
Dana nodded. “Sure.”
She took the seat next to Robert as Marc pulled a chair from beside the bed and sat opposite them.
“Robert, I’m sure you must be quite happy to see that the day has finally come when you get to return to your home.”
Robert nodded. “Yes, I am.”
The doctor continued with his usual calm and sensible approach.
“First, the good news. The results of your tests have been remarkable. I’m personally in awe of how much you have been able to retain and can still do after such a traumatic experience and after undergoing such a long operation. You are able to perform all basic functions. You can handle your personal grooming although you have to move a little slower than you would have before. You can walk and have good balance. The only thing you will need to work on is your strength, but I predict that once you continue your physical therapy back home, you will be back to where you were in no time. All of your senses are intact, you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch very well. Your speech is clear and audible.”
Marc passed an envelope to Dana.
“This contains instructions on the types of symptoms that would require you to call the emergency services right away or to call a doctor. As to follow-up care –”
“Tell me you’re moving to Los Angeles,” Dana interjected.
A corner of Marc’s mouth lifted.
“If only I could. I have made contact with a Doctor Franklin Richards at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center near where you live. He has been recommended to me as one of the best neurosurgeons in that area. He will be responsible for your follow-up care. You can choose someone else if you would like, of course, but he has been apprised of your situation and is poised to consult with you as soon as you reach home.”
Robert, who had been quiet up until then, asked, “How long before I’m completely back to normal?”
“Let’s put it this way, traumatic brain injury is often tracked using the Rancho Los Amigos Scale. It specifies eight levels from coma to awareness and purposeful activity and is widely used to monitor levels of recovery from brain surgery. Research has shown that the rate at which a person is able to pass through the levels can predict how fully they will recover.”
Dubel opened a file and read from the contents.
“You would have started in a comatose state and moved quickly to sleeping most of the time with brief periods of wakefulness. You soon moved on to being awake for lengthier periods. Your tests at that time showed that you reacted inconsistently to commands but your response was related to the type of stimulus presented. By week two, your awareness had increased but you were still having difficulty following complex commands and concentrating for more than a few minutes. Your response to the latest tests indicates that you are at level seven of the continuum. That is, you are better able to learn new skills. This progress has been nothing short of remarkable. Most patients take months, sometimes years, to get to this stage. You sprinted to level seven in four weeks. I attribute that to your excellent health and the fact that we were able to get you into surgery so quickly after the accident.”
“Ahem…Marc Dubel, I think there’s also someone we have to thank for his miraculous recovery.”
The doctor smiled and shrugged.
“Robert, your wife has been talking to me practically every day about the role of God in all this and I concede that she has a point. After all, the whole thing defies the odds. But let’s not digress. I expect that, based on your incredible progress thus far, it will only be a matter of weeks before you reach level eight. That means that impairment in social, cognitive or emotional functioning will be quite minimal, if present at all.”
“You said first the good news. Is there bad news?” Robert asked.
“The biggie, of course, is the amnesia. It is pretty extensive. While it’s not entirely uncommon for memory loss to span such a long period, such cases are in the minority. What I’m saying is that you are an anomaly. On one hand you have recovered at an unbelievable speed, but on the other many of your memories are gone,” Marc responded.
“How likely is it I’ll regain them?”
“If there are the right stimuli there’s every reason to believe that you can recover some of those episodic memories.”
“What do you mean by…right stimuli?” Robert asked.
“I was explaining to your wife that familiar surroundings may help to refresh your memory. Places you’ve been together. Where you live. Things like that.”
“I’ve got one more question,” Robert said as he leaned forward with his forearms on his legs.
“Yes?”
“When is it safe to have sex?”
Chapter 14
The bellhop had just deposited Robert’s bags inside the hotel suite. While he surveyed the room, Dana stood to one side and quietly observed him.
“So, where do I sleep?”
Though legitimate, the question was unexpected enough to leave Dana scrambling for a response.
She took a seat on a nearby sofa. Robert joined her.
“I’ve been sta
ying in the left bedroom so I think you can take the one to the right.”
He nodded. “Separate rooms, huh?”
She cocked her head to a side. “As opposed to….?”
“We’re married. So, why separate rooms?”
She didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure what the proper reply should be. Robert hadn’t exactly welcomed the news that he was married to her. Even though he had apologized, it still hurt. It had been as though the thought of being married to her was unfathomable.
Marc had assured her that such denial was common in this type of case and had nothing to do with her. It was just fear by the victim that they were losing control. It still hurt.
Which was why the ‘how soon can I have sex?’ comment had stunned her. Such a typical male response. He didn’t know who she was, wasn’t sure if he wanted to be married to her, but clearly didn’t balk at the idea of having sex with her. And of course, Marc’s ‘whenever you feel ready’ response, accompanied by a smirk hadn’t helped. She’d felt like smacking both of them at that moment.
“Robert,” she said carefully, smoothing out the lines of her dress. “I think…no…I know we have to take baby steps. I certainly have no idea how we, as individuals, deal with what’s happened to you, much less as a couple. The last thing we need to do is complicate things by…”
“By what?” he leaned forward so that he was staring into her eyes.
She met his gaze and noted how his hair had grown enough to hide the incision on his head. For one moment she wanted to reach out and trace the outline but resisted the urge and instead held her hands together in her lap.
She looked down at her ballet flats.
“By sharing the same bed.”
When she looked up again, she observed that he had leaned back on the couch. His arm rested lightly on the seat behind her and he watched her with interest and slight amusement. In that instant, as their eyes met, the most ridiculous thing happened – her heart missed a beat.
“I wasn’t suggesting that we…make love,” he responded.
She cleared her throat.
“I wasn’t suggesting it either…what I mean was…um…that…we shouldn’t…um what were you suggesting?”
Why was she stumbling to express herself? She was never lost for words.
“I was thinking that things do get leaked to the press. Maybe we should keep up appearances by at least sharing the same bed. I won’t start anything. Promise.”
Dana felt irrationally nervous at the prospect of sharing a bed with this man, the man whom she’d loved for over a decade but who was, in a way, now a stranger. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You need to get to know me and I need to get to know you again.”
“I feel like I know you. You’ve been with me every day since I woke up.”
“Oh, is that why you freaked out when you found out you were married to me.”
At least, he had the grace to look sheepish.
“I’m sorry about that…it wasn’t you.”
She turned away and made a motion to stand but he grabbed her arm and gently tugged her back down. He sat forward in earnest.
“Just try to put yourself in my place. I wake up to find that I’ve been in a life threatening accident, that I’ve had surgery on my brain, and that eleven years of my life have passed yet I have no memory of it. How would you feel?”
She thought about this for a while. Finally, she sighed deeply and rubbed her hand over her face.
“I guess I’d freak out too.”
“Exactly. It had nothing to do with you. It was the fact that a whole chunk of my life has been erased, gone, vamoosed like it never happened. I don’t remember all I said but I remember feeling scared. I’ve had a week to get used to the idea but I feel like I’ve lost something very precious. Do you understand?”
“Are you kidding? Of course, I understand. What do you think happened to me, Robert? I’ve been feeling like a widow. I’ve shared this journey with you and now all of a sudden it’s like I had all those experiences on my own because you don’t share any of them with me.”
He reached out a hand to touch her face but she jerked back.
“Please don’t,” she said.
He dropped his hand. “Sorry.” He looked away. “So, are we still going the separate rooms route?”
She stood. “I think that’s best for now. Let people think what they want. I seriously don’t care right now.”
He shrugged. “Fine.” He reached for the TV remote.
“Are you sure you want to do that? Remember how watching TV can give you a headache?”
He nodded. “That’s true. I can’t read either, though. That’s pretty painful. I’ll just listen to some music.”
She reached into her bag and took out her tablet.
“Here. You can listen to music on this. I need a long soak in the bathtub.”
Robert kicked off his shoes and stretched out his legs on the couch as he selected the songs he wanted from Dana’s music library.
She left him and retired to the master suite, closing the door behind her as Matthew West’s Strong Enough wafted through the penthouse. As Dana undressed, she thought of what she had to say and how she would break the news to Robert. How would he take it? Would he go into hysterics again or would he be saddened? How would he cope? Clearly, she had to tell him soon before he found out some other way. If that happened, it would be so much worse. No, she had to tell him tonight.
~*~*~*~
Robert carefully cut into his steak with his knife and fork and brought the morsel to his lips.
“Ummm,” he said as he savored the bite.
Dana’s head came up and he noted that for the first time that evening she looked amused.
“You seem to be enjoying that,” she commented.
He nodded.
“After a steady diet of hospital food, it tastes like heaven. Wanna bite?”
He offered her a piece on the tip of his fork.
She quickly shook her head and resumed pushing her food around her plate.
“This is delicious. You don’t know what you’re missing,” he teased.
She threw him a smile and he felt his stomach contract. For a moment, he felt like reaching over and tugging on one of the tendrils that had escaped her up-do. She was such a stunning woman. That was the only adjective to describe her. He hadn’t confessed it to her, but three days after he’d gotten over the shocking news that they were married he had been filled with a strange feeling of delight. He was married to her? Wow, had he lucked out or what?!
He allowed his eyes to travel from the tip of her head to her long-lashed, sea blue eyes to her cute little nose to her full lips. Then, they slid down that smooth, graceful neck, the tanned arms, and shoulders not covered by the black dress. His gaze paused at her French-manicured nails and the wedding ring on her slender finger. It was a solitaire diamond engagement ring paired with a diamond-encrusted gold band.
He took a sip of his water and then asked, “Did I choose those rings?”
She glanced at them and nodded.
Yes. They were the type of rings he would choose. Simple, yet impactful.
“Do you like them?”
“I love them. Why do you ask?”
He shrugged. “I was just thinking that sometimes you buy things for someone that’s your taste and not necessarily theirs. So I was just wondering if you loved them or just loved them because I gave them to you.”
She smiled. “Both.”
There was silence between them for a few minutes as the waiter appeared and refilled their water goblets.
“This is very nice. Very intimate,” he commented, looking around Haute, the Zurich Waldorf’s fine dining restaurant. It was a luxurious restaurant located on the 14th floor of the hotel. This lofty height along with the location of their table at the restaurant’s periphery allowed them breathtaking views of Zurich. Robert also noted that they were the only diners on that side of the restaurant.
�
�Is there a particular reason no one else is being seated this side?”
A corner of Dana’s mouth lifted in a smile.
“It’s heartening to see you haven’t lost your powers of observation. I messaged my brother-in-law, William, he owns this hotel. I asked him to ensure we dined in relative privacy tonight. You know how curious people can be.”
“How come you didn’t just order room service then?” he asked.
“Change of scenery. We’ve been in there for most of the day…Robert, there’s something I need to tell you. I’ve been waiting for the right moment but I don’t know if there’ll ever be one.”
He observed how her eyes dropped and how she swallowed. She seemed nervous and he wondered why. What news could be more earth shattering than they’d been married for over a decade? He considered himself well prepared for anything right then.
“We have kids.”
Okay, maybe not anything.
He didn’t respond at first. Eventually, he said slowly, “Kids? As in more than one?”
She nodded. Then she took up her phone. She swiped it a few times then turned it over to him.
“Here they are.”
He looked at the photo. Three beautiful, dark-haired children who looked very much like himself smiled back at him. He felt pain shoot through his chest. Three kids? Three kids and he had no memory of them. When would this nightmare end?
Eventually, he said in a voice thick with emotion, “They look so much alike…are they…triplets?”
Dana nodded. “Yeah.”
He could feel his eyes fill with tears. He squeezed them shut, embarrassed to be crying in public.
He felt a touch on his arm, Dana’s touch.
“Are you alright?” she asked in a voice laced with compassion.
“I thought I was coming to grips with the amnesia but this news now. This is unbelievable. A wife and three kids?”
She squeezed his arm.
“Oh, Bobby…it’s okay. We’ll face this together. We’ll get through this with God’s help, I promise.”
~*~*~*~
“We’ll need your publicist to put out a statement or the press will never leave us alone,” Dana said to Robert the next morning as they pulled out of the hotel in the limo on their way to the airport.
Second Chance: A Christian Romance (Royals Book 2) Page 15