Page 7 of Ghosts From Christmas Past

She couldn’t believe the person responsible for hurting her family was out there living his life as if nothing happened. Charlotte fought back the rage that threatened. “I’m a witness to what happened that day. When my memories return, I’ll be able to identify the person responsible.” And when she did, she would be a threat to that man’s freedom. Would he come after her again once he realized she was awake?

Dylan clasped her hand. “You’re right, you are. Your memories will return. And when they do, we’ll catch the killer. We’ll find justice for your parents and for you.” He entwined his fingers with hers. The strength she found in him made her believe those things would be possible.

“In the meantime, why don’t I tell you about the Charlie Swenson I know?” He smiled again, and she couldn’t help but return it. Dylan made her feel safe.

A niggling of a memory just beyond reach teased her with possibilities. “I’d like that very much, but why did you call me Charlie just now?”

He chuckled, and the sound of it put her at ease. Even if she didn’t remember him, she felt as if she could call him a friend. She wondered if Dylan ever met a person he didn’t befriend.

“Because that’s my nickname for you. Always has been. Since the first day I met you. You were just. . . Charlie.” He took something from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. It was then that he spotted the photo of her parents lying on the bed. Dylan picked it up and studied the photo. “Patricia and Barlow. This was taken a few years before the attack,” he said without hesitating.

Everyone at the care center shied away from the subject of the attacks because they didn’t want to upset her. Not Dylan.

He placed the photo back on the bed and handed Charlie the one he’d brought. She stared at it. A little girl with shiny brown curls and big brown eyes stood beside a miniature version of Dylan.

“This is us?”

He nodded. “Not too long after we met. Our parents said it was kismet. Like we just knew the second we laid eyes on each other that we were going to be friends forever.”

Charlie turned the photo to him. “You were cute as a little boy.”

“Were?” he teased. “Are you saying I’ve grown into an ugly adult?”

Her eyes widened for a moment before laughing. Awkward. She didn’t remember laughing. . . ever. “No, I’m not saying that at all. You’re quite fetching, actually.” Something shifted in his eyes. With it, the humor left her as well. Suddenly it was hard to catch her breath. Charlie glanced down at the photo in her hand because she needed something to bring her world back to normal. “How long ago was this?”

“We were five, so. . . too many years.” He cringed and she found herself liking his openness.

“I still remember the first day I saw you at daycare. I thought, that’s the prettiest girl around.”

Charlie shook her head. “Now I know you’re teasing me.”

His expression sobered, and he studied the photo in her hand. “We were inseparable after that moment. We started kindergarten together glued to each other’s side. It was like that all the way to twelfth grade.”

Despair settled around her. Would she ever remember the life she’d lived? The people in her life that she loved. “I hate this.”

Dylan placed his hand on their joined ones. A tingle of something she couldn’t explain raced from his touch, almost as if a memory from their past was trying to break free in her mind.

She owed it to the man and woman who had been her parents to do everything in her power to bring their killer to justice. No matter what it cost, she had to uncover the answers. “Can you tell me about my life? What was I like? What did I want to be when I graduated?” She desperately needed an anchor to hold onto.

His face softened. “I can do that.” Dylan paused for a second, then said, “When you were in the first grade, you won the county-wide spelling bee, so I knew then that you were going to be smarter than me. . .” His expression was deadpan, so it took a second to realize he was joking. She chuckled at his turn of a phrase.

“And it was like that throughout school. You were the smart one. Always making honor roll. You planned on going to the University of Wyoming the following fall. Then law school. One day become a prosecutor. Maybe even a judge. You were fearless when you believed in a cause. And you believed in plenty of worthwhile causes.”

Her brows shot up, surprised by what he said. Nothing about her felt fearless now. “Well, I could use some of that fearlessness now. I’m so scared.” Even her voice held a tiny tremor.

“You’re still in there, Charlie,” he said softly. “You just have to remember you, and in time you will.”

She prayed his faith in her was warranted. “I hope you’re right.” Because she was barely hanging on. She had to keep fighting to bring her memories back. If she wanted to reclaim who she was before, she couldn’t fall apart.

Charlie glanced at the hand covering hers. Though she didn’t see a wedding ring, was there someone waiting for him at home? He’d come to see her almost every day while she was in the coma. She felt guilty for taking him away from his own life.

“I’m grateful for you being here for me through the years,” she said again. “But I don’t want to keep you from your family.”

His eyes remained glued to hers. “I have nothing but time for you, Charlie. You’re my friend, and I want to help you remember your past.”

Charlie struggled to keep from crying at the tenderness on his face. For the first time since she’d wakened to find eight years of her life gone, she believed it might be possible to move toward a future of some type.

She closed her eyes and gave in to the exhaustion setting in. Earlier, she’d managed to take a few steps, but the effort had left her drained of energy. Thinking about the difficult road that lay ahead of her just to be able to do the basic things in life was too much to contemplate right now.

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