by Carmen Faye
“Whether it’s acceptable to her or not, I’d rather you do it the way I asked. There is no need to find housing when you can stay with me. I want to hear about us and what was going on at the time of the accident, but I don’t want you to wear yourself out further. I also don’t want my mother to harass you.” He looked toward his mother. “Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” his mother sang in a voice that probably didn’t match how she was feeling.
“Great. Since we’re all in agreement on what should happen, how about I call the car to take you over to the apartment? There are the keys to the place, and the driver will show you where it is.” He pointed at the keys, and she picked them up.
“I’ll need my purse,” she said to him when she noticed that he had it in a vise hold.
That got a smile out of him, and she was almost surprised at how much she missed it.
“I figured that you’d need this. They weren’t letting you come back, but I figured you’d have to get this, and when you did, you’d have to see me.” Matt was smart and logical; that had to mean something. If they thought his memory was going to come back soon, that was even better.
“I wasn’t hiding from you.” Emmy didn’t want to give anyone more reason to be mad at her. They already didn’t trust her, and she was doing her best to understand why.
“I know you weren’t,” he said, looking at his mother, who was trying to look shame-faced. However, it wasn’t really working.
“Well, you get going, and we’ll see you in the morning,” Marcia said with a wobbly smile on her face.
Emmy leaned over Matt to get her purse when he pulled her closer. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m going to go with my gut and trust you.”
She could only nod, as he released her purse but put his hands in her hair to bring her down for a kiss. It wasn’t as rough as she remembered it, but she was glad about that. There were other people in the room, but when he touched her, it was hard to remember that.
“I’ll be back after I’ve had some rest,” she said moving out of his arms and trying to ignore the cold chill coming from the area of the room where his mother stayed.
“Alright,” Matt said through his heavy-lidded gaze. “One more thing before you go… what’s your name?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Matthew James Perrier.” His mother was in quite a state, and he couldn’t say that he blamed her. If the shoe was on the other foot, he’d be calling out all of her names, too. The fact that he didn’t remember the name of the woman whom he gave his keys to did not sound smart, but it felt right. That was something he just wasn’t going to be able to explain to his mother.
“I know what you’re going to say, Mom, but I trust her. I’ve been in the Navy for a good while, and one of my specialties is reading people. I can’t remember the last week or so, but I’m still the same person I was.” Matt knew his mother was protective of him—probably more so now than she ever was. However, when Emmy didn’t return after his mother and old friend’s arrival, he knew the sexy woman who’d helped him relieve a bit of tension had been thrown out. He knew that his status quo had been to find willing partners, have a bit of fun, and then separate mutually and happily, but he didn’t think it had been that way for them.
“I’m not saying that you’re wrong about her. It’s just that…do you really need to get involved with someone right now? I always thought that you and Candy were going to get together after you came out of service.” His mother knew how to work a sentence and turn the knife. She wanted what was best for him, sure, but she also wanted what she wanted. The whole Candy and him being a couple thing was something that had been a bee in his mother’s bonnet for a long while. It wasn’t ever going to happen… he and Candy were friends. Period.
He looked over at his friend and saw a look in her eye that wasn’t there the last time he’d been home. Fuck! His mother had gotten to her. This wasn’t going to be good.
“You know we aren’t like that, Mom. Tell her, Candy… or has she warped your mind somehow?” He kept his gaze moving between the two women in the room, trying to figure out what was going on. Was it that he’d been injured and they had let their fears make them worry about his future?
“I’ve always loved you, Matt.” Candy sat down on the bed, and he wondered what his mother had said to her, but when she looked at his mother, he wondered what was next. “But it’s never been romantic between us.”
His mother looked like she’d lost the heavy weight title fight, as her face slipped a bit from the big smile she’d worn as she heard Candy proclaim her love to him.
“For the record, I think your girlfriend is hot and looks like she can totally give you a run for your money. Can you remember anything about the time that you were together?”
“We aren’t supposed to bother him with that, Candy.” His mother shooed her away from him. “You don’t even have to think about her if you don’t want to.”
“I feel like there are flashes of information coming through, but nothing is solid.”
The doctor’s walked in and filled the room. All the white coats should have left them all blinded. Why the hell did they have to walk around in such a large group?
“You were very lucky Lieutenant Commander Perrier. There must be some kind of guardian angel that was wrapped around you as you wrapped around the woman you were cradling in your arms. Looking at that portion of the building, it’s amazing that anyone made it out of that alive, but here you are with minimal damage, and the woman was treated and released with very minor bruising,” the oldest doctor said.
“Someone told me that I’d be able to get out of here soon.” Matt didn’t want to be pushy, but if he didn’t have to be here, he didn’t want to be.
“That was Dr. Miller who was in earlier. We went over your case and wanted to try something new. The woman who stayed with you when you were unconscious… is she still here?” The doctor looked around the room like Emmy was going to pop out of somewhere.
“No. She was tired and since my mother just got here I thought I’d let her get some rest.” Matt was already feeling protective of the woman whose existence in his life was like an elusive dream. It was like the memory of her waited just outside of a periphery that he didn’t have clearance to obtain but knew was there.
“Good. I’m glad you didn’t send her away. We were thinking that you should spend a few days alone with her since that’s what you’d done before all this happened. That may jog your memory,” said the doctor, as he addressed him and his mother.
“How do we know she’s telling the truth?” His mother was holding on to her version of the story where he was the victim of some wrong doing. He couldn’t figure out why though. It wasn’t every day that someone came along to help someone else out the way she had selflessly and completely for a stranger. There was something there.
“We have surveillance from the base before the typhoon that puts the couple together. They also had a situation that occurred while they were on vacation in Hawaii where Matt had to disarm a knife-wielding assailant. There is a police record and the couple admitted to being together at that time. We do a lot to make sure that people are who they say they are. Emily Roth is new college graduate from Connecticut who is planning on doing some extensive traveling.” The doctor looked pretty pleased with himself, as he told of his gathered information. “I don’t tell you this for any other reason than you are having some memory loss and we are asking that you spend time with someone who you don’t remember. This isn’t something that is mandatory, but we’ve seen it works well with cases like yours.”
“What about us?” His mother wasn’t used to being left out of her son’s life, and Matt could hear the frustration in her voice. The woman had traveled for days, probably dropping everything she had going on to get here, only to be told that she wasn’t really needed.
“Ms. Perrier, mothers like you should be commended. Thank you for running out to see about your brave son who put his
life on the line like he does every day for his fellow man. You’ve done a great job with him. That’s clear. I know you want him to be back at one hundred percent, and we think this is the fastest way to get that done.” The doctor should have been a motivational speaker. His mother’s face was filled with pride, and that meant that this doctor knew how to handle people.
Matt looked over at Candy, and she winked at him. He should have known his friend wouldn’t let him down, but he still wondered what all the weirdness coming from her was about.
“Can I talk to you for a moment outside,” his mother said to the doctor.
“Sure, but before I leave, are there any questions, Matt?”
Matt shook his head. He was happy that the doctor stampede would be getting out of his space, and he was happy for a chance to talk to his friend. As soon as the door closed, he patted the space next to him on the bed.
“I knew this was coming,” Candy said, as her butt hit the bed.
“Good. If you knew it was coming, then you know what I am going to say.”
“Your mother had me scared that you were dead or incapacitated in some way, and I let her talk me into thinking that we just may be able to get together.” She wasn’t even looking at him, just playing with the hem of her jeans.
“Then what happened?” He hated coaxing her, but there was going to be only so much time his mother was going to be gone, and when she was in the room, Candy tended to be quiet.
“I saw your girlfriend, and I wasn’t jealous of her. I was sad for her.” She finally looked up, and Matt still couldn’t read what she was trying to say. That was something because they’d grown up together and he knew her more than anyone.
“Why?”
“When we got here, we saw her sleeping in the lobby, but we were in such a rush that we walked on by. She stayed on my mind, and I wondered who in the world she was waiting for that she’d be crunched up in a ball, on a small chair. Where was her family? Was she alone? Was she stranded?”
Candy got up, walked to the window, and looked out of it.
“When your mother found out someone had stayed by your side throughout your whole ordeal, she was not pleased, but when she found out the woman said she was your girlfriend, she was livid. Maybe she’s used to you having girlfriends around, but when she woke your friend up, she was pretty brutal. She told her that she wasn’t going to be able to see you again until you regained your memory, and she looked heartbroken, but she didn’t say a word.”
“It’s a good thing I kept her purse until I could see her again then, huh?” Matt asked.
Candy came back to the bed, and she started to giggle. “You are a very attractive man, but just not my man. I have got to remember to not let your mother get into my head.”
“Very good thing to remember.” He reached up and ruffled her hair just because it’s something he always did. He’d ruffle her hair, and she’d complain… it was a tradition.
His mother came in and looked at the both of them. “Well, we should be going soon, but since you aren’t leaving until tomorrow, I think we should at least be with you until you get discharged. Then, maybe I can find a way to have a better first impression of Emmy.”
“That’s the mom I know and love.”
“Yeah, yeah… my son grew up to be a SEAL and a man. I’ve got to start acting accordingly.”
“Well, maybe a hit to my noggin wasn’t the worst thing that could happen if my mother is talking like this.”
“I don’t know about all that. I will just say that I’ll do my part if that will get you back to normal.”
“Who could ask for more than that?” Matt said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Emmy wasn’t sure what was going to happen today. From the moment this wild ride of a trip started it was like she didn’t recognize her life and sometimes…herself. The housing area that they’d given to Matt was nice and cozy. The one-bedroom apartment with a dining room, living room, full bathroom, and kitchen was complete with furniture, and the man who brought her to the house also took her to the base shopping center too so they were stocked up on food and niceties that made any house a home in her book.
She’d taken one last look around the house, and she hoped there would be enough room for them all. This was a very small place, but she had lived with her four brothers and parents, so she knew how to pack it in when she needed to. Then, she headed to the hospital.
The hospital elevator dinged and she stepped off of it and went to Matt’s room, trying to keep her tension at bay. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
“There you are.” Matt was sitting in the loveseat all ready to go.
“If you were ready earlier, why didn’t you tell me to come and get you?” Emmy looked around the room and wondered why it was so quiet.
“If you’re looking for my mother and Candy, they aren’t here. They left early this morning.”
“Why? I would have thought they would be afraid to leave you alone with me.” Keeping the smart ass bitterness out of her voice was difficult, but before she slept, she kept replaying the words that had awakened her from her uncomfortable nap in the lobby.
“Well, they were… until the doctor said that they think I have a mild cast of amnesia, and they think that you can help me with it.”
“Really? What do I have to do?” She was willing to do whatever for Matt. Not only had she fallen in love with the protective man, but he’d saved her life more times than she was willing to think about. Not that she would tell him about the love part. She knew that this was supposed to be a fling, and even if he didn’t remember his reservations about them being together right now, she did and she’d remind him of that, too.
“They think since I spent the majority of the time right before the accident with you that being with you now will bring my memory back. They need me for a special assignment. It was created just for me. I was brought here to get my final instructions and then deploy with the specialized crew they set up for this particular task.”
“Can you remember anything about it?” She knew that he couldn’t tell her that much about the mission, and she didn’t want to know about it; she just wanted to see how far they were from his baseline.
“They told me the specifics when I got on base, and I was hit soon after that. Just like the time I spent with you. Sometimes the memories hover right under the surface, but I just can’t reach them. The doctor’s think that you may be the key to solving that problem. Just by being you…”
That seemed like a lot of pressure to be in charge of so much, but she could just be her and hope that was enough. It was something because back home she was the person that everyone watched out for and tried to make more comfortable. She’d had a leaky heart valve, and when she was young, she was often out of breath and sickly, but with her metallic valve working like a charm, she was fine. Her parents had kept the death of her favorite aunt away from her until she had graduated because they thought the stress would be too much. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. When she got her inheritance from her wonderful aunt, she decided to take a trip to all the wonderful places she’d always wanted to go but let her family scare her into thinking she couldn’t go alone.
“If you want me… just being me. I have that in spades. Are you ready to go?” She wanted to get out of this hospital as soon as she could. Having spent so much time in the hospital as a child, she refused to go back. Even when her brother’s wife’s had children, she’d wait until they brought them home. Sure, she claimed that she didn’t want to overwhelm the mother at the hospital and she wanted the immediate family to bond. It was true, but that wasn’t the real reason she didn’t go. When she was released from the hospital, she had the icky feeling she always had, but it didn’t occur to her to leave. She wanted to make sure Matt was okay, and with all the commotion of increased patients and not enough staff, she didn’t mind taking care of him.
Matt stood up and tried to grab his bags.
“S
hould you be lifting anything?” Emmy jumped in front of him and took the bag from his hand.
“Yes, sexy nurse, I got my discharge instructions, and they said that I’m fit as a fiddle. I’m a bit weak from laying around just that little bit of time, but I’m going to be going to physical therapy a few times a day just to get myself back together.” Matt pointed to the little cart they’d given him to roll his items out to the car.
“That sounds like a plan.”
Getting him to the car and back to the house was not a problem. It’s a good thing that he was a SEAL because his rigid workout regime and powerful body had done a lot to make what could have been a more debilitating injury very minor.
He was tired from the short trip home but was able to take a shower and get dressed alone in the bathroom. It was weird being with a man she knew so intimately but now felt like a stranger.