ONE
I open my eyes and then close them again. There’s someone next to me. I blink a few times and try to focus, but my eyelids feel too heavy.
Something wet touches my forehead, and I try hard but I can’t keep my eyes open. I hear a soft voice beside me: “There, there dear. You’ll be fine.”
I take a deep breath and a sharp pain cuts through my ribs. My eyes flutter open and the room comes into focus. There’s an elderly lady sitting next to me with short curly grey hair and she’s talking on a phone.
“She is coming to.” Grey eyes are watching me, concerned and then she smiles as she replaces the phone. “Hi there dear, you’re finally awake. Are you thirsty?”
Her words filter into my foggy brain as I gaze at her confused and nod. My mouth is dry. I put pressure on the mattress, to sit up, but a gentle hand on my shoulder stops me from moving.
“No, try not to move, dear. You’ll only hurt yourself.” Her voice is gentle. “Here, take this and drink. Slowly. Take a small sip.”
She hands me the glass and helps me to bring it to my lips. The sun is glaring in the vast room. Where am I? Oh, this tastes good. I gulp down the water not caring about it spilling all over me. The woman tries her best to help, but I’m so thirsty.
Reluctantly I let go of the glass as my head touches the pillow. “There... how are you feeling?”
My head is throbbing and my damn eyes don’t want to co-operate so I keep them closed as I try to reach my head. My arms, too heavy so I drop them beside me.
“Your head hurts?” She asks knowingly. “I’ll get you some pills.” The chair screeches as she gets up and leaves the room. All is quiet. I can hear birds chirping outside, so with my hands, I attempt to sit up again, but my entire body hurts, my head especially. My tongue grazes my dry lips as I look longingly at the glass of water on the bedside stand, feeling drowsy.
The bedroom is spacious with white walls and neutral colours. The full-length window in front of the bed displays a spectacular view of the garden.
She returns with two pills, handing me a glass of water. “Where... am... I...?” I look around the bedroom but nothing seems familiar.
Before she can answer me, someone enters the door.
“How is she?”
The man comes into focus. His dark brown eyes, fixed on me.
We stare at each other for a moment. I try to make sense of what’s happening but I can’t focus with this pounding in my head. He clenches his jaw as he looks at the woman. “How long has she been awake?” His voice is stern.
“Not long. I’ve just given her some water to drink. And some medication for the pain...” She points to the glass on the bedstand. When he glances back at me I see the tension in his face.
“How is she, Mary?”
I feel my eyelids getting heavy again so I close them.
“Call Doctor Bennet.”
I try to blink. I feel so weak... I drift back to sleep.
Muffled voices wake me. The white ceiling slowly comes into focus and gradually my eyes move down to the walls as I lift my head carefully. Still, very much aware of the pulsating persistent pain in my head.
“She’s waking, Mr. Tyler.” I recognize the woman next to me. Beside her is another man, wearing glasses and behind them is the young man from earlier, still apprehensive.
“Hi. I’m Doctor Bennet. How are you feeling?”
My mouth is like a dessert and I find it difficult to speak. “Water...”
“How’s your head?” He looks down at me and signals to the woman to give me some water. The minute the glass touches my lips I gulp it down. Doctor Bennet talks again, but I can hardly hear him. I’m so thirsty! All I can concentrate on is how good the water tastes.
“You are dehydrated, so you must take in a lot of fluids. You also took a nasty hit to the head. Can you tell me your name?”
I contemplate the question. My eyes shoot up at him as they grow wide, feeling every muscle tense up as this overwhelming feeling wells up inside me. I cough up some water, still thinking about his words, making a mess all over myself. Shaking my head, I realize… I don’t know who I am…. All the blood is draining from my face as I realize, I don’t have a clue who I am.
“No... I... I don’t know...” my voice trails off.
Immediately, doctor Bennet lifts his hand, still observing me. “Now, now there’s no need to panic. You have a head injury but I’m really not too worried about it! My guess is that you’ll get your memory back in the next couple of days, so there is no need to worry. Mary over here will take real good care of you!”
His smile is reassuring as he takes his stethoscope and checks my vital signs.
“Where am I...? What... happened?”
The man behind him moves closer. “I’m Tyler Reeves and you’re in my house.”
His face is passive and his tone is formal. “I’m the one that found you.”
Found me? Where?
Doctor Bennet explains that I was unconscious when Tyler found me.
Unconscious? I frown at him. I don’t understand. “When... How long has it been?” My heart is beating frantically in my chest.
“Two days ago,” Tyler’s expression is hard.
Two days! I’ve been asleep for two days? My mind is reeling.
Doctor Bennet clears his throat and answers my unspoken question. “I sedated you because of your head injury. We wanted to make sure that the swelling went down before allowing you to wake fully. You’re doing well.” He reassures me.
Head injury... Well, that explains the blazing fire on top of my face. Why would he bring me to his house? And who is Tyler? My mind is flooded with questions, but I feel so tired and weak.
Suddenly I feel overwhelmed by all this information and feel the tears building in my eyes. I really don’t want to cry in front of these people so I turn and wince as the pain stings everywhere.
Tyler’s firm hand prevents me from moving. “Steady now! You have to take it easy.”
Brown intense eyes study my face, perhaps trying to determine the amount of pain I’m in. His voice is calmer as his dark eyes pierce through me. Letting go of my shoulder, he steps back, not losing eye contact at all. My eyelids close as I hear doctor Bennett’s voice.
“This must all feel overwhelming for you, but I’m confident you’ll make a full recovery.” He sounds positive but I feel so confused. I flicked my eyes open again and Tyler is still staring at me. I try to swallow down this big lump forming in my throat.
“Tyler, let’s give her a moment.”
Reluctantly he nods. After a few more minutes, they all leave the room.
Feeling devastated, tears stream down my face. Every sob shoots pain through my chest as I try to figure out what the hell happened to me. Car accident? They would have found my car? They could trace my number plate. Maybe they did… Perhaps they know more than what they are letting me believe?
My thoughts are running wild and I’m exhausted. I go back to sleep.
It’s dark outside by the time I wake. I wonder what time it is? As I push myself upright, I mentally prepare myself for the pain, but dammit, I want to sit up!
“Ah!”
I pull myself up against the bedpost when suddenly my eye catches the dim light shining in the far-right corner of the vast room. This bedroom is immense. Tyler is sitting on a couch, reading a document or some paper and drinking what looks like a glass of whiskey.
“You’re awake.” His voice is soft.
“Yeah.”
Our eyes lock for a moment. The medication must be wearing off because it’s like I’m seeing him for the first time. His dark eyes are penetrating me and suddenly I feel shy. He is young and attractive. Very attractive. His thick hair is dark, short-trimmed and shining in the light. He has a strong jaw and a perfectly straight nose. He must be in his early thirties?
“Did I wake you?” He looks concerned again.
“No.” I smile at him feeling self-conscious. “I think I’ve slept enough for a lifetime.”
His face is all serious. “You need your sleep to recover.” His brows furrow and he is searches my face.
I adjust my position. I really need to pee. Badly! But as I attempt to get out of bed a sharp sting shoots through my ribs. Wow!
“What are you doing?” Tyler jumps to his feet, sounding annoyed suddenly.
“I need to go to the bathroom.” I frown and attempt to swing my leg off the bed. I desperately need to pee. “Ouch...” In a split second he is by my side and to my surprise and without a word, he picks me up into his arms and carries me to the bathroom. Oh, this is embarrassing!
Strong arm muscles flexes beneath me as he carries me effortlessly. He’s muscular and I feel the warmth of his body close to mine. He smells divine. A heady mix of expensive aftershave and whiskey.
When we reach the bathroom, he gently sets me down and slides his arm around my waist to steady me.
“You okay?” his voice is clipped as he gazes down at me. Dark eyes, piercing mine with the longest lashes. I swallow and I feel the sudden colour in my cheeks.
Jeeze, I feel unsteady once my focus is back on standing. My legs feel like jelly and I’m grateful that I didn’t have to walk all this way. His arm is still firmly around my waist.
“Will you be able to stand by yourself?” He asks me, holding me close.
I nod and grab a hold of the basin. He slowly loosens his grip around me. “You okay?” I feel dizzy and close my eyes briefly.
“Just give me a minute...”
I hold on for dear life and hope the basin won’t break. I heave a sigh of relief as I steady myself and find my balance. My legs are still feeling wobbly, but I take a step forward, undoubtedly feeling my ribs. Wow, everything hurts. I gingerly take two steps and let go of the basin. Why is this bathroom as big as the room? Who the hell needs so much space?
“Thanks. I’m fine.” I can’t look at him so I keep my gaze I to the floor. This is mortifying.
He is still moving and when I look up, all I see is his tight, sculpted jaw; ready to grab me in a second, should I lose my balance.
“Tyler... Can I call you Tyler?”
He nods.
“Tyler, I’m fine. Really.” I assure him.
He doesn’t move.
“Please tell me you’re not going to stand there and watch me pee!” I say mortified, my face turning red just thinking about it and his mouth quirks up in a small crooked smile.
Wow! He really is gorgeous.
“Okay. But I’ll be right here at the door if you need me!” He says and walks out.
With shaky legs, I make my way to the toilet and hastily take off my panties. Ahhh, this feels heavenly. Such sweet relief. I think my bladder was going to explode!
I gaze around the room intrigued. There is a huge Victorian bath in the center with a huge double basin. The bathroom is modern and spacious and done in stone with huge beige floor tiles. It’s beautiful.
When I’m done, I close my eyes briefly and pray that I’ll be able to get up by myself. I pull up my panties, clenching my teeth from the pain in my ribs and when I look back up, I see myself in the floor-length mirror in front of me.
HOLY SHIT! My mouth drops open and my hands grip my face in shock and horror at the sight of me. I am blue and purple - bruised all over my body, with swollen eyes. My dark hair is dirty and hanging dreadfully down my shoulders. My lip is cut at the corner. Gosh, I look awful!
My gaze follows the blue satin night dress I’m wearing and at the sight of that, I realize how bizarre I look. All bashed up, looking dreadful, wearing this? And then I start to laugh. Hysterically. I laugh so hard that my legs give way and just before I hit the floor, strong arms catch me.
My hysterical laugh turns into an uncontrollable sob as he holds me close while we sink to the floor. I cry harder because, with every breath, I feel the pain shoot through my chest, making it unbearable. What the hell is this? What happened to me?
By the time I feel calmer, I have no idea how long we’ve been sitting like this, but my entire body shivers, feeling cold.
“Come. Let’s get you back into bed.” His voice is so calm and gentle. It almost sends me over the edge again. I can hardly focus; my eyes are stinging from all the crying as he lowers me back onto the bed and draws the covers.
“Sleep now, girl. You need your rest.” He doesn’t move as he watches me. Eventually, he switches off the lamp.
The first thing I see when I open my eyes the next morning is a chilled glass of orange juice. And next to it, four pills, neatly placed on the bedside stand. The curtains are drawn and I quickly glance over to the couch in the corner and sigh.
The chair is empty, and then, the image of me in the mirror last night pops into my head and immediately, I feel the tears burning in my eyes. Hastily, I throw the duvet cover off my legs to examine them. There are blue and yellow and purple marks all over them and then all the blood drains from my face. This horrid idea pops into my head… Was I raped?
My heart races and then there is a knock on the door. “Good morning, Sunshine! How are you feeling?” Mary comes walking in. Friendly as ever until she sees my face. “Oh, dear... What’s wrong?” She looks at my exposed legs but all I see is sympathy in her eyes as she takes a seat on the bed. “Those are just bruises, dear! They’ll heal soon. Try not to worry.” But her tender voice sends me over the edge.
“What happened to me, Mary? Please... Tell me!” I can’t hide the desperation in my voice, while she is hugging me and stroking my back.
“Oh, honey, I wish I could tell you!”
I freeze. It’s the way she said it. I wipe away my tears and look into her eyes. I hold her gaze steadily for a moment.
“You know,” I whisper. She blinks briefly trying to look innocent but I’m no fool. She knows something.
I feel so desperate. “Please, Mary! Please... Tell me what you know.” I’m pleading.
Her mouth opens and then there is a loud knock on the door. We both look up and Tyler gracefully enters. I wipe my tears away and Mary jumps to her feet; straightening her dress. She’s intimidated by him. Did Tyler instruct her not to tell me anything?
He gets closer to the bed, adjusting his black leather jacket and my eyes come to rest on the file he’s holding in his hand.
“Good morning! How are you feeling?” His voice is polite, regarding me.
I can’t help feeling weary, so I opt for the truth.
“Actually, shitty, thank you. My head hurts, I’m covered in bruises, I can hardly see out of my eyes, and my hair looks and smells like crap. And I don’t even know my own name!” I’m waving my arms around as I speak and irritably wipe away at the tears.
When I meet his gaze, he seems to try to suppress a sigh. He looks irritable. “Your name is Elizabeth Stuart. Or Lizzy, as your friends would call you.” He doesn’t look at her as his eyes are fixed on me. “Please excuse us for a moment, Mary?”
What?! My name is Elizabeth... Lizzy... I’m testing the words in my head. Repeating it over and over again in my head. It means nothing to me.
As Mary leaves the room, Tyler hands me the juice and meds. I pop them in my mouth and swallow before he takes the glass from me, handing me the file. The front reads Elizabeth May Stuart.
“This might help to fill in some of the blanks. You’re welcome.”
I look down at the file on my lap and ignore his snide comment. I blankly stare at it, too stunned for words. I’m Elizabeth? My mind is reeling and when I look up, Tyler is gone. What is this? And what the hell is his problem?!... I hesitate as I stare back at the file. I take in a deep breath, regretting it when I feel my ribs as I open it.
