Page 12 of Love and Memories

With that, the nurse headed down the hallway, leaving Travis with more questions than answers. He said a silent prayer for discernment before knocking on the door.

A soft voice from the other side said, “Come in.”

The room was bright and colorless in the morning light. The woman sat up in the bed with a large blanket draped over her lower half. A dark shadow bloomed around her eye, and a white bandage was taped to her temple.

Travis cleared his throat, trying his best to push down the swelling in his chest at the sight of her injuries. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” The woman’s eyes narrowed as her gaze raked over him. “Who are you?”

“Travis. I–”

“You were here yesterday.”

He stopped a few feet from her bedside. “I was. I was one of the paramedics who responded to the call when you were injured.”

The woman kept her attention fixated on him. “I remember.” She scoffed. “That’s about the only thing I remember.”

“I’m sorry you’re still having trouble with that. Our minds have strange ways of protecting us from trauma.”

The woman gestured to the chair propped against the wall. “Sit, please.”

Travis pulled the seat over and settled beside the bed.

“You’re saying I’m better off not remembering what happened?” she asked.

“I’m not saying that. Just that it was probably scary. Not sure you’d want to relive that nightmare.”

The woman stared at the colorless wall for a moment before turning back to him. “You don’t know me,” she whispered.

“Yeah, but you don’t seem to know anyone else. I’m having trouble forgetting about you.”

Her chin lowered, and she picked at a seam on the blanket. “You don’t have to come here just because no one else is. You don’t owe me anything.”

The brokenness in her voice was enough to strengthen his resolve. “You’re right, but I’m here anyway. I’m just worried about you, and I’m sure others are too.”

The woman let out a huff. “I’d like to think someone would have found me by now if they were really looking for me. Let’s face it, I might be alone.”

“I can help you find them. If you want me to. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try my best,” Travis said, finding that it was a solid truth he’d already accepted.

A small grin tugged at one corner of her mouth. “Thanks… Travis.” She said his name slowly, testing the sound as she spoke. “I’m Isabella, by the way. Isabella Young… I think.”

Travis shifted in the chair as the question bubbled up his throat. “You don’t remember if you’re married?”

6

ISABELLA

Travis’s question stirred a pit of unease in her stomach. She’d combed through her memories for hours yesterday and hadn’t come up with a single detail about a wedding or even a husband.

She would know those things without a shadow of a doubt, right?

Isabella lifted her left hand, showing the lack of a ring on her finger. “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure.”

“I think if you were married, your husband would have found you by now.”

Isabella stared at her hand as a fissure snaked through the cage of her chest. If she wasn’t married, why was she so heartbroken? It was hard to miss something you didn’t know to miss.

Travis straightened his back and shifted his feet, his boots scuffing softly against the tile floor. “Do you want me to leave?”

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