Page 6 of Hell of a Mess
“Hello there. I’m Dr. Burl.”
So, he was a doctor. Interesting.
I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. I only nodded my head once.
“Are you in any pain?” he asked.
I shook my head this time, not attempting to say anything.
“Good. The morphine is doing its job. I have you on a drip, and we will keep you medicated so that you get some sleep.”
“Where are her other bruises?” that voice that I enjoyed hearing asked, and my gaze swung over to see who it belonged to.
I held my breath as I took in the sight of him. Had I seen him before? Something was oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Was the pain medicine messing with my memory? The man was beautiful. How could I forget that face?
He was staring at the doctor with a scowl, as if it were the other man’s fault.
“Upper arms, base of neck, and lower back,” he replied.
His jaw worked as his shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath.
“She can stay here,” the man I’d heard talking when my eyes were closed said. I hadn’t seen him yet. Maybe I would recognize him. “I’ll bring Jayda down to meet her, and she can see to her needs.”
The beautiful man, whose voice made my stomach flutter, nodded his head once, then turned and walked away without saying anything else. The urge to call him back rose up in my chest, and I almost blurted it out, but stopped myself.
The man to the right of the door cleared his throat, and I shifted my gaze to see him now that he wasn’t blocked from my view. His eyes looked assessing and calculating. He wasn’t happy about something. Was it me? Why? What had I done?
“There has to be someone who will be looking for you,” he said with a slight narrowing of his eyes.
I started to nod and stopped. Scrambling through my thoughts, I tried to remember who would be looking for me. But there was nothing there. It was void. Why? Who? My eyes shot back to the doctor for answers. What was wrong with me? My thoughts were confused.
“Are you married?” the man at the door demanded.
Married? No…I didn’t think so. Was I?
“What is your name?”
Name? I opened my mouth and closed it. My vision blurred as my eyes filled with tears. Oh God. I didn’t know my name. What was my name? Why was I here? How had I gotten hurt?
“Linc,” the doctor or cowboy or whatever he was said in a concerned tone.
I blinked as a tear broke free and rolled down my face. He shook his head, and the grave expression on his face only heightened my escalating panic.
His gaze dropped back to meet mine. “It’s okay. Take a deep breath. You’re safe. You were beaten up, but you’re going to recover,” he told me in a soothing tone that I clung to.
“I am?” I choked out on a sob.
He nodded. “Yes. I promise.”
“I can’t…” I said as my voice cracked, and I searched his face for answers. “Who am I?”
His shoulders dropped, and he let out a heavy sigh. The concern etched between his brow didn’t help me.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “You hit your head, and although there is nothing permanently damaging in the CT scan I did, it seems that you’re suffering from amnesia. But it should be temporary.”
“Amnesia?” the man across the room barked, causing me to jump.
The doctor lifted his gaze up to look at him. “It appears so. I was going to check for a concussion, but this answers my question. Her memory will come back.”
