Angel Falls

Something was wrong. She’d been hurt, she realized suddenly. Hurt. And they wouldn’t answer her question about Juliana. Oh, God …

The other man touched her face, and there was a gentleness in him that calmed her. She blinked up at his watery, out-of-focus face. He blotted her tears with a tissue. “Don’t cry, Mike. Your daughter is fine. She’s okay. ”

She trusted him. Juliana’s okay. “Who …”

“Don’t rush it, sweetheart. Take it slowly. ”

“Who … are you?” she asked at last.

Before he answered, she lost interest. Her head felt so heavy, so … broken. All that mattered was that her baby was okay.

She closed her eyes and sank back into the cool, blue water, back to the place where it was calm and warm and she was unafraid.

“Retrograde amnesia. ”

Liam and Julian were seated in front of Stephen Penn’s massive oak desk. Stephen looked worn and tired.

Liam leaned forward, rested his arms on his thighs. “In posttraumatic—”

“Goddamn it, wait a sec. ” Julian shot to his feet. He prowled the small office like a caged lion, repeatedly running his hand through his hair. “I haven’t had twenty years of college and I don’t know what you two are talking about. What in the hell is retrograde amnesia?”

Stephen removed the small, circular spectacles from his face, carefully setting them down on the cluttered surface of the desk. He didn’t look at Liam as he spoke. “At the moment of serious trauma, the brain stops accumulating memories. That’s why a victim of serious brain injury rarely remembers the actual incident itself. More often than not, the last clear memory is one that happened days or weeks … or even years before. These are often powerful, significant memories—weddings, births, that sort of thing. It appears that Mikaela’s mind is … trapped, if you will, some years ago. She seems to believe that Jacey is still a baby. ” He paused. “Clearly she doesn’t remember her life with Liam at all. ”

“How long do you think the amnesia will last?” Liam asked, even though he knew the answer.

“There is no way of knowing,” Stephen said slowly. “Although chances are that she will remember. Long-term retrograde amnesia is rare. ” His voice softened. “But it does happen. ”

“How can we help her?” Liam asked quietly.

“Right now she’s afraid and confused. We want to tread very, very carefully. The mind is a fragile thing, much more delicate than the brain. We don’t want to overwhelm her with frightening information. ” At last he looked at Liam. “I think it’s best if we let it come back naturally. ”

Liam sighed tiredly. “You’re saying that the kids and I should stay away. ”

“I’m sorry, Liam. I can only imagine how hard this is for you. But I think she needs some time to let her mind heal. Can you imagine realizing that you’d lost fifteen years of your life?”

“Yes,” Liam said, “I can imagine it. ” He leaned forward and hung his head, staring down at the Oriental carpet so long, the colors smeared into one big bruise.

What in God’s name was he going to tell his children?

Julian went to a pay phone and called Val. “She woke up today,” he said when Val answered.

“No shit. How is she?”

“She’s got amnesia. She doesn’t remember anything of the last fifteen years. She thinks we’re still married. ”

“Are you saying—”

“She’s still in love with me, Val. With none of the bad memories of our breakup. ”

Val made a low, whistling sound. “Jesus Christ, what did you do—script this? It’s a goddamn fairy tale and you’re the prince. The press’ll love this. ”

Julian sagged against the wall. “You don’t get it. How am I going to tell her that I never came back for her. Val? Val?”

His answer was a dial tone.

With a curse, Julian hung up the phone. For the first time since he’d gotten here, he was afraid.

She was alive. That was the miracle Liam needed to focus on. Over the past weeks, he had asked God to heal her, to help her open her eyes. All the while, he’d prepared himself for the physical impairments that could come with an extended coma. Paralysis, brain damage, even death—these he’d readied himself to handle. He’d never asked God to return her memories.