Chapter 6
The physical therapist wanted me to stay in my wheelchair another week, but I refused. I insisted it was time to walk again. She reluctantly allowed me to sway her. She said the fire she saw in me to get better was encouraging. But she was firm about keeping the chair in case I tire out.
So, here I am using a cane of sorts as I can’t strain my left shoulder, so a walker or crutches were out of the question. Hendrix meets me and Dad out front.
“How did therapy go? Good it would seem.” He smiles at me kindly as he studies the cane in my right hand.
I glance at Dad who smirks a bit while loading my wheelchair. He was there for the entire appointment and knows I fought to leave on my own two feet. Literally.
“It was encouraging,” I say in response. I don’t dare say it wore me out because I don’t need them to hover.
“I’m glad, London. You’ve got this.”
Hendrix steps closer and gently glides his fingers down my cheek. “And if you need help, I’m right here beside you. Never forget it.”
He leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“You ready, sweetheart?” Dad asks breaking the moment.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“I’ll check in later,” Hendrix says before I drop into the passenger side of the car.
I know I’ll be with Dash later, but I keep it to myself and nod with a smile.
“Where are you taking me, Dash?”
He smiles when he sees me standing in the doorway of the apartment. He holds his hands out as his gaze follows the length of my body. He closes the distance between us and pulls me into his arms for a hug.
I stiffen at first but then my body relaxes into him as I close my eyes. It makes me dizzy. I must sway a little because he pulls back and stares at me with furrowed brows.
“Whoa, Valkyrie. You okay?” he asks as my knees buckle.
My vision fades and I feel like I’m going somewhere else, but I can’t see anything. Although I hear voices in my head.
“You’re quite the Valkyrie out there on the track.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Someone laughs.
“It means you’re fierce and courageous. You’ll do what it takes to win.”
“I thought Valkyries escorted slain warriors who are worthy to Valhalla.”
“I suppose both are true.”
“Lennon, where’d you go? You look like you remembered something.”
I shake my head and blink my eyes a few times.
“I did remember something. I think.”
He’s still practically holding me up, waiting for me to continue.
“Valkyrie…” I test the word.
“It’s what I’ve called you, Lennon, since the first time you beat me in a race. I underestimated you and you won.” I know he’s getting excited, but the answer he gives to my next question might burst his bubble.
I shake my head again. “Was London there? Did she hear the conversation?”
As expected, his shoulders drop. “Yeah, she was there for many of the times I’ve called you Valkyrie.”
My eyes well with tears because of the pain I see in his. “I’m sorry, Dash.”
“No reason to be sorry. We’ll keep trying,” he says with a sad smile.
I sniff, but trying to mask my emotions from this man is pointless. I feel like I can be vulnerable with him. Like I can tell him anything. I feel like I can trust him but I don’t know why.
“Let’s go wherever you were going to take me,” I say changing the subject.
Once we’re in the car he came in, I stare out the window at the scenery passing by. He doesn’t talk, but I can feel the tension coming off him in waves.
When the car slows, I glance to where he seems to be turning. It looks like a garage. I notice the sign on the front is black and neon green. It reads: Tyler Motorsports.
“Dash?” I whisper.
When he puts his car in park and cuts the engine, he squeezes my hand. “I just thought you’d like to see Lennon’s race car. See if it triggers anything.”
“Is anyone here right now?” I ask.
“A few members of your—” He stops himself and swallows before continuing. “Of Lennon’s pit crew are inside.”
“What will they think about me being here?”
“That you belong here. Lennon or not. You’re a Tyler,” he replies quickly.
I nod and go to open my door, but Dash stops me.
He gets out and rounds the car before helping me out. “I want you to stay close to me in case you’re overwhelmed.”
I nod and we start toward the front doors of Tyler Motorsports.
It’s quiet when we enter what looks like a lobby. There are pictures hanging everywhere. All kinds of vehicles ranging from motorcycles to a variety of different cars.
One very large picture catches my eye. It’s hanging over a door I assume goes out to where the cars must be kept.
It’s the centerpiece of this room. It’s of me…
and my sister. But I don’t know which one is me and which one is her.
We are identical. Our shiny brown hair is so dark it’s almost black.
Our eyes squint as we smile. Our smiles are contagious.
Our arms are wrapped around each other in front of a race car. We’re happy.
How the hell did we get here? I try to stifle the sob in my throat, but it escapes anyway. Dash is there as quick as lightning. His arms wrap securely around my body as he comforts me.
“I know, babe. I know,” he whispers as he caresses my back.
Once my tears stop falling, I try to compose myself before going any further.
We leave the lobby, and I take in the large garage that holds many vehicles meant for racing. But then I see it. The car I know I remember. It’s Lennon’s.
I start walking toward it as if pulled by a string. I let go of my cane and drag my finger over the shiny hood. Once I reach the driver’s side, I lean in and study the interior. What looks like a charm bracelet adorns the gear shifter. I lean in and touch it. there’s a metal piece with words on it.
I’m about to pull it off so I can see what it says when a voice interrupts my mission.
“Hey, London. How are you?”
I stand back up and see a man walking our way with a couple other guys trailing behind him. They’re wearing shirts with the words Tyler Motorsports across the chest.
Dash gives me an encouraging smile before asking, “Do they look familiar to you?”
The two guys behind the one who spoke don’t. But as for the other guy, something about him does. I have no clue why and I can’t explain it, so for now, I keep it to myself.
“Uh, no. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. This is Dillan, Troy, and Jackson,” Dash says.
“They’re part of Lennon’s pit crew. Oh, and Jackson races for Tyler Motorsports too,” he adds.
Jackson crosses his arms and smiles. “I’m probably his best racer. Aside from Lennon, of course.”
“Of course,” I say with a hint of sarcasm.
Jackson studies me like I’m a specimen under a microscope. He’s sizing me up like I’m his competition. Does he think I’m going to slide into Lennon’s shoes, or better yet, slide into the driver’s seat of her car and take Dad’s number one spot at Tyler Motorsports again?
Troy and Dillan excuse themselves to get back to work after exchanging a few words with us. Things like condolences and well-wishes.
Dash follows them and says something before shaking their hands.
Jackson is still beside me. “We were good friends, you know.”
“Who? Us?” I ask.
“All of us. I grew up with you and Lennon. And even Dash.”
“Is that so?” I ask.
“Yeah. There isn’t a childhood memory I have that doesn’t include you two.”
“I’m sorry. My memory is…”
I don’t know what else to say, so I stop mid-sentence, feeling both frustrated and ashamed.
He smiles. “It’s okay. I know you have amnesia from the accident. Has anything started to surface at all about it?”
I shake my head. “No. Not yet. Maybe not ever.”
He reaches out to rub my right arm. “Sorry. Let me know if you need anything. I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
“I have a new phone. Would I have had your number?” I ask.
“Yeah, you had it. If you want, I can program my number in your new phone,” he offers.
“Oh, sure,” I answer as I pull my phone from my pocket and give it to him.
“I texted my number from yours, so I have your number too. I added Troy’s and Dillan’s numbers as well. Good luck, London. I’ll be around. Don’t be a stranger.”
I accept my phone back from his outstretched palm, and I can’t shake the feeling I should know him. But I guess it’s because we grew up together like he said. It sounds like he’s been in our lives for a long time.
He steps backward taking one last look at me before he turns and walks away.
Dash is back beside me and the garage is empty again. The breeze from outside blows in and caresses my skin gently.
“Anything?” he asks.
I turn back to the car and lean in again, pulling the bracelet from the gear shift. I hold it up and inspect it and find the engraving. “Mirror, mirror. My heart to shield.”
“Mirror, mirror. My heart to embolden.”
“What did you say?” Dash asks after I whisper the words I know are engraved on the other bracelet. My heart slams against my chest as I realize what I’ve remembered. Surely Dash knows about these pieces of jewelry. This was important for me and my sister.
“Where’s the other bracelet?” I ask in a rush, showing him the one in my hand expecting him to have the answer I need.
“I don’t know. The apartment maybe?”
“I’ve got to find it,” I say anxiously as I run my fingers through my hair with one hand and hold the precious metal tightly in the other.
“Okay. Calm down. We’ll go back there and look together, babe.”
“It’s important. It’s something we used to say to each other. One was meant to protect Lennon, the other was to encourage bravery in London.”
I squeeze the metal in my palm once we’re back in Dash’s car headed to the apartment. I know this is important. If I see them together, it might trigger something else.