Taken by a Monster (In the Arms of Monsters 2)

“It means she’s very sick,” Preacher said. “We’re going to have to wait for Randall to fill us in on the details.”

In one moment, he’d felt so much pleasure and relief. She wasn’t dead or hurting, but now, he didn’t know what was worse—her not knowing who he was, or the long-term damage this could have caused.

“What do we do?” Bishop asked.

“We do what we have to. I’m going to have to call Bear.”

“I can go and get him. It’s not far. You should stay here,” Bishop said.

“I will.”

Bishop left and Preacher took his cell phone out, sending a quick text to Bear. His son had a one-track mind, and Preacher didn’t want something as important as this to be forgotten.

Preacher sat out in the hall. He watched as the hospital continued to move. Patients were seen. Doctors and nurses hurried up and down the hallway. Code blues were yelled. Patients were brought in. He saw it all, heard it all, but none of it mattered to him. He was completely oblivious to it all. Preacher didn’t know how much time had passed before he caught sight of Bear running toward him.

“I came as soon as I got your message.” He stood at the window.

“Randall’s checking on her to see the full extent of the damage.”

“We don’t know what is going on?”

“Nope. We don’t know anything.”

“What did she know?”

“Nothing,” he said. “She knew Randall was a doctor, but not his name. She didn’t know who I was, or Bishop for that matter. He’s seeing what she does and doesn’t know.”

“This can’t be happening. We can’t get her back for her to be gone again. I don’t want to … no, it’s not going to happen.”

“If you go in there, you’re going to freak her out,” Preacher said.

“Freak her out? I’m her father. What the fuck does that mean?”

“You didn’t see her trying to get the breathing tube out of her mouth. She was so scared. I’ll never forget it.”

“You’re so fucking calm about this.”

“I have no choice, do I? I either let this get to me and lose control, or I accept I finally found her, and now, I’ve got to wait a little longer until she’s well again. Either way, this is good for us, and I’m not going to give up.”

Bear took a seat beside him.

They both waited for Randall to leave the room, which he did a short time later.

Preacher stood up.

“So, what’s the verdict, Doc?” Bear asked.

“She doesn’t remember anyone or anything of her past. She can read, write, understand everything on an academic level, but her life, she’s a blank canvas.”

Preacher took a deep breath. “So what do we do?”

“We give her time. The brain works in mysterious ways. She could remember in an hour, tomorrow, next week, or as in some cases, she may never recover her memory.”

“What does this mean?” Bear asked.

“It means we have to take our time with her. Sometimes, she may feel a little overwhelmed. It would be good not to bombard her with too much information but to see how she reacts to people and situations. She may need therapy as well, and I do want to get her started on some exercises for her foot. Robin is going to need us now more than ever.”

Chapter Four

Who was she?

Why was she in the hospital?

How did she get all these bruises?

She looked over her arms and saw some ink wrapped around one wrist, almost like a chain. Beneath the bandage on her other arm, she wondered if a replica tattoo was there, but she couldn’t see it. She’d asked the doctor, but he hadn’t been able to help her.

There was more ink on her body, but again, she didn’t know why.

The pain in her side was from a cracked rib. She had to take it steady or she’d hurt herself even more. Every single part of her was hurting.

Picking up a strand of hair, she saw it was blonde, the kind out of a bottle. How did she know all of this but not her own name?

The machines around her, why?

Her foot hurt a great deal. Her face was swollen. She could only see out of one eye, but the doctor had told her it was getting better, and a month ago, she wouldn’t have seen anything.

Great, just great.

Her hands shook a little. Her heart raced. She felt a little sick.

Nerves? Worry?

Why would she be worried?

It wasn’t every single day a woman woke up and couldn’t remember her own life. She knew the doctors were medical staff, as were nurses. Chairs were to sit on, and beds to lie down on. She didn’t know anything else and it was really starting to bug her.

The door opened and in walked the doctor. Two other men she didn’t recognize stepped into the room. Both men were wearing leather cuts. Again, no warning bells went off. No recognition.