The Fisherman Series : Special Edition

by Jewel E. Ann

  “Yes. Well, she moved back to Denver last year for good because her mom wasn’t doing well. In fact, she recently passed. She and Fisher just got engaged.”

  It didn’t matter. I said this to myself over and over again. My brain got it, but the translation got messed up somewhere between my brain and my heart, causing unnecessary pain.

  Five years … it had been five years since I’d seen or talked to Fisher. I thought I made a nice clean break. So why did the edges of that hole in my heart feel so jagged, like they hadn’t healed? Like they would never heal.

  “So it’s time to move out. Angie is nice, but I think they want the house to themselves to start a family,” Rory said.

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah,” I whispered past the lump in my throat.

  At the restaurant, Rose grabbed my hand after I got out of the car. She gave it a quick squeeze and offered me a soft smile, an “are you okay” smile.

  All those years … and she never told my mom about Fisher and me. It was another reason I loved Rose. Another reason why I knew my mom fell in love with her.

  Channeling the happiness from the morning’s events, from my special day, I squeezed her hand in return and smiled.

  Rose winked and released my hand, leaving Rory none the wiser.

  Fisher and I ended in the best possible way. I felt his love, and I always believed he felt mine. It just wasn’t our time.

  Life took over.

  I didn’t wait for him.

  He didn’t wait for me.

  And that was okay. That was life.

  With the news of his engagement, it solidified what I had always feared. There would never be a time for us.

  “Oh …” Rory turned around just before we entered the restaurant. “Speaking of Fisher, he sent a card.” She dug through her bag and pulled out an envelope.

  “Thanks.” I took it and slipped it into my bag. I couldn’t read it until I was alone. Even if it was nothing more than a generic graduation card with his signature, I needed privacy to deal with anything Fisher Mann.

  It took me three days to open his card. My family went home. And my two roommates (fellow nursing school graduates) were gone for the day.

  As I slowly unsealed it by wedging my finger into the corner, I took a deep breath. It was, in fact, a generic card, but there was more than just his signature. He’d left me a long note taking up the entire left side of the card.

  Reese,

  Can I say how proud of you I am without it sounding condescending? Without you thinking it’s an age reference? I am. More than that, I’m happy for you. Rory said you plan to be a midwife and deliver babies. I knew you’d change the world, touch lives … like you touched mine.

  I’m sure Rory’s told you that I’m getting married. It feels like the smart choice at this point in my life. My family is thrilled, and I’m good, in case you do care, which you might not. Go be the amazing woman I knew you would be. Find your place, your people, the life you deserve.

  Congratulations,

  The Naked Fisherman

  I laughed through my tears. So many tears. He signed it The Naked Fisherman. It made me happy and incredibly heartbroken at the same time. Was he waiting for me? Did he, one day, decide to stop waiting and please his family by proposing to Angie? Good … he was good.

  Chapter Three

  I passed my NCLEX.

  I got my own apartment.

  And I had an interview scheduled with a pediatric office.

  Life continued to give me sunny days despite the Fisher Mann engagement news.

  The morning of my interview, Rory called me.

  “I haven’t had the interview yet,” I said as I made my way to my car. “I’m on my way there now.”

  “Reese,” her voice hit my ear with a chilling gravity.

  It stopped me in my tracks. “What is it?”

  “Fisher was in an accident on his motorcycle. He’s in surgery now. We don’t know the extent of his injuries yet. I just thought I’d let you know in case you wanted to say a prayer for him.”

  “W-what?” I covered my mouth with my hand as tears instantly filled my eyes.

  “I’ll let you know when he’s out of surgery … if he comes out of surgery.”

  If …

  “Okay?” she asked.

  I nodded and pushed a tiny “okay” past the boulder in my throat.

  After Rory ended the call, my phone and keys fell to the ground, cracking my screen. Sobs racked my body, one wave after another.

  All I could see was his face. Those eyes. That wink. The smile he gave me just before he said something that made me blush.

  “Are you going to kiss me?”

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  “A-are you m-mine?”

  “You know the answer to that.”

  “I’m trying so hard to not fall in love with you.”

  “I know.”

  I was okay … maybe not good … but I was okay not having Fisher in my life, but I wasn’t okay with him no longer being in this life. If that happened, I would never be good again.

  Picking up my phone, I managed to bring up the number to the office where I had the interview. Canceled it and booked a flight to Denver.

  When I arrived, I called Rory.

  “No news yet. He’s still in surgery. Did your interview go okay?”

  “I’m here in Denver, at the airport.”

  “What?”

  “What hospital is he at?”

  “Reese, there’s nothing you can do. I was planning on calling you as soon as he got out of surgery and we knew more.”

  “Mom!” It was a rare time of me calling her Mom instead of Rory. “What. Hospital?”

  “I’ll come get you,” she said in a calmer tone before ending the call.

  Forty-five minutes later, Rose climbed out of the passenger’s seat when they pulled up to the curb. “We’re all praying for him,” she whispered when she hugged me.

  I blinked back the emotions burning my eyes and nodded in lieu of actual words.

  When we arrived at the hospital, Fisher’s family and other familiar faces from work crowded the waiting room.

  His parents and siblings.

  Hailey.

  Angie.

  We shared a few sober “hellos” before I tucked myself in the far corner of the room with Rory and Rose. And then we waited. When the doctor came out, his parents and Angie gathered in a circle around him. A collective sigh of relief could be felt. It was good news. He made it through surgery.

  When we determined only family would be allowed to see him later that night, I went home with Rose and Rory to their new house.

  “You didn’t move that far.” I found a small grin when they pulled into the driveway of the home that was maybe three blocks from Fisher’s house.

  “This was a foreclosure. We basically stole it. Works great. We find ourselves taking a walk several nights a week and still ending up at Fisher’s house, drinking beer and wine on his front porch or the back screened-in porch.” Rory shrugged, shutting off the car. “What can I say, he’s family. Only …” She frowned. “Not enough to get to see him tonight.”

  Rose squeezed my mom’s leg. “We’ll see him tomorrow.”

  Rory nodded.

  We ordered dinner, but none of us were that hungry. Instead, we shared funny Fisher stories as if he was dead and we were reminiscing about his life.

  “Oh…” Rory drained the rest of her wine “…how’d your interview go?”

  I shook my head while pouring another glass of wine for myself. Finally, I was able to join the real adults in the room. “I canceled it. Told them it was a family emergency.”

  “I was a little surprised when you called from the airport,” Rory said. “I know you two worked together for a while, and I joked about you acting like siblings, but when was the last time the two of you even spoke?”

  Rose gave me a nervous glance. I considered just telling Rory about Fisher and me. I was nearly twe
nty-four—what would she have been able to say or do at that point? I’d moved on. He’d moved on.

  For whatever reason, with him in the hospital and engaged, I opted to wait. Maybe until a better time. Maybe never. Did it matter any longer?

  “I don’t know … it was weird. I mean … it’s been years since we’ve spoken, but when you told me, it hit me hard. I’m not sure why. And I didn’t even think; I just canceled my interview and got the first flight to Denver. Maybe it’s because I know how close you are to him.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you, even if the circumstances are crappy.”

  I nodded slowly. Would he be thrilled to see me?

  The next morning, we made our way to the hospital after Rory talked to Arnie. He said Fisher was a little fuzzy in the head, but otherwise okay. The accident was just that, an accident in the rain. A large truck couldn’t stop and ran into Fisher.

  When we reached the waiting room, Angie was in tears as Fisher’s sisters consoled her.

  Did he take a sudden turn?

  It wasn’t impossible. I’d seen my fair share of patients come out of surgery, seem stable and fine, only to flatline hours later.

  Arnie broke away from the pack of women. “Long time no see. How have you been?” He gave me a hug.

  “Good.” I lied. “Are you famous yet?”

  He released me and chuckled. “Almost.”

  “What’s going on?” I nodded to Angie and his sisters.

  Arnie frowned. “Oh, my brother’s acting a little drunk that’s all. I’m sure it’s the pain meds. The doctors aren’t too concerned yet.”

  “What do you mean he’s acting a little drunk?” I asked.

  “Memory issues. He doesn’t seem to know everyone. Well, he knows me. Our sisters. Our parents. But nobody from work thus far. In fact, he doesn’t remember building homes. And…” he scrunched his nose and whispered “…he doesn’t recognize Angie at the moment.”

  “Oh no.” Rory’s eyes widened as her jaw fell open.

  “Come on, might as well see if he remembers his favorite drinking buddies.” Arnie smirked at Rory and Rose.

  I followed the three of them to Fisher’s room.

  “More visitors. Pretend like you recognize them.” Arnie teased Fisher as we filed into his room.

  I stood behind Rory and Rose as they paused at the foot of his bed. I could only see bits and pieces of him.

  His bandaged face.

  His casted arm.

  “Rory and Rose,” he said in a rather weak voice.

  It didn’t matter how weak his voice was; it still did things to my crazy heart.

  “Ding. Ding. Ding.” Arnie gave Fisher a slow clap. “Two for two, Bro.”

  “No more motorcycle for you,” Rose said as she moved to one side of his bed while Rory inched closer on the other side of the bed, leaving me in clear sight.

  He knew them, so he would know me. I was quite certain of it. I gave him a small smile.

  He smiled back. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  “Please tell me we haven’t met. I fear I’ve already made too many people feel insignificant today,” Fisher said.

  Rory and Rose exchanged a look.

  “How has your brain misfired so badly that the hottest women in your life are just … poof … gone?” Arnie shook his head at Fisher.

  Fisher narrowed his gaze, as if doing so increased his chance of recognizing me, as if it were his eyes’ fault and not his brain’s fault.

  “This is Reese, my daughter,” Rory said. “But you haven’t seen her in years, so don’t stress. She lived with me in your basement for a few months. And she worked with you for less than … what?” She glanced at me. “A few months?”

  I nodded. It was all I could do. Of course Angie was crying. When the man you love (loved) didn’t recognize you, it wasn’t a great feeling.

  “She just graduated from nursing school in Michigan. She’s going to get her master’s starting next year. Midwifery. She’s going to deliver babies.”

  Fisher returned a slight nod. “Congratulations.”

  I cleared the thick emotion from my throat. I think only Rose sensed my true level of emotions. “Thanks,” I managed to say. “I’m really happy to see that you’re okay.”

  “Yeah. That’s what they tell me. I don’t remember the accident either.”

  “The doctors think his memory loss is probably temporary,” Arnie said.

  I knew it could be temporary. Or it could last a long time. Or it could be permanent. The brain was hard to predict.

  “I hope so.” Fisher stared out the window for a few seconds. “That um … woman was really upset. My fiancée?”

  Oh my gosh …

  That woman. He reduced Angie to “that woman.” I was never an Angie fan, but I also wasn’t a monster. I felt her pain. He didn’t ask me to marry him, but I felt total devastation at his lack of recognition. I could only imagine how Angie must have felt.

  “Well…” I returned a nervous laugh, feeling Rose’s gaze on me “…I’m sure it must be heartbreaking to be a stranger to the one you love most.”

  Fisher’s brow tightened into lines of wrinkles. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “We’ll let you get some rest.” Rory leaned down and kissed the side of his head. I wanted to be that close to him.

  Feel the warmth of his skin, the brush of his lips, the intensity of his eyes as he looked at me with wonder and anticipation.

  The irony? Had I “given” him my virginity, he wouldn’t have remembered. I don’t regret it being Brendon, even if I hurt him. Had it been Fisher, I wouldn’t have been able to walk away. I would have treated losing my virginity like donating a kidney.

  More Fisher Mann lessons …

  It wasn’t about firsts. Every moment mattered. Every touch. Every word. It was selfish to think of our lives as nothing more than an endless series of giving and taking. It implied we were, more or less, just moving from one moment to the next with no meaning. I knew … deep down I knew it was never about my virginity. Not with Fisher. It was always about my heart.

  Looking at Fisher in that bed and being unrecognizable to him was a clear reminder that I, nor anyone else, shouldn’t rely on another human to be a measure of self-worth and success.

  “Ready?” Rory asked me.

  I nodded slowly.

  Chapter Four

  “I’ve missed this … you know … time with you two,” I said on a long sigh as the three of us took a hike in the mountains several days after seeing Fisher in the hospital.

  “We never took our trip up here,” Rory said, reaching for her water bottle in the side pocket of her backpack as we stopped at a clearing. “I promised to bring you here. Remember when you were adamant about coming up here by yourself?”

  I nodded. “Can I be honest now?” I smirked.

  She rolled her eyes. “You drove up here anyway?”

  Shaking my head, I chuckled. “No. Fisher brought me … on his motorcycle.”

  “Oh, Reese.” Rory shook her head. “I didn’t need to know that, especially since his accident.”

  “I said you wouldn’t be happy about it, but he said we didn’t have to tell you. He really was a terrible influence. I can’t believe you left me with him.”

  Rose rubbed her lips together, enjoying the way I was telling Rory so much, yet nothing at all.

  “Well, as soon as he gets out of the hospital, I’ll have a word with him.”

  Rose laughed. “You’re going to talk to him about taking your daughter on his motorcycle when he doesn’t remember her? Good plan. Make sure I’m with you when this conversation takes place. I want to listen.”

  I laughed too. It wasn’t funny, but it was.

  “What do you think will happen if he doesn’t regain all his memory?” Rory slipped her water bottle back into her backpack. “Do you think he will fall back in love with Angie?”

  Rose shrugged. “If it happens, it will be incredibly r
omantic. What is there? Over seven billion people in the world? And he falls in love with the same person twice? Sadly, I fear it won’t happen like that. I mean, I can see him being the nice guy who marries her anyway because everyone adores her, and he’ll trust the people he does remember.”

  “He’s known her forever,” Rory said. “I think he’ll remember her. She owns too much of his heart.”

  “Unless …” My big mouth opened without me realizing it. Then it was too late.

  “Unless what?” Rory asked.

  Abort!

  “Unless it’s not about time. I mean, you said you knew there was a connection between you and Rose from the day you met. Sure, Fisher’s known Angie for years, but why did it take him so long to decide to marry her? It wasn’t like you and Rose. Nobody was standing in their way. Just the opposite. Everyone wanted it. Except Fisher. I’m just saying … the length of their history isn’t necessarily an indicator for the likelihood that he’ll fall back in love with her. What if he wasn’t truly in love with her? What if she was just the obvious choice for lack of a better one?”

  Rory blinked slowly. “Okay, everyone make a note that Reese is never allowed to talk to Angie.”

  “I’m not saying she isn’t nice.” We started walking again. “Or a good catch. But there must be more. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Rose nudged my arm. “We know … you’re just saying.”

  I smirked. Yes, despite my life experiences and emotional revelations—a lot prompted by Fisher—I still liked the idea that he fell in love with me in a matter of weeks, despite it making no sense to anyone else. And since he couldn’t dispute it, because he had no recollection of me or us, I felt perfectly fine with letting that version of our story live in my head forever.

  “I love having you here. Are you thinking of moving back to Denver? There are jobs here. You can get your master’s here,” Rory questioned me as we drove back to Denver.

  “Let her be,” Rose scolded my mom.

  “I’m not pressuring you. I’m simply asking the question and stating a few facts.”

  “She’s not staying.” Rose rolled her eyes at Rory.