Page 60 of Mistaken Intention

I open the drawer at the front of the desk, wondering if I ever wrote down my password, but all I find are pens, a couple of notepads, a box of paperclips and a few stray elastic bands. Very useful, I’m sure, but not what I need right now.

I stand again, frustration getting the better of me as wander over to the couch, flopping down onto it. I’ve got a slight nagging headache, but I pull forward the canvas bag and open it. Inside, there’s a camera… a very technical-looking one, and I wonder about the photographs again. Is this a hobby of mine?Or is it what I do for a living? Do I even need to earn a living when I’ve got enough money to live somewhere like this?

God knows…

I’m sick of questions, already – especially as there’s no-one who can answer them – and I stand up again, going back out through the bedroom and down the stairs.

My eye lands on a photograph of a baby. It’s on the shelf above the fireplace and I go over and pick it up, studying her closely. She’s lying on what appears to be a pink blanket and looks very much like the baby the blonde woman was holding… the one I saw yesterday. She’s absolutely beautiful, very cute, and I guess there’s a slight resemblance to Hunter. I turn, spotting another one of the same baby on the bookcase. It’s smaller, and this time she’s propped up in some kind of baby seat, staring straight at the camera, with the most perfect smile on her lips. She’s adorable, but what I don’t understand is why I have photographs of my brother’s daughter in my house. Am I that kind of uncle? Maybe Hunter and I are closer than I think. At the moment, that seems hard to imagine, but so is just about everything else when I don’t know who I am.

I turn to put the first photograph back, a blinding pain searing through my head, right behind my eyes. The room spins, and I drop the picture, clutching my head as I fall to the floor…

“Drew? Wake up… please.”

I open my eyes, slamming them shut again, the pain catching me unawares. “J—Josie?”

“I’m here.”

I feel her hand in mine. I’m lying on my side and I’m aware she’s right next to me. “My head.”

“Your head hurts?”

“Yes.”

“Did you hit it when you fell?”

“N—No. Don’t think so. It hurt before.”

“It was hurting before you fell?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Are you in pain anywhere else?”

“N—No. Just my head.” I try cracking my eyes open again, but the pain is still too much.

“I can’t lift you.”

“Let me try…”

“No.” She raises her voice slightly. “You stay exactly where you are. I’ll get help.”

I know when I’m beaten, and although I don’t know where she’s going to get help from, I can’t think about that. I can’t think about anything. It hurts too much.

“Hunter?” She must be on the phone, talking to my brother. The brother I don’t know. “Drew’s had a fall. Can you…?” She doesn’t finish her sentence, but then adds, “Thanks,” and says, “Hunter will be here in a minute,” talking to me now.

I’d nod my head, but I’m not brave enough to try, so I just lie still. It’s uncomfortable down here, but I’m not sure I care… especially as she’s still holding my hand.

Within minutes, I hear the door open.

“Jesus… is he okay?” I guess that must be Hunter. He sounds concerned, and a little out of breath. Does that mean he ran here?

Josie releases my hand and stands. “He says his head hurts, but I think it’s from the original concussion, not from the fall.”

“He’s conscious then?”

“Yes. He’s in a lot of pain, though, and I need to get him upstairs to bed.”

“It’s a good thing I brought reinforcements, then. You two haven’t met, but this is Mac.”

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