Page 22 of Question Everything

“Maybe it will. And don’t take me too seriously. I’m not a doctor. Hell, I barely made it out of high school chemistry. I truly know nothing where head injuries are concerned.”

“I thought you suffered concussions as a teenager. Didn’t you tell me that, or am I remembering the wrong information as well as forgetting my own past?”

“No, you’ve got that right. I played a lot of ice hockey and had my fair share of injuries.”

“You never lost your memory?”

“Not for this long,” he replied softly. “And I would mostly not remember getting hit. But don’t read anything into that. Everyone is different and even though I got checked into the boards more times than I can count, I was wearing a helmet. That helped. You weren’t.”

She looked at him for a long time and he watched as her eyes filled with tears.

“I hate that you had concussions. This recovery is not fun. I mean, the headaches have stopped, but my memory isn’t back. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, but especially not someone as kind and caring as you’ve been with me and Sarah.”

In that moment Kyle almost broke. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her until she felt better, until she was whole once more. But she wasn’t his to take and until he knew exactly who she truly was, he knew better than to let this go any further.

He cleared his throat. “Let’s go pay for these groceries,” he motioned to the cart. “It’s getting dark already. The temperature will drop before you know it. We should take the baby home.”

Home,he thought. Once she was gone, would it still feel that way?

CHAPTER 12

By the time the following Sunday rolled around, they had gotten into a routine, but no further on the hunt to find out Mia’s true identity. They gave each other some space in his home, neither stepping out of the shower in a towel or getting too close while watching a movie on the couch, but they cooked their meals together, took long walks with the baby in either the stroller or strapped to one or the other of their chests with the cashmere wrap, and shared household tasks. Kyle had to admit that his kitchen and bathrooms were cleaner than ever before with her there. To anyone who didn’t know them, they seemed very much a couple.

For Kyle, though, everywhere he turned was a dead end when it came to uncovering who Mia was. He had spent his week doing a more intensive Google search, a reverse image search, and a deep dive into marriage and birth records in the New York City database. All he had to go on was the address on her driver’s license, but that was turning out to be a dead end as well. He went so far as to Google Sarah’s name, but of course, nothing turned up. It was as if Mia had appeared, fully formed out of the ether, no past, no footprints, no trace of a life before he pulled her from her car. It was maddening. He was about to suggest asession with a hypnotherapist to try and unlock her memory. He knew that the department had a list of names, and he put it on his to-do-list to find out who the Chief thought might be best. Besides, that would give him an excuse to check in and see if he had a reinstatement date yet. He’d passed his range test the day before, surprising even himself with his accuracy and steady hand. While he still didn’t want to carry his gun again, he knew he’d have to once he went back to work.

And for as annoyed as he was over his inability to figure out the puzzle she presented -- bonus points, it was Halloween, and despite his reservations, they were dressed appropriately for their afternoon activity – walking around Sibby’s neighborhood with his brothers and nephews in tow, trick or treating. Kyle was in his typical family Halloween tradition “greaser” garb; a tight white tee shirt, a black leather jacket and form-fitting black jeans. Mia had found a wide poodle skirt in a secondhand shop and paired it with a baby-doll blouse in pink, a matching cardigan, and a pair of black flat loafers. Little Sarah was in a warm fleece with donkey ears on the hood and a small fabric tail on her rear end – on loan from one of Sibby’s boys. By the time they pulled onto Sibby’s driveway, the entire family was already outside, ready to go. The boys could hardly be contained, running circles on the lawn, their excitement bubbling over.

“What took you so long, brother?” Sibby asked, immediately pulling open the car door so that Mia could step out and reach the baby in the back seat. “And I still don’t think that this car is appropriate for traveling with an infant. It’s too small, even though the car seat fits inside.”

“Today was my fault,” Mia began, “I got dressed, finally wrangled the baby into her clothes and then she had a massive blow-out, and we needed to start all over again. I’m so sorry.”

Kyle’s eyes widened as his sister’s manner changed when addressing Mia. “Hush now, nothing for you to be sorry for.These things happen,” Sibby said, her manner kind and patient, lifting the baby from Mia’s arms. “Just so long as you let me hold this little one. I’m hoping that some girl vibes rub off on me. I want our last child to be female,” she teased. “Not that I’m sure I want to be doing this again. I’m just toying with the idea for now.”

Watching the chaos around him, his nephews brandishing toy swords to complete their pirate costumes, Kyle couldn’t stop the next words that spilled from his mouth.

“You’re willing to do thisagain? Didn’t you tell the nurse at the hospital that you were done?” He pointed to his nephews, all in full battle mode, brandishing their toy swords.

“What’s it to you, mister?” his sister spat at him. “It’s not like you need to clothe and feed them. I’m only thinking about taking one more chance with this genetic merry-go-round. Truthfully, I’ll take whatever I get, a healthy baby, God willing. I’m just praying for one of the other variety this time. I will need someone to take care of me when I’m one foot out of the grave.”

“Wow,” Kyle began, about to remark on the difference in his sister’s attitude when speaking to him instead of to Mia, but Mia cut him off.

“I’ll say a prayer for you, too, Sibby. I hope you get lucky if you decide to try again.” She leaned around little Sarah and gave Sibby a hug.

Since coming to stay at Kyle’s, Mia had grown on Sibby, which Kyle still found hard to believe. His sister was tough, but somehow, Mia had found a way to endear herself with a few dates for coffee and the two were well on the way to becoming fast friends.

Sibby looked at Kyle and the sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts. “You need to learn something from this lovely person while you can. She won’t be here forever, you know.”

Kyle felt his sister’s words twist deep in his gut. Lately he couldn’t think about Mia going anywhere. He was getting attached even though he knew he shouldn’t; she had a life out there somewhere, and eventually, she’d find it again. He shook his head and said, “Are we ready to go now, or what?”

“First things first,” Sibby said as she started organizing a group picture. “You know that if I don’t take this now, the kids will be all hopped up on sugar and we’ll never get them to stand still. Now, come on everyone, get close together under the tree.”

“I imagine they will calm down enough now to pose, hey Sibby?” he teased his sister, pointing to the boys rolling around on the grass in front of the house.

“Just lead by example, Kyle and wait under the tree.”

Kyle’s brothers, parents, and nephews knew better than to argue with his sister and they began to assemble in their usual places for their annual family photo. At Sibby’s urging, they huddled together to fit into the frame, when suddenly, she turned. “Mia! You and Sarah too!! Get in there!”

“No, Sibby, you should be in the photo. I’ll snap the shot. Go in the picture with your family.”

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