Page 47 of The One She Can't Forget

“He started talking with you, but you pretty much ignored him.”

I begged my mind to remember, desperately trying to find a link to the memory I should have. I could almost feel it. Then, there it was. The embarrassment and fear were there.

I gasped. “Oh… we fought.” I remembered it now. It was shortly after we started seeing each other. Jake had stopped by to say hi, but I’d totally blown him off. We fought about it later that night. The fight came back too.

“It’s not like we can’t let people see us be friendly. We’re in small group together. I’m friends with your family!”

“But you’ve never stopped by my desk before. You can’t just start doing that.”

But he had started dropping by the station, making friends with all the nurses and mostly ignoring me. It became a sort of game. Flirting under everyone’s noses.

I gasped as another memory hit me. My cheeks grew warm as I remembered a stolen kiss in the supply room.

“What is it?” Julie asked. “You’re killing me here.” The monitor sounded an alert from a patient room, and she pointed at me. “Don’t think I’m letting you off that easily. I’ll be back, and you’re going to tell me what that blush is all about.”

I shook my head and covered my face. I couldn’t believe I had done that. It was so unlike me. What happened to my determination to not get distracted at work?

I hadn’t expected to come here and unlock so many memories about Jake. I was hoping to remember things about work.

“Oh, hey, Monica. It’s good to see you. We’ve all been praying for you.”

I turned to find an unfamiliar face of a young woman at the other end of the nurses’ station. I faltered, unsure how to respond. She knew me, but who was she?

“Uh, thank you. I appreciate that.”

“It hasn’t been the same without you here. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated how much you took me under your wing when I got here.”

Gah. I hated this part. How was I supposed to tell her that I didn’t remember her?

She smiled warmly. “It really made the transition so much easier.”

Suddenly, it was like something clicked. “Oh! You’re Jenna!”

She reared back slightly. “Umm, yeah. Who else would I be?”

In a moment, I had unlocked the bridge to the memories of Jenna, and they were all there. I remembered her first day and seeing how nervous she was. “I’m sorry, Jenna. I’m sure you heard that I had some trouble with my memories.”

“So you didn’t remember me at all?”

I shook my head and laughed nervously. “I know, it sounds crazy, but you helped! Because now that I’ve talked to you and remembered… All those memories are there.” I laughed joyfully. “I’m finally getting my life back.”

Jenna seemed a bit perturbed that I hadn’t remembered her, but she’d get over it. How did I know that? Because Irememberedthat she was pretty emotional but bounced back quickly. Like the time she’d been screamed at by the father of a patient.

I remembered. I felt like dancing down the halls of the emergency department. Maybe stopping by the supply room to relive that particular memory in more vivid detail. I still couldn’t believe that I had kissed Jake at work. Or even flirted with him while I was on duty.

What was I thinking?

One glance at the supply room brought the heat back to my cheeks and confirmed exactly what I’d been thinking about. The doubts were there again, in the back of my mind. Could I be with Jake and not let it consume my thoughts? Or was there a reason God had essentially erased our relationship?

ChapterSixteen

JAKE

It was mid-afternoon when Monica finally texted me. I pulled my truck up to the Emergency entrance, and she climbed in with a smile on her face.

“How did it go?”

“It was so good. I remembered all kinds of stuff. Entire people, actually,” she said with a laugh. “Some other memories too. Your little visits to the nurses’ station,” she said with chagrin.

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