Page 14 of Midnight and Mine

Is it because he was the last one to see her? Or has something been going on behind my back?

Leaning against the tan concrete structure, I beat my head lightly against it. I’ve never felt so helpless and alone as I am right now, even though I’m amongst over a dozen family and friends. Major, Maverick, Axel, and Beau walk warily in my direction.

Beau asks, “If Wynter’s awake, why are you so upset? That’s abigstep in the right direction.”

I can’t help but laugh because my life has shattered in the last twenty-four hours, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. Tears well up in my eyes. “She thinks she’s married to Drake.” I sniffle and try to suck my emotions back inside, staring at the sky above.

Their jaws drop. “What? Are you serious?” Maverick asks.

Snapping, “No, would I lie about my wife having amnesia and thinking she’s married to one of our best friends instead of her actual husband who brought her the fucking Bojangles chicken biscuit, but she thinks he did.”

“Go tell her who she’s married to,” Axel commands. He’s a decade older than me, so he’s lived a little more of life than the rest of us. He’s thetake the bull by thehornskind of guy. See a problem—fix it. It’s the mechanic in him.

I take a breath so deep; I cough. “I can’t. Dr. Tutt says we need to give her time to get her memories back. She didn’t even remember she was pregnant or that we were having a baby girl.”

Beau grabs me into a hug. “Scott, she’s loved you her whole life, even when she wouldn’t admit the romantic feelings. Wynter leaned on you and loved you with every fiber of her being. Remember when she had us do the slip and slide at Makeout Point and you hit a tree?”

I nod.

“And you had to get nine stitches on your arm? Wynter was the first one to reach you. While the rest of us were walking down through the brush, Wynter dove headfirst on the yellow plastic so she could get to you. She stayed by your side in the emergency room. She’s always loved you.”

His recollection gives me hope, and that’s when I remember I didn’t stay to see the brain scan.

“I know. We’ve always been there for each other, but I don’t know if I can sit by and watch my wife be in love with our friend. What if she never remembers me?”

Jess and Vanessa wander up beside us, lips tucked into their mouths. Jess asks, “Does she remember anyone else?”

“Not sure. Doc asked her a string of questions, but I left when Drake was the one she wanted by her side. How can she not feel it in her bones that I’m hers and she’s mine?”

Their shoulders fall, heads nod, boots kick the ground, and Major asks, “What are you allowed to say to her?”

“He said she needs to feel comforted and safe. The more anxious she is, the less she’ll remember. He said just be there for her; usually amnesia patients suffering from blunt-force trauma will remember on their own. Hopefully, her memories will return sooner than later. The main thing is to keep her calm and reduce her anxiety as much as possible.”

I’ve always been the steady calm, and Wynter has always been the hurricane force winds. Once again, I’ll weather the storm because at the end, the health of her and our baby is what matters. “I need to go back in so I can see the results of the brain scan.”

“Hang in there,” Beau says, giving me a reassuring slap on the back, followed by Axel and Maverick. The women take turns hugging me and giving me words of encouragement. Even though I don’t feel lucky right now, I am. Wynter and I have had the same best friends since we were pre-teens. We added in Axel and Ali and of course Drake who are now part of the group and considered family. But I have a huge family of my own. Two younger brothers away at college, one brother in the military, and Major who’s a few years older than us.

Major grabs my arm and looks at me with his red-rimmed eyes. “Give her time. Would it help if I singto her? Maybe your wedding song.”

He played a gig in Nashville last night and was here by the time we arrived. I didn’t ask how but I assume Maverick sent his helicopter pilot go get him.

“I’ll do whatever it takes. Love you, brother.”

“Love you too. I’m going home for a couple of hours to shower. You want anything?”

“Just for Wynter to remember me.”

“Go be with her.”

The embrace that follows lasts longer than any in recent memory between us. He’s my rock. My idol.

On my way back to her room, I update both sets of parents and share the upsetting news about Drake. Their faces reflect my own—shocked and full of worry and concern.

The doctor is walking down the hall, so I stop him. “Dr. Tutt. Did you go over the CT scan with Wynter?”

“I did. Her brain is swollen, but we’re going to see how she does. I don’t want to put her to sleep again, but I will if this is all too much for her. She needs to heal. And the way you can help her is by being there for her in whatever capacity she needs.” He drops his chin. “Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

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