Page 29 of Mistaken Intention

“He opened his eyes.”

“He did?” That was the doctor, and I feel him take my hand in his once more.

I wish you’d stop doing that.

“Drew? Open your eyes.”

I’m trying, dammit. And stop calling me Drew.

I ratchet my eyes open again, with a little more success this time. The lights are still bright, but not so blinding as they were before, and although my head is pounding now, I need to find out what’s going on, so I ignore the pain.

I’m lying on a bed, a light above my head, and beside me is a man wearing a pale blue top with a v-neck. He’s got astethoscope around his neck, and as I focus on his face, I take in the graying hair at his temples and his steel-rimmed glasses. He must be the doctor, and he smiles down at me, nodding his head.

“You’ve rejoined us at last, have you?” That wasn’t at all patronizing, but I can’t be bothered to comment… not that he gives me the chance. “You’ve been unconscious for nearly six hours,” he says. “You had us worried.” I still don’t know who ‘us’ is. I don’t even seem to know who I am at the moment, but he’s smiling, so I guess he’s not as worried as he was, which is something.

I need to see the other people in the room, to find out how they know me, and if I know them. I slowly turn my head, taking my time, the pain behind my eyes distracting me, until they alight on a beautiful blonde woman. Things are definitely looking up… except she’s standing in front of a very tall, dark-haired man, and he’s got his arms around her, her back to his front.

Well… that’s a shame. They’re both smiling at me, which is unnerving, as I’ve never seen them before in my life. There must have been some kind of mistake here.

I open my mouth to speak, to ask what’s going on, just as a movement catches my eye and I turn my head again, just a little more, my breath catching in my throat when I see the woman standing in the corner of the room. She’s got dark blonde hair, tied up behind her head, and is wearing the same kind of top as the doctor – except hers is purple – and for some reason, she’s holding a young baby in her arms. Her eyes are fixed on mine, and although I’ve never seen her before and have no idea who she is, I wish I did, because she’s the most perfect creature I’ve ever seen in my life. Sure, the other woman is beautiful, but whoever this woman is, she’s… she’s something else.

Why she’s here with a baby is anybody’s guess. I wonder for a moment if it belongs to the couple who are standing, staring at me still, and whether she’s looking after it for them, so they can concentrate on me, for some reason I haven’t yet worked out. Either way, I hope she doesn’t have to leave. I could happily spend the rest of my life just looking at her.

The doctor coughs and I drag my eyes back to him. He’s still smiling, which ought to feel reassuring… and it would, if I knew what was going on.

“Now, Mr. Bennett… or would you rather I called you Drew?” he asks.

“I don’t know. Is that my name?” My throat is dry, so my voice sounds strange… at least it does to me.

The doctor’s smile becomes a frown, and he turns to the tall man, who moves away from the blonde woman, letting her go and stepping closer to the bed.

“Don’t you know who you are?” he says.

“I’m evidently Mr. Bennett, but the name means nothing. Who are you?”

The man steps back, clearly shocked by my question. He opens his mouth to answer, but the doctor holds up his hand. “I think we need to talk outside.” He turns to the woman in the corner… the one whose face I know I’ll never forget, even if I remember nothing else. She’s paled a little and is still staring at me. “I also think we need to call in someone from the Neurotrauma team, don’t you?”

She nods her head. “Yes,” she says. “Yes, I do.” Her voice is like a comfort blanket against my skin, and I want to ask her to lay it over me in gentle caresses, like soft whispers of calm in this startling new wilderness.

Everyone moves, including her, heading for the door.

“Just get some rest,” the doctor says. “And don’t worry about anything.”

How can I not worry? I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know who I am, or why I’m here… or who these people are. My head hurts, too, and as everyone leaves, I wonder why I can’t remember who I am?

What happened to make me forget myself?

Chapter Four

Josie

That had to be the longest six hours of my life.

I wish I could have spent it all by Drew’s side, but Maisie needed to be fed and changed, and when she started to grizzle, Drew’s brother turned to me, a worried expression on his face.

“W—What shall we do?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take her up to maternity.”

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