• AMALIA •
When I wake up, I'm alone again. Well, technically I'm not, because my husband is still sound asleep and Enzo is too.
I tilt my head and sit up, groaning quietly from the pain it brings to my stomach.
My husband stirs, and I watch him as he opens grey-ish eyes. He looks around the room, and when his striking gaze lands on me he smiles.
"Hi, Amalia."
"Hi."
"I'm—"
"I know who you are."
"You remember?"
"No." I whisper. He frowns. "Mason told me."
"Oh." He responds. "How are you feeling?"
I shrug.
"Do you need anything?" He asks, standing. He's tall, so much so that I have to tilt my head up to look at him. I shake my head. "Sorry I was asleep for so long."
"That's okay." I whisper.
"Your dad went to get Enzo some food. I'm not sure where your brothers went."
"When did we get married?"
He's startled by the change of subject, but he says calmly, "a couple months ago."
"What was it like?"
"It was in Vegas. It happened quickly, while we were drunk."
"Oh." I whisper. I had pictured a big, classy wedding and a massive dress, with pretty music and fabulous food.
I look at Archer again. He really is handsome. I bite my bottom lip between my teeth nervously. He runs a hand through his hair, the muscles in his shirt popping. I smile. "I like your hair."
He smirks. "Thanks. I like yours too."
"You have nice lips, too."
He laughs. I smile at the sound.
The door opens, and Mason walks inside again. He smiles at me. "Hey, you're awake."
"Yeah." I whisper. "So is Archer."
"I see that." He says. He glances at him, and I frown, suddenly, strangely, protective over this man I have no memory of.
"He's my husband." I say.
"I know." He responds. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine. Archer already asked me that." I whisper.
"Right." He mumbles uncomfortably. "Dad will be back soon. They said we'd be able to take you home tomorrow afternoon."
I look down at Enzo. He's sleeping peacefully. I carefully move his blonde curls out of his eyes, then lean down to kiss his cheek. He slowly opens his eyes, and I smile down at him.
"Mama." He whispers. He wraps his arms around my waist and holds on for a moment before sitting up dozily. "Mama."
"Hm?"
"M' hungry." He says.
I look at Mason, who explains to my son softly: "Cole went to get you some. Don't worry, he'll be back really soon."
Enzo smiles. "Okay."
•
The next day and a half passes by excruciatingly slow, even though I sleep for the majority of it. When my father brings a wheelchair in, a mixture of nervousness and relief flow through me.
"Come on, sweetheart." He says. Archer carefully takes Enzo off me, and I keep my eyes on him as I'm helped into the chair. Archer rounds the bed, then sets Enzo onto my lap.
I smile at him. "Thanks."
He smiles back. I wrap my arms around my tired son, who snuggles into me. My father begins to wheel me out, and I look around warily as he does so.
Archer walks beside the chair. I find a strange sort of safety in his presence, and I look up at him regularly to make sure he's still there.
When we get to my father's car, my husband opens the door for me and my father helps me get into it again. The seat is already reclined, so I lean back as my father gets Enzo settled into the seat beside me. I grab his small hand and hold it. He leans his head on my arm. "Mama."
"Yeah?"
"M'hungry again." He mumbles. He looks up at my father, who smiles down at him. Neither of them seem to notice me frown.
"Why don't we get you McDonalds?" He suggests to him.
Enzo grins and nods. "Yes please."
"Alright. We'll get you something at the first one we see." My father promises. He smiles down at me, and I look away before he closes the door. Everyone gets in, with Archer sitting on the other side of Enzo, Cole beside our father and Mason in the very back, asleep.
Archers grey eyes meet mine, and I feel myself blush a little bit.
•
My father does stop at the first McDonalds drive-through we come across, and after I eat a little bit I end up falling asleep. I fall in and out of consciousness for a few hours until it becomes dark again.
Archer, Mason and Cole are all asleep. So is Enzo. He has his little arms wrapped around mine, and a peaceful look on his face that makes me smile.
"Amalia." My father says. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah." I respond quietly.
"How are you feeling?"
"That question is starting to get annoying." I whisper.
He smiles. "Alright. Do you want me to stop at a shop for you? Maybe I can get Enzo some sweets for when he wakes up."
"He has some from the last time you stopped." I say quietly. I lean down to kiss his forehead, moving blonde curls away from his face. He snuggles into me.
"Oh, okay." He says.
I fall back asleep after a couple more minutes of silence. When I wake up again, it's to the sound of the car door next to me being opened and Enzo being pulled from my arms.
My eyes open and I snap my head over to my father, who's carefully holding a sleeping Enzo.
"Give him back!" I exclaim.
"We're home now." My father tells me.
"Don't touch my son!" I shout. Enzo stirs, and I grab him back, holding him close to me. He rests his head on my shoulder, and my stomach begins to hurt. I wince.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you up." He says gently. Patronisingly. My eyes narrow.
"How else was I supposed to get inside?" I snap.
"Mama." Enzo whispers. "Mama."
I look down, my eyes watering. "What's wrong?"
"Bed mama."
I glance at my father. I take my seatbelt off and sit up. Mason comes up beside him, and he's the one I pass my son to. I slide carefully into the wheelchair, then take Enzo back.
I'm taken through the front door. A warmth immediately settles over me, and the odd sense of peace running through the atmosphere makes my shoulders relax. I exhale a small sigh.
The journey upstairs is long, but when we get to the second story of the house, my father takes me down the hallway and into a room.
The walls are a light shade of purple, and my eyes are immediately drawn to the sofa chair in the corner of the room. The beds grey sheets are made, and my father wheels me over to it before I (reluctantly) allow him to help Enzo and I into the bed.
I lay Enzo at the top of it, by the pillow. I lean down and kiss his cheek before getting under the cool sheets myself.
"I'll go get you a water and something to eat." My father says.
"Thank you."
He smiles, something like relief pouring over his expression. He leaves, and I lay down, my eyes slightly wide.
I don't recognise it here.
I fall asleep once again, and my mind goes to another place. It's a back garden, enclosed by brick walls. In the corner of it is a small greenhouse, connected to the back and right wall. There are hundreds of flowers scattered around the place.
In my alternate world, I go back inside, revealing a shop full of even more flowers.
When I wake up again, I'm smiling.
My father opens the door a moment after I awaken, carrying two plates, one slightly smaller than the other, along with a bottle of water and a small carton of apple juice.
"Enzo." I whisper, leaning down to my son.
"Mama." He responds in his sleep.
"Come eat some food." I say.
My father sets it down on the bed in front of me, and I sit Enzo up. He yawns, then leans on me.
"Here." My father says to him softly, moving the smaller plate in front of him. Enzo grabs the plastic fork beside it and begins to eat immediately, taking long sips from the apple juice when my father opens it for him.
I eat more slowly, and less. My father leaves, and a few minutes after he goes I set the half eaten food on the bedside table and let Enzo finish his before doing the same. I drink most of the water in one large gulp and put the lid back on. As I twist it, my stomach begins to hurt so I lay back.
"Mama." Enzo says.
"Hm?"
"I wanna go home." He whispers.
I furrow my eyebrows. "This isn't home?"
"Shop, mama. With leaves." He nods.
"This isn't a shop, silly."
"No, mama," he says, beginning to get frustrated. I frown. "Home is shop. We go tomorrow?"
"Okay." I say unsurely. I'll ask my father about it, and I'll make sure we go home. Clearly we've been away from home for so long, so he deserves to be in a place he remembers. A place he feels comfortable after all he's been through the past few months.
"Enzo."
He looks up at me with brilliant blue doe eyes. "Yes mama?"
"You saved me. You know that, right? You're the bravest little boy in the world."
He giggles. "You're bravest mama in the world."
My lips tilt upwards into a smile. I ruffle his hair, and he takes hold of my hand and doesn't let go. He pulls me back into a laying position.
"Let's go to bed again now, mama." He whispers. He tucks us both in and lays his head in the crook of my neck. I wrap my arms around him, but don't fall asleep when he does. Instead I lay awake, wondering; thinking; hoping.
What for? I don't know.
•
The door opens as Enzo and I watch the television. A man I don't recognise walks in, and I furrow my eyebrows, wrapping my arm around Enzo.
"Hi, angel."
I furrow my eyebrows. "Who are you?"
He falters a little, however his beaming smile doesn't subside. "I'm Elijah. I'm your brother." It's only when he looks down that I do too. A little girl with his eyes and his hair is standing beside him. She gives me a gummy grin.
"Auntie Lia!"
She rushes over and climbs on the bed. I glance at Elijah as she wraps her arms around my neck. I find myself smiling, despite the oddness of the day. The month. The year.
"I missed you!" She exclaims. "I made you a drawing. Daddy!"
Elijah walks over and pulls a folded drawing out from his pocket. It's a drawing of five stick figures—all with names beneath them.
They go in this order: ME, LIA, ENZO, DADDY, GRANDAD.
I smile. "Thanks.." I trail off, and guilt swirls inside of me because I don't remember her name. She made a whole drawing for me and I can't even remember her name.
She begins to jump up and down on the bed excitedly. "Hi Enzo!"
"Hannah, be careful." Elijah scolds.
Hannah. Hannah. Hannah.
Hannah frowns and sits down. Elijah sets his hand on her shoulder and takes a seat behind her. He smiles warmly at me. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine." I say shortly.
"What're you guys watching?" He asks me.
"One of Enzo's shows." I respond quietly.
"Hannah likes this."
"She can stay and watch, if she wants." I mumble.
He smiles. Hannah grins. "Please, daddy?"
"Of course you can, princess." He kisses her forehead. "I'll be back in a minute."
He leaves, and Hannah, Enzo and I watch Paw Patrol.