“You know he’s not interested in you romantically, right?”
Tia glanced over at Valerie who held a vase of flowers in her hand. “I’m sorry, what?”
She set the vase down, plucked the card, and handed it to Tia before leaning back and folding her arms across her chest. “Dr. Cavanaugh. He’s not interested in you. He doesn’t date. Not since his wife died, and he certainly doesn’t get involved with patients.”
“I never said he was,” Tia said. She picked up the card wondering who the flowers were from and why Valerie was bringing this up. The woman had never been overly friendly, but she’d always been professional. This wasn’t.
“Maybe not, but you have the look in your eye. That moony starry-eyed look when you talk about him or when you look to the doorway. I’m just warning you those feelings will only end in heartbreak.”
Ah, now it made sense. Somehow Dr. Cavanaugh had broken her heart. Had they dated? Or had Valerie simply wished they had? Was it before his wife? Or had he gone on a few dates after her death? “Well, thank you for the information, but Dr. Cavanaugh is my doctor. Nothing more.” Though Tia could not deny she imagined something more. She had imagined what it would feel like to touch his face, to run her fingers through his hair, to kiss his lips.
“Mmmhmm.” Valerie said nothing more as she ran the thermometer over Tia’s forehead and wrote the information down, but her eyes spoke volumes. “I’ll send Sophie in later to do another sponge bath.”
Relief that Valerie would not be doing her sponge bath filled Tia along with the sudden urge to request another nurse. She was the patient here, and she didn’t need a nurse casting a critical eye on her. Tia had enough on her plate trying to remember who she was and why someone might want to hurt her. She opened the card and stared at the writing inside. Or perhaps the lack of writing inside because all that was on the card was the picture of a face with its eyes and mouth stitched shut.
“Good morning. How about we try to get you moving some today?” Dr. Cavanaugh asked as he entered Tia’s room. At the sight of her face, his smile faltered and concern filled his voice. “What’s the matter?”
Tia held the card out to him. “This came on the flowers Valerie brought in this morning.”
Dr. Cavanaugh took the card and opened it. His face paled and his eyes widened as he took in the image. “Where are the flowers?”
Tia pointed over to the table where Valerie had set them. He picked them up, sniffed them, and poked through them as if looking for any other clues. “I’m going to call Detective Graves. He needs to know about this.” He pulled a phone from his pocket. “I’ll have Valerie come in and take you for a walk.”
“No, please not Valerie. Anyone but Valerie.” Not only was panic coursing through her veins at the note, but she didn’t think she could handle any more time with Valerie.
He paused and caught her eye. “What’s wrong with Valerie?”
“She abrasive and she just…” Tia paused. She wasn’t sure she wanted to tell Brody what Valerie had said.
“She just what?”
“She just rubbed me the wrong way. In fact, I was going to ask if I could get a new nurse.” She didn’t know why she didn’t tell him the whole truth. Except that she was afraid her attraction would be evident in her words. And she wasn’t sure she could take it if he didn’t feel the same.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I know Valerie can be brusque at times, but she is an efficient nurse.”
Tia watched his face as he spoke. Did he care about Valerie? Or was he just being professional? Before she could ponder the issue much longer, he stepped toward her.
“I’ll tell you what. Let me call Jordan, and then I’ll take you for a quick walk today, and we’ll figure tomorrow out when it comes.”
“Can you do that?” He normally only entered her room twice during the day – once in the morning and once in the evening.
“I’m your doctor. I can take you for a walk if I desire.” His jaw tightened and she wondered if there was more to it. Was he worried about her safety as well? “Just give me a second.”
He stepped back and then punched numbers into his cell phone, turning slightly away from her as he put it to his ear. “Jordan? It’s Brody. Tia received some flowers this morning, and I think you need to come and see the card.” He glanced back at her. “Yes, I’m going to take her for a short walk, and then we’ll be back…. Got it.” He pocketed the phone and then smiled at her. “Ready to go then?”
Though Tia was excited to get out of the bed and move a little, she also worried about her safety and her appearance. She hadn’t showered in days though Sophie had given her a sponge bath yesterday. Still, her hair was a greasy mess, and she probably smelled. Sponge baths were like trying to clean an entire house with one wet wipe. “I must look a fright.”
“You look…. fine.” He paused, and she glanced at him. Did he feel an attraction to her? Though Valerie claimed he wasn’t interested, there had been many moments like these. Moments where she caught his eyes and unsaid words passed between them. “Especially for someone who had to be rescued with the Jaws of Life,” he continued.
Though not entirely a compliment, Tia decided to take it as one. “What about my leg though? Can I walk on it?”
“Uh no.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Today we are just going to try getting you into a wheelchair and out of this room. Then we’ll talk about crutches.”
“But I don’t see a wheelchair,” Tia said, and she wondered how she was supposed to get into it without exposing herself with her open-backed gown.
Dr. Cavanaugh flashed her a charming smile. “Ah, just you wait. I have one on order.” He walked over to the cabinet in the room and pulled out a robe. “And I think this one is just your size.”
She realized he was giving it to her as a way to cover up her bare back, and relief flooded her.
“Let me help you sit up, and then we’ll get this robe on you. It will pull on your IV a little, so please tell me if it bothers you. Your transportation should arrive about the time we’re finished.”
Tia couldn’t help the smile that crossed her lips, but it was short lived as Dr. Cavanaugh pulled her to a sitting position. Her hand squeezed his arm, her fingers digging into his flesh, as the room began to spin from lying down for too long and the injury to her head.
“It’s okay. We’ll go slow,” he said. His mouth was close to her ear, and his breath sent a shudder down her back that she hoped he interpreted as her being cold.
She nodded and when the room stayed still, she continued the process of sitting up. Tia was sure she had done this a thousand times in her life, but today it took all of her energy and concentration. When she was fully upright, he helped guide her arms into the robe, and she saw for the first time the damage she had received to them. Cuts and bruises discolored her right arm, and again she briefly wondered if she would have scars.
The aide with the wheelchair showed up as she tied the robe in front of her, and Dr. Cavanaugh grinned. “See, what did I tell you? I’ll take it from here, Eric. Can you let Valerie know I’m taking my break?”
“Sure, Dr. Cavanaugh.”
His break? He was using his break time to take her out? What would Valerie think of that? Had he ever spent his break time with her? Tia blinked the thoughts away. She needed to focus less on Dr. Cavanaugh and more on her recovery.
He wheeled the chair as close to the bed as possible and then helped her stand. Again, she had to take a moment and clutch onto his shoulder before she could lower herself into the chair. Then he grabbed her IV pole and brought it around to her. “Can you hang onto this?”
She grabbed the pole and pulled it beside her as he wheeled her out of the room. Her eyes glanced around for Valerie and she was glad not to see her in the immediate vicinity, but she was surprised to see the security guard outside her room. He stood as they passed.
“Excuse me, sir, but where are you going?”
“I’m taking Ms. Sweetchild out for some air. Don’t worry, I’ve already cleared it with Detective Graves. You can call him and check for yourself.”
The security guard looked as if he were about to argue, but after a moment of exchanging stares with Dr. Cavanaugh, he nodded and then took out his phone.
Brody didn’t know what he was doing taking her out in the middle of the day. It wasn’t technically against policy, but it certainly wasn’t necessary. Yes, he wanted to share what he had learned last night from Jordan and see if it helped jog her memory at all, but he could have done that in her room. Maybe it was his complex kicking in again. Maybe it was the note she had received. Maybe it was her reaction to Valerie. Maybe it was just the fact that for the first time since Rachel’s death, he felt something for a woman. He wasn’t sure it was attraction. Perhaps it was just concern, but it was something.
As he wheeled her down the hall, he could feel the eyes of the nurses on him. There would be retribution for this in the form of their gossip and curious gazes for a few days, but he could handle that.
“Where are we going,” she asked as he took a detour from the hallway.
“To get some fresh air. I think you could use some.” He pushed open the door to a little covered patio on the south side of the hospital and wheeled her toward the lone bench that sat in the concrete area just outside the door.
The air was warm but a light breeze floated through stirring the crunchy leaves on the concrete and creating a rustling sound. He wondered if she would be warm enough. He should have asked if she wanted a blanket.
They kept some in a warmer by the door. He would remember that next time. Next time? Why was he already thinking about next time with Tia? What was it about her that kept her on his mind? Was it just her memory loss? Was it his need to protect her? Or was there more?
After making sure the brakes were locked on her wheelchair, he sat down on the bench and faced her. “I spoke with Detective Graves last night, and I thought you might want to know what he told me.”
Her lips parted in a slight smile before sadness crossed her face. “Why are you doing this for me? If what that woman said is true, I’m not a very nice person.”
Brody understood why she would feel that way but it bothered him that she did. Everyone made mistakes, and he couldn’t imagine the woman before him doing anything like that now. He also knew the information he was about to share wouldn’t make her feel any better, but if he were in her position, he would want to know all of it. The good and the bad. Knowing it all was the only way to make a change going forward. “Does the name Ava McDermott ring a bell for you?”
“Ava McDermott?” Tia turned the name over in her mouth like a fine wine, and her eyes stared into space as if searching for images to apply to the name. Then suddenly her eyes lit up. “I do remember an Ava McDermott. She’s a…” She paused for a moment as if having to coax the memory forward. “She’s a romance writer like me, isn’t she?”
Brody nodded. “She is.”
“I remember…” Tia’s face fell, and her gaze dropped to her hands. “Oh no, I remember being condescending to her at a ceremony for coming without a date. In fact, I think I was rather haughty quite often, but I feel like Ava and I might have been friends at one point.”
Brody doubted they were friends now, but he didn’t tell her that. Her remembering Ava was a step in the right direction, and he didn’t want to push her too hard. “Do you remember anything else about her? Anything more recently?”
Tia pursed her lips together. “I don’t, but I’m guessing I’m not going to like the sound of what I did.”
“Probably not, but it might explain what you’re doing here.” Brody took a deep breath as he thought about how best to tell her. “Evidently, you tried to ruin her reputation by outing her to tabloids for what you thought was a fake relationship.”
Tia closed her eyes and sighed. “Maybe I don’t want to remember my past. I don’t sound very nice.”
Brody had had the same thoughts when Jordan told him the story. Even now, he was having a hard time imagining the woman in front of him running to the tabloids. “Maybe the accident is God’s way of giving you another chance. I have to say that even though I’ve only known you a few days, I can’t see you doing those things now.”
“Is that because of the brain injury?” Tia asked.
“It could be. Brain injuries can often change the personality of the patient.” He watched her face fall. “But it could also be that you are changing.”
“Do you really believe in God?” The simple question held none of the condescension he usually felt when people posed that question.
Brody hadn’t been to church in a while, not since Rachel’s death, but they had gone regularly when she was alive, and he did still believe. “I do though I can’t say I’ve been a great Christian since my wife died. We used to attend every Sunday, but that stopped when she got sick. And though I know the importance of community in the church, I haven’t been back much.” He ran a hand across his chin. “Still, as a doctor, I have seen too many things I can’t explain, so to answer your question, yes I do believe in God.”
“I feel like I did at one time too. Do you think He forgives even people like me?”
“Hey.” Brody grabbed her hands. “First of all, you don’t know everything. And everyone has parts of their past they wish they could redo or forget. That’s normal. What we do about it is ask for forgiveness and strive to be better. You have this amazing opportunity before you to completely change your direction in life.”
He paused as he realized he was still holding her hands, and the warmth from them was taming the gnawing ache in his soul. Her eyes locked on his, and so much emotion flashed in them. Fear, longing, hope, desire. Though a solid blue color, the emotions they conveyed were like a quilt of many different fabrics sewn together. He should let go of her hands; he had no business falling for her, but he found he didn’t want to. Still, if someone came outside and saw them…. With great effort, he cleared his throat and dropped her hands, moving his to his pants leg. “How about Rico Rearden? Did you remember any more about him?”
She tilted her head at him, and her gaze tore through him. Could she see the effect she was having on him? Finally, she shook her head. “Nothing more than I was meeting with him about something, but I can’t remember what.”
Brody supplied her with the little information he knew in hopes it would help her. “He owns a publishing company, so perhaps you were meeting with him about that?”
A pained expression covered Tia’s face. “I don’t know. I remember calling him and asking for an appointment, but I don’t remember what happened after.”
Brody could tell she was getting frustrated, and his break was over anyway. It was time to return her to her room and finish his rounds. “Well, Detective Graves is still looking into both Rico and Debra. Neither appear to have a black truck, so even though you are fearful of what you will remember, getting your memory back is vitally important. Someone might still be after you.”