Lost and Found – By Tori Mitchell
LOST AND FOUND
BY TORI MITCHELL
Alex
Alex Monroe stood inside the Sunset Cove Memorial Library. She flipped the sign from "closed" to "open," grinning as she unlocked the door.
It was a sleepy Monday morning in their quiet beach town, and Alex was ready for some company and excitement. She'd find both at the library. It was the first day of the library's summer book club, and Alex hoped to see dozens of her favorite children and adults today.
Alex loved her job. Familiar people visited the library each week, but you never knew who might walk through the door. Every day was a new adventure—and on the slow days, Alex had her favorite friends nearby. Her books.
Her smile slipped as she walked over to the children's section, straightening the few stray books whose spines were out of line. This spring, three college friends had gotten married. Two other friends had baby showers.
And after each friend’s celebration, she'd returned home to an empty apartment.
It wasn't her turn to find love yet, she reminded herself. That didn't mean she would be lonely. She could still create her own brand of happiness—in her books, her friends, and the readers who came to her library.
Alex pasted a smile on her face as the bell chimed over the library's entrance. The summer rush was finally starting. Once her favorite young readers arrived, she wouldn't have time to feel lonely.
A tall man wearing ripped clothing stumbled through the door, causing her smile to disappear. Blood covered his face, dripping from his hairline and running into his shirt collar.
Alex took a deep breath and stepped behind the desk, checking that her phone was still in her pocket.
She watched the man carefully, wondering what she should do. Was she in danger? Had he come here for help, or looking for his next victim? Alex was expecting a dozen children at any moment!
Her fingers searched for the emergency call button underneath the desk. She slammed her finger into the button, knowing that it was better to be safe than sorry. Alex said a silent prayer as she sent the distress signal to the police.
She'd need to stay calm until help arrived. Even if this man wasn't dangerous, he wasn't here to borrow books.
"What can I do for you?" Alex asked brightly, smiling from behind the desk.
The man raised a hand to his temple and shook his head. He drew his hand back, his brow furrowed as he stared at his bright red hand, sticky with blood. "I'm sorry to bother you," he said. "I seem to be lost. And I appear to be bleeding, too. I'm not sure what happened."
Alex's eyes widened with concern. His calm, polite tone was a stark contrast to his appearance. She looked into his warm, brown eyes and saw only kindness—and fear.
She pulled out her cell phone and glanced at an incoming message.
The police would be at the library within five minutes.
Alex swallowed her nerves and took a step out from behind the desk.
She could handle things for the next five minutes.
"I can help lost people," she said calmly, giving the man a reassuring nod. "Where are you going?"
"I don't know," he answered, shaking his head as he clamped his eyes shut. "My head hurts. Where am I supposed to be?"
Alex watched with alarm as he pressed his hand to his temple again, causing fresh blood to spill down his face. Enough hesitating. She grabbed a roll of paper towels and rushed forward.
Alex yanked a fistful of towels off the roll and handed them to the man, guiding his hand to put pressure on the largest cut. "What's your name?" she asked.
He frowned. "I'm not sure."
"Do you have a wallet or a cell phone? Anything with your name on it?"
The man used his empty hand to pat his pockets, his frown deepening as he came up with a crumbled dollar bill and a small notebook. "No." His eyes widened as he fumbled toward the nearest seat, collapsing onto the sofa. "I don't know who I am. What happened to me?"
Alex took a slow, deep breath and sat next to him. "I'm not sure, but we'll figure this out together. Okay?"
He looked at her with worried eyes and nodded.
"I've already called the police, and they should be here soon," she said, trying to reassure both of them. "They'll help you."
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I was walking and saw the library. Something told me to stop here. Have I been here before?"
Alex frowned, taking in the tall man's dark hair and pale skin.
She didn't recognize him, and Sunset Cove was a small town.
Most of its neighbors knew each other. "I don't think you've been here, but everyone is welcome at the library," she said slowly, trying to figure out her next steps.
They just needed to wait until the police arrived. "Do you like reading books?"
The man looked around, his mouth twisting into a grimace of pain. "I think so. I have a headache."
He pulled the paper towel away, letting fresh blood run down his face.
Alex ran to get more towels, saying another prayer that the police would get here soon.
She was a librarian—not a paramedic. And while everyone was welcome in her library, Alex felt out of her league.
At least the police had medical training.
Alex let out a sigh of relief when the front door opened again, then groaned when Olivia Rawler skipped into the library. Book club started in an hour, but Olivia always got here early. Her mom and sister would be right behind her.
"Good morning, Olivia!" Alex called, putting on her most cheerful smile. "We'll have to cancel book club for today. Can you tell your mom and friends?"
Olivia smiled and wandered over to the children's section, nodding her head. "Okay," she chirped. "I want to borrow a new chapter book. I saw a police car outside! I should find a mystery book."
Alex looked at the man next to her. He was leaning back against the couch now, his eyes closed as he held the paper towels to his head.
She loved having kids at the library, but Alex suspected things were about to get weird.
"The police are here? That's great. I need their help today," Alex said, glancing again at her injured guest. "Sorry, Olivia. We're closed for a few hours."
But it was too late. The doors flew open, and Officer Gabby Wells rushed into the library with her gun drawn.
Alex dashed to Olivia's side, waving her hands at Gabby. The women were good friends and often worked together on the town's fundraisers. She'd never seen Gabby in full police mode, though. It was a little intimidating. "Gabby! Hi. We've got a problem, but I don't think we need guns."
Gabby lowered her weapon and scanned the room. Both women’s gazes landed on the blood-stained couch in the corner.
It was empty.
Alex gasped. Mr. No-Name had been sitting there just a few moments earlier. Where had he gone? She rushed to the couch and found him cowering behind it, his shaking hands over his head.
"John"
"We're calling you John Doe for now," Dr. Sonya Epstein said, standing next to John's bed in the emergency room. "Your test results came back normal. That's a good sign."
The man called John glanced between the doctor and Alex. He still felt guilty for making her spend the day in the hospital, but he was glad to have company. Alex had waited patiently while he went through bloodwork, a CT scan, and a quick examination by a neurologist.
After a full day, they still didn’t know how he’d gotten to Sunset Cove. At least the stitches had stopped his bleeding.
John should have sent Alex home hours ago, though. He was a grown man. It wasn't her fault that he'd lost his memory.
Something about Alex put him at ease. Maybe it was her bright smile and positive attitude, or her sparkling green eyes. In any other circumstance, John would find her attractive. He barely knew the woman, though.
He didn't even know himself.
John felt uncomfortable with these people staring at him. He might not know his name, but John knew he didn't enjoy the spotlight. "When will I get my memory back?"
Dr. Epstein frowned and glanced back at his chart. "Most cases of retrograde amnesia resolve within two weeks. That gash on your head suggests some sort of brain injury, but you should heal fairly quickly."
John closed his eyes and nodded, packing away those facts to examine later. His memories would return. He just needed time to recover. From a brain injury . What had happened to him?
He sighed and opened his eyes. One step at a time. "Since I'm medically cleared, can I get a shower? Perhaps some clean clothes?"
John’s nurse glanced at Dr. Epstein, who chuckled and nodded. "We don't have showers, but we can give you a chance to clean up. I'm not sure we'll have clothes that fit you, though."
John looked down at his long torso and legs. If he had to guess, John would say he was over six feet tall. They'd put his bloody clothes into a hospital bag and given him a gown to wear. He might need to pull on his ripped khaki and shirt again.
He grimaced as the nurse helped him wash the last traces of blood from his face and neck, then limped to the bathroom to wash his hands and arms. He used the hand soap to scrub his face again, avoiding the bandage on his temple.
Then John stared into the mirror. A stranger's face looked back at him. Who was he? How did he get to Sunset Cove? And why had he wandered into Alex's library?
John didn't have any answers, but he suspected libraries played an important role in his life.
Being surrounded by books had put his mind at ease.
If he had a choice, he'd head back to the library after being discharged.
He wasn't sure what doctors did when someone had no memory, though.
Would he be free to leave—or would they make him stay until he knew who he was?
The thought made his stomach twist into a knot. He couldn't stay here. Being in the hospital wouldn't solve any of his problems.