Stay With Me (Come Back to Me #2)

Chapter 13

When I gave myself this scar, it only took me a fraction of a second to realize what I was doing – how wrong I was. More pain isn't the solution to present pain. I swore I'd never purposely harm myself ever again, but sometimes I can understand why I would want to go back to that. The distracting pain is compelling.

Realizing I need to get my mind out of the gutter, I let my eyes wander the room I'm sitting in.

It only takes me a moment to realize I'm in Addie's room. If the girlish theme isn't enough, then the abundance of pictures makes it obvious.

Her room is painted a light grey and doesn't hold much furniture, save for the bed and nightstand. The main focal point in it is the window seat that overlooks the lake. An enormous number of books outlines the small alcove.

I get to my feet to explore the bedroom. The first aspect I look at is the wall of photos across from her bed. She's got very few of her friends, but tons of her family. I even see some that must be of her parents when they were younger.

One picture, in particular, catches my attention. The edges are yellowed and there's a tear in the side. Gently, I unpin the photo from the wall and inspect it. Addie's parents are sitting around a campfire, a background of cedars and stars, staring at each other lovingly. They don't look much older than me.

"That's the day Mom regained her memories."

I jump, the picture falling to the floor. Turning around, I see Addie in the doorway. With the guilt of trespassing pooling in my gut, I ready myself for an apology – I shouldn't have entered her bedroom without permission. I'm invading personal space.

Addie walks over and scoops up the picture. "Mom and Dad used to – still do, actually – dirt bike. October of their senior year, Mom and Dad, Aunty Elle, and Uncle Hart all decided to go on this big ride to a lookout point on the trails in Bear Creek. The clutch to Mom's dirt bike had been broken, so she had to take Grandma's quad." Addie runs her fingernail along the frame of the picture, focused entirely on the story. Almost as if she's part of it. "Anyway, on the trails, Dad's dirt bike broke down so he had to stop and fix it. Mom was terrified that he'd done something to injure himself so she turned around to try and find him." She shakes her head. "They ended up colliding on a sharp corner. Both needed to be taken to the hospital and were diagnosed as fine, minus a few injuries and each a concussion, until Dad suddenly collapsed. Turned out the mud was infected with a bacterium that caused gas gangrene – an infection that eats away at skin tissue – and it got into the lacerations on Dad's back. Mom was so distraught after she heard that Dad was fighting for his life that she ended up fainting and hitting her head on the floor of the hospital. I know it seems ridiculous, but she already had a concussion, so the extra hit was all it took for her to be knocked into a coma and wake up two months later with amnesia. She totally forgot about Dad. But she did remember him – months later."

I blink. Wow. Okay. I was not expecting a story like that between Addie's parents. "That's..." I say, at a loss for words. "That's...Wow."

Addie smiles at the picture. "I know, right? I admire Dad for staying beside Mom like he did; winning her back." She sighs and returns the picture to its rightful spot. "Don't tell anyone, but I've always wanted a love story like my parents'. Not written exactly the same, but similar. I don't want anyone getting amnesia because I know how hard it was for Mom to handle. But I want the same strength and love they have. I want to know that he's going to stay by my side no matter what."

I rub the back of my neck. "Your parents are amazing."

"Yeah," she sighs dreamily. When she's happy with the location of the picture, she looks at me with a teasing smile. "So did you get lost on your way back from the bathroom?"