Unexpected Hope (Book 2 in the Red Valley series)

Chapter 22

Hope sat there for a moment with a blank expression, and then smiled. "I know I'm 22, my birthday is October 19th, and I'm pretty sure I grew up in Georgia."

"Why didn't you tell me that your birthday was October 19th? You were here. Yes, you grew up in Georgia and since you've had a birthday, you are 22."

It was obvious to her that he was a little miffed at her for not letting him know about her birthday. "Well, it was before we decided that we wanted a real marriage. I didn't think it was important, it's just another day. But, I got the other right, about Georgia. I know I came here on a train." She nibbled her bottom lip as she thought. "Did I tell you anything about my life before I met you?"

Levi nodded slowly wondering how much he should tell her. On one hand, he wanted to tell her everything he knew so that she wouldn't care so much about not remembering, therefore keeping her from getting upset. On the other hand, he wasn't sure that if telling her everything wouldn't upset her more. He must have sat there too long thinking about it because she picked up on his indecision.

"What are you not telling me?"

He figured the best thing to do was to tell her everything he knew, including letting her read her letters to him. By the time she was through peppering him with question after question, most of which he could not answer, they were both exhausted. She had handled everything better than he'd thought she would, but then she was an amazing woman. She had just finished reading her letters to him when Doc Baker knocked on the door.

Levi walked over and opened the door for him. Doc Baker walked in, setting his medical bag on the side of the bed. "Well, how are you feeling today, Hope? You look good."

"I feel fine I guess. My head hurts a little."

"No other aches or pains?" The doctor asked.

"No, I don't hurt anywhere else, but..." She stopped, looked over to Levi, then back to the doctor.

"But what?" Doc urged.

"Hope cannot remember anything before she moved to Red Valley. She knows she grew up in Georgia, her age, and date of birth, but that's it." Levi replied.

The old doctor's brows drew together in thought. "Let me see your head again." Gently, his nimble fingers probed the back and side of her head. The knot was almost completely gone, that was good. "Why don't you lie down so I can listen to those babies, and then we'll talk some more on your memory?"

He listened to their heartbeats for a minute, and then put the stethoscope down. He was satisfied that he had heard correctly yesterday, there were indeed two of them. And as far as he could tell they both seemed fine, with good strong heartbeats. "Everything seems to be good with them." He pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed. "Look, I'll be honest with you both. I don't know very much about memory loss. What I do know is that you may not ever recover your memory."

"Then again, you might wake up tomorrow with all of your memories intact or it could come back little by little. The fact of the matter is, we know very little about the brain. Maybe one day that will change, but for now this is it. The brain is extremely complex."

"I want you to stay in bed for at least the next week. After that, I want you to take it easy. You're a small woman and your husband's a big man. I don't want you to do anything that will make you deliver them early, and I would say that they should be here around the middle to end of July."

Hope knew that he was a doctor, but she still could not stop the blush that colored her face and neck. For goodness sakes, she could even feel her ears burning. Levi cleared his throat several times to hide his laughter at Hope, and then jumped up. I'll walk you out Doc."

"You close your eyes and rest; I'll be back in a few minutes." Levi said as he leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He walked to the door and waited for Doc to gather his things, and then the two of them walked out. Hope was already drifting off to sleep even before Levi could shut the door.

The two men said nothing until they were outside. "Okay Doc, tell me the truth. How worried should I be?"

They walked to the doctor's waiting buggy then stopped. Doc set his bag on the seat then turned around to face Levi. The older man took his hat off, ran his right hand up and down his face for a moment as if he were trying to smooth out the weathered lines on it. "I really don't know, Levi. I told you both the truth up there." He nodded towards the house, where Hope lay sleeping. "We really don't know very much about the brain and brain injuries. She doesn't appear to have any side effects from the fall except her memory. I'd say she's pretty damn lucky."

"The fact that she didn't lose those babies is a miracle in itself. The bump on her head doesn't seem to have changed her personality any and she did wake up. Some people never wake up from a blow like that. Let's just take one day at a time. Don't let her dwell on things, try to keep her positive. If you need me, just send someone and I will come as fast as this old body will let me."

"How long do you really want me to keep her in bed?"

"She needs to stay in bed for a week, but I'll be happy with two or three more days. After that, I don't want her lifting anything heavier than a cup of coffee. In fact, you might want to hire someone full time to cook and clean." Levi nodded and Doc Baker turned to step up into his buggy.

"Hey Doc?" Levi said as he reached out and placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Um, what about sex?" Oh, good lord, he could feel his face turn a light shade of red. Thank God his hat kept his face shadowed.

The old man couldn't hide his smile as he patted Levi on the back. "Wait a couple of weeks. After that, it should be fine, just nothing...." Doc raised his eye brows searching for the right words. "Just keep it easy." Satisfied, he stepped into his buggy and started off back to town.