Come To Me Page 6

  “You okay?” Tony asked as soon as the nurse had left with Jasmine. Doctor Kilgore had remained behind to speak with them for a moment.

  Baron brushed his hand through his hair. “No, man. I’m not.”

  “I take it she didn’t remember you?” the doctor asked.

  Baron shook his head.

  “Well, let’s see what the test shows. For now, it’s best we just let her continue to mend at her own pace.”

  “I’m not going to lie to her, Doc,” Baron said, to the man.

  Doctor Kilgore nodded. “I understand, just don’t volunteer any information you don’t think she’s ready for.” He looked over at Tony. “If she asks, then tell her the truth.”

  They both nodded, and the doc continued. “She’ll probably be gone for a while. At least an hour, if you want to leave and get some dinner.” Then he left them alone.

  “I’m sorry, man. So fucking sorry,” Tony said.

  Baron looked at his friend before sitting on the bed. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I’m sure once she starts asking questions and getting answers it will trigger something in her. Once she’s in familiar surroundings, her memory will return. And that’s probably tied to her hearing loss. So when one comes back, so will the other, and things will be just as they had been before,” Tony ended.

  “I hope so, man. She’s my—she’s my everything.”

  “Well, you got her to fall in love with you once, sight unseen. So do it again.” Tony shrugged.

  Baron’s mouth curled slightly, appreciating his friend’s attempt to cajole him into thinking positively. “She fell in love with the sound of my voice, which she can’t hear anymore.”

  “Last I heard there are five senses, so that’s just one. You’ve got four more to work with.”

  Baron frowned. Then he laughed for the first time in days. “You know, I remember why we became friends and why I agreed to go into business with you. Thank you.”

  “All’s good. Did you have a chance to eat?”

  “No. Let’s go down to the cafeteria and see what’s on the menu for the evening.”

  Tony grinned. “It’s a date.”

  They got back to the room just as Jasmine was settling in. Baron took the chair closest to her, and she smiled at him. She shifted, looking for Tony. When she spotted him, her smile grew even brighter. And Baron’s heart contracted in pain. Shit.

  “Hey, there you are,” she said.

  “Ah, yeah,” Tony said, taking the seat furthest away from the bed but directly in front of it.

  Baron couldn’t take his eyes off Jasmine. Hers, however, were on Tony.

  “Have you guys eaten?” she asked. “The nurse said she’d bring something around for me.”

  Baron took the pad near her hand and wrote on it.

  ‘Yes, we ate.’

  “Okay, that’s good.”

  Gladys came in then with a tray and set it up for her.

  Baron grimaced at the dry-looking chicken. At least the salad appeared fresh. “Well that seems appetizing,” he joked. But when she looked blankly at him, he remembered to use the notebook. He offered it to her so she could see what he’d said.

  She laughed and glanced at him. “Yes, yummy.”

  For a moment their gazes connected, and she stared at him a little longer than necessary. She blinked, as though coming out of a daze. But for that split second, Baron could’ve sworn he saw recognition in her beautiful eyes before they glazed over again.

  “Maybe I better get going?” Tony said.

  “Yeah, do that,” Baron replied. He saw her frown so Baron took the pad and passed it to Tony for him to give her. His friend held it up for her to read.

  “Do you have to go?” she asked Tony.

  Tony glanced over at him and spoke as he wrote, ‘Yes. I need to get back to the office for a bit. We’ve both been here for the last couple of days and things are backing up.’

  “Well, can Baron go instead?” she asked.

  Tony shook his head and continued to write, saying it out loud again for Baron’s benefit. “No. This is something I need to take care of, but Baron can stay and keep you company. I’ll check in on you in the morning.”

  She turned to look at Baron. “That’s all right. You don’t have to stay and keep me company.”

  Tony passed the paper to him when he gestured toward it. ‘I’d like nothing more. I don’t have any plans for tonight.’ He grinned and continued writing, ‘I’m going to see Tony out. I’ll be right back.’

  “Okay.”

  He stood, and then went out into the hall with Tony they moved toward the elevator. “Thank you, Tony, for that.”

  “No worries, man. I just hope this all works out for you both.” He placed his hand on Baron’s shoulder and hit the elevator’s down button.

  “Me too. I’ll stay with her tonight and hope to God when she gets up in the morning she remembers me. Remembers us.”

  “She will. Just give it some time.”

  The elevator arrived and his friend stepped on. He turned around and went back to the woman who didn’t remember him, but who he loved more than his own life. When he entered the room alone, the happiness in her gaze faltered. The stone that rested on his chest ever since he’d been told about her accident seemed to grow twice as large.

  He shook his head and forced a pleasant look on his face for her. At least he hoped it was fine. She was in love with him. He needed to remember that and find a way to help her regain her memory, for her to come back to him.

  Chapter Ten

  When Baron returned to the room he was alone. At first Jasmine felt disappointed that Tony didn’t stay with her and his friend did. But when he sat on the chair by her mattress, something happened. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and he continued to gaze at her. Her heart began beating faster against her chest and her stomach muscles clenched in response to his nearness. She blinked and looked away. This was wrong. She shouldn’t feel this intense attraction to him. He was ridiculously handsome, but so was Tony. These feelings should have been reserved for Tony and yet… There was something there, something between them drawing her to him. Her head began pounding. She held her hands up to rub her temples.

  A touch on her hand had her waking up. She hadn’t even realized her eyes were closed until she felt him in every cell of her body. The sensation burrowed into her core and wouldn’t ease up. Like it belonged there. Like he belonged there.

  “Headache?” He mouthed the words slowly and touched his head.

  “I…I think I just need a little sleep. I hate taking the drugs.”

  He spoke again, but this time she shook her head that she didn’t understand him. He took the notepad on the bed and wrote.

  ‘You’re in pain. I can get the nurse.’

  “I think I’d first like to try to fall asleep on my own.”

  He scribbled again and showed her. ‘Okay. Go on and do that. Do you want me to leave?’

  She looked at what he’d written and frowned. “No.” Why would she say that? But it was the first thought she had and it just came out. For the life of her, it was the truth. She didn’t want him to go. She raised her gaze to his and saw something in his eyes, something very familiar to her. Her heart hurt. “I mean, it’s incredibly sweet of you.”

  He shook his head. “My pleasure,” he mouthed.

  His sincerity warmed her from the inside out. She couldn’t help the look of happiness she gave him. Then it dawned on her. Had they been more than friends. Oh, my god. What about Tony? Had she been unfaithful to him with Baron? What a mess. She couldn’t remember. The headache came back even worse. Baron leaped to his feet and pushed the call button, summoning the nurse. She came in, took one look at Jasmine, exchanged words with Baron, then left.

  Baron sat beside her and gathered her into his arms. She clung to him. He felt solid. Right. Like she belonged there. And his scent—she burrowed her face in his cotton shirt and inhaled—seemed so familiar. This also se
emed like they’d done this a thousand times before. She raised her head and looked at him.

  “Who are you to me?”

  But before he could answer, Gladys returned to the room and handed her two pills and a glass of water. She helped her settle back on the bed. Jasmine shut her eyes.

  She felt the brush of Baron’s hand down the side of her face and his kiss on her forehead. “I know you,” she managed. Then she was pulled down into the healing bliss of sleep.

  When Jasmine woke up she sensed it wasn’t quite morning yet. Although the curtains were drawn tightly over the windows, her body told her it was late night. She glanced around the darkened room. Only a nightlight in the bathroom provided the most scant illumination. Still, she saw the figure seated against the wall. He sat in one chair and had pulled the other one up under his feet. The position looked uncomfortable even to her. She couldn’t really make out features or clothes but somehow she knew the man watching over her was Baron. She took comfort in knowing he was there, that he’d stayed for her. Content, she drifted back to unconsciousness again, but suddenly she was wide-awake and sat up in bed. This was all wrong. Shouldn’t it have been Tony here? Tony, her fiancé? Why was Baron here? Why did she think it was all right for him to be here? What if it was as she suspected earlier. Had she been having an affair behind Tony’s back? She inhaled sharply at the thought. She refused to believe she was that kind of person. No way would she cheat on someone she’d made a commitment to, someone she was supposed to love. At least she didn’t think she was.

  She glanced beyond the foot of the bed again. He had moved. She saw him sit up straighter in the chair, then lower his legs to the floor. He stood and came over to her, sitting on the side of the mattress. Like he had a right to. She looked up at him and her lips trembled.

  “Who are you to me?”

  At first he didn’t say anything. She could barely make out his features in the dim light. He held up her wrist and kissed her palm. She felt that kiss through every nerve ending in her body. She curled her fingers into a fist, and he patted his hand over it. Then he lowered his torso to hers, placing his hands on the sides of her face and covering her lips with his mouth. The shock that rocketed through her exploded in her brain. She must have made some sort of noise because he rose. His mouth moved but she was in too much pain to understand what he was saying.

  “I’m sorry. So sorry,” she said.

  He turned on the bedside lamp and found the pad. ‘Are you all right?’

  “Yes. Just a little headache. I…I have to know something. Why did you kiss me? Were we more than just friends?” Her heart hammered against her chest as she watched him write on the page, waiting for his answer. Part of her already knew what it would be.

  “Yes.”

  She nodded then stared right at him. “Were or are?”

  “Are.”

  He said the words for her to understand. She nodded again. She’d feared it was true. It would explain much, such as why he was still there. As much as she found Tony attractive and thoughtful, there was something about Baron that drew her to him. What kind of person was she to be engaged to one man, a man who saved her life, while having an affair with his best friend? That kiss…familiar like something she’d done before and enjoyed. “God, I need to remember my life. I need to remember the person I was, am, and who you are to me.” A tear leaked from the corner of her eye, and her head began throbbing again. She rubbed her temples.

  He took her hands away from her head and kissed her again. This time she kissed him back, leaning forward and draping her arms around his neck. She had her answer. He pulled back and wiped the tears off her cheeks and wrote on the notepad.

  He wrote, ‘Be patient. It will come back to you.’

  “God I hope so. I can’t stand this.”

  She read. ‘Go back to sleep. I’ll be here.’

  “Yes, I know but what about Tony? I don’t want to hurt him. He saved my life. I remember that much. Does he…does he know about us?”

  He nodded.

  A cry escaped her lips. “What? Oh god.” She raised her hand and stared at her ring. “And we’re still engaged?” Then suddenly a thought occurred to her. Were they still engaged? Was she in love with Baron or was it just an affair? Jasmine looked at him, and something inside her tightened. Whatever was going on between them, it was more than an affair. Unsure how she knew, she just did. Yet how could she hurt Tony so?

  “Am I still engaged to Tony?”

  Baron seemed to hesitate then shook his head, no.

  “Oh God! What have I done?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Baron didn’t know what to do. His instinct was to gather her in his arms and tell her he loved her and it would be all right. He didn’t want her thinking she’d been cheating on Tony. He realized that’s the conclusion she’d come to. It ate at him. But he remembered what the doctor had said and it was clear to him her head hurt the more she tried to force her memories. This was screwed up, but he couldn’t stand her in pain. He only answered truthfully what she asked. He’d be damned if he lied to her. Or let her ache like this.

  “You didn’t cheat on Tony.” Damn he’d spoken and forgotten she couldn’t hear him. She’d placed her hands over her face to hide her tears. He touched her wrists and brought them down, wiping at her tears. He couldn’t help himself. He grasped her shoulders. Leaning forward, he kissed her eyelids then her nose before he moved to her mouth. At first, her lips trembled against his own, followed by the rest of her body. But she opened for him and he touched her tongue with his. Everything exploded in his chest he had to pull her closer go deeper into her.

  Suddenly, she groaned before she leaned back, but what he’d taken as a sound of pleasure was really one of pain when she cried out, “My head.”

  He watched as her eyes glazed over and rolled up into her skull, then she went limp in his arms. He pushed the call button then ran out of the door to get the nurse. She met him at the threshold and ran past him.

  “She just fainted,” he said. “She cried out ‘my head’, like she was in pain.”

  The nurse examined her and picked up the phone and paged her physician.

  “What’s wrong with her,” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. The doctor will be here any moment and look at her.”

  It felt like they waited for eons but it was just minutes before a tall, stocky man in a white coat entered the room. He didn’t recognize him, perhaps he was the one on call. Gladys repeated what he’d told her to the physician, who glanced up at him and asked him to wait outside. The nurse ushered him out of the room before he had his wits about him enough to voice a protest. The door closed in his face, and he stood against the far wall staring at nothing. He wasn’t budging until they told him what was going on and that she was going to be all right. Suddenly the nurse rushed out slamming the door behind her. She was only gone a minute before she hurried back with a tray in her hand. He saw several small packets on it. She ran past him fast then shut him out again. His heart hammered in fear.

  Time seemed to flow through a tunnel. Everything at one end of it still moved, but on the side where he stood against the wall, it had stopped. It didn’t start again until Gladys came out and told him he could come back in. The doctor stood at the foot of Jas’ bed writing something on her chart, then he looked up at him.

  “She’s fine. I think maybe her memory is trying to reassert itself and that’s triggering her headaches and caused her to pass out. Can you tell me what you were talking about before she fainted?”

  “I kissed her.”

  “Ah, I see. And you’re her fiancé?”

  “Yes, but she doesn’t know that. She thinks my best friend is.”

  The doctor’s eyebrows rose. “I see. Did she ask you about that?”

  He shook his head. “No. She thinks we’ve been cheating on him. Oh fuck! What a mess.” He raked his hand through his hair.

  “Don’t be too upset. There’s no reason why her memory
shouldn’t return in time. The results so far don’t indicate any long-term damage. She came to and her head was still hurting, so I gave her a mild sedative to help her sleep. Let’s see how she’s doing in the morning and maybe after a CT scan. We might be able to release her if the results are good and just keep an eye on her. We’ll follow up in a few days. Meanwhile, if she is discharged, I’ll give her a prescription for her headaches.”

  “Should I tell her who I really am to her?”

  “She doesn’t recognize you?”

  “No. But she feels something for me. I believe it’s because she does that she’s so upset thinking she’s cheated on the man she thinks is her fiancé.” Baron snorted at the irony.

  “It’s best, in these situations, to go slowly. When she is released, she should return home, be in familiar surroundings and hopefully that will help trigger her memories.”

  “We live together, Doctor. We’re supposed to be getting married in two months.”

  “Then I think it might be best to tell her the truth. Explain it in the morning. Let her get a good night’s sleep, you too. I’ll see her again in the morning after the scan. And if everything checks out, she’ll be free to go.”

  “Thank you, Doctor.” He shook his hand and left.

  Baron moved over to the bed and stared at the woman sleeping on it. He ran his fingers through her soft hair. “Come back to me, Jasmine. I love you so much. Remember me. Remember our love, our plans, our future.” He bent and kissed her. As he pulled away he whispered against her lips, “Remember me.”