CHAPTER FOUR
-:- Paisley -:-
I can hear women talking, but don’t recognize the voices. My eyes are heavy and won’t open, then sleep pulls me back under.
‘I hope Sienna wakes soon.’
‘Yeah, so do I. TwoCents is getting the house ready for when she leaves here.’
Sienna? Who is that?
Sleep again pulls me down, but I welcome it, as the pain in my head is excruciating. I wonder why my head hurts so much? That’s the thought that takes me under.
“Sienna, it’s time to wake up. You’ve been asleep far too long. I’m here and won’t leave you.”
“Mr. Wilson, your wife is being taken off the antibiotic drip today, but we’ll leave the other for now. It is time that she wakes up and I’m discussing her case with a colleague later, as he has had experience with a case similar to hers. I will discuss with you anything he may advise us to try before we move forward with any treatment,” A doctor says to who I assume is TwoCents.
“You hear that, little Wifey? They are going to discuss how to wake you up, so it’s time to do it before they stick needles in you.”
I try to open my eyes and I’m sure I’m frowning, but they just won’t obey me. It’s frustrating. The man is rubbing the back of my hand, and talking about a shop, someone called Sentry is watching over it, and the Ol’ Ladies are taking turns to be here with me….Honestly, I do not know what, or who he is talking about.
Again, sleep pulls me down.
Blinking, the light is blinding, and I screw my face up, trying to get back into the dark.
“Oh, Sienna, don’t close your eyes. Hang on, I’ll close the blinds,” a woman says and a moment or two later, the light dims and I’m able to open my eyes. I slowly look around and notice I’m in a hospital room. I glance at the woman and she is definitely not a nurse.
“Hi Sienna, I’m Jo and I’m here watching over you while TwoCents is working. You’ve been asleep for a long time. How are you feeling?”
“Water,” I grate out, because my throat is so dry I can’t swallow.
The woman reaches to the side of the bed and presses the button for a nurse, before passing me an opened bottle of water. Jo helps by holding the bottle as I take a few sips.
“Thank you,” I manage to say before the door opens, and a nurse walks in, well barges in more like, giving me a look that has me bristling. I know I don’t imagine the look when Jo speaks out.
“Hey, don’t be looking at her like that. Get out. We want another nurse.” Jo steps toward the woman, and continues, “Do you want me to get my man here to deal with this?”
Now, I’m not sure where this man came from, but he’s frickin’ huge. I start at his feet and look up and up. What the hell was his momma feeding him?
“My momma fed me fine,” he chuckles.
My eyes fly to Jo, and she giggles, leaning into the man who wraps his arms around her possessively, but when he smiles he has the most gorgeous dimples.
“Yeah, I know, the dimples do it every time,” Jo laughs. “This is my man Knuckles, and yes, you said that out loud.”
“Leave!” Knuckles snarls.
That’s all it takes for the nurse to bustle out of the room, and she’d never said a single word. I grin before I can stop it, and then a giggle bursts out. Jo grins at me, then steps to the side of the bed.
“Do you remember anything?”
Frowning, I try to think, but nothing is coming to me. I shake my head, no I don’t remember, and Jo pats my hand. “Don’t worry, it will all come back to you in time.”
A doctor walks in with a different nurse by his side. “Can you step out a moment please while I examine and speak to my patient?”
“We’ll be right outside, and we’ll let TwoCents know you are awake at last.” Jo quickly exits the room with Knuckles behind her, and I’m sure he’s staring at her ass.
After the doctor has given me the rundown of the concussion, how long I’ve been out of it, and why I can’t remember anything, what has me really worrying is the fact he said my husband has been here waiting for me to wake. Now I don’t remember any husband! But then I can’t seem to remember much at all.
The door opens, and a man walks in. He’s around 5’ 10”, with short dark hair and a beard. He has gorgeous brown eyes that are warm and friendly as they look back at me.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, Wifey.”
Wifey? What…The…heck is going on?
“Ah, Mr. Wilson, your wife is doing well. Her vitals are good and as long as nothing untoward shows itself today, she can go home tomorrow.” Dr. Khan gives me a small smile, then continues speaking with my husband. “The amnesia will lift, I’m sure, given time. The knock on her head was severe and I’m happy that things have worked out as they have because I’ve seen a hard hit like that kill someone.”
When did I hit my head?
The doctor and nurse leave the room, and my husband takes a seat next to the bed and grasps my hand between his two, giving me a searching look.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, just a small headache. I don’t remember anything, and I don’t remember you. I’m so sorry, that’s terrible that I don’t remember my own husband.” I grimace, but he looks down at our hands, and I wasn’t sure if I saw guilt flash in his eyes or if he’s upset I don’t remember him.
“It will all come back to you in time. Just remember that things happen for a reason, and I am looking after you. You call me TwoCents as my brothers and their Ol’ Ladies do.”
“TwoCents, that’s an odd name.”
Chuckling, but before he can speak the door opens and Jo, along with Knuckles, walks into the room. Now, if I had to guess, those two have been up to something because Jo looks thoroughly kissed and her body language is mussed, and that’s the only way I can describe it. I look at her with a frown and she blushes so red that I look at Knuckles, who puffs his chest out, looking proud of himself.
TwoCents gives them both a nasty look, “For God’s sake, can’t you two even visit the hospital without finding a closet to fuck in?”
Now, Knuckles laughs, looking anything but ashamed, and Jo giggles before stating, “I’m researching for my next girl-next-door story. She’s a nurse and has a biker as a boyfriend.”
Shaking his head, TwoCents laughs, “I bet we are gonna be finding you two all over the clubhouse now, shagging, as Star calls it.”
“Shagging? What’s that?” I don’t stop to think before I ask.
“According to Star, who is Meat’s wife, it’s having sex, and you know the dirty sex, not the sweet making love kind.” Jo grins, then gives her man a side-eye while blushing.
“Okay, you two can leave. I’ll be here with Sienna until late tonight. Mav said he’ll come and relieve me so I can get some sleep. Tomorrow, Sienna leaves here and comes home, and I need to make sure the fridge is stocked before I get here to fetch her. I’ll call at the grocery store and pick up shit first thing.”
“I don’t want shit,” I blurt, before I can stop myself. Has my brain taken such a bashing I’m not thinking anything straight? The three of them laugh at me and Jo kisses my cheek before she is followed out of the room by Knuckles.
The next few hours TwoCents tells me I’m a photographer, and that I own and run a shop, and it doesn’t get my memory buzzing, which is frustrating.
I’m annoyed that I have a bald spot on my head where they shaved it to put stitches in my scalp. Thankfully, my hair is just long enough that I’ll be able to pull it up into a small bun to cover it until it’s grown. The other option is to have it shaved off and start the growth again, so it’ll all be the same length. I’m thinking about this when I feel my eyes close and I fall asleep.
The next morning, I’m handed a drink by the man called Mav, who has been with me throughout the night. He’s very nice and we’ve had a friendly conversation about what he does for a living. I can imagine him as a bouncer, he’s a big man and I can see that if he scowls at someone, they’d do as they were told or run.
The doctor has been and cleared me to go home. Now, we are waiting for TwoCents to arrive so I can sign out. I wonder if I have insurance?
TwoCents swoops into the room, dismisses Mav and has me in a wheelchair, signed out, and to where he says is home, before I can think.
I’m soon settled in bed, with the TV on, and a club sandwich to eat. TwoCents is propped up at the side of me, both of us with our backs at the headboard, but he’s not saying much at all. In fact, he’s very quiet.
“Are you always this quiet?” I can’t help but ask.
“Well, I don’t really speak unless I’ve something to say. I don’t talk for the sake of talking.” Winking at me, which has a light blush rush into my cheeks.
“Okay.” I can’t think of another thing to say, so I turn my attention back to the TV and the wildlife program we are watching. I’m not sure how long before I fall asleep and as I do, I feel myself slide to the right and rest my head on TwoCents shoulder.
When I wake up it is still dark and I’m tucked up in bed, with TwoCents on top of the covers, but has his arm around me holding my back to his chest. I’m warm as toast and feel a sense of safety and peace.
A flash of an argument crosses my mind, and I see an angry man scowling and screaming at me. I’m not sure who that is, but I don’t want to know either. Did this man do something to me? Is that why I have the bump on the head?
“Stop thinking so hard, you’re keeping me awake.”
I smile to myself, and when TwoCents snuggles his face into my neck and holds me tighter I don’t take too much longer before I fall asleep once more.
The next day I am up and about, around the house at least. I walk around looking at the photographs, and check out each of the rooms as small flashes of me being here cross my mind. The one thing I’m not getting are memories of my husband! I wonder if we are newly married?
In the basement, I place some smelly clothes into the washing machine and wonder why I have so many clothes down here until I remember I own a shop that swaps clothing. People who are struggling bring old clothes that are in good condition to replace them with larger-sized ones, and all for a couple of dollars.
I wonder how I’m able to do that? Because it can’t be making me a living, it cannot possibly turn over a profit like that.
Seeing a laptop in the corner of the living room, I open it and after trying numerous passwords, I type 123456 in frustration and the darn thing works. Now how ridiculous is that?
I’m a photographer, as TwoCents told me, but I am a graphic designer also, and it seems I have clients waiting to speak to me. Oh, my goodness, opening the emails, I have to do something or I’ll lose all this business.
“What are you doing?” TwoCents asks as he walks into the room and hands me a cold drink.
“I saw the laptop and opened it. I am a graphic designer too, but I have all these clients wanting to speak to me.” Panicking because I’m not sure what to say or how to deal with all this.
“Stop. I’ll get Specs on the job. Don’t panic, we can deal with it. They’ll have to wait as you are out of action due to health issues. They cannot sue you for that.”
That is how I’m now in the kitchen talking to this person called Specs, and he is zipping around my laptop, answering emails and cleaning up. Securing it, he gives me a dirty look for being sloppy with passwords, and then passes it to me.
“Okay, clients will speak to me until you are well and back to work. You can take on the most urgent as soon as you feel you can. Until then, I know someone who can take this work on at a small price and keep your business flowing.” Specs kisses the top of my head before he is out of the house leaving me shocked, and not sure what the heck has even happened.
“Just roll with it, Sienna,” TwoCents says.
“Paisley,” I reply, quick as a flash.
“Paisley?” He looks at me closely and questioningly.
“That’s my name, Paisley Anne Sanders. How didn’t you know that?”
TwoCents looks at me astonished, and scowls, pointing at me before slamming out of the house leaving me with my mouth hanging open in shock.