Page 14 of Velvet Deception

“Here, Mama,” a small voice said.

I flinched in surprise, turning just enough on the pillow to see a young boy next to her.

“Mama?” I asked, stuck in disbelief that this young woman could be a mother. She looked too fresh and young.

Of all things to focus on. My God…I frowned, watching the boy offer a cup of water to her.

“Yes. This is…” Sofia furrowed her brow, glancing at the boy. Indecision warred on her face, but she turned to me again and sighed. “This is my son, Ramon.”

“And youarea nurse?” I asked.

Under her guidance to lift up a little, I checked her out again. If she wasn’t a nurse, she sure looked like one in those scrubs and with those tools to monitor my vitals like a damn good actress.

Actress?Somehow, that nugget of a thought stimulated me to think. To concentrate. As if it held meaning.Actress?The concept of someone pretending to be someone they weren’t niggled at me, but I couldn’t make a connection or figure out why it could matter.

She let me sip the water, saying, “Yes, I am a nurse. I work at a health clinic near the hospital where I found you lying on the road.”

I coughed on the water a little, overwhelmed not by the liquid but by what she said. “Hospital?”

“You don’t recall being near it? Or in it?”

“No. I don’t recall a thing. I… I know I’m an adult. I’m aware of… life in general. That it’s near Christmas.” I looked between Sofia and Ramon, needing them to confirm that.

Ramon nodded, grinning. “Alboradas?—”

Sofia shook her head and gave him a stern look.

“No. He’s right.” I studied the boy who watched me. “I heard… the fireworks. In the… car?”

Sofia smiled. “Yes. I drove you here when I found you.” Looking at her son, she sighed. “We need to let him figure it out, not be told what is what.”

“I was outside the hospital?” I asked, desperate to know more.

“Yes. I stopped when I saw you, worried why a doctor would be lying in the road.”

Confusion rose in a wave, stupefying me. “Doctor?”

She gestured at the bloody white doctor coat that draped over the coffee table she sat on as she continued to wipe at the blood from a gash on my head. “You were wearing it. And you had an ID badge that says your name should be Diego.” Again, she lifted her brows with an imploring look like she waited for me to recognize it. “Either Diego with a surname starting with anS, orS. Diego.”

Ramon held up the badge and showed me. The small ID image was of me. I knew that. I had no clue who I was, but I recognized the photo of me.

Diego?

I shook my head, at a loss. “I… I don’t remember.”

“You don’t know if your name is Diego?” she asked gently, her sweet tone keeping me from freaking out.

“No. I don’t remember.” Deep down, I truly doubted it was my name. If it was, it would stand out, wouldn’t it? I’d justknow.

“Don’t stress yourself,” she insisted, moving on to the flood of pain that took over my shoulder and arm. “Don’t force it. And don’t panic if you can’t remember right now. Amnesia can be tricky.”

Thank God. Thank God she is here to help.I appreciated her seeing me in need of help and stopping to do so, but it soothed me even more that she was a nurse, not just a random person. I watched her check my bandages and took comfort in her medical expertise.

But shouldn’t I have that too, if I’m a doctor?That occupation felt too foreign to believe I could’ve worked as one.

“You have open gashes on your head, as well as your shoulder.” She moved on to checking me, shining a light in my eyes and instructing me to follow her finger and such. “I worry about your concussion,” she said frankly, “but your vitals are steady and stable. I can help you and keep you comfortable. We can focus on maintaining these open wounds and watching for anything to worsen.”

Moving on to feeling my abdomen for tenderness and checking my pulse points at my feet, she seemed knowledgeable and confident to help me.

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