Page 19 of Awakening

“Yeah, that’s a good start.”

Anthony grabs his phone and dials putting it on speaker phone. “Moretti, what’s up?” the man says when he answers.

“Hey, John. Listen you’re on speaker phone right now. I need a favor.”

“Okay. What kind of favor and who else is listening?”

“It’s for my friend Olivia. We used to date. I told you about her before.”

“Oh, really? Okay. What’s the favor?” Anthony grins as I raise my eyebrows at him and smile when I hear that he told his friend about me.

“Well, it’s a long story, but I need to find out if there’s been a missing person report filed for her.”

“Okay. What’s the last name again?”

“Newman.”

“Before I look this up, is there anything I should know?”

“She showed up in my hospital and she’s suffering from amnesia. She can’t remember the last five years, so I’m trying to help her figure things out.”

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that. She’s lucky to have you on her side. Always the good guy.” We hear him typing and then sighing. “I don’t see anything for her here in Denver or in the state of Colorado. Sorry, man. Is it possible she could have a different last name now?”

Anthony looks at me and shrugs. I’m not wearing a wedding ring, but who knows. “Unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got to go on right now. Thanks for checking.”

“Not a problem. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.”

“Will do, thanks.” He disconnects the call and my heart drops with the realization that no one is looking for me, not even a friend.

“Hey, you know there could be a lot of reasons people wouldn’t suspect you’re missing yet.”

“You think?” I say, chewing on my fingernail.

“Listen, why don’t you go lie down and take a nap. You really need to rest while you heal. When you get up, we’ll order some pizza and watch a movie like old times. I’d cook for you, but I’m not stocked up on groceries right now.” I shiver a little when he gives me that smile I remember charming the pants off of me on a regular basis. It’s so weird being here with him and feeling like we were together just a couple of months ago, but in reality we’ve led separate lives for years.

I nod and smile back. “That sounds good.”

As I turn to walk to my room, he catches my arm. “Olivia, I just want you to know you’re safe here with me, and I’m really glad to have you back in my life.” He looks at me with those deep green eyes and that grin, and I melt a little on the inside. “I’ll help you get through this.”

“I know, Anthony. I’m glad too.” My breath catches as he slowly lets go of my arm, the warmth of his skin sliding across mine as his fingers skim the length of my arm, down to my hand.

I go to my room and lie down on the bed, but I don’t sleep a wink. I can’t stop my mind from racing. When we met my freshman year of college, I thought he was going to be the one. But, he was a senior, and when he went away to medical school it got harder and harder to see each other as time went on. Eventually, we mutually decided it was only fair to move on with our own paths.

Now, it doesn’t seem that I have anyone special looking for me. Wouldn’t someone be wondering why they hadn’t heard from me by text, at the very least? Is the father of the baby not concerned about me? Maybe he’s not even in the picture. Has my life changed so dramatically in the last five years that I was pregnant with a baby whose father wants nothing to do with me? Or, maybe I want nothing to do with him.

What haunts me the most is the fact that I had a baby, and I don’t even remember being pregnant. My daughter. How can I possibly forget what it feels like to grow another person inside me? A baby deserves to be remembered. I need to remember my life. The wet tears roll down my cheeks and onto the pillow.

After a couple of hours, Anthony cracks the door open slightly as he knocks. “Olivia, the pizza is here. I got your favorite.”

“Oh, okay,” I say, trying my best to sound normal. “I’ll be out in just a minute.”

“Take your time.”

I go to the bathroom to see my red, swollen eyes and trails of mascara running down my face. “What a mess.” I do my best to clean up my face, but I know there’s no way I can hide my puffy eyes.

“Hey,” Anthony says as he sees me rounding the corner into the living room, and then he notices my appearance. “Oh, shit. You’ve been crying.” He rushes to my side, takes my hand, and leads me to sit on the couch. “Talk to me, Liv. What can I do?”

I can’t hold it in. “I’m a mess, Anthony. I can’t remember my life. I can’t remember my baby. I have no idea who the father is, or if he even cares that there was a baby,” I say sobbing. “No one is looking for me and I feel like no one even cares that I’m gone. What happened to me?”

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