about how much to tell her.
“Tell me, Brett, please.”
“Ryan was the rescue paramedic who pulled you out of the canyon and brought you here.”
“That’s why I felt like someone I knew should have been in the ambulance with me when I came in yesterday,” she whispered. “How do I know you and Ryan other than that?”
“I can’t tell you that. You have to remember on your own.”
“Why?”
“It could be detrimental to your recovery if you are told what should be happening rather than those memories returning naturally. Your system could go into overload from too much information at once.”
“I hate this! I want to know what happened. Why am I in Flagstaff? Why is Eric in jail? Who are you to me?” Tears welled up in her eyes and fell down her cheeks.
Her father pulled her into his arms and stroked her back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. The memories will come back in time.”
Gut-wrenching sobs shook her frame as she clung to her father’s shirt. “Take me home, Dad. Right now. I want to go home.”
Chapter Six
Her tears tore Brett’s heart in two. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to be the one holding her and drying her tears, but he couldn’t. Not now.
If I get my hands on that fucking bastard who hurt her, I’ll kill him. Eric. That son-of-a-bitch has managed to tear her away from me and Ryan without even trying.
She was going to leave you, his heart whispered, and he frowned.
He raked his fingers through his hair as he watched her sob against her father’s chest. I need to get out of here before I say something I shouldn’t.
Moving to her side, he put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Whitney. I need to go, but I wanted to say something before I do.”
She lifted her face and stared into his eyes.
“I know this is all confusing to you. I can’t imagine losing two months of your life and not knowing what happened. I wish you weren’t leaving, but I understand your reasons. Even if you don’t remember me or Ryan, we care about you and would never do anything to hurt you. If someday you do remember, we’ll be here.”
A single tear slid down her cheek, and he couldn’t stop himself from brushing it away with his thumb.
Trembling lips and a tear-stained face were the last things he saw when he left her room.
Quickly walking to his car in the hospital’s garage, he stopped next to it and tipped his head back with a deep sigh.
Seconds later, a tortured cry burst from his lips before he slammed his fist down on the top, leaving a small dent in the metal. Yanking open the door, he slipped inside, jammed the key into the ignition, and cranked the engine so it started with a dull purr. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! His fist pounded on the steering wheel. He popped the car into reverse and peeled out with a squeal of tires loud enough to turn the few heads of those in the garage.
Once he reached the outskirts of town, pine trees zipped by as he pushed his foot to the floor. Speed. He needed speed to block the image of Whitney from his mind before he went insane. Mile markers blurred. White lines looked like dots on the pavement. All he could think of were the tears on her face and the blank look in her eyes when she met his gaze.
Pulling the car abruptly into a turn-out, he pushed the door open and moved near the edge of the bluff. Off in the distance, he could see the scattered lights of Sedona below. The scene usually helped him relax and let his cares go, but tonight, nothing helped. Not the purple sky of the coming evening, not the sounds of coyotes in the distance yipping for their mates, and not the breeze ruffling the hair against his neck. Nothing could replace the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.
How long he stood there he didn’t know. He wasn’t keeping track, but the sun had disappeared from the sky and blackness surrounded him, enveloping him in the deepest loneliness he’d ever felt in his entire life. Whitney had become the other half of him with her
“Tell me, Brett, please.”
“Ryan was the rescue paramedic who pulled you out of the canyon and brought you here.”
“That’s why I felt like someone I knew should have been in the ambulance with me when I came in yesterday,” she whispered. “How do I know you and Ryan other than that?”
“I can’t tell you that. You have to remember on your own.”
“Why?”
“It could be detrimental to your recovery if you are told what should be happening rather than those memories returning naturally. Your system could go into overload from too much information at once.”
“I hate this! I want to know what happened. Why am I in Flagstaff? Why is Eric in jail? Who are you to me?” Tears welled up in her eyes and fell down her cheeks.
Her father pulled her into his arms and stroked her back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. The memories will come back in time.”
Gut-wrenching sobs shook her frame as she clung to her father’s shirt. “Take me home, Dad. Right now. I want to go home.”
Chapter Six
Her tears tore Brett’s heart in two. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to be the one holding her and drying her tears, but he couldn’t. Not now.
If I get my hands on that fucking bastard who hurt her, I’ll kill him. Eric. That son-of-a-bitch has managed to tear her away from me and Ryan without even trying.
She was going to leave you, his heart whispered, and he frowned.
He raked his fingers through his hair as he watched her sob against her father’s chest. I need to get out of here before I say something I shouldn’t.
Moving to her side, he put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Whitney. I need to go, but I wanted to say something before I do.”
She lifted her face and stared into his eyes.
“I know this is all confusing to you. I can’t imagine losing two months of your life and not knowing what happened. I wish you weren’t leaving, but I understand your reasons. Even if you don’t remember me or Ryan, we care about you and would never do anything to hurt you. If someday you do remember, we’ll be here.”
A single tear slid down her cheek, and he couldn’t stop himself from brushing it away with his thumb.
Trembling lips and a tear-stained face were the last things he saw when he left her room.
Quickly walking to his car in the hospital’s garage, he stopped next to it and tipped his head back with a deep sigh.
Seconds later, a tortured cry burst from his lips before he slammed his fist down on the top, leaving a small dent in the metal. Yanking open the door, he slipped inside, jammed the key into the ignition, and cranked the engine so it started with a dull purr. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! His fist pounded on the steering wheel. He popped the car into reverse and peeled out with a squeal of tires loud enough to turn the few heads of those in the garage.
Once he reached the outskirts of town, pine trees zipped by as he pushed his foot to the floor. Speed. He needed speed to block the image of Whitney from his mind before he went insane. Mile markers blurred. White lines looked like dots on the pavement. All he could think of were the tears on her face and the blank look in her eyes when she met his gaze.
Pulling the car abruptly into a turn-out, he pushed the door open and moved near the edge of the bluff. Off in the distance, he could see the scattered lights of Sedona below. The scene usually helped him relax and let his cares go, but tonight, nothing helped. Not the purple sky of the coming evening, not the sounds of coyotes in the distance yipping for their mates, and not the breeze ruffling the hair against his neck. Nothing could replace the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.
How long he stood there he didn’t know. He wasn’t keeping track, but the sun had disappeared from the sky and blackness surrounded him, enveloping him in the deepest loneliness he’d ever felt in his entire life. Whitney had become the other half of him with her
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