Story Of My Life

Chapter 17

Harry opened the door quietly and stepped into the room. Kacey was laying in the bed with her eyes closed. The room was dim, the curtains drawn against the brightness outside. There was soft music playing in the background and he noticed it was One Direction. He smiled at that. He had left the hospital earlier that morning after Kacey's panic attack. He was devastated thinking that he had been the cause of her distress. Laura had been with her since. At Kacey's flat he had showered and made some calls handling some business that Jeff was hounding him about. He had also been trying to compose himself, debating whether to return at all. It was the middle of the afternoon when Laura called and told him to get his arse back in there. She was on her way out when he arrived and she patted his arm as she made for Niall's car. His friend waved before pulling away and leaving him to walk in to Kacey alone.

Harry stood for a moment just looking at her. She looked as though she had had a shower, her hair shiny and pulled neatly into a low ponytail. Her bruises had faded and were now a faint yellow making her look slightly jaundiced. The cut on her cheek was healing well, the plastic surgeon having done an excellent job. The scar would be barely noticeable. Same for the gash on her forehead at her scalp; the hair would cover that one. Regardless, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His heart leapt at the sight of her. Then it began pounding from nerves that she would awaken and be afraid of him again. Please, he thought, please don't let me lose her. He wasn't sure he could take that, he wanted to turn back time to before Christmas. He wanted to have his Kassidy back in his arms with eyes full of love, not fear, when she looked at him. He desperately wanted the woman that he had taken for granted.

He was almost to the chair when Kacey opened her eyes and looked at him. A sharp intake of breath gave away her surprise at seeing him. Harry braced for another anxiety attack, ready to call the nurse, when Kacey relaxed and smiled slightly. He sat down next to her and she continued to watch him, a look of wonder on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

Her voice startled him. He wasn't expecting her to speak to him, and certainly not those words.

"For what, love?" he asked gently.

"I'm sorry for freaking out on you earlier. I, uh, I thought I had lost my mind. I guess, in a way, I have."

Confused he asked "What do you mean?"

"Retrograde amnesia. That's what they are calling it. Seems that a concussion and severe blood loss have teamed up to rob me of a couple of years of my life," she said ruefully. Harry sat, stunned.

"You...you don't remember me?" he asked quietly, not trusting his voice.

"Oh, I remember you. You are that really cute intergalactic pop star that I have this major crush on," Kacey said, a furious blush rising. Harry managed a smile at that. "But do I remember you as my, um, boyfriend? No. Which is why I thought I had lost my mind. How could YOU even know I existed? Why on earth would you be in the same room as me? It couldn't be real, but it felt real. I thought I was trapped in some psychotic fugue state."

Harry tried to process this. He was unsure what to do, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. In his silence, Kacey continued.

"When I woke up, Laura was here. The docs all came in and grilled me for about an hour. Seems my most recent memories are about two and a half years old. That's why it took me a second to recognize you...your hair is so long," Kacey paused to smile, looking at the long curls, hands itching to reach out and touch them. "After they left, I told Laura about my hallucination that Harry Styles was in this room calling me sweet names. I thought she'd laugh at me and tease me about my obsession," she took a deep breath before continuing. "Damn, I wish I hadn't said that. Apparently my filter has been damaged and I can't self-censor. Anyway, she just shook her head and told me I was an idgit. Then she told me that you were actually here and had been here since the incident and that I should stop being a giant twat and be nice to the man who loves me," Kacey finished in a whisper.