Chapter 7
Present day
Jonah splashed water on his face and met his gaze in the mirror. They’d relocated Lauren to a regular room late last night,
and he’d moved to the waiting room on the same floor. He’d gotten only a modicum of sleep on that chair, and his clothes were
now disheveled. A shadow of scruff covered his jawline, his eyelids were swollen, and that cowlick at his forehead refused
to be tamed.
But hope sprang up inside, relentless and buoying. Maybe with a full night’s rest Lauren’s memory had returned. Maybe he’d
enter her room and her face would light up at the sight of him. Those green eyes would sparkle and turn to crescent moons
the way they did when she laughed. He’d hold her tight and joke that someday they’d tell their kids about the time she’d forgotten
him.
Common sense whispered in his ear, If her memory returned, they would’ve come for you. But maybe the staff had turned over and they didn’t realize he was here. Maybe she hadn’t found her phone in the bag his parents
left.
Giving up on his hair, he left the restroom and proceeded past the desk and down the hall to her room. He hadn’t visited her
last night, hadn’t wanted to upset her again, but they’d given him her room number. His footsteps quickened as the numbers
ascended. He was eager to see her after the misery of yesterday.
There it was, Room 213.
The door was open, so he went right in. She sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in street clothes, the bag sitting at her
side as if she was eager to leave. At his entry her gaze swung to him and she straightened. A guarded expression came over
her face.
The hope inside him popped at her expression. He didn’t even have to ask. She still thought he was her enemy. What if her memory never comes back? His stomach turned to lead.
He forced his lips into a smile. “Morning. How are you feeling today?”
She did a quick head-to-toe scan of him. “A little better. They’re discharging me.”
“That’s great. I can take you home.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“Was the doctor in this morning?”
“Yeah, she’s the one who’s discharging me.”
“What did she say about your concussion?”
She put her hand to her throat, something she did when she was uncomfortable. “I’m, uh, not really sure. I wasn’t quite awake
yet. And I’m not thinking very clearly.”
A middle-aged nurse bustled into the room with a wheelchair. “All right, young lady. We’re busting you outta here.” She glanced
at Jonah. “Are you the ride?”
“Yeah.”
“Perfect.” She handed Lauren a packet. “The instructions are in here, basically a summary of what Dr. Wallis told you this
morning, I’m sure.”
Lauren started to say something, then put a hand to her temple.
“Up you go!”
Lauren stood slowly and pivoted to sit in the wheelchair. Once seated she cradled her bag and the packet to her middle as
the nurse adjusted the footrests.
“All right, you got everything?”
“Um, I think so?”
Jonah swept his gaze over the room just to be sure. Peeked in the bathroom. Then, finding nothing, he followed them to the
elevator. He had questions about her recovery, and no doubt Lauren did too. She probably wasn’t thinking clearly enough to
ask. The packet probably explained everything, but what if it didn’t?
“Will she need someone to stay with her today?” he asked once they were inside the elevator.
“Definitely. Her tests looked good and we don’t expect any problems, but you can’t be too careful with a head injury.”
“What should we be watching for?”
“If her symptoms worsen—vomiting, increased confusion, trouble waking, nonresponsive—you should bring her back to the ER.”
“Otherwise, what are her limitations?”
“For the next couple days she should rest. She doesn’t need to lay in a dark room, but no physical activity or anything that
requires mental concentration. She should avoid stimulation in general: TV, the computer, reading, and texting.”
“And after that?”
“She can gradually increase these activities and continue them as long as her symptoms don’t worsen. What is it you do for
a living, hon?”
“I manage Pinehaven Resort.”
“Oh, I’ve been by there. Lovely property. Well, you can probably resume your work after a few days as long as the work doesn’t
make your symptoms worse. If it does, ease off. Let’s see, what else? For the headache, no anti-inflammatories for twenty-four
hours, just acetaminophen. After that you can switch to ibuprofen.”
The elevator doors whooshed open and they exited. Jonah left them at the entrance while he went for his truck. The cab was chilly, so he turned up the heat and pulled around. By the time he got to the passenger door, the nurse had already assisted Lauren inside.
“Thank you for your help,” he told her.
“Of course. Take care now.”
He shut Lauren’s door and turned to the nurse. “Wait.”
“What is it, hon?”
He glanced back. Lauren leaned back against the headrest, eyes closed. He lowered his voice. “I wanted to ask about her memory,
but I don’t want her to feel pressured to remember.”
“You’re her boyfriend?”
“Yes.” He grimaced. “Or at least, I was. I don’t know what I am now.”
She set her hand on his arm. “Bless your heart. Well, no one can say for sure if she’ll get her memories back. Some people
do and some don’t. It might help to be around familiar things and people though. Be patient. The most important thing is that
she takes it easy the next few days. After that... you’ll just have to wait and see.”
***
Lauren shifted in the truck’s cab, her headache throbbing in her temples. Jonah had slept in the waiting room last night.
No one had to tell her that. It was apparent by his rumpled clothing and unkempt hair. He appeared so different now than he
had when she’d arrived at Pinehaven. He’d looked like a lumberjack with his longish wavy hair and scruffy beard. She’d always
preferred professional men—tidy haircuts and a clean-shaven jawline.
Had he changed those things for her?
She tried to reconcile the Jonah who’d slumped in a waiting room chair all night with the one who’d been a thorn in her flesh.
It didn’t compute.
The driver’s-side door opened and Jonah got in and buckled up. “I bet you’ll be glad to be home.”
Home. She barely felt acquainted with the place. “Yeah.” It was a nice enough cabin. Clean and kind of cozy even if the décor was
a little primitive for her taste. The stone fireplace was nice on chilly evenings and the firewood abundant and free. The
mattress was more comfortable than she’d expected, though she was glad she’d brought her own bedding. She still wasn’t used
to the night sounds: unknown animals yipped and howled and hooted. It was not the white noise of cars and sirens she was accustomed
to.
Jonah cut a glance her way. “Did you speak with Sydney?”
“Yes. She wanted to come, but she’s flying to Tampa today for her brother’s wedding.”
“I wondered about that. If you want, I’ll ask Meg to stay with you the next day or so.”
At least he hadn’t expected to take the job himself. “Thanks.” She wasn’t sure what to say to Jonah. Didn’t know how to behave
around him. There was plenty of ground between bitter rival and doting girlfriend, but all of it seemed as mushy and treacherous
as quicksand. But she was pretty sure the guy she’d known in April wouldn’t have spent all night slumped in a hospital chair
for her sake.
She had another wispy thought, but it fluttered away. That was happening a lot.
“Listen, Lauren. I realize this must be confusing and awkward for you. You must be wondering about... things. Maybe you
have questions. There were quite a few changes over the summer.”
He was still direct. That much hadn’t changed. But her head throbbed and was still filled with fog. “Sydney explained how
things were. But I really don’t feel like thinking about that right now.”
A long beat of silence passed. “All right. Fair enough. I don’t want to stress you out. And it may end up being a moot point
anyway.”
She strained to connect the dots. “Because I might get my memory back?”
“Right. But as you said, you don’t need to worry about that today. For now let’s just focus on getting you better.”
She could get on board with that idea. Because if getting her memory back meant she and Jonah were a couple, she wasn’t certain
she wanted it back at all.