A Gift to Remember by Melissa Hill

been the one
to run Aidan Harris over, because that would mean she was directly responsible for his injuries, and the implications. She couldn’t know whether or not the guy had hit his head following the
fall because she hadn’t seen it when she’d come off the bike herself.
    ‘No, actually there’s minimal physical trauma to the brain itself. This is more of a psychological condition: a dissociative response following a major stress event, not uncommon
after shock or psychological trauma, but not as a result of physical trauma to the brain,’ the doctor continued and Darcy breathed a sigh of relief.
    OK, so at least she knew she hadn’t caused any serious damage to his brain then. By the sounds of it, he was just having trouble recalling a couple of things as a result of the accident.
Darcy could understand that; she too had been rattled by what had happened yesterday – she still was – and she wasn’t the one who’d been knocked out or ended up flat on her
back. So it was perfectly reasonable, Darcy reassured herself, particularly following his blackout, that Aidan Harris would be still somewhat in shock following the whole episode.
    ‘Things are foggy for him at the moment but he may well come out of it in a few days, typically once something identifiable – often with an emotional association – triggers his
memory,’ Dr Mandeville told Darcy as she led her towards an elevator and they both stepped inside. ‘But as you can imagine, he’s confused and upset that he can’t remember
who he is, and of course we can’t contact his next-of-kin to help illuminate the situation for him either. There were no ICE details in his wallet or amongst his personal effects. In Case of
Emergency,’ she added when Darcy looked blank.
    As the elevator rose to the third floor, Darcy’s thoughts went back to the package he’d been carrying, now safely tucked away in a drawer in her apartment.
    Was this something that could trigger his memory?
    ‘For now, all he remembers is a dog, and regardless of the circumstances we simply cannot allow pets in the hospital,’ the doctor continued before Darcy had a chance to enquire. She
led Darcy down a long, quiet corridor before stopping briefly outside a door. ‘When Mr Harris was informed that you were taking care of his pet, he insisted on speaking with you.’
    Darcy nervously followed the woman into the room, not sure what to do or say. The automatic door at the end of the hall hissed open and snatches of ‘Jingle Bells’ filled the air for
a few moments before the door hissed shut again. The sound, usually so cheery, this time made her heart yammer even faster. Was there a worse place to spend the holidays? Did Aidan have a worried
wife and children at home waiting for him?
    The room was bare and unadorned, with not a single floral arrangement or greeting card. When Joshua had had his gallbladder taken out last year and she’d come to visit, she could hardly
move, the room had been so jampacked with bouquets, cards and stuffed animals.
    Now she wished she’d thought to bring something. But the request had taken her completely by surprise earlier, and anyway, she reminded herself, she didn’t even know this guy.
    Aidan Harris lay silently on the bed in front of her. He was hooked up to tubes of every shape, size, colour and length, and Darcy gulped at the sight of them. She thought he looked cleaner now,
shinier somehow, than when she’d last seen him out cold on the busy street yesterday morning. His luxurious black hair had been washed and combed back, his face was cleanshaven, though his
skin looked worryingly pale. But it also gave her the chance to learn that his eyes, which she’d never seen open, were a soft hazel.
    ‘Aidan, this is Darcy Archer, the lady who is looking after your dog.’
    He turned to look at Darcy and she had to remind herself not to stare. Aidan Harris had arresting, almost piercing eyes, heavy eyebrows and a well-defined