Page 105 of Fire and Ice

"Damn," Derek said.

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She first became aware of voices. Hushed murmurs and whispers talking about memories, head injuries and ... explosions? How she wanted to tell them to go away but her body wouldn't move and her eyes were so heavy. When the jumble of voices receded there was that one deep baritone voice she found appealing and comforting, her anchor in the blackness. He was begging her to open her eyes, for her to come back to him.

She tried to climb out of the chasm of darkness that seemed to have engulfed her, but she couldn't. She could only wander in oblivion, a dark tunnel of nothingness.

Maia's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes caught sight of a woman in light blue scrubs arranging the covers by her feet. Off to the corner, a big man was slouched uncomfortably in a chair. He was sleeping but his face looked weary, covered in more than a days worth of stubble. She must have made a sound because the woman jerked her head up and moved quickly to reach for something behind the bed.

A person in a white coat appeared, the big man on the couch also got up and hovered anxiously behind the doctor.

"Maia," the doctor said as he waved a beam of light on her eyes which annoyed the heck out of her. She tried to move her head but the doctor held it steady. "Maia, can you hear me?"

What do you think? Maia wanted to rant but couldn't bring herself to speak. The doctor shifted to the other eye and continued speaking to her. The voice started to fade as she promptly fell back to sleep.

When next she opened her eyes, the dark-haired beautiful stranger was peering down at her. His face still looked gaunt but a smile lit up his face. His hand was stroking her hair gently. She stiffened at his touch. He frowned and took his hand away.

"You probably don't remember me," he said ruefully.

"What happened?"

"You were in an incident, an explosion. You got banged up pretty badly."

"An explosion?"

He nodded. Maia peered up at him suspiciously but he started to look familiar, dearly familiar actually, as pieces of her memory started unlocking themselves in her brain. She flinched, the flashcards in her head were getting too much for her to bear.

"Maia?" He sounded worried. "Is there anyone you want me to call?"

A name immediately popped in her mind.

"Viktor."

The man's face fell but he nodded. He moved to kiss her on the forehead but Maia shrank away. His eyes suddenly filled with anguish, his jaw tightening as if controlling a strong emotion.

"I'll go get him," he mumbled hoarsely.

But as he turned away, Maia suddenly remembered him along with a wave of the tender feelings that came with the memory.

"Wait!" she said urgently.

He turned around, an unspoken question furrowing his brows.

"Jack?" Maia whispered tremulously.

A huge smile broke across his face as he rushed back to her bedside.

"God, Maia," he said brokenly as he gingerly hugged her and buried his face in her hair. "Thank God. I was afraid... I missed you."

"How long was I out?"

"Almost 24 hours."

"Oh...I'm tired, I don't think I can keep my eyes open." Maia slumped as the mental exercise of memory recovery took its toll on her.

"That's okay, babe. I'll be right here when you wake up," Jack promised.

As Maia slept, Jack was overcome with huge relief. He even said a little prayer of thanks. When she asked for Viktor, he felt a burn of resentment. He knew the amnesia wasn't her fault but he couldn't help how he reacted. When she pulled away when he tried to kiss her forehead, it hurt. Real deep. Just when he felt like throwing himself in front of a bus, she called him back and said his name. Man, was that sweet. It took all his restraint not to kiss her senseless.

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