Holding Out For A Hero (The Five Sisters Series) (2 page)

"Dr. Mike, I’m glad you were there for her, she couldn’t have been in better hands," said the sheriff.

"Thanks, Sheriff, I just hope that she really is ok because I only have my gut to go on right now.” Mike replied.

After he hung up, he whispered a prayer for her to God, with the understanding that he had no control over the outcome of this car accident either, but
that he had done what he could. He only hoped it was enough.

All that evening, Mike continued to worry about whether or not the woman would wake up. He sat in the chair in the room with her, watching her closely and seeing the dog laying at her feet like a guardian. He could tell that she was breathing, but not much more. He occasionally got up and walked over to the bed and listened to her heart beat with his stethoscope to reassure himself. She was naked under the covers, and he could see the outline of her breasts as she breathed; her nipples pushed against the blanket. He needed to cover her with something to keep her warm and keep him from being aroused by her. That would need to be kept under control,  it had been a long time since he even thought about a woman.

He went to the closet in his room and got a t-shirt and some boxers from his closet. He cut the shirt up the middle in the back to allow him to put it on her without pulling it over her head. First, he gingerly pulled her arms through the sleeves and tucked it around her back. Then he gently pulled the boxers over her feet and up her legs, trying hard to not pay attention to that area of her body that was clean-shaven at the juncture of her legs. He covered her back up and sat back in the chair. The dog seemed to be unfazed with his caring for her, and continued to lie at her feet like a guard.

Mike started to pick the dog up and move it, but it growled and snarled at him, so he left it alone. Not that he was scared of it, but he didn't want to cause any more stress in the little one's life than what had already happened.  Mike went to the kitchen and retrieved some bowls, added some canned chicken to one bowl and water to the other.  He brought them into the room, and the little dog eventually jumped off the bed to eat and take a few laps of water.  Then he jumped right back up onto his post.

As night fell, the vigil over her continued. She slept; sometimes she kicked, moaned, and moved her arms. He hoped she would awaken tomorrow. He slept in the chair in the room, getting up every now and then to check her pulse and breathing—doing what he could to make sure she was comfortable but mainly still alive.

Then next morning, he got up out of the chair and went for a walk. Just a short walk, to make sure everything was ok. He needed to get out of the room, because he was very worried about her and her non-responsiveness. He picked up the little dog, and despite the growls, he carried him outside. He figured he needed to walk his little legs around too. The dog did its business and immediately returned to the glass door to look in. Mike continued to walk out toward the old barn. His conscience got the best of him, and he was afraid that she would awaken and be scared, so he turned about halfway out and walked back to the house. As he entered the house, he heard her screams. He ran to the room, and she was sitting up in bed, screaming.

She looked at him, and continued to scream, and tried to scramble off the bed. Nothing broken, Mike thought to himself. He said to her, "Calm down, you’re in a safe place. No one is going to hurt you." He repeated this several times before she stopped yelling.

She said, "Where am I…what am I doing here?"

He said, "You’re in Big Sky, Montana, in my log cabin, and my name is Mike. What’s your name?"

She said, "What happened to me? And why can't I remember who I am? Should I know you?"

He walked over to the bed, and grabbed a blanket to cover her with as he spoke to her. "You had a car accident, and I pulled you out of the wreckage just as your car exploded. I have no idea who you are, I am just tried to help you out."

He had no idea how to proceed, what if she really didn't know who she was?

He knelt down in front of her, and said, "I am Mike, and you are safe here. I will help you figure some stuff out. You are in my house, and you are welcome to stay here until you are recovered." She started to look around. He could tell she had no idea whether or not to trust him. "I am a doctor, and I want to do some evaluations to see if you are doing ok. Please be calm so I can get my equipment from right over there and check you out. Then we will find some clothes for you to wear." Mike told her gently.

Mike grabbed his bag of doctor's equipment and examined her again. He had her breathe deeply and evaluated whether or not she could see. She was claiming she had no idea who she was, and continued to ask where she was. Once he was done examining her, Mike sat on the side of the bed and sighed.

"Ok, it looks like you are ok. Let’s go upstairs, and you can pick out some of my wife’s clothing to wear. You are welcome to wear them, as it looks like you are close to the same size. While you are upstairs picking out your clothes, I will call the sheriff and tell him you woke up. And I will make us some food to eat. Do you feel like eating?" She nodded.

He helped her get up, then he remembered the dog, "Do you recognize the dog? Does he ring a bell?" The dog jumped onto her lap and started licking her.

She said, "No, he doesn't, but he obviously recognizes me."

He helped her stand, and walked her to the stairs. He walked beside her to make sure she could get her bearings, and then behind her up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he led her to his room. Mike was not sure how he felt about her wearing Jocelyn's clothes, but he felt it was the right thing to do. He wasn't sure what types of memories it would bring into his conscious; things he had been trying hard to forget.

He walked with her to the closet, and opened the doors. "Choose anything you feel like wearing. Her undergarments are in the dresser. Are you comfortable doing that? I will be back up in a few to help you with whatever you need."

"Where are my clothes I was wearing before the accident?" She asked.

Mike told her, "I have them in a bag, but I had to cut them off of you to make sure you were properly cared for.  So you won’t be able to wear them, but they are here. If you feel woozy or anything, please sit down and stop. I will be back." He was not sure about leaving her, but he was hungry and he knew she had to be.

He fixed them sandwiches and called the sheriff, who said he would be out later to interview her. Mike told him about the amnesia. "That will make this a tough one, because I have nothing left of that car." Sheriff told him. He walked upstairs toward the bedroom with the sandwiches, and he heard her humming to the radio he left on in his room. That was a good sign. She came out of the closet and jumped a little when she saw him. Then she giggled.

Suddenly her face clouded up and she said, "My hair…why did you have to cut my hair?"

"You have stitches, and I had to cut it to put them in—I am very sorry." He said.  She was standing in the doorway to the closet with Jocelyn's shirt and jeans on. She had chosen a plain pink t-shirt and
Miss Me
jeans; they fit like a glove. He was not sure how he would react, but he could feel the sadness start to creep back into his heart with the memories of her. Jocelyn was gone, he thought, and they have not even figured out what happened to her.

He turned away from her and told her, "I will give you a tour of the house after you eat your lunch. I’m sure you’re starving." She walked over to him, and said, "Thank you for saving me, giving me clothing to wear, and feeding me!" She started eating, picking off little pieces of food and handing them to the dog to nibble on.

"What is wrong with me, am I ever going to know who I am?  Is this going to be forever?" She asked him.

Mike told her, "I don’t really know.  It seems like you have amnesia, and that can be temporary or permanent.  For your sake, I hope it’s temporary.  I’m sorry I don’t have better answers than that. Now let me give you a tour by walking around the house so I can show you everything. This room is my bedroom."

She told him how gorgeous it was, and how very manly. The house was a log cabin, and his room was furnished with a huge king-sized wooden four-poster bed. He had a couple of rocking chairs and a couch in there, and his computer was on a desk, next to a picture of a beautiful woman.  He had quite a few books laid out ready to read by his bed.  Then next to his room was a large library filled with all kinds of books. 

She asked, “Is this your wife?” as she picked up the picture from his desk.

Mike said, “Yes, that is Jocelyn.  Now, let me show you the rest of the house.”  She got the impression that he didn’t want to talk about it right now.

They walked down the large staircase, with its roughhewn railing and a soft carpet runner going down the middle of the stairs.  The house had a very warm feeling to it, with all the brown and beige colors in the decor.  When they reached the bottom, they stood in the great room with the large front entrance way, and a large sitting area - couch and fireplace with lots of wood ready to go for any cold night.  She looked around in amazement at the high ceilings and wooden walls that made up the house.  An area rug in the middle of the sitting area was colorful with reds, browns, and oranges.  The couches were oversized, in brown leather.  Lamps stood in the corners to light the area, and a coffee table with large photo books sat in the center; a radio sat in the corner. 

He walked her past the living room, and into the kitchen.  The kitchen was an open area, with plenty of cabinet space and marble countertops.  The whole kitchen gleamed with stainless steel and granite.  There were plenty of pots and pans, and a large freezer and refrigerator.  He explained to her that the large freezer was because of the need to travel so far for supplies - he just went once a month.  So he needed to store a lot of food in the kitchen for the time.  Aside from the gorgeous steel the kitchen had tile floors and they shined.  The kitchen had a warmth exuding from it that made her feel comfortable. 

Finally, they got back to the spare room where she had been staying.  He showed her the bathroom area, and reminded her that with her stitches she should be very careful with washing her hair.  He told her he would help her get it done in the kitchen sink when she needed.  They returned to the room, and he asked her to sit down in the rocking chair while he changed the sheets.  She was really tired and sat down in the chair as she was told.  He got the bed sheets changed, and she crawled back into the bed to rest.  The little dog had been following them around the entire house, and he hopped up onto the bed and snuggled in with her.

She slept for an hour, and while she was asleep, the Sheriff showed up and started talking to Mike.  Mike told him about how he had rescued her and brought her to the house.  He explained about how she claimed to have amnesia, and that he had given her some of his wife's clothing to wear.  The sheriff patted him on the shoulder and said, "Whether you like it or not, you were the right person to find her.  You saved her life."

With that, they looked up and saw her standing in the doorway watching them talk.  Mike jumped up and went over to her to see if she was stable.  She walked on her own to the couch and sat down to face the sheriff.  She told him she could not remember anything about herself or her dog.  The sheriff told her about the state of the car and her things, which was that he would be unable to assist her in the recovery and he recommended she seek other help with that.  He took her fingerprints to run through the system to see if she was listed in the system, but he also said to not get their hopes up.  He told them he had done all he could unless something else came up.  The sheriff left with a sigh.

Mike started to ask her what she liked for dinner but then she reminded him she has no idea what to choose from.  He made them chicken breasts on the grill for dinner, and jasmine rice and fresh green beans from the garden.  The smells coming from the kitchen were making her hungry, and she enjoyed watching him move around the kitchen with ease.  He poured her a glass of water, and himself a glass of wine.  In the comfortable kitchen at the table, they dined as they watched the sun go down through the back window.