Only Today

by Jeri Odell

  “You’ll be all right.” Brady whispered the promise. He gently wiped the dampness from her face with his thumb, a protectiveness rising up within him. “I’ll be here with you until we find your family.”

  “What if I don’t have a family?” Her frightened eyes focused on his.

  That thought had never occurred to him.

  “Why can’t I remember?” Panic filled her raspy words. “Who am I? Where do I belong? What’s my name? Where do I live? Is anyone looking for me?”

  Brady wrapped her in his arms—at least the best he could, avoiding her wires and being extremely gentle with her broken body. He just remembered when he’d been afraid as a boy, his mom or dad’s safe arms always made him feel better. He held her and let her cry.

  ❧

  Overwhelmed by the facts, she was a woman with no memory of who she was or where she was—a woman without a past, a woman with severe injuries, a woman with a glum future. This mangled body would take months to recover—if it ever did. Worse, her blank mind might never remember.

  Being wrapped in Brady’s muscular arms calmed her. His presence made her feel safe. At the moment, it seemed to be the only thing she had to be thankful for. Finally, when her sobs had stilled, she said, “I’m okay now.”

  Brady loosened his hold. “You sure?”

  She nodded and smiled ever so slightly.

  Brady pulled a Kleenex from the box on her tray table, dabbing her face dry.

  “Will you tell me what happened? Where I was? Just tell me everything you know relating to me and my accident.”

  Brady tossed the damp tissue into the trash and filled her in on the few facts from her hit-and-run.

  Lucille entered the room with some warm broth. “Dr. Anderson said this girl is ready for some nutrition.” Setting the bowl on the tray table, she rolled the head of Kendall’s bed up some. “You want to do the honors?” She held up the spoon to Brady.

  “It’s been awhile since I’ve fed anyone,” he warned Kendall, accepting the silverware. “My niece and nephew are five and three now, so they don’t want my help anymore.”

  Kendall opened her mouth for her first bite. A small amount dribbled down her chin. Brady grabbed another tissue and wiped the liquid.

  “Tell me about you. I’ve had enough bad news for one day. You said your dad is the police chief?”

  Brady spooned another bite into her mouth. “I’m thirty years old and hail from a long line of public servants. My dad—as you already know—is the police chief for Reno, Nevada.”

  “Is that where we are?”

  Brady nodded.

  “Why would I be in Reno, Nevada?” She wrinkled her nose. “It doesn’t sound right.”

  Brady shrugged.

  “Anyway, go on.”

  “My older brother, Frankie, is a detective and actually assigned to your case.” Brady had become adept at spooning soup into Kendall’s mouth and hadn’t dribbled any more on her face. “My brother-in-law, Eli, works undercover in narcotics, and my sister, Delanie, is on regular patrol.”

  “Wow, the whole family.”

  “Not quite. My mom is a social worker in the adult department, and my younger brother, Cody, is a fireman over in the Tahoe district.”

  “Where do you fall into the lineup?” Kendall swallowed her last bite of soup.

  “Number two of four. Frankie, Brady, Cody, and Delanie.”

  She smiled at his fast-paced rendition of their names.

  Brady glanced at his watch. “I’m supposed to meet my dad this afternoon. We’re going to search the missing person files.”

  Her heart dropped. He was leaving, and she’d be all alone. “For me?”

  Brady stood. “Yeah.”

  “Will you come back?” She hated the pathetic question but had to ask.

  He smiled, and for the first time she noticed he was a very good-looking man. His dark hair and blue eyes equaled an appealing combo. “I’ll be back.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “As a matter of fact, I’ll probably be here so much you’ll be sick of me.”

  “I hope so.” She couldn’t smile well with all the swelling. It kind of hurt, but she forced herself anyway.

  He winked and left the room then stuck his head back inside the doorway. “Any idea how old you are?”

  She shook her head. Any attempt to recall personal information brought forth a blank screen.

  “It’ll come back,” Brady said with confidence. And he was gone.

  ❧

  Brady got to his dad’s office a little before three. “Hey, Dad, she’s awake.” He couldn’t squelch the excitement in his voice.

  “That’s wonderful. So who is she?”

  Brady plopped in his usual chair. “She has no recall, which is fairly common at this point. I did a little reading on head injuries the past few days, and at this point there’s no reason to believe she won’t make a full recovery.”

  “So what do we know?”

  “Female, somewhere between twenty and thirty is my guess, and her first name.”

  “Not much.” His dad input the information into his computer. “K–e–n–d–a–l–l?”

  Brady nodded.

  “Just a couple of hits. Thank heaven her name isn’t Mary or Susie.”

  Brady came around the desk to check out the pictures. “It’s really hard to guess, but I don’t think either of those is her.” One woman had spiked blond hair and looked like a motorcycle biker. The other carried a bit more weight in her face. “I mean, it’s hard to say. I don’t know what she’d look like without the bruises and swelling, but my gut says no to both of these people.”

  “I’ll print them out so you can read the whole profile. And I’ll expand the search by a few years in each direction.”

  Brady ended up reading profiles on five different Kendalls. A couple of them had birthmarks or moles that might help eliminate them with absolute certainty. “Can I take these with me back to the hospital?”

  “Sure. And I’ll also send out the facts we have over the network.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you Sunday, if not before.”

  Brady grabbed a burger on his way back up to Kendall’s room.

  “Hey, you.” He greeted Kendall and Lucille.

  “Brady Cooper, you brought me a hamburger. How thoughtful of you.” Lucille grabbed the fast food bag and winked at Kendall. “This young lady is getting ready to have her own version of a burger and fries—broth and Jell-O.”

  Brady took the spoon Lucille held out to him. “I don’t know if I’ll have enough strength without my burger.”

  Lucille rolled her eyes and shoved the bag back at him. “Men!” She left the room, and Brady settled in his regular spot opposite most of her medical paraphernalia. He laid his burger aside and opened Kendall’s Jell-O.

  “You don’t have to wait. Let’s eat together.”

  Brady fed her a bite and then took one himself. “Tomorrow I start my next shift at the fire station.”

  “Does that mean you won’t be back?” Fear wove its way through the question.

  Brady clutched Kendall’s hand. “I’ll be back every chance I get. The thing is, the next forty-eight hours are not my own, so I can’t say for sure when or for how long.”

  Relief flooded her expression. “Thank you. I know this isn’t part of your job description.”

  “It is now. After all, a promise is a promise.” He dipped the spoon in her broth. “And since I hated the thought of leaving you all alone for the next couple of days, I asked my mom if she’d come up and visit with you. Is that all right?”

  “Your mom?”

  “Remember, she’s an adult social worker, so she’ll be at the hospital anyway. I can cancel if you’re uncomfortable.”

  Her uncertainty showed. “I guess it will be okay,” she said finally.

  “I also might be up if we get any calls that bring us here. The good news is that for the two days following this shift, I’ll be here all day if you want.”

&nb
sp; Brady faced a new season in his life—possibly a long cycle of all his free time being donated to a woman he didn’t know, but one of whom he felt extremely protective.

  Three

  “Good morning, little lady.” Lucille breezed in and opened the blinds. “You need some sunshine in this room. How you feeling today, sugar?”

  “Sore, but I’m alive.”

  “That you are, and some days that’s enough.” Lucille wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Kendall’s arm—just above her cast. Many of the machines had been unhooked since she woke up yesterday afternoon.

  Lucille pumped up the cuff. “Your whole team will be in today. Now that you’re awake, there’ll be no more lazing around for you. You ready for that?” She removed the cuff and took Kendall’s pulse.

  Kendall chuckled. “I don’t see how anyone is going to get this body to do much moving.”

  “You’d be surprised what these miracle workers can do. They’ll have you out running marathons in no time.” Lucille’s face grew serious. “Recovery requires hard work, but don’t quit until you’re well.” On that somber warning, she turned and left.

  A cloud of hopelessness descended on Kendall. Am I up for the task?

  “Good morning, Kendall. I’m Marilyn Cooper.”

  Kendall raised her gaze to the doorway, noting that Brady’s blue-green eyes matched his mother’s—tranquil, comforting, warm, reminding her of a calm, deep sea.

  “Mrs. Cooper, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry Brady asked you to babysit me. You must have other things to do.”

  “No—it’s my pleasure. I was actually on this floor to check on a case of mine and thought I’d pop in and say hello. May I come in for a moment?”

  “Please do.”

  “Is there anything you need, anything I can do for you?”

  A lump lodged itself in Kendall’s throat, so she shook her head rather than voicing her answer.

  “Do you mind if I pray for you?” Mrs. Cooper placed her hand on Kendall’s arm, just the way Brady did.

  Did she mind? She wouldn’t know if she did, so she shook her head again.

  “Father God, we come before You today asking for Kendall’s healing. I know her situation must seem daunting, Lord, but it’s not too big for You. So we come asking for Your touch of grace, Your peace, Your strength. Be Kendall’s all in all. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  A warmth and peace enveloped Kendall, and she knew God and prayer must be a part of her life. “Thank you. I do feel better, and you are right—everything feels so much bigger than me.”

  “Kendall?”

  She nodded as three new people wearing scrubs entered the room.

  “We are part of your medical team and your three new best friends. I’m Tom, your physical therapist. This is Stan with occupational therapy and Brenda from speech therapy.”

  Mrs. Cooper rose. “Looks like you have a busy day ahead of you. I’ll check back with you later today or tomorrow.”

  Kendall felt as though she was losing a friend. “Thank you—for everything.”

  Mrs. Cooper smiled. “See you soon.” She disappeared past the therapy crew.

  “You ready to get started?” Tom asked. He was a big man—tall and muscular with a jovial look about him.

  “If I say no?” Kendall half joked, but she partially wished she could will them away.

  “Ah, we don’t care,” Brenda quipped. “We’ll drag you out of that bed anyway.” Her middle-aged face sported laugh lines around her mouth and eyes.

  “This group has no mercy.” Stan rolled a wheelchair up beside her bed. He was the oldest of the three. His head of gray hair and lined face reminded Kendall of a grandfather figure.

  Kendall warmed to the trio. “No mercy, huh?”

  “None,” Tom assured her. “Our first task is to assess where you are and what you need. We start by reviewing your chart, which we’ve already done. Next on our to-do list is asking you lots of questions, but because of your amnesia, we realize you probably won’t have answers.”

  “Normally,” Brenda said from her spot leaning against the wall, “we question a patient and their family extensively.”

  Only I don’t have a family. I don’t have anyone. That’s not true. Stop feeling sorry for yourself—God provided Brady and Mrs. Cooper.

  “Then we take all the information we’ve obtained and each make our recommendations for services.”

  “Our goal is for you to have an eventual safe discharge so you can return home and function on your own.”

  Another wave of panic washed over Kendall. She had no home to return to—at least if she did, she had no idea where.

  “Don’t you worry.” Brenda used a calm, quiet tone. “By then your memory may have returned.”

  “No use worrying about the what-ifs. A lot will happen before it’s time to send you out into the world.” Stan’s bright blue eyes assured her all would work out in the end.

  “How long will all this take? Where will I live?”

  “The good news is you’ll be moving to the rehab center right here at St. Mary’s, so you won’t have to go far. Honestly, your recovery period is anyone’s guess.” Tom shrugged.

  “More than a month, less than a year.” Brenda grinned.

  “So I want to load you up in this wheelchair”—Stan set the brake—“and take you down to the rehab facilities, park you in a conference room, and grill you.”

  Stan got on one side of Kendall, Tom on the other, and they gently lifted her out of bed. Brenda helped her get settled into the wheelchair. “How’s that?”

  “Not too bad.” Kendall’s leg cast went from midthigh all the way down and covered her foot, so they had to prop it straight out. Lucille had been rolling her bed higher and higher, so she’d gotten used to sitting up.

  Their destination was farther than Kendall assumed. Nothing they passed looked even vaguely familiar. The fear rose within Kendall and washed over her insides. She echoed Mrs. Cooper’s words from earlier. Lord, I’m so afraid and overwhelmed, so I come asking for Your touch of grace, Your peace, Your strength. Be my all in all. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  Again, the simple prayer calmed her and the fear subsided somewhat—not altogether, but almost.

  Brenda and Tom each held open a double door to a large gymlike facility. Various machines lined the walls, and the air buzzed with activity as patients and their therapists worked in various areas of the room.

  “This will be your home away from home.” Tom pointed to the large room they were just leaving. He held open another door, and Stan wheeled her into a conference room. He rolled Kendall up to a table that sat near the center.

  After about twenty “I don’t knows” from Kendall, the team gave up on the questionnaire. Brenda laid her clipboard aside. “Why don’t we just give you a tour of the place?”

  “Then we’ll take you back to your room and devise a plan.” Tom’s voice took on a devious tone.

  “Oh yes, my pretty.” Stan joined the fun. “You’re ours, and we shall torture you to our hearts’ content.”

  They rolled Kendall through the facility, explaining each machine’s function and laying out her therapy for the first couple of weeks. Then they wheeled her back to her room and helped her get settled into bed.

  “Bye.” Tom waved from the doorway.

  “See you tomorrow.” Brenda followed Tom out.

  “Bright and early,” Stan reminded.

  Lucille came in a few minutes later. “Did you see that Mrs. C. left you a little gift?” She handed Kendall a brand-new Bible with a card attached.

  Kendall took the offering and ran her hand over the hard cover. This was familiar. “She’s a nice lady,” Kendall commented absentmindedly.

  “Her son’s not too bad, either.”

  Kendall’s face grew warm. “No, he’s a good man.” She met Lucille’s probing gaze. “He’s become my lifeline to normalcy, and that scares me. I can’t expect him to stick around forever.”

  “Yo
u won’t need him forever. Just till you figure out who you are, to whom you belong, and where you’re going. He’ll be here till then. I know that boy. He’s as faithful as an old dog.”

  Lucille’s description of Brady brought a smile to Kendall’s lips. “He seems to be. How many strangers would pour their life into someone they don’t even know?”

  “God was watching out for you when Brady Cooper was your medic.” Lucille straightened Kendall’s bed and tucked the covers around her legs.

  “I’m sure what you say is true, but there are times when I’m overwhelmed with panic in the midst of this frightening situation of not knowing.”

  “I know, baby. I know it’s tough, but you keep fighting to get better. And read that there book Mrs. C. brought by. You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel.”

  Kendall hugged the Bible to her with one casted arm. “I feel like the Bible was a part of my life—and prayer, too. They are the only two things that have any sort of familiarity to me.”

  “Then you’ll be fine, Miss Kendall—come what may, you’ll be all right.”

  “Before you leave, will you open the card that came with the Bible?”

  Lucille tore the envelope, pulling the card out and laying it on the tray table. She positioned the table over Kendall’s midsection and rolled the head of her bed higher.

  Kendall read the note from Mrs. Cooper.

  Kendall,

  When life feels like more than you can handle, open this book. My favorite place to go when I need comfort or reassurance is the Psalms, which you’ll find in the very middle of your Bible.

  Even though you don’t know who you are, God does. Not only does He know you by name, He knows the number of hairs on your head. Isn’t that news amazing and reassuring? He knows each one of us more intimately than we know ourselves. What confidence and courage that knowledge brings me, and I hope it does you, as well.

  I’ll drop by tomorrow. Until then, may the peace of God abound.

  Marilyn

  The note and gift flooded Kendall with a certainty that she’d get through this. She and God were on the same team. She was sure of it.

  With awkward movements, she flipped the Bible up on the tray table, struggled to turn it around, and finally opened it to the Psalms.