Chapter 6
Amnesia
When Mike arrived at the hospital, the private waiting room was closed. He walked on down the hall to the waiting room for the ‘mere mortals’ and walked over to the coffee pot. There was fresh smelling coffee so he poured a cup.
He had made calls to the five dealerships to see if anything needed his attention and was assured everything was fine. He had then swung by the house he and Celia were renovating. There were two men hanging drywall in one of the upstairs bedrooms but they were just about finished. He had asked them to lock up when they were done and had headed to the hospital.
He figured that Martin would be there, but he wasn’t. No one seemed to be. He asked if he could see Celia and was told the doctor was with her and it would be a little while. He walked around for about an hour and then returned to the nurse’s station. He caught one of the nurses glancing in his direction.
After a moment he remembered her from the day before. He had always been good with names so when she didn’t look too busy, he walked over to the desk. She was reading a chart and when she looked up, he smiled.
“Good morning. Judy, right?” he asked, with a winning smile.
“Yes,” she said, looking at the chart. Mike leaned on the counter. When the second nurse rose from her chair, he turned toward Judy. “Is there any news? No one wants to talk to me today.”
Judy seemed hesitant, but then spoke, “Go to the waiting room down the hall. When I can, I’ll come fill you in.”
He did as she said and about ten minutes later, she walked in. He didn’t like the expression on her face and her tone seemed secretive.
“I’m not supposed to tell, but I don’t have good news.”
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“It’s not her health, it’s her memory. Do you recall I told you the doctor said she might have short term memory loss?”
“Yes.”
“Well, she does. She thinks she’s still dating Mr. Taylor.”
Mike cursed and looked around. They were alone so he spoke openly, “I know this is going to sound strange, but do you think she’s faking?”
The look on her face showed that Judy thought he might be off his rocker and he regretted the question.
“Sir, I don’t think so. She woke up this morning and was very distraught. She thought Mr. Taylor had been in the car with her and wanted to know if he was injured. She seemed very upset.”
Mike nodded. “Thanks. Thanks for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sure you can see her later in the day. Will she know to ask for you? I mean . . . were you and she . . .?” Judy seemed really ill at ease so he just shook his head ‘no’.
“We weren’t that close until lately. She would know who I am, but that’s about it.”
“Well, sir,” Judy said, stepping backwards, “if she does ask for you, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Thanks. I’ll be here until the family arrives.”
“Good. I’ll send them here. They called and checked on Celia this morning. If I recall, their flight should be here around noon. Mr. Taylor is sending a car to pick them up.”
“He would do that.” Mike forced a smile. “Thanks for the update. I really do appreciate it.”
“Yes sir. If you need anything, just ask for me. I’ll be on shift most of the day.”
With this, Judy forced a smile, turned and walked out the door. Mike walked over to the long couch and sat down. He wanted to talk with Celia and see what he thought about this memory loss. Was she just acting?
The way she had ranted and raved over the last few weeks, he couldn’t see her really wanting to be around Martin. Then again, a part of him could see it very clearly. She would just love to drag Martin along on some kind of stupid charade. Mike let out a deep sigh and his mind went back to the last time he and Celia had talked about Martin.
“I’m not sure what he sees in that woman. She’s a maid. What does she have that I don’t?” Celia had been standing, holding a 2 x 4 while Mike marked it and cut off about two inches. He had heard this same remark from Celia numerous times lately. He really wanted to tell her to just shut-up but knew she needed to vent.
“Maybe he likes a simple mind,” he said knowing it would make Celia laugh.
“Thanks. That makes me feel better.” She stepped back as he picked up the piece of wood and rested it under the new counter they were installing. “You’re good at this. I love what you’re doing with this house.”
“Thanks. I enjoy this kind of work. It’s fun in a creative kind of way.”
“Well, fun or not, you’re good at it. I can only imagine the money we’ll make when we sell the place. I hadn’t thought about needing money for a long time. I just knew that Martin and I were going to get married.”
“I suppose that’s what you saw for your future?”
“It was,” she said, stepping back and crossing her arms as he nailed the board into place. “I never thought in my life that I would be having to worry about money or a place to live. Sadly, my mother never pushed me to do anything but find a rich man. I know that’s a little outdated, but it’s what she did.”
“You’re not a spinster.” Mike put in two more nails and straightened up. “There’s still plenty of time to find the right man.”
She shrugged. “I thought I had the right man. I thought I was in love with Martin.”
This was the first time she had ever mentioned ‘love’ when talking about Martin and, sadly, he was all she wanted to talk about. “Are you saying that you didn’t love him?”
Mike wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer. He also wasn’t really sure why he even cared. Celia was pushy and she was spoiled. More than likely, she was just trying to find a rich husband and be set for the rest of her life, or at least, the next several years. Still, there was something about this woman that kept him coming back for more . . .
“I don’t know if I loved him or not but it doesn’t matter now. He’s moved on and so have I. I’m going to show him I don’t need him or his money. I’ll land on my feet and I’ll buy that house he’s living in. It’s my dream house and it will be mine someday!”
Mike came out of his thoughts and looked at his watch. He needed to get in to see Celia. He had to know if she had really lost her memory or if this was just a ploy to snag the rich and famous Martin Taylor. This memory lapse could once and for all get her what she wanted, the house she had always dreamed of and the money that came with it.