Eddie stopped walking, gently tugging me around so we were facing one another. “Amnesia,” he said, regret in his eyes.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Maybe I’m better off.”
His eyes darkened. I could tell he didn’t agree. His lips parted, and I waited to hear what he would say. But from the entrance of the garden, someone called his name.
Both of us turned to see Mary Beth waving her arms, signaling for him to come over.
Eddie sighed. “Let’s see what she wants.”
“You go,” I said, “I’ll meet you by the fountain.”
His eyes swept over my face in what felt like a caress. It made me long for more. I just wasn’t sure of what. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded and took another bite of my apple. He walked backward, eyes still on me until I laughed and turned away, toward the fountain.
A cool breeze kicked up the trees and fallen leaves. The scent of earth rose around me. Looking beyond the fountain toward the edge of the garden where fully mature trees were giving up their multicolored sprinkles to the air and grass beneath them, something moved.
I blinked and stared again. Someone was definitely there, just on the other side of the hedge between the trees and the hospital grounds.
I started toward them, sure the feeling I had of being watched wasn’t just a feeling. I kept my eyes glued to the spot, hoping the person would reveal themselves. The wind picked up again, my hair blew into my eyes, and I struggled to push it away. Something touched the top of my foot, and I screeched, jumping back.
I laughed when I saw it was just leaves being blown over my shoe by the wind.
“Get a grip, Amnesia,” I muttered and then started forward again.
Just as soon as I started walking again, I halted.
Maybe my low scream had drawn attention, or maybe they’d just gotten careless, but I saw them.
Someone crouched just on the other side of the thick shrub. I could see a pair of gloved hands reaching through the branches, parting them for just enough space to glance through.
I was being watched. Stalked.
“Hey!” I yelled impulsively and dashed forward. The branches snapped closed and the bush jiggled with movement. “Stop!” I yelled again, picking up my pace.
When I got to the shrub, there was no one behind it, but lying on the ground were a few snapped branches.
Spinning around, I looked toward the trees, hoping to see a retreating figure. Someone dressed in dark clothing darted behind a tree.
I took off running again, right into the trees, the leaves making a racket underfoot. They were damper here because the thick coverage of branches overhead didn’t allow much sunlight through. I slipped once but managed to stay upright.
“Why are you following me?” I yelled, stopping in the center of a cluster of trees. Gasping for breath as my heart hammered relentlessly, I spun in a three-sixty, looking for the lurker.
Pounding feet and rustling leaves made my body stiffen and whirl again. A figure was running toward me, and without thought, I blindly ran toward it, not even sure what I was going to do.
“Whoa!” Eddie yelled, catching me before I collided with him completely. “Amnesia! What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.
Blinking, I glanced up. He was worried, his face frantic with alarm.
“I saw someone!” I said, tugging free of his grip. “Someone is out here. Someone was watching me!”
“Where?” he asked, lowering his voice. He too began scanning the trees.
“They’re gone,” I said, forlorn. “They ran away.”
He snatched me by the shoulders again, staring hard into my eyes. “You’re sure you saw someone?”
“I swear!” I burst out, still trying to look around. “What do you want from me?” I screamed.
“Shh, shh,” Eddie said, pulling me into his chest.
The impact of my body against his was abrupt and unexpected.
It was the first time he’d ever pulled me into his arms. I’d wondered time and again what it would feel like to be held.
Now I knew.
He was amazing. His body was… enveloping. As if I’d just been folded into a blanket, a thick, comforting quilt. The fear and anger I’d experienced just seconds ago was muted. Wiped away as my cheek pillowed against his solid chest. He was warm. So warm it made me realize I was cold. The sound of his heart was rhythmic and slightly faster than I anticipated.
I pressed a little closer, wanting to commit all of this—all of him—to memory.
This was one thing about total memory loss. There were so many firsts to experience. Some not so great, but oh, the others… I needed more firsts. I needed Eddie to show me what else I was missing.
His hand was enormous when he delved it into the thick strands of my hair to cup the back of my head, holding me to him. I clutched at his shirt, no longer because I was scared, but because this physical contact made me feel lonely.
Strange how physical contact evoked loneliness, but suddenly, I knew what I’d been missing all this time.
“Hey,” Eddie murmured, “I got you.” He hunched closer around me.
I sighed deeply.
“Amnesia.” My name slipped out, floating on the breeze, dancing around my ears like the leaves in the wind.
Reluctantly, I pulled back, tipping my chin up so I could stare up into his eyes. His latched onto mine instantly, and even though I was right against him, I felt tugged even closer. Up close, his eyes were even more beautiful. The blue was deep around the edges, which faded into a bright, sapphire shade. They were so blue the white around the irises actually appeared slightly blue as well. The lashes lining his eyes were thick and velvety. My fingers itched to explore his features, trace the strong lines of his jaw, and smooth out his ruffled brows.
He’d originally just grabbed me to stop me from falling, then to comfort me because I was frightened… but it changed. We forgot we were among the trees, out of bounds of the hospital garden. The sunlight here was dim, the air a few degrees cooler.
All I saw was his stare, how I was the center of his world. All I felt were his hands, which slowly slid to cradle the sides of my face. The pads of his thumbs stroked over my cheeks, and his full lips parted just enough for me to hear the intake of his breath.
“You are so very beautiful,” he purred.
I pressed my cheek into one of his hands, my eyes sliding closed. I didn’t know why, but an intense yearning erupted inside me, almost as if a sinkhole opened and threatened to drag me down.
I knew I basically only had three weeks of life to go on, but oh my God, it felt like I’d wanted something like this—someone like Eddie—forever.
It almost left me gasping in desperation. Against his chest, my hands trembled. And then my knees quaked. Concern started to divide his attention, but I wasn’t ready to let this feeling go.
“Eddie,” I beckoned.
A soft groan filled his throat, and I stretched up on unsteady feet toward him. His eyes darkened, chin lowered.
A loud crack filled the area around us.
I jerked so far, so fast I would have tumbled onto my ass, but Eddie held on, keeping me upright.