And from the look on Rose’s face, she knew it. And she wasn’t happy about it.
I didn’t care.
I wasn’t the eighteen-year-old girl she found on the floor with Fisher. A lot had happened. And while I had no expectations of him ever remembering me, I just … I wanted to be near him. I needed to know that he would be okay, even if that meant standing by while he fell in love with Angie again, while he married her, while he started a family with her.
My faith hadn’t completely died. I did have faith that things would work out, whatever that meant.
Chapter Five
“Hey, girl!” Hailey pushed her desk chair back as I opened the office door.
“Hey, yourself.” I hugged her.
“Congratulations, Nurse Capshaw.”
I laughed, releasing her. “Thank you. I’m not done. But I’m excited to spend the next year working instead of being in school. Then I’ll finish up my master’s.”
“We didn’t get a chance to talk at the hospital. But … a midwife, right?” She sat on the edge of her desk.
“Yes. I worked with a midwife in Thailand. I didn’t make an instant decision that I wanted to be a midwife, but I looked forward to every day with her. I got butterflies whenever she announced that someone was in labor. And I couldn’t sleep for hours after a birth. The adrenaline. The sheer amazement. And it never got old. I witnessed nearly thirty births, and they were all a little different. They were all special in their own way. So …” I didn’t have to grin. I realized I’d been grinning since the second she said the word midwife.
“That is awesome. I’m thrilled for you. Maybe you should move back here and deliver my babies when I have them. Hopefully sooner versus later.” She held out her hand.
“Oh my gosh! You’re engaged?”
“Married.” She shook her head. “Hawaii wedding. Less than ten people were there. His name is Seth and he’s a mechanical engineer. Met him online. We’re actually coming up on our one-year anniversary.”
“No way! I can’t believe my mom didn’t tell me. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. So … did you make it in the room to see Fisher? I hear he might go home in a few days. What’s it been? Three weeks now?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I heard he’s going home soon. And I did see him once.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Did he recognize you?”
My head inched side to side. “But at least I’m not his fiancée.”
“Oh my god! Right? I feel so bad for Angie. Like … what if he never gets back those lost memories? And will he be able to work? He doesn’t remember anyone from work except his dad and uncle. Does he remember his skills?”
I shrugged. “Hard to say. He might not. Or he might get all his memories back tomorrow. But what does Angie do? Wait for them to come back? Or settle into the possibility that he won’t remember her, and she needs to see if they can fall in love again?”
“Not Fisher.” Hailey shook her head. “I’m not saying the accident hasn’t possibly changed other things about him, but I can see him just doing it. Like … his family telling him how much he loved Angie. How they had gone through so much over the years to finally be together. And how he was all in, ready for that life. I see him nodding and just … marrying her. Figuring the rest out later.”
“That would be…” I wrinkled my nose “…interesting. It would feel like an arranged marriage on his part. The whole ‘Trust us, you’re perfect for each other.’ I couldn’t do it. I was engaged to the wrong guy for a day, and I couldn’t go through with it.”
“Wait, you were …”
I put my finger to my lips. “And Rory doesn’t know. Nobody knows. I don’t know if he told anyone. Since I broke it off, I highly doubt he told anyone.”
“A day?” She laughed. “What happened?”
He wasn’t Fisher Mann.
“It was impulsive. On his part and mine. And I still hadn’t made a clear decision on the direction of my future, so I couldn’t say yes to marriage and a family. Not yet.”
“Smart girl.”
“How are things here? Who’s in charge now that Fisher’s recovering?”
“Me of course.” She winked. “His dad and uncle have been covering things. He has great guys working for him. There’s not a lot to worry about. Houses are still getting built.”
“That’s good.”
“So when do you go home? You’ve been here for weeks, right?”
“I don’t have a job at the moment, so there’s been no rush to get back home. It’s been nice spending time with my mom and Rose. But I’ll probably head back to Michigan soon.”
After Fisher goes home.
“Sure you don’t want to stick around here?” She tilted her head and gave me a goofy smile.