Page 15 of Midnight and Mine

“Then let’s put a rope around your emotions for the time being. Fall apart when you’re with your family but not in front of her.”

“Got it. Is Drake still inside?”

As he nods, he slaps the metal chart against his leg. “He is. Please don’t attempt to jog her memory through questions and hints. Just go with the flow for the time being.”

All I can do is shake my head in agreement.

The door is slightly open, so I approach cautiously, wanting to hear their conversation.

Wynter asks Drake, “Why do I know you’re my husband, but I can’t remember anything about our life except for you coming home to eat lunch with me?”

“You heard the doc. You’ll remember things soon. You’ve only been awake an hour or so,” Drake mutters, hanging his head.

This seems like the perfect time to interrupt. Drake must hear my footsteps slap against the floor because his head swivels in my direction. I shouldn’t be mad at Drake, yet I am. I hate that she thinks he’s the father of her baby.

“Hey. Drake, Wynter’s parents want to see her, so the doc said for you to switch out with them.”

“No. Why can’t he stay?”

I want to roll my eyes, but I don’t. “Drake’s parents just arrived and want to see him.”

Lie.

“I’ll be back after a while. Get some rest after you see your parents.” Drake glances at me then at Wynter. She grabs his hand. He pumps it a couple of times and walks out, leaving us alone for a bit.

“Drake is scared. Does he always act so weird?” She chews on her bottom lip. “I mean I don’t really have any memories of him other than lunch yesterday. Do you know us well?”

“I do. The best friends I’ve ever had and more of our friends are in the waiting room. As soon as they’re allowed to see you, do you want to see them? Or will it be too much?” She wiggles in the bed. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“Yes.” She winces in pain as she tries to move her body.

“Tell me what you need.”

“I don’t know.”

I position myself where my elbows are under her arms and scoot her up on the hospital bed. I gently put my palm at the nape of her neck, lifting it so I can adjust her pillows. While I’m there, I massage the base of her neck like I’ve done for the past five years when she’s stressed or tired.

She purrs in appreciation. Her voice is featherlight when she asks, “Are you a physical therapist? No, wait. A fitness trainer. Yes, that’s it. With your body, you’re most definitely a fitness freak.”

Wynter’s always been able to make me laugh, and this is no exception. “Are you objectifying me?”

A blush creeps into her beautiful skin. “What? No. I just…”

“Just saying what’s on your mind like you’ve done since the day I met you.” I pause, taking in the moment. Maybe I should take my shirt off, and she would remember being intimate with me before I left for work yesterday. “But no, I’m a medical device representative.”

“What’s that?”

“I set up all the tools for the surgeon regarding my device and ensure it’s calibrated to the correct specifications. I’m there to answer questions if they run into something they haven’t seen. It’s a new device for the heart. In fact, I was in surgery that lasted hours, then I was called in for a search and rescue mission.”

“For me?”

I slide around the bedand sit beside her. “Yeah.”

“But what happened?”

“All we know is that you fell. We don’t know how or why you were at the Blue Mountain Gorge.”

It reminds me that I need to figure out where her camera is, and the photos will be time stamped. It may give me a clue to what time she left the house and headed to the gorge. I spiral, realizing I don’t know where her vehicle is. Is her purse and phone in the car or somewhere in the gorge?

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