Remember When...

2-2

“How does this fit in with what your doctors told you?” he asked his wife.

She shrugged. “It’s a stalemate. If I can’t ask and you can’t tell, how will I ever learn anything?”

He looked at Owen and at Murphy. They didn’t want to be used for information and then cut out. But they already had their next appointment lined up with the doctor the following day. That was some reassurance at least.

“We were on a cruise,” Shane said. “Some buddies had just made a bunch of cash, so we were taking a yacht out onto the water for a few days. On the second night, we hit weather, the boat sank.”

So simple when he put it out there like that. A cruise. A sinking. Easy? Not really. If it was that easy, why were they still trying to recover nearly a year and a half later?

“And?” Calvin asked. “You abandoned her out there?”

Shane shouldn’t be surprised that the prick was quick to call him out. It was his fault, at least, that was how he saw it.

“Shane was out there longer than anyone,” Owen said, defending him. “Ten were airlifted, four bodies were found and Ginny… she was just missing.”

“Your turn,” Murphy snapped. “Where’d you pick her up? The article online that brought us here said you found her at the side of the road… that can’t be right, she was in the water.”

“It is,” Calvin said, drinking his wine. “I was driving a back road from an associate’s cabin and there she was, at the side of the road. I thought at first that she’d been hit by a car. She was unconscious and I got her to hospital. Claire was in the hospital for a couple of months with complications, after that we agreed to take care of her.”

Ginger wasn’t eating. She was stroking the end of her ringlet between her forefinger and thumb, a sure sign she was anxious.

“What’s the last thing you remember, sis?” Owen asked, gently easing her into what they wanted to know.

“We don’t talk about that,” Calvin said. “Let’s talk about you, you said you’re a lawyer, are you with a firm?”

“Yes,” Owen said. “And you own a chemical company that made you a couple of million last year, right?”

Good on Owen not giving away too much. They had to play this Calvin guy because he wouldn’t hesitate to play them. Ginger was still toying with her hair until Diane caught him looking at her with concern. Diane nudged Ginger and whispered something, apparently instructing her to eat.

“And what is it you do, Mr. Warren?” Calvin asked after spouting off some figures to Owen.

“I write,” he muttered.

“Write what?” Calvin sneered. “Books?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said and sat up straighter to lean over the table. “Ginger, have you spoken to anyone about your memories?”

“The doctors at the hospital were very good,” Calvin said. “But we took her to a private facility and brought in our own professionals very quickly. Their treatment was exemplary.”

And directed by Calvin and his wallet. Shane couldn’t blame the guy for falling for Ginny or for wanting to keep her for himself. Oddly, instead of anger or jealousy, his next pang was pity. Ginger would be returning home with him. She’d fallen in love with him once. Shane was confident that if he could get close to her, get her alone, maybe reawaken her memory, that she would be his again. No matter what, he planned to win the war, even if it meant forfeiting a few battles.

“I don’t doubt that,” Shane said. “You look healthy… How’s your blood pressure?”

The question shocked not only Ginny, but the others at the table too. “Low,” she whispered. “How do you know that?”

“You always had a problem with low blood pressure. Your mom and grandmother had it too,” he said. “I’m glad you’re keeping an eye on it.”

“It’s just a shame you didn’t know that when she was in the hospital initially,” Owen said. “It might have given the doctors a false impression of her condition.”

“I don’t want finger pointing,” Ginger said, squirming in her chair. “I hate that this is awkward.”

Guilt. She was coping with guilt and still Calvin did nothing to comfort her.

“You didn’t do this,” Shane said. “To any of us… You didn’t ask for the accident or the amnesia. No one here blames you… You didn’t ask me, Owen, and Murphy to show up either. We all make our own choices in life.”

“Thank you for the pop psychology,” Calvin muttered and returned to his food. “Everyone eat.”

They finished the next course in silence and then spent the rest of the meal listening to Calvin talk about his business and his family. Ginger could tell that the new men in her life weren’t impressed, but she’d asked Calvin to make sure there was no pressure on her to rush into a confession.

Although she didn’t want any resentment between these men, it was important to take her time and do things right. That meant Calvin had to take the lead, at least at that initial dinner. Talking about himself was great cover, which provided her with some time to adjust to the developments.

After exchanging numbers and cards, they’d all gone their separate ways.

She didn’t sleep well but did eventually drift off. For a brief few seconds after waking up, Ginger believed her past chasing her down had been a dream. It didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t. If it had been, she’d be wearing a wedding ring and departing for her honeymoon.

Instead of jetting into the sun, they ended up seated in a doctor’s office. Since the introductions, Doctor Guinness hadn’t said much and he wasn’t an easy man to read. In a group with Calvin, Diane, Shane and Owen, the doctor had instructed them to attempt to identify with each other. To bond. Murphy and Boyd were asked to wait outside in the waiting room; she hoped they wouldn’t come to blows without supervision.

Doctor Guinness had done well to ensure there was little pressure on her. In fact, his first question had been about sharing early memories and he made everyone in the group, except her, share their earliest memory. It surprised her how open everyone was to helping her and to doing what the doctor asked even in front of strangers as most of them were to each other.

With their stories finished, all eyes had just fallen onto her.

“Your situation is different, you won’t have memories of growing up,” Doctor Guinness said, “but do you think you could try, could you tell us about your earliest memory?”

“I have pictures of childhood,” she said, folding her hands in her lap. “I get pieces that I can’t put together. I don’t know if they’re memories or just something I’ve made up in my subconscious.”

“Yes, that does sometimes happen,” Doctor Guinness said. “What about the day you met Calvin? The day we’ll call the start of your new life… What do you remember about that day?”

“Uh, Doctor, is this a good idea?” Calvin asked. “We don’t want to damage her psychologically.”

Doctor Guinness was concise, unlike some of the other doctors she’d met. “We still haven’t established whether her amnesia is psychological or physiological,” the doctor said. “You’ve waited long enough, Mr. Bishop and… I don’t mean to be blunt, but technically… Mr. Warren is her next of kin. The marriage certificate has been verified, correct?”

Yes, the lawyers had confirmed the marriage that morning.

“Yes,” Calvin mumbled.

“So if our patient is willing and Mr. Warren consents, there’s no reason not to help her probe into her memories.”

She looked at Shane, who was looking at her, he seemed to do that a lot. “If you’re okay, Bit, I’m okay,” he said. She’d followed Calvin’s advice and tried to give the memories time to come back on their own. They hadn’t yet, so she was willing to try something else. “But if you’re not sure, we’ll shut these bastards down, no hesitation.”

He was always so quick to make sure she knew her options and that he supported her choices. Every time he swore, Diane bristled. The reaction was comical.

“I remember pieces of that day,” Ginger said without second-guessing herself for not breaking eye contact with Shane.

“You can work backwards,” Guinness said. “If it’s easier… do you remember the road?”

“I remember emotions,” she said. “I remember relief when I heard cars… I was in the woods, I was… I remember voices and my feet hurt but most of all I remember…”

“You remember what?” Guinness asked.

Ginger kept her gaze on Shane’s. “I remember the cold… I remember being so cold I thought… I thought I’d never move again… I was… exhausted and so cold…”

“That was probably from the water,” Guinness said, “if you were indeed in this yacht sinking.”

“I don’t remember water, I just remember… I remember being scared like… like I needed to do something or that I’d forgotten something… It’s all a jumble.”

“That’s okay,” Guinness said when her head fell into her hands. “It’s progress; this is part of a process. One that we hope to begin intensively now that you’re prepared and we’ve had this… development.” He looked at his watch. “That’s been more than an hour and I have work to do. But I wonder… could I have a moment alone with Owen and with Claire? Excuse me, with Ginger… It will help everyone process if we begin to use Ginger’s real name.”

It would be weird, but no weirder than learning to respond to Claire. A name change was probably one of the least weird things she’d had to endure. Sixteen months ago, she’d had to learn a new identity. Doing it again wouldn’t be too big a deal. No doubt it would be harder for everyone else as they hadn’t been through the same process.

After they were all gone and the door was closed, she and her brother turned to the doctor again.

“What can we help you with?” Owen asked, moving over to sit beside her.

So far, she liked her brother. He was warm and charming, though a bit goofy, in the most endearing way.

“I want to discuss family medical history,” Guinness said. Owen nodded. “I would also like to discuss the next step of Ginger’s treatment. It’s unorthodox, but I hope you’ll support it.”

“Anything,” Owen said.

Owen had been alone in the doctor’s office with Ginger for a half hour. Sitting next to Murphy with Calvin and Boyd on the perpendicular couch, Shane was getting edgy. Diane had gone off to some luncheon after pressuring her son about something. He didn’t know what. He didn’t care.

Boyd and Calvin had been whispering since they came out. No doubt Calvin was updating his buddy on what had happened. They’d been throwing dirty looks his way for a while and it was pissing him off.

“If you’ve got something to say, Bishop, say it,” Shane said.

Beside him, Murphy looked up from his magazine.

“Nothing to say to you,” Calvin said. “We’re making plans for Claire. For what’s best for her.”

“Didn’t you hear the doctor in there?” Shane asked. “Her name is Ginger.”

“Yes, well, we’re considering a change of doctor.”

Tempering himself, he rolled his lips and shifted to the edge of the couch. “Listen, buddy, I know this is tough on you. I’m a guy who came from nowhere and told you I’m gonna take your woman away. You’re allowed to be pissed at me. Don’t let that affect Ginny’s treatment.”

“Take her away?” Calvin said, straightening his pants as he stood up. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”

Oh, so he wanted a pissing contest. Shane stood up, always game to stake a claim on his wife. “That’s for her to decide when she’s feeling better.”

Calvin looked down his nose. “Like I said, we’re going to get a new doctor… And Boyd is already working on proxy documents.”

“Excuse me?” Shane asked, raising his brows.

“You might be her husband on paper, but you’re not in practice. We’ll have power of attorney documents written up for Claire to sign allowing me to make medical decisions.”

Working his jaw, it was getting hard to hold onto his temper. “I don’t f*****g think so.”

“Why is it you have to curse?” Calvin sneered. “You don’t know how to express yourself? Is that it?”

“Oh I can express myself,” Shane said, squaring up when Calvin tried to bulk up.

If he wanted a fight, Shane would give him one.

“Whoa, guys, let’s talk about this,” Murphy said.

If he wasn’t so angry, the idea of his brother being a rational voice would amuse him. As it was, with the adrenaline flowing, he was ignored.

“Yes, and how is that?” Calvin asked, shoving him. “With your fists?”

He couldn’t lose his temper, couldn’t punch the bastard in the face like he deserved. At least, that was what he told himself until Calvin shoved him again. Shane grabbed the guy’s lapel, hauled him to the tips of his toes and ignored Murphy leaping to his feet behind him.

Pulling back his fist, Shane inhaled, ready to smack the smugness from Calvin’s sneer.

Then he heard Ginger’s gasp at the other side of the room. “No! Boo, don’t hit him!”

The room stopped.

Still with a hold of Calvin, Shane turned his head to see her next to the doctor with Owen behind her, tense, her hands covering her mouth.

“What did you call him?” Calvin said, shoving away from him.

Shane’s heart was in his throat. “You called me Boo,” he exhaled. “It’s been sixteen months since you called me that.”

Ginger was gaping when her hands dropped. “I… I didn’t think about it…” she stuttered. Owen hugged her from behind. “It was… instinct.”

“Good instinct,” Shane grinned, feeling like he’d just won the Superbowl.

He wanted to go to her, but Murphy was in the way.

She was blushing again and didn’t seem eager to focus on the significance of what had just happened. “Doctor Guinness has suggested intensive therapy,” she said, l*****g her lips. “There’s a hotel… a lodge that allows prolonged retreats. He says it will help my memory and to integrate my lives if we go up there… He will clear his schedule and join us… he says he’ll offer payments—”

“And I said we’d cover it if it was what she wanted,” Owen said, eyeing him.

Taking the signal, he jumped on to reassuring his wife. “Yes,” Shane said. “Sure, baby, anything you want.”

“Don’t call her baby,” Calvin said, stomping over to her. “You want to go to this lodge place?”

“We had time off for our honeymoon anyway,” she squirmed, giving Shane another clue that this bastard might use his hands to hurt her. “I would like it if we could do this… all of us together.”

Calvin leaned close to her. Shane lurched forward, ready to shove Murphy out the way if he needed to get between Ginger and that bastard she called a fiancé.

Instead of hissing or shouting, Calvin spoke in a whisper. “What about…”

“I have to deal with it today… I can’t put it off any longer,” she said.

Although she was back to being nervous, Owen was grinning, which confused the hell out of him.

“You’re in for the shock of your life, buddy,” Owen said.

Ginger jabbed an elbow back into her brother, momentarily distracting him with the casual sibling banter. That was what he wanted to see, Ginger getting back to normal.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Calvin said. “We don’t even know for sure if—”

“I know we don’t,” Ginger said. “I know that. But it’s best to do it now, in the hospital… If I keep hiding it, it becomes a secret… I don’t like secrets.”

Although clearly pissed as hell, Calvin backed off to allow her space to walk past him.

Shane was too confused to focus on that, Ginger was all he could see. “What’s wrong?”

She was clearly nervous, her face was pale and her hands shaking. “Before you decide if you want to come to the cabin, before you decide if you want to help me…”

“Yeah?” Shane asked. “I want to help you. I already know that.”

“Before you commit,” she said. He’d already married her, they couldn’t get much more committed as far as he was concerned. “I need to show you something.”

“Show me something?”

She nodded and took his hand. Everything else vanished. She’d just touched him of her own accord. He’d forgotten how small her hand was in his. As long as they were touching, he was ready, for whatever terrible thing she was about to confess.