Page 25 of Question Everything

He walked into the family room to find his nephews surrounded by piles of candy, their father monitoring them to be sure they didn’t eat too much of it at once while rocking his youngest in his arms. Sibby wasn’t there, she and his mother must have been getting dinner ready. Mia wasn’t there either.

He made his way into the kitchen and saw his sister putting a lasagna into the oven while his mother was slicing carrots and cucumbers for a salad. He reached over to the cutting board to snag a carrot, and his mother admonished him with, “do that again and risk losing a finger.”

He smiled at her, not wanting to give away his inner turmoil. “Anyone see Mia?” he asked.

“She’s feeding Sarah. They’re in the baby’s room.”

“Oh, right,” he said, turning on his heel to leave.

“Give the woman her privacy, brother. Leave her be,” Sibby said. “Instead, you can bring those dishes to the table.” She pointed to a large stack of white plates.

“Of course, Sib,” he said, grabbing the dishes and walking back through the swinging doors to the dining room. He putthem down quietly and made his way to the baby’s room. Despite his sister’s warning, he had to talk to Mia now. He quietly made his way up the stairs to the second level where the bedrooms were. The door to the nursery was partially open, the lighting was low. He could make out Mia’s form in the rocking chair, the baby at her breast. He didn’t want to scare her or interrupt Sarah, so he softly knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he heard her say.

He stepped inside the room. She had the baby’s head covered with a cloth diaper, concealing her chest from his view, but he could hear the smacking sound of the small child swallowing the milk.

“Mia. We need to talk.”

She looked up at him and teased in a whisper, “Are you breaking up with me? Because that line sounded familiar. Not that anything is truly familiar, that is,” she said with a lilting tone, clearly enjoying the chance to engage in some banter with him.

He smiled. “No. Not exactly.” He saw a shadow fall over her face as she recognized that something serious was happening.

“What is it then?”

“I think you’re being followed. No, let me rephrase that. I don’t think it, I know it. I just saw that black car again, but this time I spoke to the men inside myself. They didn’t give me much to go on, but I have a large suspicion that they were tracking your movements. I don’t think you’re safe here.”

Her eyes widened and in a rushed flow of words she asked, “What? How could that be?”

“Since you can’t remember, we can’t know what it is. I’m just starting to believe that there’s something going on with your past that’s trying to catch up with you.”

Her face fell. In a whisper, she asked, “Did I put your family in danger by being here? Oh my God Kyle, if anything happens to them because of me I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“My brothers can handle it. You don’t need to worry about the family. They’ll be fine, I promise.”

“I should go. I’ll find a hotel. I’ll lay low until my memory returns.”

“I can’t let you do that, Mia. I can’t leave you alone to fend for yourself. Those men looked dangerous.” He didn’t want to tell her that they were armed. She looked frightened enough.

She took the now sleeping baby and stood, walked over to the crib, and put her down in it. As she remained turned away from him, she buttoned her shirt and folded the diaper she’d used for modesty, laying it on the changing table.

“Kyle, listen. You’ve done so much for me already. I can’t let you do more. Sarah and I will be okay. Maybe those men know who I am. Maybe it’s time that I speak to them myself.”

He simply shook his head. “Not. Going. To. Happen.”

“Kyle! It’s not like we’re a couple, or even involved. You can’t tell me what I can and cannot do.”

Something inside him woke up in that moment. After months of being suspended from work, of feeling unsure, unsettled, her words forced him into action. He didn’t hesitate. He took two steps closer to her, put his hand on her shoulder, looked directly into her eyes and said, “I’m invested in this now, Mia. I care about what happens next for you and Sarah.

“Kyle, I…”

He tightened his grip. “Don’t, Mia. Don’t argue. I just want to keep you safe until you remember more.”

“But you don’t know me.Idon’t even know me. We don’t know who I am, where I’m from. I mean, what if I never remember? What then? Plus, what if Sarah’s father is in my life and looking for us? How will I explain living in your house, withyou?” She shook her head and pulled away from him. Then she suddenly looked up, a thought clearly coming to mind.

“How do you explain the men in the car, then? They could have been hired by whomever is looking for me. It could be a husband, or the man I’m involved with at the very least.”

“Mia. Listen to me. We’re going to figure this out, and if you’re attached to someone else, terrific. You’ll go and live your life and that will be that. But for now, let me do this. Let me keep you safe. Let me keep Sarah safe.”

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