by David Archer
Pete and Jake walked in at that moment, with Jason McCoy right behind them. Everyone turned to look at them.
“What did the medical examiner say?” Roberts asked.
“Well, first, let’s talk about the van. Police and firefighters were called to the scene of a vehicle fire earlier this morning, but it was a total loss before they arrived, of course. Agent McCord has the FBI crime lab looking at what’s left of it, but I doubt there will be many clues to find. The only thing of interest to us is the fact that a body was found inside, but it was burned to the point that it’s going to take time to find viable DNA for identification. The ME says it was a male, and probably an older man, but that’s about all they can actually give us at the moment.”
Chance raised an eyebrow. “Could be our John Smith,” he said. “If the van was carjacked, the owner might have been collateral damage, or it might be a falling-out between partners. Either way, it could leave the no-longer-needed Mr. Smith in the back of the van while it burned.”
“That’s a definite possibility,” Pete said. “I said as much to the ME, but we won’t know today.”
Roberts filled Pete in on her interrogation of Lampley, including her conclusion that the kid really didn’t know much of anything. “He’s scared to death, Pete,” she said. “There’s no way in the world he could hold it together if he was honestly mixed up in it.”
“There’s one way to find out,” Chance said. “Gabriella recognized the van when she saw the picture, remember? If David was working with the killer, she might have seen him. If so, that memory might be hiding in there, ready to jump out.”
Agent Roberts turned to look at Gabriella. “He has a point,” she said. “Would you be willing to take a look at the kid, see if you recognize him?”
Gabriella looked at her for a second, swallowing hard, then nodded. “I don’t remember seeing anybody but the woman,” she said, “but we can take a look.”
* * *
To Gabriella's dismay, even after seeing David Lampley, the day just wore on with no other fresh leads to go on; not even the medical examiner had any new information, so there was nothing more they could do for the day.
Unfortunately, that also meant that it was time to leave. She would have liked to go home with Max and Carol because she was most comfortable with them, but she knew she couldn't because everyone made sure she knew she had three children who were desperate to see her. Enrico asked if someone could drive him to a hotel, but Chance insisted he come and stay with them.
“Are you sure?” Enrico asked. “I don’t want to be in the way, Chance.”
“Listen, you came all this way to help Gabriella try to remember, right? You can’t do that if you’re all the way across town. We have a guestroom, it’s no problem.”
Enrico nodded his head. “Very well, then,” he said. “I'm very grateful.”
“I'm the one who is grateful,” Chance said. “Right now, Gabriella needs all the help she can get.”
Chance drove Gabriella home, and he and Enrico helped her inside. The boys were happy to meet Enrico, but the one they really wanted to see was their mother. They had been warned that she was having trouble remembering things, but that didn’t stop them from rushing toward her as soon as she was inside, and her heart lifted slightly: somehow, just seeing them began to cheer her up, even if she couldn't really remember them.
She only hoped Chance would understand about not wanting to share a bed just yet. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe he was her husband; it was just that she preferred to know a man before sleeping with him.
Grandma smiled at her as Chance helped her over to the sofa and got her seated. The old woman knew what was going on, but she figured she’d let Gabriella get used to the children, first.
Tommy approached his mother first, almost shy. He'd never seen her so hurt before.
"Can I sit with you, Mom?"
Gabriella moved over and patted a spot on the sofa next to her. "Of course you can, honey."
Erring on the side of caution when he saw his mother's injuries, he sat down carefully beside her.
"Chance told me that you forgot us because one of the dragons had you."
Gabriella’s eyes went wide. “Dragons?”
“Uh-huh,” Tommy said. “That’s what you always call the bad guys. You said they’re like dragons, and you and Chance are dragonslayers.”
“Oh, I see,” Gabriella said with a smile. “Yes, apparently one of the dragons had me.” Without even thinking, she reached out and tousled his hair, making him smile.
"Yeah," Tommy said. “I hate dragons.”
"Does it make you sad or angry that I can’t remember you guys? I wish I could, you know."
Tommy looked at her for a second, then shook his head. “I'm not mad,” he said. “I mean, I'm not mad at you about it, I'm just mad at the dragon. It’s just not fair that somebody could make you forget your own family.”
“No, it’s not,” Gabriella said. “But we don’t really know what happened, yet. The doctor says maybe I just went through something so bad that I made myself forget. She says it should all come back to me sooner or later, though, so that’s good, right?”
Tommy smiled at her, and Gabriella saw a reflection of her own smile. "But you're still my mom. Right now, you're just—you just need some time to remember everything."
Gabriella felt tears trying to well up in her eyes because of how quickly Tommy accepted her, just because she was his mother. But then she saw Andy watching her, standing off to the side with a hopeful expression on his face.
"Come on, baby boy." Gabriella beckoned to him. "You're okay."
Grinning, Andy clambered up onto the sofa and gave Gabriella a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you, Mommy!" he said.
"And I love you ," Gabriella found herself saying, amazed at how natural the feeling felt with her memory being so empty.
Satisfied, Andy giggled before leaning against her. He realized that Gabriella was hurt and was choosing to be gentle, but that didn't change a thing about how he saw his mother. She'd been gone and he'd missed her, but she was back now, and that was all that mattered. All was right in his world.
Two sons down just left little Robin. She was in Chance's arms, awake but peaceful. Gabriella noticed that Chance was holding a bottle for her, too, meaning that it was feeding time.
Chance approached the sofa. "You up for all three of them?"
Gabriella held her arms out—forgotten memories or not, she knew that she would always love holding babies. "Yes, please."
Chapter 13
Chance eased Robin into Gabriella's arms. He watched as Gabriella gave her kisses and got her settled in the crook of her arm, rocking her. Every night that Gabriella was home, she did this with Robin. Some part of her mind was remembering, even if she didn't realize it.
"Almost her bedtime?" Gabriella asked, now accepting the bottle.
"It's almost Andy's, too," Chance confirmed. "Tommy has another two hours."
"Okay," she said.
"Are you going to be alright with them all for a bit?"
"Uh-huh, and Tommy can help me."
Tommy promptly nodded when he saw his parents both fix him with expectant looks.
"Well, okay, then," Chance approved. "I'll be around if you need something, but send the errand boy, if need be."
Gabriella laughed at the phrasing and watched him go before helping Robin with her bottle.
"Hi, baby princess," Gabriella said to her. "I bet you want your bottle, huh?"
The little girl made uncoordinated and unsuccessful grabbing motions in the direction of her bottle and latched on fast when Gabriella gave it to her.
Gabriella laughed softly. "Oh, you were hungry, weren't you?"
In response, Robin snuggled closer to Gabriella and kicked a leg out, accidentally grazing Gabriella's middle. Gabriella winced.
"Be careful, Robin. My tummy is kind of sore."
Robin just relaxed and rested one
of her hands on the one Gabriella was using to hold the bottle. She then closed her eyes in contentment as she drank her fill.
So, Gabriella turned to Andy.
"You good, buddy?"
Still sitting contentedly beside her, he just nodded and gave her a thumbs up sign. She turned her attention to Tommy, only to see that he was looking at her curiosly.
She smiled. "What are you thinking?"
"You told Robin that your tummy is feeling sore, and you told me and Andy that it was like that when Robin was in there."
Gabriella read between the lines and scrambled to give her firstborn an answer that wouldn't freak him out.
"There isn't a baby in there. I'm just sore because I got roughed up; that's all it is."
"Good. I was also thinking about something else."
"Fire away, son."
"What's going to happen? Since you forgot us?"
Guilt surged through Gabriella's heart. "Tommy, I will still be your mom, but I'll just need help for awhile."
"Oh. I can help you remember."
Gabriella kissed her son's temple. "I appreciate that. Do you have any other questions?"
"Do you still love me, and Andy and Robin?"
Gabriella felt more guilt, but kept it together. "Tommy, I will always love you, your dad, your brother, and your sister. That will never change."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Why don't you tell me about your day? Did you go to school?"
Tommy turned coy. "Actually, I spent the day here with Grandma. I had homework that I got from school the other day, and she helped me with it."
"Do you have any left?"
"Nope. I did science, reading, geography, and math."
"What are you learning in math class?"
"We’re just getting started on algebra. I hate it, but I'm pretty good at it."
"Hey, good job, buddy!" Gabriella praised. "I was actually really good at math when I was your age."
Tommy looked at her, eyes wide. "You were?"
"Yep. They moved me to a higher class because of it."
"Wow."
"That's the truth of it. Did you do any other schoolwork when you were hanging out with Grandma?"
Tommy just pulled a face this time. "Handwriting."
"Not quite your thing?"
"No." The boy sighed. "It sucks."
"You sure you want to use that word in front of your brother and sister?"
"Handwriting practice is not fun ," Tommy amended. "It's basically chicken scratches."
"You also got that from me. Sorry."
Tommy thought about that for a moment. "So there's nothing wrong with having bad handwriting?"
Gabriella shook her head. "No. Just keep working on it, and you’ll be fine."
"Thank goodness ," Tommy approved. "Because me and Marsha want to be architects when we grow up. I might even marry her—she is my best friend."
At this, Gabriella broke into a smile.
"Care to remind me who Marsha is?"
Tommy happily launched into detail about his best friend and his future architecture partner.
After Tommy finished regaling his mother with stories about the adventures he'd had with Marsha, Robin had finished her bottle and she and Andy were sound asleep. Acting at his mother's behest, Tommy called for Chance and ran the empty bottle into the kitchen before going off to do his own thing.
Enrico had spent a little time talking to Chance, but he was yawning a lot. He explained that he worked the night shift, and hadn’t been to sleep in nearly twenty-four hours. Chance offered to show him the way to the guestroom and he said good night to everyone, promising to see them all in the morning.
Chance put Andy and Robin in their beds and returned to the living room. He pulled the chair from the writing desk and set it in front of the sofa, then sat down on it. He started to ask Gabriella how she was, but the noticed the distant look in her eyes.
"Something you want to share, Gabriella?" Chance asked.
"Hmm?"
He grinned at her. “You seem like you’re a million miles away. You handling all this okay?”
"Oh." Gabriella turned. "I was just thinking… even though I was cuddling with all of our kids just now, it still felt like someone was missing."
"You mean like another child?"
Gabriella shrugged. "Maybe? Did I ever have a miscarriage?"
Chance nodded slowly. "You told me once that you did—it was a few years back."
"I’m sorry, Chance," she said apologetically.
"There's nothing to be sorry about, Gabriella. It was while you were married to your first husband." He gave her a pat on the knee. "I wasn't there when it happened, but a little while later you found out that Andy was on the way."
Gabriella took a steadying breath. "I did?"
"Yes. You told me that it was like a miracle, because your doctor didn’t think you’d be able to have any more kids."
“You said I was with my first husband,” she said. “I was married to someone else before you?”
Chance sighed. “Yes. His name was Benito Morales, and he was quite a bit older than you. It was an arranged marriage, and you told me that it wasn’t a happy one until Tommy came along, and then Andy. After that, things got better and you actually loved him, but he died a few years ago in an auto accident. You and I met a couple years after that.” He decided to let the story of how they met wait for another time.
"But I still had Tommy and Andy. What about Robin? She’s ours, right? Were we expecting her?"
"She was a bit of a surprise," Chance confessed with a grin. "We weren't exactly planning to have a baby at the time."
"But you’re happy? With us, I mean?"
"Very much so,” he said. “We’ve both been very happy, and very much in love with one another.”
Gabriella was quiet a few moments, trying to make sense of what he’d told her, but it was like hearing a story of someone else’s life. She changed the subject suddenly.
“I work with you? Carol, she said I'm an investigator, like you.”
“Yes,” Chance said. “You’ve been working with us for a few months, now. That’s how you and Carol got to be so close.”
She nodded. “I heard about that. Am I going to have to go to the office tomorrow?"
"Unless there's a change of plans, then I would imagine so."
She looked around the room, then turned back to face him. "Well, I guess it's better than being in a house I don't remember…"
"Gabriella, your memory loss won't last forever—and apparently you already remembered that the kidnapper was a woman."
Gabriella was taken aback. "I only barely remember that. The day's been such a blur."
"I think anyone could understand you feeling that way."
"Tommy's in sixth grade, Andy’s in fourth, Robin is a baby, and my memory stops off fifteen years ago. You honestly think it’ll all come back? And you’re willing to be patient with me until it does?"
"Yes," Chance said seriously. "When we got married almost three years ago, I promised you that in sickness and in health, and for better or for worse, I'd stand with you and take care of you, no matter what. I don't plan on going back on that promise, now or ever."
Gabriella suddenly dissolved into full-blown tears, and cautiously, Chance moved onto the sofa and sat closer to his wife. She didn't make any move to show that she wanted him to hold her, but she did let him take her hand. A moment later, she rested her head on his shoulder and cried herself out.
"I've got you, Gabriella," Chance told her. "I've got you, and I will always be there for you."
"In sickness and in health?" she asked.
"In sickness and in health."
"For better, or for worse?"
"For better, or for worse."
It was a very small thing, but Gabriella pulled Chance's hand up and kissed it gently.
"Thank you," she said.
"Of course. Is there anything I can do for you right now?"<
br />
"You won't take it the wrong way if I want to sleep down here tonight?"
"No. Do you want me to get your sleeping stuff?"
"Yes, please."
After Gabriella got ready for bed, she lay down on the sofa and invited Chance to sit with her again.
"Will you stay with me? Until I fall asleep?"
"You bet. Just close your eyes."
Immediately, Gabriella's eyelids felt heavy. "I can barely keep them open as it is."
Chance tucked a lock of Gabriella's stray hair behind her ear. "Just sleep—you're safe here. I'll tell you a story." He began telling her about how she had picked him up hitchhiking and given him a job on her ranch, and how they had fallen in love with each other.
Comforted by the sound of Chance's voice, Gabriella was asleep very quickly after that.
* * *
Chance got up to his bedroom and sat down on the bed, then leaned his face in his hands. While he was keeping his feelings hidden from Gabriella, the thought that she didn’t know who he was had ripped a part of him that he hadn’t even realized existed. He ran his hands through his hair and then took out his phone to call Pete.
“Hey, Chance,” Pete said. “How is it going over there?”
“It sucks. She isn’t getting any of her memories back yet, Pete. I know, the doctor said it might take a while, but what do I do if she never remembers?”
“You just keep being your usual charming self,” Pete said, “and give her the opportunity to fall in love with you all over again. Just be patient, Chance. She loves you, down deep inside, and it’ll come back.”
“Yeah,” Chance said. “Grandma said the same thing. We getting anywhere on finding out who took her?”
“Not yet, but we’re on it. You need to try to relax tonight, Chance. You got your wife back. Take the win, buddy.”
“She’s back,” Chance said, “but she’s not herself. I need to find out who did this to her, Pete. And I need to know why.”
“And we will find out,” Pete said. “But, like my old man used to say, ‘Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow when you still got plenty for today.’ Get some rest tonight, and we’ll talk in the morning.”
* * *
Gabriella woke early the next morning, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She’d been startled at first, expecting to find herself in her childhood bedroom, but then the events of the previous day flooded back in. It took her several minutes to calm herself, but she managed it as Chance came down the stairs, with Enrico following behind him.