HOW WOULD THEY identify him? Good question. Woodpark was a small town with limited resources. They’d have to reach out to a larger city, or perhaps the feds. Grace didn’t have the heart to remind him it wouldn’t be up to her.
“Let’s see what the doctor has to say before we worry about that.”
A grunt was her answer.
A few minutes later she pulled into the hospital parking lot. Like the sheriff’s office, the emergency center did a brisk business on New Year’s Eve. Grace walked to the front of the line.
“Sheriff,” the clerk acknowledged her and then glanced at JD. “We’re very busy tonight.”
“So I see. You’re going to have to make room for one more. I have a prisoner with a head wound.”
“Take a seat and I’ll let the doctors know.”
“Of course. Please let them know I’m quite concerned.”
She found him a seat in the crowded waiting room. He looked about to protest at taking the last chair, but he sat instead. Whatever his background, he’d learned some manners. That he ignored them was testament to the extent of his injury.
“You sounded worried,” he drawled.
“Head wounds are dangerous.” She leaned against the wall next to him. “We already know of one complication.”
“So it wasn’t a ploy to advance our case?” He lifted his gaze to hers and arched a dark brow.
Under the bright lights she noticed his eyes were leaf green. And a hint of red played in his dark hair. She turned her attention back to the front desk. “Maybe a bit of a ploy.”
“And calling me a prisoner?”
She allowed a small smile. “Oh, yeah, that was totally a ploy.”
He laughed and then groaned and clutched his head.
She sobered. “It’s also true. You are a prisoner until morning. No dying on my watch please. You can’t imagine the paperwork involved.”
“I might be touched if it didn’t just pass midnight. You’re officially off duty.”
A glance at her watch confirmed his claim.
“Sheriff.” The clerk had returned. “Dr. Honer will see you now.”
Grace checked the door but no sign of her replacement magically appeared. JD walked past her and then stopped.
“Are you coming?” he asked. “I can handle this on my own if you prefer.”
“You’re in city custody. I’m coming.”
She followed him to the back and stood in the hall while he changed into the paper hospital gown the nurse provided. It was a small room. She took heart in the fact he would look silly sitting there, decked out in the flimsy robe. Too bad he didn’t use it. When she entered the room, she found he’d stripped down to gray knit boxer briefs.
OMG.
Cough. Cough. Good gracious, she nearly choked on her own tongue as drool flooded her mouth. Swallowing hard she made her way to the corner, trying hard not to stare at all the hard lines and muscular definition on full display.
“You were supposed to put on the gown.”
“It tore. Don’t worry about it. Turns out I’m not modest.”
Of course not. Turned out she had a bit of a voyeur in her.
Confronted with the sight of all that flesh and muscle—toned, and tanned, and tantalizing—she missed at first glance that a wound marred his nice six-pack. Still pink and edged with staple marks, the slash ran about six inches long under his right rib cage.
“You’ve been stabbed.”
He glanced down at himself. The action made him sway, so he quickly lifted his head. “Where?”
She moved closer to point. “It looks pretty ragged, which tells me it wasn’t a switchblade. Maybe a serrated blade. Or a piece of glass, possibly a metal fragment. Any of that spark any memories?” If shock value had any power to activate his memory, learning he’d been stabbed should do the job.
Leaving her question unanswered, he used long fingers to explore the wound. He flinched a little, indicating the cut was still tender. Or perhaps it was just the thought of being stabbed.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, hoping to get him talking. He revealed so little she had a hard time reading him. Part of it had to do with his missing memories, but she had the sense his reticence went deeper than that, was actually a part of his personality.
“Sore, not painful.” Emerald eyes met hers. “It’s not from this accident?”
“No.” She shook her head as she examined the wound from a safe distance. “I’d say it’s a few weeks old. The doctor might be able to tell you more.”
As if on cue, Dr. Honer, short and balding, opened the door. He addressed his patient first. “I’ll be with you in a minute.” Then he gestured to Grace. “Can I see you, Sheriff?”
She stepped into the hall and he pulled the door closed behind him.
“Sheriff Brubaker called.” He informed her. “He’s not authorizing any care for the prisoner. He’s been released instead. An officer is going to drop off his property.”
Just dandy. Brubaker, the mayor’s brother-in-law—who until today had worked for his wife’s insurance agency—obviously didn’t care about the liability involved in releasing an injured prisoner. Or worse, didn’t know.
One of Brubaker’s campaign issues had been her overspending, because she’d insisted the town bring the department’s technical capabilities up to the twenty-first century. It didn’t surprise her that he refused to spend any funds on a D and D set to walk out the door in the morning. Much simpler and cheaper to cut the guy loose. Even if he was injured.
“Doctor, this man has a head injury, a concussion at the very least. And possible amnesia. He says he doesn’t remember who he is. We haven’t been able to identify him, as he was missing his wallet when he was picked up walking into town.”
“Sounds like he’s had a rough night. I’ll examine him, of course, but if he has no means of payment and the sheriff’s office refuses to pay, I’m limited in what I can do.”
“Whatever you can do, Doctor, will be appreciated.”
He nodded and pushed the door open. “That’s why I voted for you, Grace. You may draw a hard line between black-and-white, but people matter to you. It’s not all about the bottom line.”
JD sat on the doctor’s stool. At five-seven it was the only way Dr. Honer could see his patient. If JD laid on the exam gurney his head would be up against the wall, and if he sat up he’d be out of the doctor’s reach unless he bent in half—something his equilibrium wouldn’t allow for in his present condition.
After a thorough exam, Dr. Honer announced, “The good news is there doesn’t appear to be any neck or spinal injuries. As for the head wound, I’m going to need an MRI.”
Concerned by the need for a scan of his brain, she stayed with JD, following him down the hall and sitting with him while he waited to take the test. He sat staring at the wall.
* * *
“Are you okay?” the pretty cop asked, her voice low, careful.
“Apparently not, if the doctor wants to do tests.”
“The tests could reveal good news,” she suggested.
“Doubtful. It’s never good news,” he declared with a depth of feeling that belied his lack of memory.
What a fool, sitting here in the hall dressed in a freaking hospital gown—the nurse had found a cloth one big enough to fit—while the whole world paraded by. He glanced at his bare wrist and bit back a curse. Everything had been stripped from him. He couldn’t even mark the time, except to note it was moving at a slug’s pace.
“I hate hospitals. And you know the worst part?” He sent her a sidelong glance. “I don’t even know why.”
“It must be difficult.”
“Frustrating, debilitating, terrifying. The not knowing goes on and on no matter how hard I try to remember.”
“Maybe you should stop trying, give your brain a chance to heal.”
“Easier said than done. There’s just pain and a whole lot of nothingness.” He leaned his head back against the wall, amazed at what he’d revealed to her. Who knew? Maybe he was a Chatty Cathy, but somehow he doubted it. More likely her soothing presence lulled him on a subliminal level. “Talk to me.”
“Okay.” A beat of silence follow as he watched her struggle to find a topic. “About what?” Right, exactly what did you discuss with a stranger who had no memory?
“Why are you still here? According to what I’ve heard, not only are you off duty, you’re out of a job.”
“That’s right.” She chirped cheerfully, the first false note he’d heard from her. “My term as sheriff is up. I’m footloose and fancy-free as of midnight.”
“So answer the question. Why are you still here? I really can handle this alone, you know. I’m not stupid, I’m just—”
“Memory-challenged,” she finished for him. “I know. But you shouldn’t have to go through this alone, JD. You are the victim of an accident and possibly—probably—a crime in our town. It’s the least I can do to help you until you can stand steady on your own two feet.”
“Why?” She called him JD. He supposed it was better than John Doe, which reminded him of dead bodies.
She blinked at him, black brows drawn together. “Why what?”
“Why is it the least you can do? You don’t owe me anything.” And with a certainty he felt to his core he knew the generosity she offered wasn’t as common as she made it sound. Not in his life. It made him itchy—both grateful and suspicious at the same time.
“For me law enforcement isn’t a job, it’s a calling.” The simplicity of the statement did nothing to detract from her sincerity. “My instincts to protect and serve don’t click on and off with the punch of a time card.”
“Was that your campaign slogan? If so, I can’t believe you lost.”
“I didn’t really run a campaign. I felt my work should stand for itself.”
“So you’re an idealist.”
“No, I’m a realist.”
“Wrong. In the real world a candidate’s work should speak to whether they can do the job, but in reality the voters like to be courted. They want to think you care about their opinion, their vote.”
“So you’re a cynic.”
“No, I’m a geek.”
She sat up straight, her breasts pushing against her khaki uniform shirt. “That’s a clue.”
“What?” He dragged his gaze to her face, flushed with excitement.
“You said you were a geek. That’s pretty specific. Your brain let that slip, it has to mean something.”
“Like what? I belonged to the chess club?”
“I don’t know. But no one would look at you and think geek.”
“And we’re back to me.”
“Yes, but we have a clue. Actually we have several. The chaps and leather jacket tell me you were riding a motorcycle. The quality and the expensive watch tell me you have access to money. And now we know you’re a geek. A picture is forming.”
“Of a motorcycle-riding geek with a fetish for expensive watches? Maybe I don’t want my memory back.”
“Don’t say that. So the clues don’t appear to fit together. That’s only because we don’t have all the pieces yet. It’s all part of a bigger picture.”
He found himself staring at his bare wrist again. He rubbed his hand across it. “I wish I had my watch now. I hate waiting.”
“I’d say we’ve found another clue, but I don’t know anyone who likes to wait. Hang in there.” She patted his knee. “The doctor said it wouldn’t be long.”
Oh, no, she didn’t just treat him like a child to be pacified. Even half-dead he couldn’t allow that to slide. There were consequences when a beautiful woman touched him, and she was about to learn what they were.
Shifting toward her, he reached for the hand that committed the offense and slowly drew it to his mouth. He turned her hand palm-up and pressed a kiss to the sensitive center, gazing into her eyes the whole time.
She looked a little shell-shocked, leading him to believe the men of this tiny burg were idiots.
Her eyes narrowed and she tugged at her hand, seeking freedom. He held on for another moment. “Thank you,” he said, keeping his voice soft, intimate. Finally he released her.
Sparks flashed in her eyes and he braced to be read the riot act. “You could be married, you know.”
Not exactly what he expected. And it made him stop and wonder if he had a woman in his life, and the wondering made his head hurt. He realized he was rubbing his hand over the wound below his rib cage.
“I’m not.”
“You can’t know that for certain.”
“No,” he agreed. Because she was right. No memories existed to support his claim. “Yet somehow I do.”
He wished he knew where the certainty came from. Maybe then he could plumb the source for actual memories, for real recollections. But the more he fought for it, the worse his brain hurt.
Luckily a male tech strolled up. “We’re ready for you. Please follow me.”
“Wish me luck.” He stood, hospital gown flapping around his knees, strangely reluctant to leave her.
“Good luck.” She stood, too, tucked her thumbs in her back pockets. “You’ve got this. After all, you’re a smart guy, just memory-challenged.”
A smile tugged up the corner of his mouth. “Can you hang for a while longer?”
She nodded. “I’ll be here.”
* * *
More than a little flustered, Grace spent the next long, worry-fraught hour gathering her composure around herself. Memory failed her as to when a man last affected her so strongly. She had no reason to care, but she did.
When JD appeared, she hopped to her feet. He looked so drawn. Exhaustion and pain weighed heavily on him. Without a word she followed him back to the doctor’s office and took up her position in the corner.
“Who is the President of the United States?” The doctor started in on the questions needed to determine the extent of JD’s memory loss.
JD answered with a scowl, adding, “What is it with you two and your obsession with the president?”
“General questions are used to create a baseline,” Dr. Honer said. “It helps to determine if you’ve forgotten learned elements, a chunk of time or personal memories.”
“Well, I should know the president’s name. I’ve met him three times.”
Silence fell over the room.
“How do you know that?” she demanded.
JD carefully turned his head around to her. Confusion briefly flashed through his eyes before he blinked it away. “I don’t know.”
“Do you remember under what circumstances you met him?”
“No.”
“Because we might be able to identify you from news reports if we can pinpoint the event.”
“I can’t recall. But I know I’ve met him, just as I know I didn’t have a drink last night.” He turned to the doctor. “How is that possible? To know something but not have the memory to support it?”
“The brain is a marvelous and complex thing,” Dr. Honer responded. “We’re still learning many of its capabilities. The results of injuries are as varied and unpredictable as the number of people who sustain them. Do you remember anything about your childhood? Where you grew up? Your parents’ names?”
“No.” JD pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly in pain, clearly exhausted.
“What is the prognosis, doctor?” Grace asked softly.
“As you suspected, Sheriff, he has a severe concussion and a less serious laceration. Though they are in the same general area I don’t believe they are connected. Is it possible you were in a motorcycle accident?”
“I can’t say, Doc.”
“It’s probable.” Grace spoke up. “He was wearing leather chaps when Porter brought him in.”
Dr. Honer nodded his balding head. “The surface bump and laceration aren’t significant enough to cause the level of swelling revealed by the MRI or the symptoms you’ve described. They certainly shouldn’t have caused a memory lapse. But if you were in a motorcycle accident, it would explain the additional trauma.”
“How so?” JD wanted to know.
“The helmet protected your head, which probably saved your life, but you still connected with the ground with enough impact to shake your head up inside the helmet, causing the brain to ricochet against the skull. Probably knocked you out for a few seconds. An accident would account for the bruising on your hip, as well.”
“And the laceration?” Grace asked.
“It had gravel in it, which tells me it most likely happened after he removed the helmet. He may have fallen on his walk into town. Or more likely someone knocked him down.”
“More likely?” Grace mused in full sheriff mode. “What makes you say that?”
“There’s faint bruising on his lower jaw and on the knuckles of his right hand inconsistent with his other injuries. Since you mentioned he didn’t have a wallet on him, my guess is someone ran him off the road and attempted to rob him. He probably came to in the middle of it, fought back and took a right to the jaw. In his condition that’s all it would take to put him on the ground, causing the bump and the cut. Double head trauma more than accounts for the possibility of memory loss.”
“Does that mean I’ll get my memories back once the bump goes away?”
The doctor scratched his cheek. “I’m more concerned with the swelling of the brain. It could be fatal if it reaches the point of critical mass.”
“And what are the chances of that?” JD’s calmness amazed Grace.
“I’m cautiously optimistic considering the time lapse since you were picked up. You need to remain under observation and have another MRI after a bit, to see if the swelling is increasing or diminishing. It’s possible once the swelling goes down that you could regain some, if not all, of your memories.”
“What are my options if the swelling reaches critical mass?”
“Some people respond to medication. Worst-case scenario—a hole may need to be drilled into your skull to relieve the pressure.”
She shuddered. That sounded scary.
Dr. Honer directed his next comments to her. “I highly recommend he be moved to the city. We don’t have the necessary equipment to handle a delicate procedure of that nature.”
Great. No way Brubaker would authorize the cost of ambulance service to the city. He’d already released the prisoner. JD was on his own. And her duty ended over an hour and half ago.
She could have left at any time, but she kind of felt invested. She could only imagine what JD must be going through: in pain, dealing with strangers, unable to remember anything of his life, not even his own name. It must be frightening. Yet he handled it with stone-faced grace.
“Sheriff, if I can have another moment?”
“There’s no need to leave, Doc.” JD halted them, a grim note in his voice. “If it’s about me, I have a right to hear it.”
“You need another MRI and to be monitored throughout the night, if not the next few days. I’ve expended all the resources I can at this point.”
“I’ll drive him.” The words were out before she fully considered them, but what the heck, she was leaving town anyway. This just moved her agenda up by a few hours. Her sense of duty didn’t end with the removal of her title and paycheck. And it went against every instinct to leave an injured man to take care of himself.
Looking at JD, no one would doubt his ability to handle himself. Though injured, he radiated a quiet intelligence, his stoic endurance testament to an inner core of strength. Which said a lot. Between Dr. Honer’s prognosis and JD’s memory loss, his whole world was one big uncertainty.
“You can drive him. Good, that’s good.” Dr. Honer sighed in relief. “Take him to the free clinic on Main. I’ll send a referral over, let them know to expect you.”
“I can pay.” JD stated with certainty.
She and Dr. Honer stared at him, neither wanting to question how he’d pay as it was clear this was one of those things he knew without knowing how he knew. Remembering the seventy-thousand-dollar watch, she tended to believe him. However, a hospital would be much less trusting.
A knock came at the door and the receptionist stuck her head into the room. “Sheriff’s department dropped off this property bag for Sheriff Delaney.”
“Thanks.” Grace took the large, clear plastic bag, checked to make sure it still held all its contents and handed it to JD. “You’ve officially been released from custody.”