BEASTLY LOVE BOX SET: Romance Collection

by Lindsey Hart

The next time the fog cleared, and the room shifted, there was a woman sitting beside her bed. Because she was so out of it, Leena said the first thing that came to mind.

  “Mom?” Her voice was foggy and croaky, like her throat was stuffed full of cotton. The beeping machines around her, the IV at her wrist, the dripping bag beside the bed, no longer frightened her. She knew she was in the hospital. The nurse had said something about getting hit by a car. She remembered that much. Try as she might, it was like a wall before that. Her mind butted up against it painfully, irritating and frightening her.

  The fact that she couldn’t place the woman at the side of the bed, though she was achingly familiar, made her want to panic.

  “No, honey.” The woman, who was thin and wiry, probably on the tall side if she stood up, said gently. She had a full head of dark, curly hair and tortoiseshell cat eye glasses. She looked artsy and pretty, though she wasn’t young by any means. The woman was probably in her fifties, though the trendy clothes she wore, and her flawless makeup made her look much younger.

  The woman leaned forward in the uncomfortable looking black chair. She reached out but didn’t take Leena’s hand. Eventually, she tucked it back at her side. Leena trained her eyes on the stranger’s face, which was thin and angular, like her body.

  “No, sorry honey, I’m not your mom. I’m Minnie. Your manager, which is just a fancy way of saying I handle all the things that you don’t have time to take on yourself, which let me tell you, isn’t much. Dealing with stuck up vocalists, finicky musicians, dancers who are being a little too dramatic, bank runs, nightly numbers, reports. God knows you don’t need to worry about that stuff anyway, with all that you do. Writing, performing, keeping that damn Dallas in line.” Minnie zipped up her lips tightly after that. Her eyes darted around the room like she’d said too much.

  “Dallas?” Leena forced the name out. She couldn’t associate a face with the name, or a reason that it should hit her square in the chest. It stung, like the IV at her wrist, burning from a source deep inside of herself. Her eyes swept down to her hand. It was discolored and strangely bruised, likely from the IV itself. She felt bruised on the inside too, somewhere between her heart and her lungs, like a kick to the chest, at the sound of those two syllables. Dall-as. Dallas. Why does that name mean so much? She tried to conjure up a face, a memory, anything, but all she came into contact with was a brick wall. She nearly panicked, but then Minnie spoke, and it took her mind off of the strange fact that she couldn’t even recall anything more than her own name at the moment.

  “Oh geez. I shouldn’t have said anything about him. The doctors wanted people in here that you know, so that you’re not alone. They said that it’s probably good for you. It might help with your memory. I’m not here to upset you, honey, I just didn’t want you to be all alone.”

  “My- my memory?” Leena stammered. Again, the wall slammed up. Bricks right at the back of her eyes where she was sure faces and names, places and the past should be.

  “You were hit by a car, sweetheart. You’re lucky that you’re alright. You just have some scrapes and bruises, but those will heal quickly. The doctor did tell me though, which was lucky since you signed me off as your next of kin and your emergency contact years ago, that you hit your head pretty hard. They didn’t find any bleeding or anything wrong, but they did say that earlier you did wake up. You had no recollection of what happened or who you even were. They said sometimes these things just take time to come back. A few hours, days, weeks…”

  “Or maybe never.” Leena glanced down at the IV in her hand. She had the worst impulse to rip it out. She hated needles and even though she couldn’t really feel the one sticking out of her at the moment, the sight of it was disgusting. “I don’t even remember waking up early. That’s probably not a good sign.”

  Minnie actually chuckled softly. “I don’t think it’s a bad sign at all. The doctor did say you were very out of it.”

  “How long have I been here for?”

  The older woman paused. My emergency contact? Where the hell are my parents? Singers, musicians and dancers? What do I do for a living exactly? Leena tried to focus, but not a single image came to mind. Tears of frustration gathered at the corners of her eyes.

  “Three days. I’ve been here pretty much the whole time.”

  Dallas. The name came again, as though thrust from the center of her heart to the forefront of a brain that refused to work properly. There was a feeling associated with the name, a burning in the pit of her stomach, an ache in her chest, a lump that suddenly rose and lodged itself into the back of her throat.

  “Who is Dallas?” Leena asked carefully. “And what does he mean to me? Why isn’t he here?”

  Minnie’s hands clenched tightly in her lap. She couldn’t avoid Leena’s direct gaze for long. Leena couldn’t remember, but she had the idea she was used to, in whatever past life she’d had, intimidating people.

  “He’s your husband,” Minnie finally whispered. Her face fell, like it broke her heart to deliver the news.

  “My- my husband?” Leena gasped. “Why isn’t he here?” she repeated. Her eyes flew to her left hand and she let out a shocked gasp when she saw the plain gold band on the finger next to her pinkie. “God, why don’t I remember him? I didn’t even know that I’m married.”

  Minnie leaned forward, mouth drawn into a thin line. The wrinkles at the corners of her lips and her eyes were far more pronounced than they had been even a moment before. “He’s- well, honey, none of us are sure, but we all think you’re not really what a husband and wife are. I mean, Dallas, he’s not a normal man. He’s a genius, everyone knows it, but like most of those people, he’s not right. He’s like the darkness to your light. Somehow you think you have to look after him and I don’t know why. Some people thought it was for the money, but you’re far too kind and far too talented to have married him for that. You don’t care about it at all, anyone who knows you can see that.” Minnie hesitated, as though she didn’t want to say more, but when Leena remained silent, she obviously felt like she had to. “You’ve come to me, crying before, saying he’s impossible. There are days, no, weeks, when he shuts himself up and writes music. There are worse days, when he won’t eat or sleep or take care of himself. I remember you once bursting into tears in the middle of a part, just singing away like a little sweet bird one second and weeping the next because you were so worried because he’d refused food and water and, well, and you, for three days.”

  “God…”

  “He’s not an easy man to live with, but somehow you make it work. You’re a team, you and Dallas. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why. I could see it though, in your eyes, in your voice, in how you cared for him and wouldn’t ever let anyone ever say a bad word about him, that you love him. We all know, all of us who are permanent fixtures for the company.

  “Why? He sounds… awful. He’s not even here.” Leena swallowed hard past the rising lump in her throat. That stabbing sensation in her chest, right where her heart was, kept getting worse. “Let me guess. That’s because he doesn’t love me.” I’m pathetic. It was a shitty realization; that she was in love with a man who didn’t care about her. How very tragic, which was probably a damn cliché given that she was apparently involved in theatre.

  “Well… honey- none of us know what Dallas actually thinks. We hardly ever see him. He’s like a dark figure stalking around or a black cloud hovering over everything. Dark because that’s his mood. We all do our best to steer clear on the odd occasion he should grace us with his presence.”

  “And he doesn’t even care enough to come here? You said I was hit by a car. Most friends that I know would come and see how their friend was doing if something like this happened.” She paused for a second to consider how she knew that. It was just there, a fact that she knew, even though she couldn’t remember any of her friend’s faces or names.

  “He knows. I know that he knows because I knocked on the door of his studio and told him.
I know he heard me. He- well- he doesn’t leave the theatre, I don’t think. You do everything for him. I do the bank runs, the accountants do the books. We have people for everything, but you do all the rest. I know you do. You’ve never said so, but I know.”

  “So, in many ways, you’re like my mom.” Leena paused to consider that. “You said that you’re my emergency contact. Where are they? My parents? Do I even have parents? Why can’t I remember?”

  Minnie rose and gripped Leena’s hand, the one without the IV in it. The older woman squeezed her fingers hard. “I’m not sure of that either. I wish I had more answers for you. I’m sorry, I came because I hoped somehow I could make you feel better, but I’ve just made things worse.”

  Leena took a deep, steadying breath. “No,” she assured Minnie. She knew by the sincere look on her face, that she was a good friend. She wondered how many years they’d known each other and what secrets Minnie knew about her that she herself no longer even knew. “No, I do feel better having you here. No one has been to visit me. At least, not that I recall. It’s really lonely in here. I want to go home, whatever that means, but I’m not sure when I’ll be released.”

  “Just keep telling them that you want to go, and they’ll probably let you. I’ll come and vouch for you. I’ll promise to keep you safe. You have a beautiful home. You and Dallas converted an old brick warehouse into a theatre. The living quarters are on the second and third floors.”

  “My parents… can you find out what happened to them or where they are and let me know? I should call them if the hospital hasn’t already. They’re probably so worried.”

  Minnie’s throat bobbed, and the sound of her swallow was audible in the room. “I think, but I could be wrong, that you haven’t spoken to your parents in years. You said something once, around Christmas time, about Dallas not being welcome, so you weren’t going either. That was a long time ago, three years probably.”

  “How old am I?” It was an embarrassing question to have to ask but given that she was in a hospital bed clad in an ugly blue gown, covered in bruises, her hair probably matted, she shouldn’t actually care.

  “You’re going to be thirty in a couple months, honey.”

  “I don’t even know how old I am,” Leena moaned. “I guess they’ve been medicating me pretty heavily. I hope so. Maybe I can blame it all on that.” She didn’t know how she knew what a hospital was or a doctor or medication. Those words were just there, followed by a mental image. Just like she knew that the thing in her wrist was an IV. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever had one though or why she didn’t like it or other needles. That was the most frustrating part. There was an association with a word, but no memory attached. Like a chair was a chair, but she couldn’t remember ever sitting in one or if she had one at home or a favorite style.

  “I know. I’ve been here five times already. This is the sixth time and it’s the first time I’ve been allowed in and allowed to stay.”

  Not ready to have Minnie leave, desperate to fill in the gaps in her mind, Leena blurted the first thing that came to mind. “How old is Dallas? What is it my parents didn’t like about him?” Leena suddenly had the feeling she didn’t truly want to know the answer.

  Minnie shrugged, a little too quickly. “I don’t know that either. I would guess he’s far older than you though. Probably fifteen years at least.”

  “Oh my god. Why would I marry a man like that? He sounds awful.” She knew deep inside, even as she said the words, that they weren’t true. She couldn’t bring herself to feel that way about him, even though she’d just heard what was basically the worst. She could tell that Minnie loved her, but that she didn’t care much for Dallas.

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. I guess we all have our redeeming qualities. Like I said, it’s not easy for you to hear, but we all thought that the marriage was just kind of a business partnership. Some marriages are. Dallas was pretty damn famous as a recluse even, or at least his music was. He was writing and composing and selling it all over the world. He was basically a shut-in though and it’s my guess that you were taking care of him for a long time before you ever got married. We never really questioned why you were married. I guess everyone just assumed it worked about as well as it could. I never talked about that with you. It wasn’t my place. I think you’re an amazing woman though, Leena. You have the patience of ten saints. You’re beautiful, smart, witty, compassionate, talented. You’re a one-man army when you want to be.”

  Leena swallowed hard, oddly choked up. “Thanks. It’s strange hearing about myself second hand. I guess I hope you’re not exaggerating or trying to flatter me.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Will you do me a favor? You can say no if you want.”

  “Of course.” Minnie glanced at the huge white clock on the other side of the wall. The hands read just past seven at night. “But you better ask me fast. I have a feeling we’re just about of time and I’m going to be given the boot any second.”

  “I just want a sketch. Can you do that, ask around? Try and figure out a timeline for me? I know it’s not going to be easy and people probably don’t know, but I need to try and figure out what I can. I need to try and remember, or at least, piece things together.”

  “I’ll do one better than that. I’ll get you out of here. Don’t worry, before long, you’ll be back home where you belong. Maybe then it will be easier for you to remember.”

  “And if I never do? What’s going to happen to the theatre?” She swallowed hard. “What’s going to happen to Dallas?”

  Minnie shifted, clearly uncomfortable. “I’ll write down everything I can. I’ll have it ready by tomorrow evening for you to read. Maybe that will help. As for what you did… you were everywhere, all the time. You’re like a superhuman or something. We all wondered how one person could have that much energy. If you think Dallas is gifted, hell, people should get a load of you. Do me one quick favor. Try and sing something. Anything.”

  Leena opened her mouth, but no sound came out. “I can’t,” she finally admitted. She hung her head, close to tears. She didn’t want to cry, not on top of everything else.

  “That’s alright. Don’t worry. I know you haven’t lost it. A gift like yours, that’s from deep down inside of you.”

  “It’s from Dallas,” she said, shocking both of them. Minnie’s hand flew to her chest and Leena leaned backed in the bed, against the pillows bolstering her back. “I don’t know why I just said that. I can’t remember anything, but I just know that’s true.”

  Minnie just nodded. “Get some rest, honey. I promise I’ll be here tomorrow night. And the next night and the next and as long as it takes to bring you home.”

  “Thank you.”

  Minnie bent and gave Leena a quick hug. She felt safe and warm wrapped in the older woman’s arms. Nothing made sense, but that hug- it felt so right.

  After Minnie was gone, the room was far too silent. The hum of machines and beeps from down the hall, the soft scuffle of footsteps and quiet voices drifted into the room.

  “Home…” Leena whispered into the stillness. She shut her eyes. If only she knew what that actually meant.

  CHAPTER 4

  Dallas

  Ever since the accident, music hadn’t left him. It wasn’t kind, like it sometimes was. It wasn’t light or beauty. It was dark and haunting. He’d buried himself alive in the landslide of his mind. Leena had been in the hospital for six days.

  He’d tried to go. On the first day, when Minnie had come to him, frantic. She’d offered to take him. He’d even got so far as to shower and put on a fresh set of clothes. He made sure he’d look… at least presentable to the outside world.

  His hand had been on the door handle when he panicked. His lungs imploded, his body rebelled. He’d barely dragged himself back to the bathroom before he started retching. The world disappeared, and everything was black. It had been hours later that he’d finally come back to reality. Though he knew he was ill and certainly deh
ydrated, he’d forced himself to the piano. It was his island in the storm. His hands brought his body solace but the storm in his mind was just starting.

  Dallas paused, fingers aching, hands cramped. His back screamed when he shifted an inch on the bench. His legs had long ago gone numb. They burned unmercifully when he tried to stretch them. He blinked eyes that were bloodshot and grainy. He tried to wet his lips, which were dry and cracked, but his tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth.

  He sensed, more than he’d heard, that someone was in the room with him. His sore eyes turned towards the door. He could make out a slim, blurry shape. Minnie. He tried to make a sound, to grind out words, but nothing came. When he tried to shove back the piano bench and stand, he nearly fell over. He had to grip the keyboard for support.

  Minnie’s eyes swept over the dark room uneasily. He didn’t need light. He was perfectly at home in the darkness. God knew he lived in it inside his mind most of the time. The light seeping into the room from behind the closed shades at the windows told him that it wasn’t night, but he had no idea what time or even what day it was.

  “Dallas,” Minnie said slowly. She was clearly uncomfortable, though she’d been in the room before. It had never been just them. Leena was always there. She was the barrier between Dallas and everyone else. She was the barrier between him and the world.

  He’d taken her for granted for so very long. “How is she?” he croaked, voice barely recognizable as it squeezed past vocal chords which felt rusty with disuse.

  “She’s coming home tomorrow. I’ve been doing my best to work on a project that she asked me for. Like I told you that first day, she has almost no memory. She hit her head hard in the fall. The doctors are hopeful it will come back, they just don’t know when. She’s asked me for a timeline so she can try and piece together her life. She’s asked me for details, for pictures. She wants so badly to understand…”

  Dallas ran a hand through knotted, greasy hair. His finger snagged, and he nearly gasped at the explosion of pain in his skull as the knot gave way under the force of his movement.