P L A Y L I S T
Beautiful Lie - 30 Seconds To Mars
Gabriel's heart hammered and his stomach spiraled. Holy hell. Did she just say she loved him? That couldn't be right. She'd never met him. The statement about her being fuzzy was an understatement. She was slap-dab out of her mind.
Even if his heart was traitorously doing leaps in his stomach.
Before he could say anything, she moved in close for another kiss. He backed away. "Uh, we really shouldn't be doing this in front of an audience." He pointed to the slack-jawed spectators.
Zari scanned the room. "You're right. I'm sorry. Would y'all mind stepping outside, I'd like to make-out with my boyfriend."
Matthew rushed to her bedside. "Zari, he isn't your boyfriend. You don't even know him."
She frowned and huffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I know him." She stopped and rolled her eyes, then stared at the ceiling. "He's—okay, maybe I can't think of his name right now, but I know who he is, and did you call me Zari? What kind of name is that?"
Gabriel snapped his head toward the doctor. "What's going on?"
Lewis held up a finger. "Just a minute." He turned to her. "Do you know your name?"
Pulling her brows tight, she placed fingers to her head. "I'm not sure. Wait. It's Elyza. Yeah. That's it." Then she zeroed in on Gabriel again. "And his name is..." She brought her hand to her mouth and pressed it against her lips.
Gabriel couldn't stand it anymore. The sooner he made her realize she'd didn't know him, the sooner he could leave. "It's Gabriel."
She smiled up at him with the same adoration as before, like a chick hatching from its egg and imprinting on the first thing she saw. "Yeah. That sounds right. My brain is sort of fuzzy." Turning to face her godfather and his son, she narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. "Am I supposed to know both of you?" She finally took in her surroundings, looking around the drab white room. "Why am I in a hospital?"
"Sweetie, it's Matthew, your godfather, and this is your cousin. You had an accident."
She blinked and then blinked again. "I don't know." She shook her head, as if trying to dislodge the thoughts from her head. "I don't know you."
Owen stepped forward. "Cut the crap, Zari. I know you're jacking with us, but this little act isn't funny. We've been worried sick about you."
Ignoring him, she turned back to Gabriel, her chin high and commanding. "I don't like him. Make them leave."
Gabriel faced Lewis again. "Do something."
"Okay. All right. I think it will be a good idea for everyone to clear the room and let me have a moment with Miss Davis."
She grabbed Gabriel's hand, her nails digging into his palm, her demeanor suddenly tense. "Not you. I want you to stay."
He gave her fingers a little squeeze. "Let the doctor examine you. When he's done, I'll be back."
"You promise?" She apprehensively loosened the grip on his hand. Tension slowly trickled from her shoulders. Zari was quick to dole out commands when he was by her side, as if she truly believed that she was safe with him. He didn't quite know how he felt about that. She felt as if she knew him, but she was a stranger to him.
"Yes."
Once again, Gabriel followed the family into the hallway. When out of hearing distance, Owen spun around. "What the hell have you been doing during your visits?"
Gabriel thinned his lips into a tight line. "Calm your ass down. I've not done a thing that would be considered inappropriate. I don't know where she got the idea I'm her boyfriend. I'm as shocked as you by that little revelation."
Matthew stepped between them. "Both of you settle down. Clearly, she's confused you for Perry. That's something she remembers, at least. That's a good sign, don't you think?"
"I don't think so, Kline. She thinks her name is Elyza. Where the hell did that come from?"
Her book, he wanted to say.
"Let's just wait and see what the doctor says." He ran his hand over his face and heaved a breath. "I'm worn out." He turned and walked to the waiting area where he plopped down onto the couch.
Owen and Gabriel joined him. For a moment, no one spoke. Gabriel figured their heads were spinning just like his. He'd known from the beginning this wasn't a good idea, but he'd let them convince him otherwise. Now things were more complicated. He sure as hell hoped they didn't expect him to pretend to be her boyfriend because that wasn't happening. He was not about to play cutesy with an amnesiac, no matter what her crazy family said. It wasn't right.
After fifteen agonizing minutes, Lewis approached and all three men stood.
"Well, physically, she's fine, but mentally, there's a problem. I've spoken to both Alisha and Dr. Rodriguez and he'll be here in about an hour, but I can give you a brief overview if you like."
"Please do." Matthew glanced at Owen and Gabriel. "We all need to know what's going on."
Lewis motioned for them to sit again, and he took the seat across from them. "The list of what a traumatic brain injury can cause is quite long. Everything from peculiar behavior, loss of sense of self-identity, inability to recognize people, places and objects, all the way to the point of psychosis."
Her father leaned forward. "But it's temporary, right?"
"That's the good news. Her MRI and CT scans appear normal. If Dr. Rodriguez concurs, which I think he will, then Zari has retrograde amnesia, which means the loss of memory for events surrounding the trauma and for some time frame prior to the injury. It can last hours, days, or in rare cases, forever."
Matthew jumped to his feet. "Are you saying she may never remember us?"
"No. No. I need for you to be aware of the possibility, but it is extremely uncommon."
"But when her memory comes back, it'll come all at once and she'll be okay, right?"
Lewis took a deep breath and Gabriel was pretty sure Zari's family wasn't going to like the answer.
"Once recovered, it can be partial or complete. Spotty or fully rendered. It can come suddenly or in spurts over any timeframe. It can be real, imagined, confabulation, or any combination. Zari thinking Gabriel is her boyfriend may very well fall into the confabulation category. Her brain made it up to fill in a gap."
"Let me try to understand this," Gabriel sputtered. "She remembers she has a boyfriend, and she's replaced him with me?"
"I think so."
"But why?"
"That I can't answer, and I'm reasonably certain no other doctor can either. When she woke, she wanted to know how she got here. She doesn't remember the accident. The last thing she remembers is some book. That's probably where thinking her name is Elyza comes in. Again, the brain is complicated. A person can actually experience amnesia with no physical trauma. A disturbing experience can bring it on. The best example is a victim of sexual abuse blocking out the experience, only years later to remember it."
"So what now?" Matthew asked. "We just wait and see?"
"Yes. Physically, I have no reason to keep her here, and that creates another crisis. She's adamant about Gabriel taking her home."
Now it was Gabriel's turn to jump to his feet. "No way! I can't take her to my house."
Matthew put his hand on Gabriel's forearm in an effort to calm him down. "Not so fast. You said you weren't in a relationship, and since you're the only one she knows or at least thinks she does, maybe you could let her stay with you for just a couple of days."
Gabriel couldn't believe his ears. Was the whole damn family insane? Evidently, they were – they were willing to let a vulnerable Zari go home with him. "Look, you don't know me. I can't believe you want your daughter to move in with a complete stranger."
"You're not exactly a stranger. My profession keeps me from trusting people, so I had you checked out. Sorry, but if you were spending time with my little girl, I had to find out what kind of man you are. Turns out, you're damn near perfect."
He clenched his jaw. Matthew had looked into his background? The thought irked him. It wasn't like he was the only adamant one about Zari staying with him. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to shake off this family. Matthew Kline wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Well, perfect or not, I'm a man and according to the way she kissed me, and thinking I'm her boyfriend, she's going to expect me to act like one. I can't do that. I won't do it. I'm sorry, but you'll have to find a way to convince her to go back to Dallas with you." He didn't have the willpower to deal with Zari, not in his home, where he was unable to escape her. Even if he wanted too.
"He's right, Kline," Owen cut in. "We've imposed on him enough. Perry texted and said he'd be back in the country Monday night, so maybe once she sees him, she'll get the boyfriend thing straight."
Matthew frowned. "Frankly, I don't care if she ever remembers him. Even though he checked out, I've never liked that guy. Something about him doesn't sit well with me. Can't put my finger on it, but I can't understand why he didn't drop everything and return home once he found out Zari was in a coma." He bellowed, "A coma for God's sake! What kind of man doesn't show up when the woman he loves has a brain injury? I would've dropped everything for Callie..." he tapered off, running his hands through his hair.
He'd like to know, too. Whoever this jackass was, he didn't deserve Zari. But what did he know? Maybe this Perry guy was perfect for her, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be happy when he came to Parkers Prairie looking for his girl, only to find an amnesiac shacked up with the wrong guy. The last thing he needed to deal with was some fucked up love triangle. All it needed was some werewolves and vampires and it'd be straight out of the teeny novels Sil and other girls fawned over.
Matthew faced Lewis. "Can you keep her in the hospital a few more days? Now that she's awake, maybe that's all it will take to clear her head."
Gabriel stood behind Matthew, widening his eyes and shaking his head erratically at Lewis in hopes the doctor would side with him.
Lewis either didn't notice, or ignored his silent protests. Probably the latter.
"I'll see what Dr. Rodriguez has to say. He may think it's a good idea to do just that. But you realize you're only prolonging the inevitable. If she remembers you or not, at some point, we have to dismiss her."
"Gabriel!"
Gabriel jumped. Holy hell, she was yelling at him. "I'd better go see what she wants before she wakes the whole floor." He hurried down the hallway to her room, stopping to linger at the threshold. "What do you need?"
Her bottom lip quivered and glassy blue eyes stared back at him. "I thought you'd gone."
His heart fell into his stomach as he moved to the edge of the bed and sat next to her, then took her hand. "I promised I'd come back. I wouldn't have left without telling you."
She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder and for the life of him, he couldn't help but put his arms around her. "Are you sure you don't remember Matthew? Think hard. Maybe something from your childhood. A birthday or Christmas."
Her breath hitched. "I'm sorry. I can't. He seems like a nice man but I don't know him. Where is my dad? I want to see him."
He shouldn't be the one to tell her this, but there was no way to avoid it. He wasn't going to lie outright to her. "Zari, your dad died years ago."
She leaned away and gazed into his eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I don't have a dad anymore?"
"No," he swallowed. "I'm sorry."
She slumped against his chest and wept. "So if I go home, I'll be with a bunch of people I don't know? I don't want to do that. I want to go home with you."
Out of the question. "Zari..."
She pushed away again. "No. Listen. The doctor said I'm in Parkers Prairie and this is where you live. So, I was coming to see you, right?"
He didn't know what to say. Didn't want to lie, but the desperation in her eyes broke his heart.
"I wasn't expecting you."
"So, my visit was a surprise?" She put her hand to her head. "Maybe I remember that."
"You do?"
She rubbed her temple. "Maybe. I don't know. Are you mad at me?"
"Why would I be angry?"
"You don't act like you're happy to see me."
He pulled her into his arms again. "Nothing makes me happier than you waking up. I was worried about you. So, yeah, I am glad to see you."
She pressed her lips to his neck. "I love kissing you here. You smell nice."
Warm breath floated across his skin, and he shivered with ecstasy. She felt good in his arms. Too good.
"If you don't want me to go to your house, then maybe I can rent a hotel room and stay in Parkers Prairie for a while. When my cast comes off, I can get a job. Or do I already have one?"
Before Gabriel could answer, Matthew spoke from behind him. "Yes, you do. In my office. You're my receptionist."
"Oh. That doesn't sound familiar. I thought I might be a waitress."
"Well, you worked at the Dairy Queen when you were in high school, but not since then."
She frowned. He could almost see the thoughts in her head, weaving and connecting a mile a minute, trying to put some semblance of her life together. "Did I go to college?"
"For a while."
"Am I not smart?"
Gabriel laughed so hard the bed shook.
She jabbed his shoulder. "That's not funny."
"Sorry, but I thought it was."
Matthew moved closer. "You're plenty smart. Made almost 1500 on your SAT. You just didn't like college."
Leaning back against her pillows, she looked at Matthew. "So, I guess I have to ask you for time off."
"Don't be silly. You can take all the time you need. I'm just so thankful you're all right." His voice broke and he turned away, shielding himself from Zari as he fought back tears.
God, Gabriel hated when people cried; there was something so inherently comfortable about it. He stood and moved away from the bed to let Matthew get closer to his goddaughter.
He leaned down to embrace her and she stiffened.
"I love you, Zari."
"I'm sorry I don't remember you," she said. "Can you tell me something about my childhood?"
He leaned away and smiled. "I've been friends with your family since Jake and I were in college. Doctor's always told your mother she would never be able to have children, but she wouldn't take that for an answer. You're like her in that aspect. When your mother got pregnant, she had her heart set on a girl, but we all thought you were a boy."
Gabriel studied Zari's face for any sign of recognition, and although she listened intently, he saw none. Maybe by the end of the tale, regardless of what Lewis had said about memories trickling in, something would spark and all her past would flood back at once. She'd go home and he'd wouldn't have to feel so guilty.
Matthew continued. "During delivery, the doctor announced you were a girl and your mother didn't believe him. She looked at Jake and said, "'Is it true? I had a girl?' To which he replied, it's true. They'd not picked out a girl's name, so she named you Zari Aliehs. It's Sheila spelled backward. That's your grandmother's name, so she's Sheila Zari and you're Zari Aliehs."
She pulled her brows together as if rearranging the letters. "So, you pronounce it Alise? Wow. I thought Zari was weird. Now I find out I have two crazy names. Thank goodness I don't remember school because I bet I was teased a lot."
"Not with me around. I never let anyone mess with family," Owen said. He cut his eyes toward Gabriel. "Still don't."
She glanced at Gabriel then back at Owen. "I saw that look. Why don't you like Gabriel?"
"Never said I didn't like him."
"You don't have to. I could tell from your expression. You'd best be changing your mind because I love him with all my heart and nothing will change that." She glared at her surrogate dad. "What about you? Do you approve of him?"
"Yes, I do. I think he's a fine young man."
Zari closed her eyes for a second and then opened them again. "I'm really tired."
That's all she managed to say before she drifted off to sleep.
Lewis motioned for everyone to leave and once in the hallway, Matthew turned to Gabriel. "Tell me what I can do to convince you to let Zari stay with you for a while."
Gabriel's phone dinged. "Just a second." He scrolled and read Cole's text. Bennett called Ellie. Guaranteed bid 6K for you. Dude. Sil won't let you out of this. "There is one thing."
"Name it and it's yours."
"I want Owen to take my place in the annual Valentine Bachelor for Bid Auction."
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Badabing. Who was expecting that? Gabriel going to make sure everyone suffers with him, I guess.
I think my new thing will be uploading ALAYLM on WEDNESDAYS & FRIDAYS. The chapters will be shorter since I'm splitting up one into two but you're getting same amount all together as it was when I just uploaded once a week.
ANYWAY, please considering voting and commenting. Validation is how authors get paid (well, unpublished authors).
Let me know, what do ya'll think will happen next?!