only remembered Amelia… not Camillia… when he awoke the next day, and somewhere back in the dusty attic of his brain he remembered Amelia Jiminez and that night.
Both eyes were open and the blood had been washed from his face when she peeped through the curtain. “Amelia. I knew you was more than a dream.” He held out his hand and she took it.
“We’re going to put a few staples in the back of your head where you hit the rock. You are a lucky man that your arm and leg are just bruised and not broken,” the doctor said.
He winced when the staples went through his skin, “Where did you go, Amelia?”
“Home,” she said.
“Now we’re going to get you settled into a room for tonight. You can probably go home tomorrow if everything looks good. You’ve got a concussion and you’ll have a big headache. Head wounds bleed a lot, but I don’t think you need blood.” The doctor filled a hypodermic with clear liquid. “This is going to make you sleep for a while.”
He searched the room frantically until he brought her back into focus. “Amelia. Don’t go home again. Stay with me this time. They said you were a dream, but I kept the earring. It’s on my key chain in my pocket.”
She patted his arm and touched his unshaven cheek “Just shut your eyes and go to sleep. It’ll be all right. When you wake up everything will be fine.”
“You’ll be right here?”
“Just shut your eyes,” she said again.
He awoke late that afternoon, to the tune of a bass drum doing double time behind his eyes and a whole orchestra playing some kind of horrid rock music - off key, an out of tune. Amelia was gone and some brassy woman with blonde hair sat in a chair next to his bed. She was using an emery board to file her long nails, which looked like hawk talons. The grating sound raked across every nerve in his ears.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Amanda. Your future wife.”
“Where is Amelia?”
Her eyes narrowed down to slits as she eyed him, lying there with bruises and scrapes all over his arm and face. “Who is Amelia?”
“My dark-eyed lady. Where is she?”
She opened her purse and put her emery board away before she stood up. “That two-bit, wet-back hussy from the dance? Is that who you’re talking about? The hired hand from over at the Lazy Z who found you and brought you in this place?”
“That’s not Amelia… that’s Milli, Jim’s granddaughter,” he argued.
“Well, that’s who found you and called the ambulance. She was still sitting here when I arrived, but I informed her that she could leave and never come back.”
He turned his head toward the windows. “Go away.”
Amanda suddenly saw a secure financial future slipping from her hands. “Oh, darling, I was so worried, and so angry with all those people for not calling me sooner.” She willed a trained tear to escape from under her heavily made up eyelashes.
A tall, dark-haired doctor breezed into the room. “And how is our patient? Looks like he’s awake and talking, at least. Getting hungry? Supper trays should arrive soon, and since you’ve not had nausea, you can go ahead and eat real food.”
Amanda quickly faced the windows and dabbed the tear off her cheek, and by the time she turned back to face the good-looking doctor she had a sweet smile plastered on her face. “Doctor, he doesn’t know me.”
“That’s not a surprise. He’s had a concussion. But if I had a girlfriend as pretty as you are, I think I’d remember you in a hurry.”
She opened her blue eyes even bigger and tucked her chin in a bashful pose. “Well, thank you. But I’m not his girlfriend. I’m just a caring friend.”
“Well, now, that’s interesting.”
Amanda checked his finger for a wedding band and seeing not even a line where one once was, she carefully removed her engagement ring and dropped it in her pocket. “Are you new in Ardmore?”
“Yes, I am. Did my internship at Baptist just last year and started as an ER doctor here
Both eyes were open and the blood had been washed from his face when she peeped through the curtain. “Amelia. I knew you was more than a dream.” He held out his hand and she took it.
“We’re going to put a few staples in the back of your head where you hit the rock. You are a lucky man that your arm and leg are just bruised and not broken,” the doctor said.
He winced when the staples went through his skin, “Where did you go, Amelia?”
“Home,” she said.
“Now we’re going to get you settled into a room for tonight. You can probably go home tomorrow if everything looks good. You’ve got a concussion and you’ll have a big headache. Head wounds bleed a lot, but I don’t think you need blood.” The doctor filled a hypodermic with clear liquid. “This is going to make you sleep for a while.”
He searched the room frantically until he brought her back into focus. “Amelia. Don’t go home again. Stay with me this time. They said you were a dream, but I kept the earring. It’s on my key chain in my pocket.”
She patted his arm and touched his unshaven cheek “Just shut your eyes and go to sleep. It’ll be all right. When you wake up everything will be fine.”
“You’ll be right here?”
“Just shut your eyes,” she said again.
He awoke late that afternoon, to the tune of a bass drum doing double time behind his eyes and a whole orchestra playing some kind of horrid rock music - off key, an out of tune. Amelia was gone and some brassy woman with blonde hair sat in a chair next to his bed. She was using an emery board to file her long nails, which looked like hawk talons. The grating sound raked across every nerve in his ears.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Amanda. Your future wife.”
“Where is Amelia?”
Her eyes narrowed down to slits as she eyed him, lying there with bruises and scrapes all over his arm and face. “Who is Amelia?”
“My dark-eyed lady. Where is she?”
She opened her purse and put her emery board away before she stood up. “That two-bit, wet-back hussy from the dance? Is that who you’re talking about? The hired hand from over at the Lazy Z who found you and brought you in this place?”
“That’s not Amelia… that’s Milli, Jim’s granddaughter,” he argued.
“Well, that’s who found you and called the ambulance. She was still sitting here when I arrived, but I informed her that she could leave and never come back.”
He turned his head toward the windows. “Go away.”
Amanda suddenly saw a secure financial future slipping from her hands. “Oh, darling, I was so worried, and so angry with all those people for not calling me sooner.” She willed a trained tear to escape from under her heavily made up eyelashes.
A tall, dark-haired doctor breezed into the room. “And how is our patient? Looks like he’s awake and talking, at least. Getting hungry? Supper trays should arrive soon, and since you’ve not had nausea, you can go ahead and eat real food.”
Amanda quickly faced the windows and dabbed the tear off her cheek, and by the time she turned back to face the good-looking doctor she had a sweet smile plastered on her face. “Doctor, he doesn’t know me.”
“That’s not a surprise. He’s had a concussion. But if I had a girlfriend as pretty as you are, I think I’d remember you in a hurry.”
She opened her blue eyes even bigger and tucked her chin in a bashful pose. “Well, thank you. But I’m not his girlfriend. I’m just a caring friend.”
“Well, now, that’s interesting.”
Amanda checked his finger for a wedding band and seeing not even a line where one once was, she carefully removed her engagement ring and dropped it in her pocket. “Are you new in Ardmore?”
“Yes, I am. Did my internship at Baptist just last year and started as an ER doctor here
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