Don’t Forget to Remember Me (15 page)

“No,” I dismissed without a second’s
hesitation.

“Do you always have to argue? I can fit
better and I’m feeling much better now.”

“No,” I said again. “Julia…” But this time
it was her turn to dismiss me.

“We’ll discuss it in a few minutes. I have
to see what you’ve got in the kitchen.”

I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck
tiredly. I’d given Jenna a grocery list so that Julia would have
what she needed, in anticipation of an occasion such as this.

“What?” She caught my smile and hesitated on
her turn from the room.

“Nothing. You’ll probably find everything
that you’re looking for in there. Just a hunch.”

Her face split into a beautiful smile. “You
think? I must have a guardian angel,” she scoffed.

“No, I do. Jenna.”

“Oh. That was sweet of her.”

The outside apartment door burst open loudly
from the other room. “Juuullllliiiiaaaaa!” Aaron called. “I hear
you’re healed, honey, and I’m hungry!”

Julia burst out laughing,
but stopped short, gathering her arms around her ribs in a
grimace
. I moved toward her and reached for her,
feeling the elastic bands of the brace around her middle, tucked up
against the lower edge of her bra. “Pretty sexy, eh?” she said and
rolled her eyes.

“Yes.” I looked down into her deep green
eyes, overwhelmed by the need to take her mouth with mine. She had
no clue how she affected me. If she were wearing a burlap sack, I’d
think she was the sexiest woman alive. Touching her caused my body
to spring into action uncomfortably. I tried to hide it and
returned to the desk, shutting the computer down and plunging the
room in darkness, giving myself time to get it under control.

“Do you want to help? Or, just hang out with
me while I cook?” Her hopeful voice came through the dark. I
realized that it had been more than three hours that I’d been
locked away in my bedroom.

“Lead the way,” I said and followed her into
the kitchen. Aaron came forward to hug her. “Aaron, easy, she still
has some pain.”

“Dude, please.” His arms enfolded her small
form gently. “Did you have a good day today? Jen said you went out
after your appointments.”

“Yes, it was a nice day.” Her eyes met mine
as I leaned on the breakfast bar. “Fun.” She moved to the
refrigerator and took out some chicken, eggs, scallions, garlic,
tamarind paste and cilantro. “Ryan? Are the noodles up here?” She
pointed to a cabinet above the sink where she’d arranged all of the
pasta, rice and canned goods when we’d first moved in the summer
before med school. I nodded and got them down so she wouldn’t hurt
herself.

Julia gathered some other items, placing
them on the counter, then filled a cup with water and put it in the
microwave to boil. When it was finished heating, she dropped some
of the tamarind paste into it. I’d seen her make Pad Thai so many
times; I probably could have made it myself.

Jenna and Aaron perched on the stools at the
counter while Julia started chopping the scallions and I filled a
glass bowl that I’d retrieved from beneath the counter with hot
water. I opened the rice noodles and plunged them into the water to
soak.

Julia threw a glance at me and smiled as she
worked. “Hmmm. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we’d been here
before. Jenna, thank you for the finely stocked kitchen.”

“Are you kidding? These two made the list
and I was happy to do it as long I don’t have to cook.” She tossed
her blonde hair over her shoulder and Aaron patted her on her
rear.

“Hmmm…anyone want tofu?” Julia glanced up
from her chopping to ask.

I took out a cereal bowl and a fork and
placed them next to the eggs. “Not necessary for me. You guys?” I
asked the others.

After it was agreed that we didn’t need tofu
and I’d pulled the wok out of the drawer underneath the oven, I
took two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to Aaron. Jenna
shot me a look. I smiled and took the hint, handing her the one I’d
just opened, turned and grabbed another. Julia would probably take
a pain pill before bed, so I found a bottle of Perrier and poured
it into a glass. I reached into the refrigerator for a lime and
placed it on the cutting board.

Julia sank down on her haunches to rummage
through one of the cabinets at the same time as I cut a wedge from
the lime and squeezed it into her glass. The rest would go into the
meal. “Don’t hurt yourself, Julia. I can get everything out.”

“I’m fine, Ryan. Except…no peanut oil.”

“Oh, hell. Does that mean you can’t make
it?” I was seriously disappointed and immediately decided to send
Aaron to the store.

“I think I can improvise. Do you have peanut
butter?” She opened the cabinet where it was kept and removed it
along with the vegetable oil. “The only other thing I need is red
pepper flakes.” The spices were arranged in one of the drawers near
the stove and she automatically went to it and pulled out what she
needed. My eyes shot to Aaron, who nodded and smiled
knowingly…Julia was remembering where everything was. Jenna winked
at me and smiled as well. Elation rushed through me and I sucked in
a deep breath of relief. Julia didn’t even realize that she
remembered.

Aaron leaned in and whispered, “One small
step for man…”

“No shit,” I agreed as my face split into a
huge-ass grin. Julia was working over the wok, throwing the cut up
chicken into the heated oil and Jen came over and ruffled my hair,
kissing me on the cheek before tugging Aaron by the hand.

“Hey, dipshit,” she said to him and nodded
into the living room. Alone in the kitchen with Julia, I sat on one
of the stools, nursing the beer while I watched her work.

She was so efficient and went about it as
always…practiced and methodical. She knew exactly what she was
doing and quickly drained the noodles in a strainer, tossing them
to get all the water off before dumping them into the wok. She
walked over and placed the bowl and two eggs in front of me without
a word.

“Fork?” I asked.

She handed it to me and went back to the
stove. I scrambled them with the fork before handing them back over
to her.

“Thanks.” Julia pushed the noodles to the
side and poured the liquid eggs into the pan, quickly scrambling
them before mixing it all together.

Taking it from the heat, she took the lime
and squeezed it over the noodles, causing a big sizzle and then
used her hands to scoop up the fresh herbs and toss them on top of
everything. It smelled wonderful and after she had the meal on the
plates, she placed one in front of me and turned off the stove.

She used the back of her hand to push the
hair off of her face, picked up two more plates and delivered them
to Aaron and Jenna on the couch. “Julia! You’re my dream come
true,” Aaron laughed. “Thank you! It smells incredible.”

“My pleasure.” Her tinkling laughter was
music to my ears and she came in and picked up her plate and sat
down next to me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she raised
her glass to me. “To a great day,” she said, nudging my shoulder
gently with her own.

I smiled, nudged her back and touched the
neck of my bottle to the top of her glass. “Yes it was,” I
agreed.

“I really had a nice time today, Ryan. Thank
you for taking time off to be with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I enjoy being
with you.” I filled my fork and then my mouth with the delicious
meal. The flavors of the peanut, cilantro, hot peppers, garlic and
chicken burst on my tongue. “Mmmm…So good, Julia.”

“You work too hard.” I was sitting to her
right and she ran her hand up my back to squeeze my right shoulder.
Her innocent touch left me wanting more.

“It’s only for a little while longer,” I
said, trying to concentrate on what I was saying and the food in
front of me, rather than how she was making me feel.

“Mmmmm. But, then you’ll have residency,
right?” I nodded, knowing without a doubt the next question that
was going to leave her lips. I was surprised we hadn’t gotten
around to talking about it in the past week.

“Well, have you decided where you’re going?”
she asked pensively and took another sip from her glass. “And…what
about Aaron?”

“He’s staying in Boston; Mass General.” I
purposely left off particulars about my destination and left out
that they would be getting married in the not too distant future.
She and I were closer to it than they were, and I was afraid
mention of it would be too much for her to handle.

“Yeah, and? What about you?” she asked. Her
persistence certainly hadn’t changed with the loss of her
memory.

I took another bite to
stall and by the time I had swallowed, I knew what to say.
“Um…well, I’ve got several offers from various hospitals.”
That part at least is true
. “So, I’m not
sure yet.”
That part isn’t
.

“Oh, I see.” Did she really? Did she get
that I’d follow her to the end of the world and back again? All I
wanted was to be with her every day for the rest of my life.
Nothing else mattered anymore.

We looked at each other in serious silence
and shared something unspoken. The connection was undeniable.

“This is really excellent, Julia!” Jenna
called from the other room, effectively breaking the spell. “Thank
you.”

We continued to eat for a few minutes and
she pushed her plate away with almost half of the food still on it.
It was clear to me; her mind was working through what just passed
between us, grasping to remember something. I felt sad for both of
us. I wanted to comfort her but wasn’t really sure how to do it,
considering the state of the circumstances. Instead, I tried to
lighten the mood.

I pulled her plate in front of me when I was
finished with mine and she smirked at me. “What? It’s too good to
waste,” I said and proceeded to finish her food using her fork.
Once again, so typical of how we behaved. These were little hints
that I could give her without laying it all on the line.

She yawned and I realized how late it was.
“Julia, why don’t you go into my room and sleep, honey? I’ll clean
up the kitchen.”

She shook her head. “No. You work so hard
and all I do is lie around. I’ll clean up. I told you, I’m taking
the couch from now on.”

“No. You’re still healing. I won’t have
it.”

“Please Ryan,” she pleaded. “You need to
sleep in your own bed. I’ll be fine on the couch.”

“I still have to finish that research
report, so I can’t yet. You might as well take the bed. If the
light from the computer won’t bother you, I can use the desk in
there. Otherwise, I’ll move out here to the table.” I was holding
my breath, hoping that she’d take me up on the offer. I wanted to
be near her as long as possible, even if I couldn’t touch her as I
wanted. Hearing her breathe as she slept would be enough.

I took both of our plates to the sink.
“Please, Julia. I want you to be comfortable. Do you need a
Vicodin?”

“Maybe, but I hate taking those damn things.
They make me so tired, and I’d like to stay up with you for a
while.” She moved up behind me and reached around to set the dirty
wok in the empty side of the sink.

I turned and brushed my fingers along her
cheek because I couldn’t help myself. “You shouldn’t be in pain.
Did Jenna help you with that brace? Is it tight enough?”

“Yes to both questions. You don’t need to
worry about me so much, Ryan. Honestly,” she said quietly.

“I don’t mean to be over
the top, but I
will
worry about
you, Julia. I can’t help it. Come on. Leave this until tomorrow.” I
took her hand and led her toward my room. Jen was already asleep,
her head resting on Aaron’s chest as he flipped through the
channels.

“See? The couch is occupied anyway,” I
teased. “Night, brother.”

“Night. Thanks again, Jules.”

She nodded at Aaron and padded softly down
the hall behind me. I closed the door and went to turn the computer
on. She waited by the door until the soft light illuminated the
outline of the bed. I met her there, pulled the covers back,
waiting for Julia to climb in. “Do you need help getting down? Does
it hurt?”

“I’m fine. It’s getting a little better,”
she said bravely but her face showed the pain as she eased herself
down on the bed. I pulled the covers up and went to get some water
so she could take her medicine. Afterward, I turned to move away.
“Goodnight, honey.” The room was cast in a soft blue glow that made
her hair and eyes appear almost black, an even sharper contrast to
her alabaster skin.

Julia grabbed my hand. “Hey, can you sit
here for a minute? I wanted to talk if you have time.” She patted
the bed next to her and I sank down as if I had no will to
resist.

“What is it?” I searched her shadowed
features. Her eyes sparkled in the low light, but I wondered what
she was thinking. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I want to go to New York to get
some of my things and see my place. I called Ellie and she agrees
that it might help me remember.”

I stiffened in protest. “Julia, I don’t
think so, sweetie. Not yet. You’re still healing and this weekend I
have to work both days. I’ll have to check my schedule but I don’t
think I can go for at least two weeks. Can we just wait and see how
you are?”

One hand was still holding mine and she ran
the other down my opposite arm, stopping when she got to my
forearm, her little fingers closing around it. “Well, you don’t
need to come.”

“Oh, yes, I do,” I said adamantly. There was
no way in hell I would let her go alone.

“Ryan,” she sighed. “I’m not a child and I’m
not going to hurt myself by taking the train to New York.” Her
voice was insistent. “I also spoke to my dad. He thinks I’ll be
fine and you know how protective he is. If you expect me to believe
that we are only friends, then you’ll have to let me go.”