Page 55 of Never Quite Gone

“Except?”

“Except it brought you to the healing temple. To me.” His eyes met mine across the table. “You were their finest healer. I was a warrior who'd never believed in the gods until I saw you work.”

“This is insane,” I whispered.

“The war started because of pride,” Alex continued. “A petty argument between city-states that escalated into bloodshed. But it became something else when Vale – when Valerius discovered certain texts in the temple library.”

“Valerius?” The name sent shivers down my spine. “You mean Vale?”

“He was your mentor then. A priest who'd taught you everything about healing. But he found something in those ancient scrolls – something about transferring life force, about cheating death itself.”

The waiter arrived with our appetizers, forcing a pause in the conversation. I used the moment to try to steady my racing thoughts, to find logical ground in this impossible story.

“You're telling me we're... what? Reincarnated? That Vale and I were some kind of ancient healers?”

“I'm telling you that some souls are bound together across time,” Alex replied. “That some connections are strong enough to survive death itself. Even when remembering causes pain.”

“And Vale? What's his role in all this?”

Something dark crossed Alex's expression. “He was brilliant, but that brilliance turned to obsession. The texts he found... they weren't meant for mortal hands. When you refused to help him experiment with them...”

“Stop.” I pushed back from the table slightly, needing physical distance. “This is too much. You're talking about ancient magic and immortal souls like they're real things. Like I'm supposed to just accept that my hospital administrator used to be some kind of dark priest?”

“I'm telling you what you asked to know,” Alex said gently. “What part of you already recognizes as truth, even if your mind rebels against it.”

“And you? What were you in this story?”

His smile held centuries of memory. “I was the fool who fell in love with a healer who believed every life was sacred. Who watched you save countless soldiers without ever asking which side they fought for. Who learned what real strength looked like from your steady hands and unfailing compassion.”

“Until what?” I asked, though part of me didn't want to know. “How does this story end?”

“It doesn't.” Alex reached across the table but stopped short of touching me. “That's the point. It never really ends. We find each other, again and again. Sometimes we get it right. Sometimes...”

“Sometimes Vale interferes?” The words came from some place deeper than conscious thought.

“Sometimes patterns repeat themselves,” he agreed carefully. “Unless we choose to break them.”

I stared at my untouched food, trying to process what he was saying. “Why tell me this now? Why not wait until I remember on my own?”

“Because Vale is remembering too. And his memories... they're fragmenting, distorting. He thinks he's protecting you, but he's working from incomplete information.”

“Protecting me from what?”

Alex's expression held ancient grief. “From me. From what loving me has cost you in every life.”

“I can't...” I stood abruptly, needing air. “This is too much. I need...”

“Time,” Alex finished softly. “I know. Take whatever time you need. But Eli...” He caught my eye, his gaze holding centuries of love and regret. “Be careful. Vale thinks he's saving you, but his methods... they've always had unintended consequences.”

I practically fled the restaurant, the cool night air helping clear my head. But I couldn't escape the ring of truth in Alex's words,or the way my hands remembered ancient medicines, or the bone-deep recognition I felt every time he looked at me.

Behind me, I heard Alex settle the bill, give me space while still watching over me. The gesture felt familiar – like he'd done it before, like he'd always known when to push and when to let me find my own way back.

“I should have told you differently,” he said when he finally joined me outside. “Given you more time to adjust.”

“Would it have made a difference?” I asked, watching city lights reflect off passing cars. “Would any of this make sense no matter how you explained it?”

His smile held gentle understanding. “Probably not. Truth rarely makes sense when it first finds us.”

---