also would have firmly believed that relationship was in the past. When he walked into her hospital room to find her cowering in fear, something long dormant awakened in him. He was filled with the profound need to keep her safe, to cherish her. The sensation was intense—more intense than anything he remembered feeling for Elizabeth.
When Martin had asked if she remembered him, she had said, I-I think I do. I don’t remember his name, but I think…I think I love him.
Gabe had been instantly overcome with the sense that he absolutely loved her. Thinking about it rationally now, he couldn’t understand why. Maybe time has a way of lending clarity to emotion, allowing someone to better understand the true depth of the love they once felt. Perhaps absence did make the heart grow fonder.
Since those first moments, his feelings for her had only grown stronger. And yet, with her profound amnesia, it was almost as if she were a completely different person. If she wasn’t the same Elizabeth, how could his feelings for her be stronger?
He sighed. He didn’t understand what was happening.
She snuggled closer to him in her sleep, and he thought his heart would burst.
No, there was no explanation for why he felt like this, but he didn’t care. She was back in his life—in his arms—and he would do whatever he could to keep her there.
That might be a challenge. For whatever reason, her father had taken an instant dislike to Gabe. That situation would require careful handling. Regardless of the fact that it was Elizabeth who had said, if this is the way a father treats a daughter, I don’t need a father in my life , Gabe thought it important to try to mend this rift. Or, if that proved impossible, at least he didn’t want to make things worse.
Furthermore, he couldn’t deny that her father was right about some things: with no memories and being unable to read, Elizabeth was extremely vulnerable. For her own safety, she would need to learn certain basic skills until her memory returned. Gabe decided he would start teaching her in the morning.
He raised the subject right after breakfast. “Elizabeth, I’ve been thinking about something your father said yesterday.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand why he was so angry and unkind.”
“I think I might. I do believe he loves you and wants to keep you safe. I do too, but I think he doesn’t trust anyone else to take care of something so important to him. I think one of his major concerns, one of the reasons he wanted you declared incompetent, is that you do not remember how to read, so you don’t have the ability to manage your own affairs.”
“I’m certain I’ll remember everything soon.”
“And you probably will. But until you do, I think it is a good idea for you to relearn some basic skills. I work a full week, and then I’m off for a week. On the weeks I work, I switch between working days and nights. So every other week, you will be alone from early morning to late evening, or from late evening to early morning for seven days in a row—from Saturday to Friday.”
Her brow furrowed. “Completely alone? Here?”
“Yes, but I’m off today and I have the next three days off. I can start by teaching you the things you need to know to get by and be safe—like numbers and how to make a phone call and what to do in an emergency. You also might want to learn how the appliances work, so you can make meals for yourself or even just a cup of coffee.”
She smiled. “I’m certain I want to learn how to make coffee.”
“Then I’ll teach you. But more important than making coffee is how to use a phone. You can get in touch with nearly anyone—me, Dr. Rose, your parents—simply by pushing a few buttons.”
He spent the rest of the morning teaching her to recognize numbers from zero to nine so that she could dial a phone. It wasn’t surprising that she learned them quickly—this was the girl who had graduated from medical school at
When Martin had asked if she remembered him, she had said, I-I think I do. I don’t remember his name, but I think…I think I love him.
Gabe had been instantly overcome with the sense that he absolutely loved her. Thinking about it rationally now, he couldn’t understand why. Maybe time has a way of lending clarity to emotion, allowing someone to better understand the true depth of the love they once felt. Perhaps absence did make the heart grow fonder.
Since those first moments, his feelings for her had only grown stronger. And yet, with her profound amnesia, it was almost as if she were a completely different person. If she wasn’t the same Elizabeth, how could his feelings for her be stronger?
He sighed. He didn’t understand what was happening.
She snuggled closer to him in her sleep, and he thought his heart would burst.
No, there was no explanation for why he felt like this, but he didn’t care. She was back in his life—in his arms—and he would do whatever he could to keep her there.
That might be a challenge. For whatever reason, her father had taken an instant dislike to Gabe. That situation would require careful handling. Regardless of the fact that it was Elizabeth who had said, if this is the way a father treats a daughter, I don’t need a father in my life , Gabe thought it important to try to mend this rift. Or, if that proved impossible, at least he didn’t want to make things worse.
Furthermore, he couldn’t deny that her father was right about some things: with no memories and being unable to read, Elizabeth was extremely vulnerable. For her own safety, she would need to learn certain basic skills until her memory returned. Gabe decided he would start teaching her in the morning.
He raised the subject right after breakfast. “Elizabeth, I’ve been thinking about something your father said yesterday.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand why he was so angry and unkind.”
“I think I might. I do believe he loves you and wants to keep you safe. I do too, but I think he doesn’t trust anyone else to take care of something so important to him. I think one of his major concerns, one of the reasons he wanted you declared incompetent, is that you do not remember how to read, so you don’t have the ability to manage your own affairs.”
“I’m certain I’ll remember everything soon.”
“And you probably will. But until you do, I think it is a good idea for you to relearn some basic skills. I work a full week, and then I’m off for a week. On the weeks I work, I switch between working days and nights. So every other week, you will be alone from early morning to late evening, or from late evening to early morning for seven days in a row—from Saturday to Friday.”
Her brow furrowed. “Completely alone? Here?”
“Yes, but I’m off today and I have the next three days off. I can start by teaching you the things you need to know to get by and be safe—like numbers and how to make a phone call and what to do in an emergency. You also might want to learn how the appliances work, so you can make meals for yourself or even just a cup of coffee.”
She smiled. “I’m certain I want to learn how to make coffee.”
“Then I’ll teach you. But more important than making coffee is how to use a phone. You can get in touch with nearly anyone—me, Dr. Rose, your parents—simply by pushing a few buttons.”
He spent the rest of the morning teaching her to recognize numbers from zero to nine so that she could dial a phone. It wasn’t surprising that she learned them quickly—this was the girl who had graduated from medical school at
Similar Books
