Chapter 17
Liam
She doesn’t rememberme...
When she recoils from my touch, my heart drops. Her eyes run over me like I’m a stranger. And to her I am. All of our memories have been wiped away. I’m trying so hard to keep it together, but the thought of her not knowing who I am, breaks my damn heart.
I pace outside her room, wondering if she will even want me to go back in. How am I supposed to just go home and not worry? Even if she doesn't want me in the room, I can sit outside until she’s ready. Harper deserves to have someone who knows her here.
Her door opens, and the doctor steps outside.
“What’s going on? How is this possible?” My fingers run through my hair, as I pace the hallway, trying to understand.
“Listen, memory loss is common. We just need to give her some time, let her work through it. No pressure. It will only make matters worse. Only answer questions she asks you. This recovery will be very overwhelming, and at times she may become irritable. Stay focused on the woman you knew before...”
The only problem; she is missing nine years of memories. The knowledge of her parent’s homicide, moving from California to take the teaching job, and even where she lives. It’s all just gone, wiped away by the bastard that did this to her. How is she going to know who to trust?
I need to clear my head, not knowing what the outcome is going to be is the hardest part. What will I do if she never regained her memory? I’ll lose her, and that can’t happen. Harper is the woman I’m falling in love with, and for this to happen, is just absurd. Whoever is responsible for her accident, not only took something away from her but me, too.
Damon’s number is dialed, and three rings sound before he picks up.
“How is she doing?”
“She’s awake. But...” I try to hide the pain in my voice, but I can’t. He is the only one I want to talk to right now.
“But what? What’s wrong? You don’t sound good.”
“She thinks she’s twenty-two.”
“I’m not following...”
“She has no memory of the last nine years, Damon. No memory of me. Of any of our time together.” I try so hard to keep it together, but my emotions due to lack of sleep are all out of whack.
“But that doesn’t mean she won’t get the memories back, right?”
“That’s the thing. There’s no guarantee. That scares the living hell out of me.”
“Don’t stress yourself out about it just yet. Give it a couple of days. She’s been through a lot and her body needs to heal, remember that.”
“I know, but she doesn’t know me. What if she doesn’t even want me around? Damon, I don’t know what to do.”
My brother has always been the best at calming me down. That’s exactly what I need right now, because my head is being overwhelmed with the doubt that we might never be the same after this.
“Think about it this way. She’s alive. Focus on that.”
I think of all the things I’d be missing if I lost nine years of my life. All the bad relationships would be erased, and they couldn’t hinder my future relationships anymore. That is the only thing that I would want to forget. But Harper, she’s had so much happen to her, that it must be devastating. To have to relive some of those moments over again, go through all the pain and grief. Someone must tell her about her parents.
The doctor finally leaves, and I pop my head inside. “Do you mind if I come back in?”
“Sure,” she answers, looking at me and then the floor.
Instead of sitting next to her, I pull the chair back over to the side of the room, and take a seat. The doctor told me to remember my version of Harper and that’s what I‘m going to hold onto for now. The girl who swept me off my feet and made me believe in happily ever after.
“So, what did you mean I know why my parents aren’t here? Do you know where they are?”
I didn’t want to be the one to break the news to her, because it will devastate her. If it were me, I’d never want to relive hearing that news. Even so, it’s the right thing to do. Getting answers to her questions could very well help bring back memories, which is exactly what we both want. “Harper, your parents passed.”
Her hands fly to her mouth. “No, that can’t be true. I just saw them last week. They were healthy. How could they possibly be gone?”