Unexpected Lovers (13 page)

“You’re welcome.”

Doctor Reese returned to her side. “Whitney. We need to do a CAT scan of your head to make sure there isn’t a bleed since you lost consciousness and don’t remember. Do you hurt anywhere else?”

“Yes. My stomach feels crampy.”

Doctor Reese pushed on her abdomen and asked her where it hurt. She couldn’t tell. It didn’t hurt when he pressed. “When was your last period?”

“Um…”

“It’s okay, Whitney. The nurse will put in a catheter in your bladder, and we’ll get some urine to do a pregnancy test, just to make sure.”

“All right.”

Several moments later, the nurse went to insert the tube, but stopped when she asked, “Whitney, were you on your period when this happened?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’ll be back in a minute,” the nurse told her, before she walked toward the curtain. After she returned, she put in the catheter, took some urine and left.

I hate this. I hate hospitals. I hate doctors. Where’s Eric?

“Whitney? Honey?”

Her gaze found a set of hazel eyes and another set of brown when they stopped next to the gurney. Her head began to pound, and she closed her eyes.

Warm fingers grasped hers on the both sides, bringing her gaze to their faces. “Do I know you?”

* * * *

Brett glanced at Ryan and then back to Whitney.
She doesn’t know us?
“I’m Brett. This is Ryan. Don’t you remember us?”

A frown creased the skin between her eyebrows. “No.”

Ah hell!

Ryan’s gaze met his before he tipped his head, indicating they needed to talk privately.

“We’ll be right back.”

“Okay. Can I ask you a question before you leave?”

“Sure,” Ryan said, and Brett had the same gut-wrenching feeling he could see on Ryan’s face.

“Where’s my husband?”

“Husband?”

“Yeah, Eric. He should be here.”

“I don’t know, but we’ll see if we can find him.” He pulled Ryan away from her side. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

When they were down the hall from her, Ryan yanked his arm out of Brett’s grasp. “She doesn’t remember? What the hell is up with that?”

“I’m guessing she has a bad concussion, Ryan. It can cause amnesia sometimes.”

“She thinks she’s still married to that asshole.”

“I know. We can’t push her.”

Ryan raked his fingers through his hair. “Push her, hell! All I want to do is take her in my arms and make her remember us.”

“She will in time, Ryan. We can’t force her. It could cause more damage if we do.”

Brett looked over Ryan’s shoulder and saw the technician wheel her out of her curtained off area toward x-ray with a heavy heart.
What if she doesn’t remember? She had every intention of leaving us and going back home.

“What about the blood, Brett? She was bleeding pretty heavily.”

He shook his head. “Without examining her, I couldn’t tell you. Hopefully, Bill will have some answers soon.”

“Well, Eric certainly isn’t coming here, no matter what she wants. The fucker is in jail, and he’ll stay there until he rots, if I have anything to say about it.”

“Brett, you know the cops have to be involved since this is an assault,” Bill said as he stopped next to him and Ryan.

“It’s fine, Bill. They were at the house so they know what’s going on.”

“Care to fill me in?”

“Her ex-husband came by my house. From what I can tell, he planned to force her to leave with him, but when Ryan and I stepped in, he hit her.”

“I hope he was arrested?”

“He was,” Ryan growled.

“Good,” Bill answered.

“Doctor Reese, some of the test results are coming in on our lady in there,” the nurse said when she walked near.

“Great. I’ll be there in a second.” Bill shot him a penetrating look. “How involved are you two in this with her?”

“She’s been staying at my house.”

“And?”

“I’m not going into it, Bill. She’s special to both me and Ryan, and that’s all you need to know.”

“All right then.” Bill looked at him for a moment before he moved back toward the nurse’s station.

“What are we going to do if she doesn’t remember?”

“We’ll get through it. If she wants to go back to L.A., we can’t stop her, Ryan.”

Brett saw them wheel her back into the trauma bay, and Bill moved inside it before he shut the door. He and Ryan headed toward her room, but when her raised voice met their ears, they both stopped and stood with open mouths.

“What do you mean I’m pregnant?”

“The urine test shows you’re pregnant, but I’m pretty sure you’re miscarrying, Whitney,” Bill said. “You’re bleeding pretty heavily, but the only way for me to tell for sure is to do an ultrasound.”

“Pregnant?” Ryan’s question brought their gaze colliding again.

Is that why she wanted to leave? She’s carrying her ex-husband’s child?

* * * *

“I…”

“I take it you didn’t know?”

Her gaze bounced around the exam cubicle.
Pregnant? Eric’s child? We’ve been having so many problems, fighting all the time. I’m not sure how I feel about being pregnant.
“I don’t know. I can’t seem to remember much of anything. What day is today?”

“August eleventh.”

“It can’t be August. It’s June. I know it is.” Her voice started to rise as panic set in.
Two months? I’ve lost two months of my life?

The two men who’d come in before moved to her side and took her hands, one in each of theirs.

“Whitney,” the hazel-eyed one said. “It is August. You’ve been here in Flagstaff for two months now.”

“How can that be?”

“You fell earlier today and hit your head. You probably have a case of amnesia,” the brown-eyed one added.

“Who are you two?”

“I told you. I’m Brett, and this is Ryan.”

“But
who
are you? How do you know me?” She started to shake, and the doctor moved next to her. “I don’t know these two. I want them out of my room, now!”

“Calm down, Whitney,” Doctor Reese said, touching her hand. He looked at the two strangers. “I think you both need to leave.”

“No!” Ryan yelled, grasping her hand and leaning so his lips were close to hers while he brushed the hair back off her forehead. The scent of his cologne tickled the back of her mind, calming her and making her feel safe but at the same time, confusing her further. “We aren’t leaving. You’ll remember, Whitney. You have to.”

Fear and something else sparkled in his eyes. She shook her head. “No. Leave, please,” she pleaded, tears choking her throat.

“Come on, Ryan,” Brett murmured, grabbing the other man’s arm and pulling him toward the curtain. Angry words drifted to her as they walked away.

“What if she never remembers, Brett? What if the memories of the three of us never come back?”

When she couldn’t hear them anymore, she closed her eyes as a tear slipped into her hair.

The three of them? What the hell have I done?

“I’m going to give you something to calm you,” the nurse said, attaching a syringe to the tube in her arm.

“Will it make me sleep?”

“Probably.”

“Good. Maybe when I wake up, this whole nightmare will be over,” she whispered.

“It’ll be okay, Whitney. You’re one lucky girl to have Brett and Ryan in your corner.”

A sob escaped her lips.

How can they be in my corner? I don’t even know them.

Two hours later, she was wheeled into a hospital room.

“My name is Kelly. I’ll be your nurse until tomorrow morning. This will be your room for tonight. The call light is there on the bed. If you need anything, you let me know. Please, don’t try to get up by yourself.”

“I won’t. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll come by and check on you in a little while,” Kelly told her and then moved toward the door.

The phone on the bedside table rang, and she frowned. Who even knew where she was?

“Hello?”

“Whitney?”

“Daddy? Oh, Dad,” she sobbed.

“What’s happened now, sweetie?”

“How did you know where to find me?”

“Brett called me.”

“Brett? I don’t understand.”

“He said you don’t remember the last couple of months.”

“I guess not. Are you sure it’s not June and this is a cruel joke or something?”

“Sorry, sweetie, but no.”

“Dad, where’s Eric?”

“My understanding is he’s in jail.”

“Jail?”

“He tried to hurt you. He’s been arrested for assault, but I’m working on getting some other charges to stick.”

“God, Daddy! I don’t remember anything! This is so frustrating.”

“Honey, I’m fueling the jet now. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

“Okay.”

“Are you all right?”

A sob left her lips. “No, I’m not. The doctor downstairs told me I was pregnant, but I’m miscarrying the baby.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry.”

“It’s probably best anyway. Eric and I weren’t getting along. I think he was having an affair.”

Silence.

“Dad?”

“I’m still here.”

“Why do I get the feeling you know all about this?”

“You said that before you left to go up there with him.”

“Oh.”

“Hang tough, sweetheart. I’ll be there soon, and I’ll bring you home.”

The thought of leaving Flagstaff left a hole in her soul that confused her.
Why wouldn’t I want to leave here? Does it have to do with Brett and Ryan?

“All right. I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, Whitney.”

“I love you, too, Dad.”

* * * *

The commanding presence of Aaron Morris swept into her room the next morning, and she smiled.