DIAGNOSIS: ATTRACTION (3 page)

Was that the way she usually wore it? She didn’t think so, but it would do for now. Her coiffure was way down on her list of priorities. It didn’t matter what she looked like if she didn’t know who she was and how she’d gotten herself into deep
kimchi.
Because it was clear from the memory Dr. Delano had dredged up that she’d done something to bring trouble on herself. Was it something she deserved? Or something that wasn’t her fault?

She made a small sound of frustration as she tried to work around the holes in her memory, then stopped and started again. It was more like her entire past was a great void—except for the memories Matt Delano had brought to the surface. With that nagging side effect he hated, she reminded herself.

Well, that probably wasn’t true. She was pretty sure he didn’t hate the sexual pull between them. He’d responded, after all, but he was determined not to cross a line with her.

She clenched her fists in frustration. If she couldn’t fill in all the blank places in her mind, they were going to drive her crazy.

Chapter Three

At the nurses’ station, Matt was thinking about the moral issue that was tearing at him. Because he was very conscious of the sexual awareness between himself and Elizabeth Doe, he should stay away from her. But at the same time, how could he refuse to help her?

Mrs. Kramer came down the hall, her strides purposeful, and he looked up questioningly when he found her standing in front of him.

“Yes?”

“Do you get the feeling that Elizabeth is in some kind of trouble?” she asked. “I mean not just the memory loss.”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps she was fleeing from someone. There was a report of a man dragging her out of her car at the accident scene. Maybe he took her purse.”

Matt nodded.

“Would it be all right, do you think, if I didn’t tell anyone that I was taking her home with me? Well, I mean, anyone besides you.”

“If someone is looking for her, wouldn’t that make it harder to locate her?” he said.

“But I’m thinking, it’s likely to be the wrong kind of person, and it might be better for him not to find her.”

“Or it could be her husband, frantic for information.”

“You think she’s married?” Kramer asked.

“No,” he answered immediately, then tried to assess his firm conviction. His certainty came from her mind, but he couldn’t tell that to Kramer. Instead, he said, “No ring.”

As the nurse nodded, he took his private speculation a step further. The best he could figure was that he hadn’t gotten any hint of a husband from her memories. Or any indication of a current relationship. Just from that brief trip into her mind, he thought that she was like him—disconnected from any meaningful relationship. Only for a few moments, the two of them had connected in a way he’d thought impossible for himself.

He clenched his teeth.

“Is something wrong?” Kramer asked.

Quickly he rearranged his features. “No.”

“You look tense.”

He wished she hadn’t noticed.

When he didn’t speak, the nurse said, “I’ll let you know how she’s doing.”

“Thanks.”

He did care, more than he should, but he couldn’t admit it or anything else that would give away the out-of-kilter personal involvement that had flared between them. He turned and left the ward before Elizabeth came out, and he did something he knew he shouldn’t—like touch her again.

Thinking about it made his nerve endings tingle, but he ignored the sensation as he headed for the other end of the hall.

* * *

P
OLLY
K
RAMER
WATCHED
Dr. Delano stride off. She could tell he was trying to react on a strictly professional level, but he wasn’t succeeding. Which was interesting. Since he’d come to Memorial Hospital, she’d thought of him as closed up. Maybe even a cold fish. But something about the woman with no memory had created a change in him. He seemed to really care about her, although he was trying not to show it.

Probably he thought any personal feelings about Elizabeth were inappropriate. But was there some way to change that? He’d been cautious of involvement with her because she was a patient. But she wouldn’t be a patient after she left the hospital.

Polly smiled to herself. Here she went again, trying to match people up. Because she’d been so happy in her marriage. And she wanted the same thing for other young couples.

A voice broke into her thoughts. It was Cynthia Price, one of the other nurses on the floor.

“I couldn’t help overhearing you and the doctor talking. Are you really taking that Jane Doe woman home with you?” Price asked. She was a slender brunette in her mid-thirties, and as far as Polly could tell, she had the right nursing skills, but she didn’t have much empathy for the patients.

“Yes.”

Polly’s colleague fiddled with the ballpoint pen she was holding. “I don’t like to interfere, but isn’t that taking a chance?”

“What do you mean?”

“She could be...” The woman raised a shoulder. “She could be a thief or Lord knows what.”

“I think I’m a good judge of character, and I don’t believe she’s a thief or a murderer. But Dr. Delano and I both have the idea she’s in some kind of trouble.”

“Yes, I heard you discussing it. What do you think it is?”

“When she gets her memory back, we’ll know.” Polly paused for a second. “I think it would be better if you don’t tell anyone she left with me.”

Cynthia considered the request. “What if her family comes looking for her or something? What if they’re worried sick about her?”

Polly thought for a moment. “Don’t tell anyone where she’s gone, but get their name and number and call me.”

“You sound like a character in a spy novel.”

Polly laughed. “I’m being cautious is all.”

The conversation was interrupted when she saw Elizabeth look out of her room toward the nurses’ station.

“Here she comes now.” As Elizabeth focused on them, Polly said, “Thanks for your help,” wondering if she could rely on Cynthia’s discretion.

* * *

E
LIZABETH
LOOKED
INTO
the hall. Once again she’d been hoping to see Dr. Delano. He wasn’t there, and she was annoyed with herself for fixating on him and feeling disappointed. But that was logical, she told herself. He’d been the only link to her past. Deliberately she ordered herself not to dwell on the rest of it.

Polly Kramer smiled as Elizabeth came down the hall, then asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Physically, okay.”

“Good. Let’s leave.”

“Mrs. Kramer...”

“Please call me Polly.”

“Polly, I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t feel good about it myself.”

Polly helped her into a wheelchair and then into the elevator where, she gave Elizabeth a studied glance. “You look very professional in that outfit.”

“I was thinking the same thing. I’m very buttoned up.”

“You obviously have a job that requires a polished appearance.”

“The shoes are a little dowdy.”

“They’re practical.”

“What do you think I do for a living?”

“You could be a lawyer.”

Elizabeth contemplated the answer. “Perhaps.”

“What do
you
think?”

“A teacher would be closer, but that doesn’t quite work for me, either.”

As they exited the elevator and Polly wheeled the chair out the staff-only door, she said, “Your outfit gives you the look of authority, but it isn’t exactly comfortable for relaxing. I was thinking we could stop at a discount department store, and you could pick up a few things.”

Elizabeth felt her chest tighten. A line from a play leaped into her head. Something about relying on the kindnesses of strangers. “I don’t have any cash, and I’m already imposing on you by staying at your house.”

“Nonsense. I’ll be right back.” The nurse got her vehicle and drove to the curb, where Elizabeth got in.

“I hate the idea of your spending any money on me,” she said when she was settled.

Polly made a tsking sound. “I’d feel like I was abandoning you if I just left you twisting in the wind.”

“Do you take in stray dogs and cats, too?”

Her companion laughed. “No. I’m more people oriented.”

They stopped at the automatic gate where Polly inserted her card, then drove out of the hospital parking lot.

“Does any of this look familiar?” she asked.

“I’m not seeing anything that jumps out at me,” Elizabeth answered.

“Well, let’s try something more specific.” A few minutes later, she pulled into a suburban shopping center and led Elizabeth inside the discount store, where they picked up a cart. “I thought we’d try the drugstore section. Why don’t you walk around and see if you can spot products that seem familiar?”

Elizabeth gave her a grateful look. “That’s a fantastic idea. Thanks.” She grabbed her own cart and began wheeling it up and down aisles until she spotted a brand of makeup that she thought she might have used. Also shampoo and deodorant.

“We need to keep track of what I spend, so I can pay you back,” she said again.

“If that makes you feel more comfortable.”

“Of course it does.”

Elizabeth chose a lipstick and some moisturizer, as well. “Did it look like I had on much makeup when I came in?” she asked.

“Maybe a little eye shadow.”

She selected a packet that had a couple shades of gray. “Fifty shades,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Isn’t there a famous book called
Fifty Shades of Grey?
”

Mrs. Kramer laughed. “More like infamous than famous.”

“Why?”

The older woman flushed. “I believe it’s some kind of sex thing.”

“Oh. I guess I didn’t read it.”

“Neither did I. I’m just repeating what I heard.” Polly changed the subject quickly. “Let’s go look at the casual clothing.”

Elizabeth might have protested about spending more money on herself, but she wasn’t going to be borrowing any of the other woman’s shorter and wider clothing.

Maybe Polly was following her thoughts because she said, “I have some big old T-shirts you could use to sleep in.”

“Good. One less thing I need to worry about,” she answered, thinking that this was certainly a surreal experience—although it didn’t quite come up to the standard of touching Matthew Delano and getting into his mind. Or the other part—the sexual part.

Trying to put
that
out of her thoughts, she hurried to the ladies’ department, where she found shelves full of inexpensive T-shirts. She selected three—deep blue, turquoise and purple.

“Perfect for your hair and skin tone,” Mrs. Kramer approved.

“I guess I know my colors.”

She shuffled through the piles and pulled out size eights, which turned out to fit her well, along with a pair of jeans and a three-pack of panties, figuring she could wash them every other day. And the bra she had on would be fine.

“Get some socks and tennis shoes,” her guardian angel advised.

Again she felt her stomach clench at the idea of spending someone else’s money so freely, but she couldn’t think of an alternative.

On the groceries side of the store, Polly asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Another memory test. “Will you let me do the cooking?”

“If you’re not too tired.”

She selected a package of ground beef, canned kidney beans and salsa, pleased that she could come up with a set of ingredients that made sense. “Do you have onions, chili powder and cumin?”

“I believe I do.”

“Then I’ll make us chili.”

“Do you need a recipe?”

She thought about what would be involved in making the dish. “No, I can do it.”

“You like to cook?”

“I think so.”

“One more thing you know,” Mrs. Kramer said.

Elizabeth nodded. It was like playing a game where she didn’t quite know the rules. But some of them came back to her—basically what she considered ordinary things. Or general things. The part that dealt specifically with her own life remained a mystery.

As they drove to Polly Kramer’s house, Elizabeth kept looking behind her.

“Is something wrong, dear?” the older woman asked.

“I can’t shake the idea that somebody is following me.”

“Do you see anyone you recognize?”

She sighed. “No. I’m just nervous about it.” She didn’t want to say why. That, when she’d touched Matthew Delano, she had had a memory of someone following her and that trying to get away had caused her automobile accident.

They pulled into Polly Kramer’s driveway.

She lived in a redbrick rancher in a close-in suburb, probably built in the 1950s, Elizabeth thought, wondering how she’d placed it in time. There was a low chain-link fence around a half-acre yard and a carport instead of a garage.

“My husband and I bought this house forty years ago,” Polly said as they pulled into the driveway.

“Is he home?” Elizabeth asked, looking around for another car.

“He died a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s one of the reasons I’d love to have some company. The house isn’t all that big, but sometimes I feel like I’m rattling around inside.”

“I understand,” Elizabeth said automatically. Because of personal knowledge of loss? she wondered. Or because she was good at getting in touch with people’s emotions? Which would be strange if she basically felt disconnected from everybody.

“Dan was an engineer. He made a good living and had a nice pension, and I still collect most of it. Plus we paid off the mortgage years ago. I don’t really have to work at the hospital, but I like the contact with people. So don’t worry about my paying for a few things you need. We’ll get it sorted out later.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth answered, overwhelmed by the kindness of this woman she barely knew. Was Elizabeth the type of person who would do the same thing for a stranger? And was that how she’d gotten in trouble? The question stopped her, and she thought she caught the edge of a memory, but she wasn’t able to pull it into her mind.

“You come in and get settled,” Polly was saying. “You probably want to rest awhile, and there’s no need to start dinner for a couple hours.”

Elizabeth nodded. In fact, the brief shopping trip had taken a lot out of her.

Polly showed her through a living room, furnished in a comfortable contemporary style, to a pleasant bedroom in the back of the house. “I keep the sheets fresh,” she said. “Go on and lie down for a bit.”

“You’re sure you don’t need help putting the groceries away?”

“We only got a few things. You just relax.”

“Thank you.” Elizabeth took off her slacks, jacket and shoes, and laid down, thinking she’d get up in a few minutes.

* * *

M
ATTHEW
D
ELANO
COULDN
’
T
shake the feeling of guilt that hung over him as he finished making his rounds, then went down to his office on the first floor, where he entered some information into the computerized patients’ charts. On Tuesdays and Thursdays he saw patients in the hospital clinic, but he had the afternoon free today. And he couldn’t stop thinking about Elizabeth Doe.