“I know it’s frustrating, but you were very lucky. Whoever did that to you could have killed you, or if they’d hit you in the right place, just hard enough, your injuries could have been so much worse. Some patients lose the ability to form any new memories. Yours will come back. There’s no telling how it’ll come back, however. With this sort of thing, it’s not just a matter of someone just telling you who you are. That won’t necessarily bring everything back, nor will just looking at something. Listen to your body when it talks to you, your instincts, feelings you get about certain things, smells and sounds. If you need anything, or just need to talk, you call me, okay? Joe’s got my number.”
“Thank you, Jules, I really do appreciate it,” Tom replied, sitting back glumly. He didn’t know what he’d expected. It wasn’t as if she had some magic pill that would undo everything.
Joe took a seat beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Tom. You’ll see.”
Tom nodded and gave him a small smile, glad he wasn’t alone.
“Joe?” Jules interrupted quietly. “Would you mind escorting me downstairs? I’d like to say hi to Bea and the kids before going.”
Joe looked a little uncertain about leaving him, so Tom smiled broadly, not wanting to be any more of an inconvenience to Joe. He didn’t want to take over the man’s life. After all, Joe had friends, and a business to run. “You go ahead, Joe. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” Joe nodded. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Joe and Jules left, and Tom sat there in silence for a moment, looking around the cozy apartment. One wall was exposed brick, the rest painted a nice cream color. The furniture was slightly worn but comfortable, the sofa and armchair a pleasant chocolate color with quilted throw pillows. A plush clean rug lay on the wood floor, and the rest of the furniture was dark oak, from the bookshelves flanking the small entertainment center to the coffee table. Vintage prints of coffee and old New York City were elegantly framed and painstakingly arranged along the walls. There wasn’t much by the way of trinkets, but the mantel above the small fireplace had photos. It wasn’t fancy, by any means, but it was clean, tidy, and comfortable.
Tom was used to bigger surroundings. For some reason that occurred to him just then. Something about Joe’s place felt so warm… like his life had been lacking in it for a long time. Did he want to remember who he was? Of course he did. How could he not? He wanted to know where he came from, what he did for a living, his own damned name, for Christ’s sake. Mostly he wanted to know the kind of man he was. He couldn’t lose faith. After all, he had Joe. And for now, that was more than enough.
Chapter Five
THIS should be interesting.
Jules had that look on her face. One Joe knew too well. He escorted her down the steps leading into the hallway just outside the shop’s kitchen, bracing himself when she came to a stop at the bottom. Something was weighing on her mind, something she didn’t want to say in front of Tom.
Jules turned to him, her lovely face filled with genuine affection. He’d known Jules since she was in college, coming into the shop for her mandatory cup of coffee in the morning, chatting away to Joe about everything and anything. They’d gotten along from the first day, when she’d asked Joe to marry her after taking a bite of his pie.
“I’m sorry about your job, sweetheart.”
“It’s okay, Joe,” Jules said with a smile and a shrug. “I have no intention of giving up so easily. If it’s worth having, it’s worth fighting for, right? Joe, Tom should really go to a hospital. He needs proper medical attention.”
With a deep frown, Joe shook his head. “I’ve tried. There’s no talking him into it. I promised to help him, and I have every intention of doing that. Is that what’s on your mind?” He peered at her warily. “Because I know that look.”
Mischief twinkled in her big green eyes. “You like him.”
“What?” Where had that come from?
“Don’t even try it. I saw the way you two were eye-sexing each other.”
Joe gasped. “I was not eye-sexing him!”
“You so were. And you wouldn’t stop blushing! There you go, blushing again!”
Dammit! Was he that obvious? He dared to sneak a peek at her and groaned at the smug smile on her face. Nothing got past Jules. She had a way of making him squirm under that sharp gaze of hers. It was like she took lessons from Bea or something.
“He is hot,” Jules added with a wicked smile.
Joe’s eyes widened as he clamped a hand over her mouth. “You’re not supposed to notice things like that,” he whispered hoarsely. “You’re a nurse.”
“With eyes,” Jules muttered after moving his hand away from her mouth. “Tom is not my patient. He’s a friend of yours who I was helping out. Joe, don’t you go shying away from this one. Not only is he gorgeous, but he’s clearly attracted to you. He kept sneaking glances at you the entire time I was examining him. I thought my stethoscope was going to melt from the heat he was giving off.”
“Why is everyone so concerned about my love life?” he grumbled.