Page 73 of Undoing

“Well, Dr. Woodrow, with her fancy degree, hasn’t spent enough time studying amnesia to give a well-educated opinion. However, as your aunt, I do know you and Cass well enough to think it would be beneficial for you both to spend time together.”

“Because you want your space back?” Rebecca teased.

“I will bop you in the face with my pillow.”

“Go ahead. Maybe it’ll knock my brain back into working order.”

Willamena shook her head. Of course, she wasn’t going to plunk Rebecca with a pillow even though her niece had been extra ornery today and might deserve it. “No, my sweet girl. Because I think you’re hiding here out of fear that you’ve made the wrong decisions again. Maybe this will help ease your mind. Cass has never kept you from me. In fact, she will call me when she thinks you need time with your favorite aunt.”

Rebecca’s face blossomed with a smile. Everything she had learned about Cass was the complete opposite of what she was used to. Perhaps it was time to trust Cass and Aunt Wills, and most of all, it was time to trust herself. Rebecca hopped off the bed with excitement.

“Okay! I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”

“Wait!” Willamena called out, still lounging in her bed. “You want to go tonight? It’s the middle of the night!”

Rebecca raised a brow. “It’s barely ten, Aunt Wills. Do you know I walked around this entire house looking for you before realizing you had already gone to bed?” A sly smirk formed on Rebecca’s lips as she eyed the book on Willamena’s nightstand. “Did I interrupt your… alone time?”

Rebecca squealed and ducked out of the room as a pillow torpedoed toward her.

“I think now is a great time to drive you back home,” Willamena groused playfully. “Just so you know, I’m going like this—in my pajamas. I think I’ll put my hair up and put on my collagen eye patches.”

“Aunt Wills!”

“I wonder where my slippers are.”

“We can wait until tomorrow!” Rebecca said quickly.

“No, no. You wanted to go tonight…”

“I need to pack. And I should probably get some rest. It’s been a long day.”

“Oh, now you need rest,” Willamena teased, laughing at the look of horror on her niece’s face. It was fascinating to Willamena how different Rebecca was now. Even as a child, Rebecca had been serious. Then, she went off to college early. Willamena hadn’t gone through the mischievous teen phase with Rebecca. It seemed like Rebecca was making up for that now. Was that Cass’s influence? The phenomenon was enough to make Willamena want to study more about amnesia and how specific experiences affected the brain.

“Hello? Aunt Wills?”

Willamena blinked, her niece coming into focus as she stood by the bedroom door. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Where were you just then?” Rebecca asked instead of repeating the question her aunt obviously didn’t catch.

Willamena shook her head. “I was thinking about research. But that’s not what you originally asked.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes. Though she was curious about what research Aunt Wills was interested in, Rebecca let the subject go. “I asked if you could take me to Cass…” She paused and took a breath. “Take me home tomorrow. Maybe in the afternoon? That would give me time to get my things ready and have a panic attack if needed.”

“I encourage you to let your feelings flow. However, let’s try to keep the panic at a minimum,” Willamena smiled. “I can take you. Or I could call Cass to come pick you up if you wanted.”

Rebecca shook her head. “No, I kind of wanted to surprise her. You know, show up at her door like she’s been doing here. Do you think that’s stupid?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

Cass scrolled through photos of her and Rebecca on her phone. The TV played in the background for the sole purpose of making Cass feel less alone. It was astounding how different life could become in such a short amount of time. Before Rebecca, Cass could be alone without a problem. Hell, she even preferred it most nights. After Rebecca… the days were bearable as long as she was able to spend time with Rebecca. But the nights? Oh, these dark nights felt like an eternity without her wife by her side. It was hard to see the light at the end of a seemingly never-ending tunnel.

Cass scrolled until she couldn’t scroll any further. Then she’d start over, staring at each picture, remembering exactly when and where it was taken. She was driving herself insane by running through worst-case scenarios in her head. While everyone was trying to be encouraging, Cass was quickly running out of hope. The swelling should be gone by now, and everything she’d read and researched… Rebecca should have regained her memory by now.

Cass flopped back onto the couch with a heavy sigh. “Come on, Becca. Fight, baby.” She chose a photo of Rebecca looking into the camera and smiling. They had taken a walk on the beach, wanting to get out and get some fresh air. Rebecca was barefoot, digging her toes into the sand and giggling when the waves lapped over her feet. It was a magical sight for Cass, seeing Rebecca so carefree and happy. That’s when she snapped the photo of Rebecca. She had wanted to remember that day forever. Little did she know how precious that memory would be today.

Just as Cass closed her eyes to bring more memories to the surface, her doorbell rang. She groaned and thought about ignoring the damn sound and just burying herself under the covers and sleeping until Rebecca came back to her. But she couldn’t risk the off chance this would be about Rebecca and forced herself to get up.

She glanced down at her shorts and ripped tee and shrugged. Whoever it was would have to deal with her bedtime attire since she wasn’t expecting company, and it was past ten o’clock at night. And when she opened the door, she certainly wasn’t expecting to see who was standing there.

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