Remember When...

by Scarlett Finn

  “And I’m asking my wife if she wants medical help, what’s wrong with that?”

  “Don’t call her your wife,” Calvin snapped.

  Murphy came in closer, angling his shoulder in front of Shane’s, he knew his brother, and everyone had to be sensing the tension. “Please,” Ginger said and it was immediately soothing to him to hear the gentle tone that she didn’t know she’d used to calm him before. “I’m asking a lot of all of you, I know. I could decide to forget my past and ask you gentlemen to leave.”

  “Ask away, Bit,” Shane said. “Won’t make me walk out that door.”

  This time there was a curiosity in her gaze and it wasn’t broken even when Calvin blustered. “Uh, we’ll call the police if you think about outstaying your welcome,” he said.

  She didn’t actually move, but Shane sensed a shift in her mood when she next spoke. “I could also accept that I should belong with my brother and my husband and leave with them now, relieving those in my current life of the burden of caring for me.”

  Oh yes, there was his Ginger, and although he tried to restrain it, his lips contorted to a smile. Nothing would make him happier than if she asked him to take her home. And he’d just like to see this Calvin guy try to get in his way.

  “You would never do that,” Calvin said and tugged her hand to get her attention back on him. “Would you, dearest?”

  Shane scrutinized the look they exchanged, yes, there was something in that. If Ginger was hiding something from him, Calvin knew what it was. “Should we sit?” Owen asked, doing his own bit to diffuse the tension.

  The circular table had been set for seven. Calvin took Ginger over to seat her at the table between him and his mother. That was fine with Shane because he was directly opposite her and could catch every one of the glances she stole at him. She might not want him to notice, but he did, and he wanted her to notice him, wanted her to look her fill.

  Wine was poured for everyone at the table, starting with Calvin. When the server got to Ginger, she put her hand over the top of the glass. “No thank you,” she said and the server left.

  Ginger picked up the water jug to pour some out for herself. “Do you want something else to drink?” Shane asked, wondering why Calvin hadn’t offered. “You still like rum and coke?”

  “Oh no, I…” There again was that look exchanged between her and Calvin. And Diane, his mother shook her head behind Ginger’s back. “I don’t drink.”

  “At all?” Shane asked and Owen laughed.

  “Since when?” Owen asked.

  “Since… ever,” Ginger said. “I don’t drink. Is that a problem?”

  Shane shook his head and Owen curled his lip. “Nope… just never figured my sister as teetotal.”

  Maybe that was what the secret was, Calvin seemed to have a lot of control over Ginger and Shane didn’t like it. Control could mean intimidation, it could mean violence. Shane had been rough when his girl when it aroused her, but if he found out this guy was touching Ginger in anger, he’d take him apart.

  “So what’s the point of this meal?” Boyd asked, impatient as the first course was served. “We’re all here, someone should start.”

  Ginger cleared her throat, but it was Calvin who spoke. “We want to know what happened. What’s happened the last time you saw Claire?”

  Shane would answer all of Ginger’s questions, but he wanted to be sure it was what she wanted. “How does this fit in with what your doctors told you?” he asked his wife.

  She shrugged. “It’s a stalemate, if I can’t ask and you can’t tell, how will I ever learn anything?”

  He looked at Owen and at Murphy, they didn’t want to be used for information and then cut out. But they already had their next appointment lined up with the doctor the following day. So he at least had some reassurance.

  “We were on a cruise,” Shane said. “Some buddies had just made a bunch of cash, so we were taking a yacht out onto the water for a few days. On the second night, we hit weather, the boat sank.”

  So simple when he put it out there like that, a cruise, a sinking, but if it was that easy, why were they all still recovering nearly a year and a half later. “And?” Calvin asked. “You abandoned her out there?”

  Shane shouldn’t be surprised that this prick was trying to put it on him, except it was his fault, at least, that was how he saw it. “Shane was out there longer than anyone,” Owen said, defending him. “Ten were airlifted, four bodies were found and Ginny… she was just missing.”

  “Your turn,” Murphy snapped. “Where’d you pick her up? The article online that brought us here, it said you found her at the side of the road… that can’t be right, she was in the water.”

  “It is,” Calvin said, drinking his wine. “I was driving a back road from an associate’s cabin and there she was, at the side of the road. I thought at first that she’d been hit by a car. She was unconscious and I got her to hospital. Claire was in the hospital for a couple of months with complications, after that we agreed to take care of her.”

  Ginger wasn’t eating, she was stroking the end of her ringlet between her forefinger and thumb, a sure sign she was anxious. “What’s the last thing you remember, sis?” Owen asked, gently easing her into what they wanted to know.

  “We don’t talk about that,” Calvin said. “Let’s talk about you, you said you’re a lawyer, are you with a firm?”

  “Yes,” Owen said. “And you own a chemical company that made you a couple of million last year, right?”

  Good on Owen not giving away too much, they had to play this Calvin guy because he thought he could play them. Ginger was still toying with her hair until Diane caught him looking at her with concern. Diane nudged Ginger and whispered something, instructing her to eat.

  “And what is it you do, Mr. Warren?” Calvin asked after spouting off some figures to Owen.

  “I write,” he muttered.

  “Like what?” Calvin sneered. “Books.”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said and sat up to lean over the table. “Ginger, have you spoken to anyone about your memories?”

  “The doctors at the hospital were very good,” Calvin said. “But we took her to a private facility and brought in our own professionals very quickly. Their treatment was exemplary.”

  And directed by Calvin and his wallet. Shane couldn’t blame the guy for falling for Ginny, or for wanting to keep her for himself. Oddly, instead of anger or jealousy, his next pang was pity. Ginger would be coming home with him, she’d fallen in love with him once and Shane was confident if he could get close to her, get her alone, maybe reawaken her memory, that she would be his once again. Shane was going to win this war, even if it meant giving up a few battles.

  “I don’t doubt that,” Shane said. “You look healthy… how’s your blood pressure?”

  The question shocked not only Ginny, but the others at the table too. “Low,” she whispered. “How do you know that?”

  “You always had a problem with low blood pressure. Your mom and grandmother had it too,” he said. “I’m glad you’re keeping an eye on it.”

  “It’s just a shame you didn’t know that when she was in the hospital initially,” Owen said. “It might have given the doctors a false impression of her condition.”

  “I don’t want finger pointing,” Ginger said, squirming in her chair. “I hate that this is awkward.”

  Guilt. She was coping with guilt and still Calvin did nothing to comfort her. “You didn’t do this,” Shane said. “To any of us… you didn’t ask for the accident or the amnesia. No one here blames you… You didn’t ask me, Owen, and Murphy to show up either. We all make our own choices in life.”

  “Thank you for the pop psychology,” Calvin muttered and returned to his food. “Everyone eat.”

  They finished the next course in silence and then spent the rest of the meal listening to Calvin talk about his business and his family. Ginger could tell that the new men in her life weren’t that impressed, but she’d asked
Calvin to make sure there was no pressure on her to rush into a confession.

  So as much as she didn’t want any resentment between these men, she also knew she had to take her time and do this right. That meant Calvin had to take the lead for her, at least at that initial dinner. Talking about himself was great cover for her, giving her some time to adjust to this development.

  After exchanging numbers and cards, they’d all gone their separate ways.

  She didn’t sleep well but did eventually drift off. When she woke up, she thought it might be a dream, but if it was, she’d be wearing a wedding ring and be packing for her honeymoon that she was supposed to be leaving for the following day.

  Instead, they were presently seated in the doctor’s office. Introductions had been made and Doctor Guinness hadn’t said much since then. He’d sat her down with Calvin, Diane, Shane and Owen, and said they should all attempt to identify with each other. To bond. Murphy and Boyd were asked to wait outside in the waiting room and she hoped they wouldn’t come to blows without supervision.

  Doctor Guinness had done well to ensure there was little pressure on her. In fact, his first question had been about sharing early memories and he made everyone in the group share their earliest memory first. It surprised her how open everyone was to helping her and to doing what the doctor asked even in front of strangers as most of them were to each other.

  With all their stories finished, all eyes had just fallen onto her. “Your situation is different, you won’t have memories of growing up,” Doctor Guinness said, “but do you think you could try, could you tell us about your earliest memory?”

  “I have pictures of childhood,” she said, folding her hands in her lap. “I get pieces that I can’t put together. I don’t know if they’re memories or just something I’ve made up in my subconscious.”

  “Yes, that does sometimes happen,” Doctor Guinness said. “What about the day you met Calvin? The day we’ll call the start of your new life… what do you remember about that day?”

  “Uh, Doctor, is this a good idea?” Calvin asked. “We don’t want to damage her psychologically.”

  Doctor Guinness was concise, unlike some of the other doctors she’d met. “We still haven’t established whether her amnesia is psychological or physiological,” the doctor said. “You’ve waited long enough, Mr. Bishop and… I don’t mean to be blunt, but technically… Mr. Warren here is her next of kin, the marriage certificate has been verified, correct?”

  Yes, the lawyers had confirmed the marriage this morning. “Yes,” Calvin mumbled.

  “So if our patient is willing and Mr. Warren consents, there’s no reason not to help her probe into her memories.”

  She looked at Shane, who was looking at her, he seemed to do that a lot. “If you’re ok, Bit, I’m ok,” he said. She’d followed Calvin’s advice and given the memories time to come back on their own, but they hadn’t yet, so she was willing to try something else. “But if you’re not sure, we’ll shut these bastards down, no hesitation.”

  He was always so quick to make sure she knew her options and that he supported her choices. Every time he swore, Diane bristled and it made her want to laugh. “I remember pieces of that day,” she said and didn’t even think about the fact that she hadn’t broken eye contact with Shane.

  “You can work backwards,” Guinness said. “If it’s easier… do you remember the road?”

  “I remember emotions,” she said. “I remember relief when I heard cars… I was in the woods, I was… I remember voices and my feet hurt but most of all I remember…”

  “You remember what?” Guinness asked and she kept her gaze on Shane.

  “I remember the cold… I remember being so cold I thought… I thought I’d never move again… I was… exhausted and so cold…”

  “That was probably from the water,” Guinness said, “if you were indeed in this yacht sinking.”

  “I don’t remember water, I just remember… I remember being scared like… like I needed to do something or that I’d forgotten something… it’s a jumble.”

  “That’s ok,” Guinness said when her head fell into her hands. “It’s progress and this is part of a process. One that we hope to begin intensively now that you’re prepared and we’ve had this… development.” He looked at his watch. “That’s been more than an hour, I have work to do, but I wonder… could I have a moment alone with Owen and with Claire… excuse me, with Ginger… it would probably help everyone process if we begin to use Ginger’s real name.”

  It would be weird, but no weirder than learning to respond to Claire. Right now this was probably least weird for her, she’d had to learn a new identity sixteen months ago, she could do it again, no big deal. Everyone else hadn’t been through the same process.

  After they were all gone and the door was closed, they looked to the doctor again. “What can we help you with?” Owen asked, moving over to sit beside her. She liked her brother, he was warm and charming, though a bit goofy, but that made her like him more.

  “I want to discuss family medical history,” Guinness said and Owen nodded. “I would also like to discuss the next step of Ginger’s treatment, it’s unorthodox, but I hope you’ll support it.”

  “Anything,” Owen said.

  Owen had been alone in the doctor’s office with Ginger for a half hour. Sitting next to Murphy with Calvin and Boyd on the perpendicular couch, Shane was getting edgy. Diane had gone off to some luncheon and was clearly pressuring her son about something. He didn’t know what. He didn’t care.

  Boyd and Calvin had been whispering since they came out, no doubt Calvin was updating his buddy on what had happened. But they’d been throwing dirty looks his way for a while now and it was pissing him off.

  “If you’ve got something to say, Bishop, say it,” Shane said and beside him, Murphy looked up from his magazine.

  “Nothing to say to you,” Calvin said. “We’re making plans for Claire. For what’s best for her.”

  “Didn’t you hear the doctor in there?” Shane asked. “Her name is Ginger.”

  “Yes, well, we’re considering a change of doctor.”

  Tempering himself, he rolled his lips and shifted to the edge of the couch. “Listen, buddy, I know this is tough on you. I’m a guy who came from nowhere and told you I’m gonna take your woman away. You’re allowed to be pissed at me. But don’t let it affect Ginny’s treatment.”

  “Take her away,” Calvin said, straightening his pants as he stood up. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”

  Oh, so he wanted a pissing contest. Shane stood up, always game to stake a claim on his wife. “That’s for her to decide when she’s feeling better.”

  Calvin looked down his nose. “Like I said, we’re going to get a new doctor… And Boyd is already working on proxy documents.”

  “Excuse me?” Shane asked, raising his brows.

  “You might be her husband on paper, but you’re not in practice. We’ll have power of attorney documents written up for Claire to sign allowing me to make medical decisions.”

  Working his jaw, it was getting hard to hold onto his temper. “I don’t fucking think so.”

  “And why is it you have to curse all the time?” Calvin sneered. “You don’t know how to express yourself? Is that it?”

  “Oh I can express myself,” Shane said, squaring up when Calvin tried to bulk up. If he wanted a fight he’d have one.

  “Whoa, guys, let’s talk about this,” Murphy said. If he wasn’t so angry, Shane would be amused at the idea of his brother being a rational voice, but as it was, he was ignored.

  “Yes, and how is that?” Calvin asked, shoving him. “With your fists?”

  He couldn’t lose his temper, couldn’t smack this bastard in the head like he deserved. At least, that was what he told himself until Calvin shoved him again. Shane grabbed the guy’s lapel, hauled him to the tips of his toes and ignored Murphy leaping to his feet behind him. Pulling back his fist he was ready to smack the smugn
ess from Calvin’s sneer after one long inhale.

  Then he heard Ginger gasp from across the room. “No! Boo, don’t hit him!”

  The room stopped.

  Still with a hold of Calvin, Shane turned his head to see her tensed with her doctor and brother behind her, and her hands covering her mouth. “What did you call him?” Calvin said, shoving away from him.

  Shane’s heart was in his throat. “You called me Boo,” he said. “It’s been sixteen months since you called me that.”

  Ginger was gaping as Owen hugged her from behind. “I… I didn’t think about it…” she stuttered. “It was… instinct.”

  “Good instinct,” Shane grinned, feeling like he’d just won the Superbowl. He wanted to go to her, but Murphy was in the way.

  She was blushing again and didn’t seem to want to focus on the significance of what had just happened. “Doctor Guinness has suggested intensive therapy,” she said, licking her lips. “There’s a hotel… a lodge that allows prolonged retreats. He says it will help my memory and to integrate my lives if we go up there… He will clear his schedule and join us… he says he’ll offer payments—”

  “And I said we’d cover it if it was what she wanted,” Owen said, eyeing him.

  Taking the signal, he jumped on reassuring his wife. “Yes,” Shane said. “Sure, baby, anything you want.”

  “Don’t call her baby,” Calvin said, stomping over to her. “You want to go to this lodge place?”

  “We had time off for our honeymoon anyway,” she squirmed, giving Shane another clue that this bastard might use his hands to hurt her. “I would like it if we could do this… all of us together.”

  Calvin leaned close to her. Shane lurched forward, ready to shove Murphy out the way if he needed to get between Ginger and that bastard she called a fiancé.

  Instead of hissing or shouting, Calvin spoke in a whisper. “What about…?”

  “I have to deal with it today… I can’t put it off any longer,” she said.