A Rose in Bloom

The doctor raised his eyebrows. “The man the police brought in here in handcuffs? The one with the broken nose and the busted knee?”

“That’s the one. So I broke a knee, huh? Wish I’d broken both of them.” He smiled in satisfaction. “But you were saying, she just has a concussion? So she's not going to die? For sure? And her head is okay? There was a lot of blood...”

“Yes, head wounds bleed a lot, but her chances of survival are excellent. We'll have to watch her closely, but her MRI was clear of intracranial bleeding. She’s awake now, but she doesn’t remember much about what happened.”

“Amnesia?”

He cocked his head. “It’s probably just a little temporary memory lapse from the concussion.”

“Can I see her? I just need to see for myself she’s okay.”

“Sure, you can come back. But then I think you need to contact the rest of her family.”

“Thank you. I promise I’ll do that right away.”

*****

Elyssa squinted at the bright lights as she tried to concentrate on the officer’s questions. She hurt from head to toe—especially her head. She turned to the side to take the pressure off the knot on the back of her skull.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t remember what happened. You say I fell off the fire escape?”

“I’m saying we found you underneath the fire escape. But we don’t know whether you fell or someone pushed you. You can’t remember anything that happened? Do you remember someone breaking into your shop?”

Her pulse began to race. “Someone broke in my shop? Did they steal anything? I don’t keep much cash in my register.”

“Ms. Rose, as we understand it, you were in the shop when the break-in occurred. A man smashed through the glass in your shop door. Does that sound familiar?”

“No!” Her blood pounded with terror at the thought. If that happened she was glad she didn’t remember.

The officer turned as the doctor she’d met earlier entered the curtained area, followed by someone else.

“Jaxon! You came!” Her heart turned a somersault. Why was she so relieved to see him?

He moved beside the bed and picked up her hand to sandwich it between his. Had they held hands before? After an awkward glance at the doctor and the policeman, he bent to kiss her forehead. Did she want him to do that?

The policeman spoke to Jaxon. “She doesn’t remember anything. She doesn’t even remember him breaking through the door.”

Jaxon's jaw hardened and his nostrils flared as his grip tightened on her hand. “You don’t remember calling my cell phone? Don’t you remember? You told me someone had called your landline at your shop. I guess he read the phone number off your sign.”

The doctor interrupted. “I’m sure it will come back to her later. It’s not surprising after a severe concussion."

“Ms. Rose, I’ll come back tomorrow to get a statement. Maybe you’ll remember what happened by then.” The policeman tipped his chin and started through the curtain.

“Wait,” she called. “Did you get him? The man who broke into my shop? Or is he still out there somewhere?”

“No ma’am. We have him in custody. He won’t ever be bothering you again.”

She blinked at tears of relief that sprang to her eyes.

The doctor smiled at her. “Yes, and you’ll be happy to know your fiancé broke his nose and his knee. So, maybe that guy will think twice before he attempts something like this again, assuming he gets out of prison."

Her gaze locked with Jaxon’s huge rounded eyes.

“My fiancé? We’re engaged?” She almost choked as her breath caught in her throat.

The doctor hurried to intervene. “Elyssa, don't be alarmed. Mr. McCall explained you’d just gotten engaged. With the trauma and the concussion, this type of memory loss is common and only temporary.”

The doctor’s face swam in her tears. She felt Jaxon squeezing her hand and turned back toward him. His eyebrows arched together, and he bit his lips.