Читать книгу Hers To Remember - Karen Lawton Barrett - Страница 13

Once she’d had a chance to rest for a while, Adrienne found she didn’t have the energy to get up again. The soda had helped some, her head didn’t ache so much, but the rest of her felt more exhausted than she could ever remember feeling.

She looked out the window. If someone had followed her, they’d probably be here soon. She really should go. A quarter lay on the table in front of her. Enough for a phone call. But who would she call? The buck she’d have left after she made the call wouldn’t be enough for a taxi. And she still didn’t remember the name of the hotel she’d checked into.

Why was that? She rubbed her forehead between her eyebrows, where the pain had decided to settle. She couldn’t remember talking to a clerk or being in a hotel room. Had she checked in at all? It hurt so much to think, she leaned her arms on the table, and laid her head down and closed her eyes.

“Amy?”

Startled, Adrienne lifted her head to see the big blond man from the hospital slide onto the seat across from her. She started to slide out the other way, but he caught her wrist. “Don’t run, please.”

She glared at his hand on her wrist, trying to work up some righteous anger, but he really wasn’t hurting her. She looked up at his face, expecting anger or menace or some other sign that would show this man wasn’t as caring as he pretended. All she saw was hurt.

His expression didn’t convince her. Vaughn could conjure up any emotional expression he needed on a moment’s notice. This man could be no different. “Let go of me, please.” She kept her tone even, not wanting to let on just how frightened she was.

His gaze searched her face. For what, she hadn’t a clue. “Will you promise not to run?” he asked.

She looked him straight in the eye. “I promise nothing.”

He winced, as if she’d dealt him a blow. Then he let her go.

Her wrist tingled where he’d held it. The sensation puzzled her. It felt almost pleasant. She leaned back against the bench, not sure she could have run if she wanted to. “What do you want from me?”

“Right now, I just want to take you back to the hospital. You took a pretty good knock.”

The jackhammers going off in her head agreed with him. “What do you care?” She hurt too much to be polite.

“Amy…”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

He didn’t react to the snap in her voice. He smiled gently instead, as if trying to allay her fears. “Because it’s your name, sunshine.”

“No, it’s not,” she said firmly. “My name is Adrienne Winston. You know it, and I know it. And if Vaughn thinks he’s going to get away with making me look crazy, he’d better think again.”

“Vaughn? Who’s Vaughn?”

Adrienne almost laughed. The look on his face shone innocent as a child’s. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he had nothing to do with Vaughn. A sudden pain shot through her head. She groaned.

Sam moved around the table to kneel by her side. “Amy! Please let me take you back to the hospital.”

“No!” She put her hands against his shoulders and tried to shove him away. He didn’t move. A wave of dizziness went through her. She looked into eyes that mirrored her fear.

“Please, honey,” he begged. “We have to take care of you. We have to take care of the baby.”

The baby, she thought. I have to take care of the baby. If Vaughn finds out…She looked at Sam. For a moment he didn’t seem like a stranger. He seemed like someone she’d known for a long time. An instant later, the feeling was gone. But not the fear.

For now, he was all she had.

She reached out to him. “Please, please help me.” Then she felt herself falling forward into his arms.

ADRIENNE WOKE to find herself once again in bed. She still wore the purple sweater, but the jeans had been removed and her bare legs covered with a pink thermal blanket. The blond man sat by her side. Sam.

Who was he? Why was he always there?

She looked down at her hand, held gently by his. The big, tan hand warmed hers, made her feel connected to him. Why, when he was a stranger? How could she feel so close to someone she’d seen for the first time mere hours before?

“Amy, are you all right?”

Adrienne didn’t even bother to correct his use of that name. Nor did she bother to answer his question. Confusion, pain and exhaustion assailed her from all sides. She didn’t want to be here. Knowing she lay hurt in a hospital bed wouldn’t stop Vaughn from coming after her. That he hadn’t appeared already left her more confused.

“Why did you bring me back?” she asked, unable to raise her voice above a whisper. Her little side trip had sapped whatever energy she had.

“You had a bad fall. The doctor needs to examine you before she releases you.”

“I’m fine.”

He grimaced. “You’re not fine. You fainted.”

She could feel a blush come to her cheeks. “I guess it was foolish to try to walk so far so soon.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Acts of survival often are. Maybe after the doctor examines you you’ll tell me what you’re running from.”

She looked away from him, still not ready to trust.

“You rest, sweetheart,” he said, a strange catch in his voice. “I’ll go get the doctor.”

The sound of his voice, the way he said sweetheart almost made her feel safe. “Wait,” she called as he reached the door.

He stopped and looked back at her.

“What’s your name?”

He looked at her searchingly. “It’s Sam, remember?”

“Yes, but Sam what?”

“Sam Delaney.”

The doctor had called her Mrs. Delaney earlier. Suddenly she didn’t feel so safe anymore. Something very strange was going on. Something her confused mind couldn’t begin to comprehend. Why would the doctor call her by the name of a man she’d never met? Why would he allow it? “What do you want with me? Why are you here?”

His blue eyes became intense with an unspoken emotion. “To make sure you get well. Now, get some rest, okay?”

Unable to help herself, she closed her eyes. She was so tired. Tired of the pain. Tired of the incessant questions in her head. She tried to focus on a once-favorite place, to let her mind drift away from the fear, away from the pain. But all she could see was Sam’s face.

CLOSING THE DOOR softly behind him, Sam stood for a moment, listening. For what, he didn’t know. Maybe just the sound of his name. Spoken by a woman who knew him and shouldn’t have to ask why he was there.

Impatient with himself, he crossed to the nurse’s station. Kathy, the young, red-haired nurse he’d yelled at earlier, looked up from a chart as he approached. Taking in her wary expression, he spoke quietly. “Is Dr. Yamana back yet?” Once he’d calmed down, he’d realized it hadn’t been the nurses’ fault Amy had escaped.

“No, she’s not, Mr. Delaney.” She smiled tentatively. “Why don’t you go get yourself something to drink? We’ll let you know as soon as she returns.”

Sam appreciated the suggestion, but he wasn’t leaving the floor. “It’s very important that I speak to her. I’ll be in the waiting room.”

He walked to the small room at the end of the hall. Glad to see it empty, he slumped onto a barely comfortable cranberry-colored couch. The relief he’d felt at finding Amy safe and sound had worn off. Now he just felt tired. He rubbed a hand across his dry eyes. What was he going to do? He had to think.

“The nurse said I’d find you here.”

Sam looked up at his brother. “Where else would I be?”

Casey sat on the couch opposite him. “Where did you find her?”

“At the diner down the block. You were right. She didn’t get far.” Sam sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees. “What about you? What did you find?”

“Nothing yet. Damian’s still looking into this Adrienne Winston. But that doesn’t mean she exists. She could have gotten the name from a book she’d been reading before she fell.”

Sam rubbed his eyes. “I don’t understand it. It’s as if she’s made up some secret life. She keeps talking about some guy named Vaughn.”

Casey sat forward. “Did she give you a last name?”

Sam shook his head.

“How is she?”

“Exhausted. I managed to convince her to get some rest. It wasn’t easy. She’s scared, Casey. The fear’s eating at her.”

“Does she know who you are?”

He shook his head. “There’s not one bit of recognition in her eyes. Why, Casey? Why is she calling herself this strange name? Why is she afraid of this Vaughn person? Why is she afraid of me?”

“There’s something you have to consider, Sam.”

The seriousness of his brother’s voice spurred him from his seat. “She’s not crazy!”

Casey stood up. “I wasn’t going to suggest she was. In fact, I have a hunch it’s the opposite.”

“What are you talking about?” Sam demanded.

“Maybe she really is Adrienne Winston. Maybe she has been all along.”

Sam couldn’t believe his ears. “You said it was a long shot.”

“That was before I knew she’d been talking about this Vaughn guy. I can see someone with a head injury picking up a name from a book. But to be afraid the way you say…”

“Stop!” Sam wouldn’t hear another word.

Casey put a hand on his shoulder. “I wish I could have spared you this.”

“Me? I don’t give a damn about myself. It’s Amy I care about. If all this stuff she’s been coming up with is true, it’s possible she’s in very real danger. I need to see her.” He strode out of the room.

Halfway down the corridor, Casey caught up with him, grabbing his arm.

Sam glared at him. “Let me go.”

“You’re too worked up. You think going in there like this is going to help her?”

His brother was right. He had to be strong now. And calm. He had no idea what he was dealing with. “It’s been three years, Casey.”

“I know, Sam.”

Sam winced at the compassion in his brother’s voice. Hearing it scared him. Casey was a cop. A cop whose hunches were always on target. “Learning about the baby, we were so happy. How are we supposed to deal with this?”

Casey put an arm around him. “I don’t know, Sam. But you will. You’re the strongest man I know. Besides, if Amy really is Adrienne Winston, the fear she’s experiencing comes from three years ago.”

Sam shot him a grateful look. “I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I should go tell her.”

Casey half laughed. “Tell her what? We still don’t know anything yet. Why don’t we go get some food instead?”

Sam shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

“My treat,” Casey said.

That surprised him. “Your treat?”

“You’re looking at me as if I’m some kind of tightwad or something.”

Sam managed a smile. “Or something.”

Casey laughed. “Then you’d better take me up on it. It’s a one-time offer.” His demeanor turned serious. “You have to eat, Sam. You can’t—”

“Take care of Amy if I don’t take care of myself. All right, Mom, you win.” He glanced at the closed door of her room. “I just hate to leave her alone.”

“She needs to sleep. The nurses will keep an eye on her. Especially after what happened earlier. And once Dr. Yamana has had a chance to completely examine her, we’ll have a better idea what we’re dealing with.”

Casey’s words echoed Sam’s own thoughts. After dropping by the nurse’s station, they headed down to the cafeteria.

WHEN ADRIENNE WOKE for the third time, she felt as if she’d been asleep for weeks. A glance at the clock on the bedside table told her it had only been thirty minutes. The pain in her head had faded to a dull ache.

The panic she’d felt had faded, too. Once she told the people here about Vaughn, they wouldn’t have him near her. And even if they didn’t believe her, once she told Vaughn about her proof, he wouldn’t dare hurt her, despite what he’d threatened.

The door opened. Adrienne tensed, then relaxed when Dr. Yamana stepped into the room. So much for my new confidence, she thought wryly.

“Well, you look like you’re feeling better.” The doctor moved to her bedside. She took out the same black instrument and once again shined the light in Adrienne’s eyes. “How’s your head?”

Seeing this as her chance to get herself released, Adrienne smiled. “The pain is all gone.”

Dr. Yamana studied her skeptically. “All gone?”

“Well, it does ache a little,” she admitted. “But not nearly enough to keep me in the hospital overnight.”

“Anxious to leave, are you?”

So anxious she’d gone AWOL. Evidently the doctor hadn’t heard about her little escapade. “There’s no reason to stay if I’m feeling so much better, is there?”

The doctor smiled. “Why don’t you let me finish my examination before you go running off, all right?”

Adrienne nodded reluctantly.

The doctor took the chart from the end of the bed and pulled up a chair. After she sat down, she opened the chart and took a pen out of her pocket. “As I started to explain before, in cases where there’s been an injury to the head, sometimes there’s a memory loss. So I’ll ask you some basic questions, and you answer them to the best of your ability. Are you ready?”

Memory loss, Adrienne thought, maybe that’s the answer. Sam had called her Amy, the doctor Mrs. Delaney. Delaney was Sam’s last name. Was it possible he’d meant what he said, that he was only trying to make sure she got better? Maybe he knew the danger she’d been in the other night. Maybe this was his way of helping.

“Mrs. Delaney?”

Adrienne looked at the doctor. “What?”

“Are you up to answering these questions?”

Making a decision, Adrienne nodded.

“All right then, let’s start with something easy. Can you tell me your name?”

Sending up a brief prayer for strength, Adrienne looked the doctor straight in the eye and lied, “Amy Delaney.”

Dr. Yamana smiled. “How about your age?”

“Twenty-seven.” Adrienne gave her real age reluctantly. She hoped it meshed with Sam’s information.

“What is your birth date?”

This she knew she shouldn’t answer. The age she might be forgiven. A wrong birth date would raise all sorts of suspicions. Now was the time for amnesia to set in. She paused, then tried to look puzzled, “I can’t remember, Doctor.”

“That’s okay,” Dr. Yamana said gently. “It will come back. Let’s try something else. Can you tell me your address?”

Adrienne shook her head.

“What is your husband’s name?”

Adrienne crossed her fingers under the covers. “Sam.”

Dr. Yamana nodded. “Do you know the date of your anniversary?”

“No,” she said, then made herself laugh. “I guess Sam won’t be too happy with that.”

The doctor smiled. “I’m sure he’ll forgive you. He’s very concerned about you. All the nurses are dreamy-eyed, wishing their husbands or boyfriends would show such devotion.”

Which meant that they could be as easily fooled as she, Adrienne thought, or else he really was the caring man he seemed to be. Which one?

“Please try not to worry,” Dr. Yamana said. “All the test results came out fine for you and the baby.”

The mention of the baby she carried caused all other thoughts to vanish. Adrienne still had a hard time believing she’d been pregnant for several months and never had a clue.

“Since the tests came out so well, does that mean I can be released?” Adrienne asked.

“Well, we do have this memory loss to deal with,” Dr. Yamana said.

Happy the doctor had bought her fake amnesia, Adrienne continued her act. “How long will it take me to remember?”

“That’s hard to say. Different head injuries act differently. It could take days, weeks, or even months.”

Dismay filled her. What have you gotten yourself into now, Adrienne? she asked herself. “I can’t stay in the hospital for months!”

The doctor laughed. “In a rush to get back to that handsome husband of yours, are you? Relax, Mrs. Delaney, your injury is relatively mild. You’ll probably only be here overnight.”

Adrienne didn’t have to act out her relief. “That’s wonderful, Doctor.”

The other woman smiled. “I’m sure your husband will be happy about it, too.”

Adrienne started at the term “your husband,” then she realized the doctor was talking about Sam, not Vaughn.

“I’m going to go talk to him now,” the doctor continued. “Get some rest. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Dr. Yamana rose, and left the room.

Adrienne stared at the closed door. What would Sam say when the doctor told him about her “amnesia”? Would he give her away, or would he realize she’d decided to take him up on his offer of protection?

Adrienne sat up. It didn’t matter what he’d said. There was no way she was going to wait around to find out. Moving more quickly than she knew she should, she made her way over to the closet. At least this time all she’d have to do was put on jeans and shoes.

She opened the door, then stood staring at the empty space inside. No jeans. No shoes. Only three clothesless hangers.

Damn them! There was no way she could leave now. Anger and fear made her sway. She moved back to the bed, muttering, “I can’t faint. I can’t faint.” If she lost consciousness again, they would keep her here for days. That would only give Vaughn more time to find her. She was sure now he had no idea she’d landed in the hospital. If he knew, he’d be here.

Huddled under the covers, she tried to think, to plan, to come up with anything she could to convince them to keep Vaughn away from her once he arrived. And she thought of the big blond man who’d regarded her so tenderly. Could she really count on his help?

THE ELEVATOR DOOR whooshed open. Sam stepped into the corridor, then turned to his brother, who had followed. “I can’t believe you stuck me with lunch again.”

“I thought I had a twenty in my wallet.”

“Yeah, right.” Sam strode quickly down the wide hall toward the nurse’s station.

Casey moved to catch up. “I said I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you sound sorry.” Arriving at his destination, he leaned on the counter and returned the smile of the nurse on duty. He figured there must have been a shift change, since he didn’t recognize her. “I’m Sam Delaney. Is Dr. Yamana back yet?”

“Yes, sir, she returned a few minutes ago. I believe she’s in with Mrs. Delaney.”

“What do you mean she’s in with Mrs. Delaney?”

The nurse’s eyes widened at his terse tone, but Sam didn’t feel in the least guilty. He’d told them he needed to talk to the doctor before she saw Amy.

“The doctor needed to finish her examination,” the nurse said.

“But I told the other nurse I needed to talk to her first.”

“Kathy gave Dr. Yamana the message. But you weren’t here, sir, and the doctor is very busy.”

“If you had called the cafeteria when she arrived, I would have been here in two minutes,” he said between gritted teeth. “Was she too busy to wait two minutes?”

Casey touched his arm. “Calm down, Sam. It’s not this young lady’s fault.”

Sam glared at him. “No, it’s mine for letting you talk me into going with you.”

Casey smiled, not in the least intimidated by his brother. “Wanna beat me up?”

“Yes,” Sam growled. “But I don’t have time right now. I have to check on Amy.” He pushed past his brother, only to stop abruptly.

Striding down the hall toward them was Dr. Yamana, looking as concerned as he felt.

He moved to meet her. “Dr. Yamana? Is my wife okay?”

“She’s fine, Mr. Delaney, physically. But there’s something we need to discuss.” She took his arm. “Let’s go down to the waiting room.”

Sam scowled at her emphasis of the word physically. What did that mean? Had she found out about the amnesia? He looked at his brother. Casey shook his head.

The gesture to be cautious was unnecessary. Sam knew as well as Casey the value of remaining silent until you knew the whole story. He let the doctor lead him to the little room he’d grown to hate. Casey followed.

Inside, he sat down next to her on the cranberry couch. Casey took a chair across from them. “What’s going on, Doctor?” Sam asked.

“I’m afraid your wife’s concussion has left her with a bit of amnesia.”

“Amnesia?” Sam said, trying to buy some time.

The doctor nodded. “I asked her some questions about herself. It’s part of the procedure when a patient has suffered a head injury. She couldn’t tell me her birth date or your anniversary. All she knew was that her name is Amy Delaney and that you, Sam Delaney, are her husband.”

Sam felt rocked to his soul. If she knew she was his Amy, why had she told him her name was Adrienne Winston? What about this Vaughn person, had she mentioned him? One look at the closed expression on his brother’s face told him not to ask. “She actually told you, Doctor, that her name is Amy Delaney?”

The doctor nodded. “Yes, but that’s about all she could tell me. She became very concerned that her amnesia would keep her in the hospital, but I assured her that we would probably only keep her overnight. Her head injury is relatively minor. With rest, she should be herself in a few days.”

Sam tried to be relieved, but Casey’s doubts kept going through his mind. Maybe she really was Adrienne Winston. Maybe she lied about being Amy Delaney for the same reason she ran away.

“Can I see her, Doctor?”

“Of course, but try not to stay for long. She, and your baby, need her to rest as much as possible.”

Sam nodded, but he was only going through the motions of understanding the doctor’s words. The fact was, he didn’t understand anything that had happened in the past few hours.

A beeper went off. Both Casey and Dr. Yamana checked their devices. Dr. Yamana smiled. “Duty calls. I’ll check on your wife in a couple of hours, Mr. Delaney. Try not to worry. These things are usually temporary.”

After she left, Sam looked at Casey. “Temporary? Is this the end, Casey? Has Amy finally remembered who she is after all these years?”

Casey’s shrug was anything but casual. “We won’t know for sure until we talk to her.”

Sam half laughed. “Then why aren’t I running down that hall right now?”

Casey regarded him with compassion. “Because you’re afraid you’ve lost your wife, Sam. But you have to stop thinking that way. The woman you’ve spent the last three years loving loves you, too.”

“Does she?” Sam wondered.