Page 18 of Zane

Her phone beeped with a message, and though she wished she could ignore it, Kelsey knew she shouldn’t be ignoring any messages these days.

Rori:We just heard what happened when Zane woke up today. I’m so, so sorry. You must feel heartbroken. Don’t give up hope, though. Lee and I are praying for you and Zane, and we’re here for anything you need. I know you don’t know us well, but we do care about you and Zane. He told Lee how much he loved you, so just hang in there.

Kelsey’s eyes pricked with tears. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing if she had to go to Serenity. At least she’d have one friend there. Two, if she counted Lee.

Yes, it was a horrible day, but I’m doing my best to stay strong. Not sure where we go from here, but I appreciate your prayers.

She had no idea if those prayers were working or not. They’d been praying for Zane to regain consciousness and for healing. Both of those prayers had been answered, but not in the way they’d expected.

As much as she was upset about the memory loss, she was sure it was hard on all of Zane’s family, too. It wouldn’t be easy for them to accept that the memories they shared with him over the last four years were lost.

But at least he remembered his family.

It was more than she had at the moment.

CHAPTER FIVE

Just leave me alone!

It was what Zane wanted to yell at everyone, but he bit his tongue.

He knew they meant well, but their hovering was starting to aggravate him. Or perhaps it was the ache he constantly dealt with in his head that was making him more irritable than usual. The pain would lessen with the meds, but it always came back.

He’d been moved to a room on a regular unit, which was good. But what he wanted most—his memory back—just wasn’t happening. How was he supposed to get back to his life when he had no idea what his life had been before his accident?

Also, he was apparently not allowed to make any decisions for himself. His family was busy trying to figure out what should happen to him when he left the hospital. They weren’t consulting him, however.

The one person he’d thought would be there was the woman they said was his wife. So far, he hadn’t seen her since that first day he’d woken up.

“I really think he needs to come home to Serenity to heal,” his mom said. “He can’t go back to his job here. Not until he gets his memory back. The best place for him is with us.”

Gareth had been quiet through most of the conversation so far, but now he spoke up. “Mom, Kelsey needs to be part of this discussion.”

“Well, then where is she?” his mom demanded.

“From what the nurses have said, she comes by once Zane’s asleep and spends time with him then.”

“Why wouldn’t she come by during the day?” Wilder asked.

“I think she feels it would be upsetting for Zane since he doesn’t remember her.”

Right then, Zane felt like he’d rather deal with his stranger wife than with his family.

Gareth crossed his arms. “But at the end of the day, as his wife, she needs to have a say in his on-going care.”

“They’ve only been married for a few weeks,” his mom protested. “I think we know what’s best for him.”

“Zane has been on his own for years, and though he doesn’t remember the past few years, he knows what he wants for his life.”

Zane appreciated Gareth’s voice of reason. If Lee couldn’t be there to help him, Gareth appeared to be the second best. Even so, there was something appealing about returning to a familiar place when he was feeling very unmoored. He could return to the familiarity of Chicago, but he wouldn’t have the support he’d have in Serenity if he couldn’t work for awhile.

“Let me see if Kelsey can come to be a part of this discussion,” Gareth said as he headed for the door.

“Why don’t you like Kelsey?” Zane asked once Gareth had left.

He’d picked up on the tension they had, especially his mom, whenever Kelsey was around or was being discussed. It was hard to imagine he’d married someone his family didn’t like.

His parents exchanged yet another look. Their ability to communicate without saying a word had apparently only gotten better with time.

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