Page 24 of When I Found You

Maybe I should call Rob and update him on her recovery. I slip into my drafting room and close the door. Of the two phonelines in the apartment, I rarely use this one, but this isn’t a conversation I want to have in front of Kate.

After the fifth ring and no answer, I hang up and try the hospital number. The nurse transfers me to his line. Three rings and it connects.

“Dr. Thompson.”

“Rob, it’s Arthur.”

“Hey, I meant to call yesterday, but the ER was chaos. How is your victim, I mean guest?” Rob chuckles.

“Funny.” I lean against the drafting table and lower my voice. “She’s up and moving around. She went to work for me today.”

“You knock her out, take her home, and now she’s your personal slave?” Rob deadpans. “No wonder you’re a hit with the ladies.” He clears his throat. “Has she had any episodes of fainting, nausea, vomiting, or seizures?”

“No.”

“Is she eating? Drinking fluids? Resting?”

“Yes.”

“Has her memory returned?” Rob asks methodically, running through a mental checklist.

“That’s what I wanted to ask you. What should I expect? Will it all come back at once?” I don’t mention her strange claims or the tidbits she’s revealed about her family and her past.

“It depends. I’ve seen some patients where it comes back all at once. Sometimes it never comes back. And then there are others who seem to remember bits and pieces, but forget larger chunks of their memory.” Rob exhales sharply. “Has she mentioned anything about her past?”

“A few details, but nothing giving me any idea who she is or where she came from.” I tap my fingers on the desk.

“Damn. Well, don’t push her too hard. Do you need me to stop by?” Rob shuffles some papers on his end of the line.

“No. I’ll give you a call if anything changes.”

“Sounds good.”

“Have you found anyone looking for her at the local hospitals?” I ask, half-hoping he doesn’t.

“No. Do you want me to put in a call to Richards down at the station, see if he can find anything to help us locate her family?”

“If you think it would help, yeah, but I don’t have a lot of information to give him.” Involving the police isn’t ideal, but it’s the last avenue to chase any possibilities.

“I’ll give him a call after my shift. I need to run, some of us have lives to save.”

“Thanks, Doc.” My sarcasm earns me a brusque goodbye.

I rest my hand on the door and take a deep breath. Honestly, I shouldn’t be this invested in someone I just met, but I can’t help it. There’s definitely something between us. I feel it. A gentle pull every time she walks into the room.

But there are too many unanswered questions, too many variables I have no control over. There is a reason I stay single and only casually date. I don’t want complicated. I have no place for a wife or even a steady relationship.

Kate is most definitely a complication. She’s worse than that. She’s a distraction. I have a firm to run. The last thing I need or want is a curvaceous hellcat tearing up my well-maintained life.

My fist taps against the wall repeatedly. It’s like I have no control over my hormones when she’s in the room. Even thinking about her pulls me deeper into fantasies I haven’t allowed myself to indulge in—ever.

Yet, she rose to the challenge at the office today. Even though my schedule was full, I watched her carefully. She learns quickly and follows instructions to the letter. A strange sense of pride wells up deep in my chest. Mine.

No. I shake my head at the strange possessive thought. She’s not mine. The irrational thought makes me recoil in horror. What would make me think such a thing?

The way she moaned while eating her pie. The way she so innocently claimed it was better than sex. The way my clothing caresses the sweet curves of her body. Her in my apartment. Naked in my shower. In my bed.

I pace the length of the room and rest my forehead against the cool glass of the window.

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