You are Mine

Five

"But what?" he asked tightly.

"When your pa found out what you had done, he blistered your behind. You couldn't sit down for two days."

Wyatt grinned and his chest shook with silent laughter. "I'm willing to bet you that I thought it had all been worth it."

She paused, holding her breath. Was this a sign that he was slowly getting his memory back? "Yes, you did say that." She licked her dry lips. "Do you remember anything?"

His smile disappeared. "No, but that's okay. It will give me something to ponder for tomorrow's boring day."

"Wyatt," she leaned closer, "I was given permission by Doctor Jackson to help you regain your memory."

"You were?"

The corner of his mouth lifted. Memories assailed her. Wyatt had done this quite often. "Yes. Starting in the morning, I'll be helping you more, but I still must remain professional about it."

The snoring from the patient on the next bed stopped. She stilled, as well as Wyatt. She watched the lump under the covers in the shadows, silently praying that the man wouldn't wake up. Finally, he grumbled and turned on his side, facing the other way.

Slowly, she released a gush of air from her mouth. Perhaps her lengthy conversations with Wyatt needed to be postponed until during the day.

"I must finish this and leave before I'm caught." She dabbed her index finger in the cream and brought it to his face. This time as she spread it over his burns, he didn't flinch. However, his gaze stayed on her the whole time.

"Jessica?" His voice was lower than before this time.

"Yes?"

"Was I ever in love with you when we were growing up?"

The lump of yesteryear's memories formed in her throat, making it hard to swallow. "Those days are passed. It seems like a lifetime ago."

"So, we had loved each other?"

She nodded. "We did."

"Why didn't we get married?"

"We were young, and... well, you wanted to join the military."

"Why would I want to do that if there was a war going on?"

She shrugged and continued adding the cream to his burns. Thinking about this was difficult because there were so many regrets. "It's what men your aged did. You all thought that by becoming a soldier, you would help us win the war." Sighing, a tear formed in her eye. "We all had dreams of a better future. We all believed that we would make a difference in the world."

"I'm sorry."

She met his sad gaze. "About what?"

"For being an idiot."

She held back a laugh. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I had been a fool to think the war was more important than you."

The resentment she'd experienced after he had left for the war, returned. Her gut twisted as she remembered being angry at him a few times during those first two years. Her thoughts had been the same, wondering why Wyatt had thought the war was more important than marrying her and starting a family.

Jessica quickly pushed those feelings aside. They needed to be buried once and for all. There was no use dredging up the past.

"Wyatt, I'm going to wrap the bandages around your head again so that nobody knows what we've done."