His To Save

44) A clean slate

          ****ANNIE'S POV****

The surgical lights pour blinding brightness upon me, I'm tied up on the table, surrounded by a team of five doctors all in white surgical gowns. With my mouth taped shut, I can only shed sour tears and make little wriggling motions, but the bindings are too tight.
   My eyes hurt.
My heart bleeds.

They're about to take away what is precious to me...my memories. A lifetime collection of all the beautiful moments I have shared with Jack.
    'Please, don't do it,' I plead in my head but nobody can hear me. Nobody is paying any attention to my tears. And, nobody cares.
All their attention is aimed at my head. Even without any medical knowledge, I can sense that they plan on operating or worse, implanting something in my head.

    This is a fate my heart cannot accept. I have to fight. Yes, fight till Jack comes to rescue me. 'He'll be here any second now. He'll blast that door down and...and...'
   I feel like I'm levitating. My eyes fall on the doctor staring at me through marble eyes. He holds a syringe, one that must have been used to inject anesthesia into my body. My senses begin to feel disoriented and my vision begins to weaken.

At the corner of the room, I see Zack in a similar apron but without a mask. He smirks at me as I drift out of consciousness sluggishly. It's my will that is waging war on the drug. I have to stay awake. I have to protect my memories.

       He lifts his right hand and waves mockingly. I can understand his grin, it's telling me, goodbye.
My left index finger struggles to point at him, but the void snatches my mind out of this world and into its black nothingness.

**********

A light caress runs over the skin along my temple and down to my cheek. It's gentle. Soft. And it urges me to open my eyes.
   I accept the invitation and my eyelids peel away from each other, welcoming the neutral-lit room. A large chandelier hangs from its ceiling, the crystals sparkling lightly from the weak light coming from the balcony doors.

The air smells fresh and warm.

     My vision finally focuses on the person still stroking my face.
He sits on my left side, his eyes staring at the balcony a distance from the bed. There is a heavy sadness in his charming blue eyes. He seems so distracted, yet attractive.

I pause for a second, thinking back to where I am and who this man is.
   His shoulder-length brown hair hangs loosely, its edges brushing slightly on the black t-shirt he wears. His tanned skin tells a tale of either hard work or too much basking. But it's beautiful regardless.
   His short groomed beard makes his jaw look exceptionally attractive. The way his broad shoulders pose makes me itch to feel them.
           I quickly tame that stupid thought. This man is a stranger. 'A dashing stranger.'

   "He-hello?" I speak up, noting how hoarse my throat feels.

The man whips his eyes down on me as if an electric current has just bolted through him. His blue eyes immediately brighten with life unlike before. He, without consent, pulls me into his arms before smashing his lips on my forehead. They feel tender and moist. Carrying with them a spark of love.
    I try to push him off of me, but his grip is too tight.

     "Gawd! You're finally awake," he breathes deepening the embrace. His warmth slips right into my body and into my chest. I may not know him, but this loving embrace feels just right.

   "Who, who are you?"

The man pulls away and lays my body back on the soft pillows. His eyes look soft and vulnerable. "I...I'm sorry about that. My name is Jack, Jackson Raynatt. I'm your...stepdad."
    I slap my mouth, suppressing the gasp. Had I just sexually judged my own stepfather? This has to be sinful. And yet, the way his sapphire eyes pierce into mine gives me some panicked larva wriggling about.

      "But-" I frown looking around the massive bedroom, "-where am I? Why can't I remember, anything?" My eyes fall back on him. There is a concern twinkling in his eyes, one that is received in my heart by a double beat.
He doesn't seem old, maybe in his late thirties. How could such a man be my stepfather? Why can't I remember my own age, or name?

      Jack places a hand on my forehead and answers, "You had an accident love. Your memory is a bit disoriented at the moment. But you'll get better. I'll take care of you."
   The way these words roll out of his mouth sounds so comforting. I can feel the honesty behind his tone. His eyes glitter with a strange affection, one that I cannot discern at the moment.
I nod smiling. I can trust him, right?
   Handsome men never lie, right?

He tucks the bedding, making sure I'm nestled between their warmth, and guarding me from any cold.
  

     ****JACK'S POV****

Just like the doctor Joe had predicted, Annie would lose her memory. Those bastards, what did they do to my Annie? And why erase her memory without any reason?
They hadn't even asked for money or any crucial information regarding Shadows or Black Blood.
   Fuck!
I shouldn't have let her out of my sight.
The consequences of my carelessness cost her her memory. And now I can't even tell her the truth.
     Joe said the little chip in her brain would need to be removed for her to get back to herself. But it shouldn't be rushed lest it damages her brain permanently. This technology is beyond what normal hospitals can afford. I need to plan carefully and precisely. Rather than turning Annie's mind to a vegetative state, I would have to take things slow. No overloading her with information.

Which was why the doctor advised me to take the role of her stepdad once more. There will be fewer emotional demands from her side unlike bombarding her with the weight of being my...was she even my girlfriend?

        I watch her gulp down the cup of warm coffee, her brown eyes staring at me over the cup's rim curiously. Of course, she must have a thousand questions for me, as expected. But the look in those eyes reminds me of her teenage self. I can already feel a ray of attraction coming from her.

  She hands me the cup and smiles examining the room. "Are we rich? This looks so expensive."

  I hear myself chuckling as I set the cup on the nightstand. Rich? Such a mundane term. We are both wealthy. Wealth beyond numbers.
      "Something like that."
"Wow! That sounds great. Tell me, Ja- uh, Dad?" She sounds confused, and I feel weirded out. Hearing her call me 'dad' is so strange.

   "Jack will do."

"Jack," she murmurs to herself as if trying to get the name to sound right. Her eyes sprint on my face with a curiosity I'm too familiar with. "What was our relationship like?"

    "Er..."
'A strange one. Lots of emotions between us. More fucking, spanking, and moaning. You were such a badass little bitch.'
"It was, and is, friendly. With communication and trust."

    "How old am I?"

"Twenty-three."

"Do I still...live with you?"

I reach out and wipe the thin coffee foam on her upper lip. My thumb moves delicately over her lip, ridding of the stain when our eyes chain. For a split second, the urge to pull her in my arms and kiss the foam away overwhelms me. But I fight it with all my will as I distract my thoughts with irrelevant occasions like the Nazis and ninjas.

   "Of course you do. We've always been close."

Close cannot explain exactly how our relationship was before this tragic outcome.
    "Do you need anything else?" I ask taking back my hand.

Annie shakes her head gently. After eating three whole doughnuts and a full cup of coffee, she must be full for now.
  Coffee that I made, and doughnuts that I fried myself.
She will not eat or drink anything other than what I offer her. I had even gotten rid of half the maids in the mansion, a precaution against any enemy spies or invaders.
   Pattie was no exception. She would either abide by the story and be Annie's sister, or leave. For a proud woman like herself, I was surprised she chose the latter instead of just leaving. For the first time, I threatened to end her life if she dared go against the act. A brutal approach, but it was a necessary bluff.

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