Page 14 of Help Me Remember
“Of course.”
Mom helps me up, steadying me as I sway a little. No matter how slowly I stand, I’m always hit with a wave of dizziness. Holden says it’ll fade, and I look forward to that day.
“I’m good now.”
She rolls the IV pole over to me, and we head out of the room. We make our way around the floor, and I move a little easier as my muscles get used to the exertion. After spending four days unconscious and another two days being limited to these short walks, it’s nice to be up and moving. I do this a few times each day, gaining strength a little at a time.
“Hey there, Mrs. Davis.” Holden smiles as he puts a file on the nurses’ desk.
“Hello, Holden. I don’t know how we would’ve managed without you overseeing things. I always knew you were special,” Mom replies.
“I don’t know about that, but I am glad to see Brielle recovering nicely.” He looks to me. “You’re going slow?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Slow and steady is what we want to see.”
I roll my eyes. “You have always been the annoying one.”
Holden grins. “Well, at least that’s a memory you still have.”
“Yes, lucky me.” Then I stop. “When did you get back into town anyway?” He watches as something starts to form in my head. “You moved to California, so does your being here now mean you moved back?”
His gaze doesn’t move from mine. “No, I’m not here permanently.”
“Okay, and what about the case you were working on in Seattle?”
Holden and my mom share a look. “What do you mean Seattle?”
“You were consulting on some big case, right?”
He nods. “I did. I was there a few weeks ago, actually.”
“Weeks? Were you there before that too?”
He shakes his head. “I wasn’t. This is the first consult I did for a case in Seattle. It was a big deal as it was for a research trial.”
“I remembered something recent,” I say, more to myself.
“Have you had any other glimpses or memories?”
I squint, trying to think, and Mom and Holden watch me. “I have this...thing. A key. I don’t know what it is. I can’t figure out why or what it means.”
“Is it like the key of the photo?”
I shake my head. “No, it’s an actual key. Like an antique one with the fancy scrolls up top.”
“Anything else interesting on it?” Holden asks with encouragement.
I work hard not to get frustrated because, again, I don’t know much. Just this key keeps coming into my head. “It has a red ribbon on it. I have no idea what it is for.”
“That’s great, Brie,” he encourages. “Anything else?”
I shake my head. “What’s the key to?”
My mother and Holden look back and forth at each other. “I have no idea.”
“It’s the key I gave you when I asked you to move to Portland with me.”
