The next morning started off like most every other morning. Except, Daniel didn’t feel like he did most every other morning. He was more alert. Anticipation running through his blood.

As he went through the motions of his routine, he found himself watching for a little elfin princess.

He hadn’t slept much last night. He had been making plans. Planning how his life would be different with a wife. He knew he was jumping the gun. He only met her yesterday. But he also knew that she was the one. She was the one he wanted to marry. She was perfect for him.

Of course, he admitted, he had to learn more about her. That was a given. And he had to convince her that she should marry him. He’d been engaged before, but that had been a different situation entirely. Now he knew not to question his gut instinct on these things.

He had spent an hour last night, after everyone else had gone home, going over her personnel file. There weren’t enough details to tell him much. Mattie was usually much more thorough. No wonder she hadn’t risked telling him about Madison before she came on board. He would have wanted to know much more - like where she worked before.

Details. He was good with details. He would find out everything.

During his initial check of the train cars, he glanced out through the window toward the depot area for what must have been the hundredth time that morning.

He almost didn’t recognize her. Unlike yesterday when she had been wearing her business outfit, today, she was dressed like him. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She was so slim, yet she gave the outfit curves like it had never seen before. She truly looked like a different person. But she was still beautiful. Maybe even more so.

Because now she stood out from anyone else who would try to wear that uniform. No one else could be that good looking in it.

He also felt a sense of relief. He had been afraid she wouldn’t come back. It had happened before with people they had hired. And, he had to admit, he hadn’t exactly been all that encouraging.

He would have to make that up to her. Somehow.

Watching through the window, he watched her walk across the grounds. She was wearing the aspen leaf he had given her yesterday. Wearing it openly and proudly.

That was certainly more than a step in the right direction. She was wearing the gift that he gave her. His hope soared.

When she climbed onto the train, she didn’t look at him. Maybe that wasn’t such a good sign. But he was not to be deterred.

“Good morning,” he said, cheerfully.

“Good morning,” she echoed, still not looking at him as she veered in the other direction.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Wonderfully,” she said, over her shoulder. And kept walking.

Daniel wondered that perhaps she hadn’t actually slept all that well. He would give her some time. She would come around.

She was, after all, wearing the necklace.

He went to seek out the engineer. There would be plenty of time later for courting Miss Madison McKivitz of Houston, Texas.

Madison had started out being a little distant from Daniel on purpose, then it had been because she was so incredibly busy. Today’s rowdy passengers made yesterday’s look they were on tranquilizers.

The questions took the most time. She’d gotten no further than the second gondola car because of the questions. She was thankful she had studied the materials Mattie had given her as she answered questions from the history of the train to the route to the type of trees they passed.

She was as surprised as anyone when the train skidded to a sudden halt in one of the turns. The passengers all searched frantically to see what had caused the delay.

“What is it?”

“Is something wrong?”

The questions swirled, most of them directed at her. “I really don’t know. But, I’ll find out,” she said finally, turning to head to the next car.

“Look, it’s bears!” one of the passengers called, pointing to the tracks in front of the train.

It was then that she saw them. Cavorting on the tracks was a momma bear and two bear cubs. Every passenger on the train who could find a spot moved to the right side of the train and more cameras clicked than at a sighting of Channing Tatum.

Amused, Madison altered her attention between the passengers and the bears they watched.

As the momma bear looked on, the two cubs chased each other and tumbled on top of each other, rolling through the grass.

With all their attention on the bears, no one saw the little boy of about two or three years old get off the train and start toward the bears.

Madison, though, did see him. She, too, hopped off the train and started to follow him. The little boy ran pretty fast to be so young. She moved slowly so as not to startle either the boy or the bears.

She could have used a little more lead time, however. The momma bear saw him and was closer to him than Madison was.

After standing up on her hind legs and ushering her cubs behind her, she landed hard and watched the clueless little boy, laughing happily, approach her babies.

By then, the other passengers had seen what was going on. However, everyone seemed immobilized as they watched the drama unfold. Madison was the only one besides the little boy off the train.

The momma bear went toward the child slowly. He continued to race toward the bears, laughing and obviously anticipating playing with the live teddy bears.

When he reached the bear, she must have recognized him as a cub similar to that of her own babies. She put out one huge paw, swiped him away, and turning, slowly ambled away.

The child was thrown aside and tossed to the ground, but left alone. Silent. Bleeding.

With the bears rushing toward the trees, Madison ran toward the boy and turning him over, checked for damage. He was bleeding, but he had a pulse. Pulling off one of her boots, she pulled her sock from her foot and wrapped it around the boy’s bleeding shoulder. By then, the child was wailing. She took that as a good sign.

Then, within seconds, Daniel was at her side as were several other passengers including the child’s parents. Daniel had already radioed for a helicopter to come and take the boy to the emergency room.

Madison stayed with them, assuring them that their child was going to be alright, until the emergency vehicle arrived.

It was an hour later before they were back on the train and on their way to Silverton.

She and Daniel went around to all the cars and assured them that though they were a couple hours behind schedule, everything would come out alright. For those who wanted to ride the train back, they would still get their two hours in Silverton. For those on a schedule, there would be a bus waiting in Silverton for them to ride back so they wouldn’t lose any time.

After all of that was taken care of, Madison found herself alone with Daniel, once more, on the platform between cars.

“You were impressive,” he said.

“I didn’t do much,” she said. “I could have gotten to him sooner, but I wasn’t sure how the bear would react.”

“No, you handled it perfectly,” he said. “If you had rushed the bear, she probably would not have been so easy on you. She saw the boy as a nuisance and probably didn’t mean to hurt him at all. If she had meant to hurt him, she would have.”

“Still, it was not more than anyone else would have done.”

“It was more than anyone else did,” he said, reaching out to run his hand along her shoulder. “And you are short a sock.”

“Now that is true.”

“How did you think to do that?”

“I don’t know. Instinct.”

“Kids of your own?”

“Not that I know of.”

Daniel laughed. “I kind of think you’d know.”

“Yeah, no kids,” she hesitated. Did she really want to know if Daniel had children? She was trying to avoid getting close to anyone, especially him. She couldn’t resist. “You?” she asked, fearing the answer.

“No, no kids for me either. At least not yet.”

At least not yet. That was an odd thing to come out of a guy’s mouth. Most guys avoided the topic, much less admitted that they may actually want children someday.

She must have had an odd expression on her face because he smiled. “Yes, I can admit that someday I might want children.”

“I’m sure your girlfriend is happy to hear that.” She felt it was a logical gamble since he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

“I’m sure she would be if I had one.”

“Wife then.”

“No, no wife then.”

“Boyfriend.”

He laughed. Again. “You’re funny.”

“Thanks.”

“You can ride the bus back if you want to.”

“Are you kidding? And miss all the excitement?”

After the train docked in Silverton, and the passengers went into town, Madison found a quiet place in one of the coaches to sit, take out her journal, and start writing.

She wrote about the events of the day, the bear, the boy, her quick response and obvious knowledge about how to care for him. She had not hesitated. And she had not been afraid. What did it mean?

Daniel must have learned from yesterday’s experience because today he didn’t come up behind her. Today, she looked up to see him standing in the doorway watching her.

She closed her journal, and tucked it into her bag.

“Here you are, sitting inside when it’s such a beautiful day outside.”

She looked out the window. It was, indeed, a beautiful day. It wasn’t cold and it wasn’t hot. It wasn’t cloudy. It was perfect.

“I see you’ve come to rescue me from myself,” she said.

“Again.”

“Can I repay you by buying you lunch?” she surprised herself by asking. She found that she was actually hungry today.

He looked a little surprised. “Sure,” he said.

She found that she felt a lot steadier today, even after having to save a boy from a momma bear.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m ok,” she said. “You?”

“I’m proud of you.”

“Proud of me?”

“Yes, you took charge today. If you didn’t already work for me, I’d hire you.”

“I don’t know that I actually work for you, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

He looked at her strangely, but didn’t respond to her statement. “Feel like pizza?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, looking at the quaint little pizza parlor called Smedley’s Pizzeria next to Smedley’s Ice Cream Parlor. It even had white table cloths on the tables. “It looks nice.”

“It is nice. And the food is good, too.”

They found a table in the midst of noisy tourists.

“If it’s too loud,” Daniel said, “we can go.”

“No, I like it,” she said, with a sideways grin. “It reminds me of the city.”

“Right. I forgot for a moment that you’re a city girl.”

“How could you? With my brakeman uniform and all.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking.”

She ordered a slice of cheese pizza and he ordered a slice of supreme.

“You seemed to know just what to do with that boy,” he said. “Have you had first aid training?”

“Of course. Mattie required it.”

“Yeah, but that’s pretty basic. I mean before.”

“Hasn’t everyone at some point? I’m telling you, it was instinct.”

“Ok. It’s just rare for someone to do that.”

“I don’t think you give people enough credit,” Madison said. “I just happened to be the first one to see him.”

“Nonetheless, I hope you’ll let me show my appreciation.”

“Your appreciation? What do you mean by that?”

“Let me take you to dinner.”

“To dinner? Sounds like a date.”

“No, not a date. Just dinner.”

“Why?”

He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. “To show my appreciation.”

She smiled. She was enjoying causing him frustration.

“By the way,” he asked. “How do you like your uniform?”

The server brought the pizza and set it down in front of them. “Can I get you anything else?”

They said no. “By the way,” the server said, with a wink at Madison. “You two make a cute couple.”

They both stared at her retreating back, speechless. Then they looked at each other. Madison shook her head. “It’s the uniform,” she said. “She probably thinks we dressed alike on purpose. So, to answer your question, right now I don’t think much about the uniform.”

Madison took a bite of the cheesy pizza and, closing her eyes, chewed slowly.

“Is it that good?” Daniel asked.

Madison opened her eyes and looked at him as she chewed. “You try,” she said, “and tell me what you think.”

He took a bite, but instead of closing his eyes, looked at her while he chewed. “It is good,” he said. “Anyway, are you going to let me take you to dinner?”

“Why don’t you just take me to lunch?” she asked, then took a sip of her coke.

“I am taking you to lunch.”

“Great. Then we’re even. I did it for the little boy anyway.”

“I know you did. But you did it as part of your job.”

“Not really. I would have done it anyway,” she said, pushing aside her plate.

“Somehow I think you would have.”

“Wouldn’t you have done it?” She gazed into his green eyes, wondering why he was making such a big deal out of it.

“I probably would have. But I’m a little unusual, I suppose.”

“Really? How are you unusual?” She asked.

“I like to help people.”

“Everybody says that.”

“Maybe,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

“No, really. Everyone says they want to help people, but few people actually do it.”

“My point exactly,” he said.

“You’re incorrigible.”

He laughed. “Where did you go to college Madison?”

Madison sipped her coke. It was a simple question really. One that anyone would be able to answer - even if it was to say that they didn’t go to college at all. But she did. She knew she did go. She just couldn’t remember where she went.

To most people, she would have made something up. She would have said she went to University of Colorado or Colorado State. Who would be any wiser? But, first of all, she didn’t want to lie to Daniel and second, she knew that she could lose her job for lying to her employer. She had told Mattie that she hadn’t remembered and Mattie had hired her anyway. Mattie had also agreed not to tell anyone.

But Madison needed to tell Daniel. She didn’t want to, but she had to.

“I don’t know,” she said.

He stared at her, motionless. Apparently, he wasn’t sure what to say. What did one say, after all, when they told you they didn’t remember where they went to college? She was obviously too young for Alzheimer’s disease. Or was she? Maybe she had early onset.

She hated when she did this. When she had ideas about what was wrong with her and tried to decide if that was, indeed, what she had.

“What do you mean you don’t remember?” he asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

She sighed. He would never look at her the same way. “I just don’t know.”

“How can you not know?”

“I have amnesia.”

Silent. Again. Then, “What do you remember?”

“The last thing I remember is waking up in a vaguely familiar condo a week ago.”

“It must be where you live.”

“I don’t think so.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t. It’s just a feeling. I didn’t recognize anything there.”

“You don’t remember anything else about your life?”

“I remember my childhood and high school, and I have occasional images after that, but nothing recent. My driver’s license says I live in Houston. That’s all I know.”

“What about a cell phone?”

“I don’t seem to have one with me.”

“Where did you live in Houston?”

“I didn’t recognize the address.”

“How can you not know where you live?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?”

“I don’t know how I can not know. It makes no sense to me either.”

“Can’t you contact the police in Houston to find out who you are?”

“I did. Or rather Mattie did. Apparently, I moved and didn’t get around to changing my driver’s license.”

He sat back and considered this new information. “I’ve never heard of anything like this before. So, you moved to Durango, Colorado, but you don’t remember doing it?”

“I can remember everything since I got here. So, it’s anterograde amnesia.”

“How do you know that?”

“Beats me. Apparently, I studied it at some point.”

“What do you think caused it?”

She shrugged. “Maybe I had brain damage.”

“You’re sure you’re safe living where you are?”

“No one has shown up yet. And I have a key.”

“I don’t know. It sounds risky. Maybe you should stay with me.”

“Good try,” she said. “I’ve lost my memory, not my good sense.”

“Humph. We’ll come back to the idea later. How did you end up at the train?”

“I was walking around downtown Durango, heard the train whistle, and followed it to the depot. What can I say? I was drawn to it.”

“Strange,” was all he said.

“So... when you ask me questions like who I am and where I came from, I can’t answer them.”

“You seem to be dealing with it well.”

“I’m making the most of it. I’m writing everything I do and think in my journal. One, so that if it happens again, I can refresh my memory, and two, so maybe something will trigger my memory.”

“That explains so much,” he said.

“I didn’t want to tell you,” she said. “I don’t want it to change anything.”

“It doesn’t change anything for me.”

“I can’t tell you my work history. I can’t tell you who I’ve been in the past. I can tell you very little about myself.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said. “You’ve shown me. You’re a good person. Kind. Caring. Responsible. Intelligent. You have so many good qualities.”

“Thank you.”

The restaurant had cleared out for the most part. Madison knew it was about time to get back to the train.

Walking back to the train, they saw a herd of elk with two fawns bounding around the field. They stopped and watched them in companionable silence.

Madison hadn’t wanted to be close to Daniel. She hadn’t wanted to be close to anyone, but now that she was, she didn’t want the closeness to end. She was afraid. She was afraid that he would reconsider the friendship that he had seemed to be offering to her these past two days. She was afraid he would see her differently - either as someone vulnerable to take advantage of or someone who was not quite right in the head and not worth spending time with.

“Madison,” Daniel said, getting her attention. When she looked at him. “If you need anything - anything at all, tell me. I want to help you. I wanted to get to know you anyway before you told me about the amnesia. Now I still want to get to know you, but I also want to be there for you. And seriously, if you need a place to live, you can stay with me. No strings. None. I’m not out to hurt you.”

Maybe he was a mind reader. Maybe she had some kind of illness that she spoke and didn’t remember what she had said. Jeez. She sounded schizophrenic. Did I broadcast my thoughts?

“Daniel, just now, before, while we were watching the elk. Did I say anything to you?”

“No, nothing. We were just standing there.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I was worried that I had said something to you and didn’t remember it. I was thinking a lot of what you just said.”

“This must be terrifying for you. I was only responding to some of what I thought I would be feeling if this happened to me.”

She nodded. “You’re a good man.”

“I try.”

When they stepped back on the train, and into the gondola car where the little boy had been riding, everyone began clapping.

Madison looked at Daniel questioningly.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“You were a hero this morning,” one of the men said.

“You saved that little boy’s life,” his companion said.

“I only did what anyone would have done.”

“You’re the only one who did it,” someone else said, echoing what Daniel had said.

She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t think she had done anything out of the ordinary.

“Thank you,” she said, simply, with tears in her eyes.

Daniel put his hand on her shoulder and they went to stand by the railing of the open gondola car.

Madison didn’t know where she belonged in this world. She had some images of her parents and her childhood, but after that, up to now, age thirty – according to her Texas driver’s license, her mind was blank. She didn’t know where to find her parents or what she did before this. She didn’t know where she fit in.

But right now, at this moment, she felt she belonged here - on this train. And though she was afraid to admit it, she felt she belonged with Daniel.

She knew it could be because she was lonely. Or because he’d been kind to her. Or because she knew no one else.

But she didn’t care so much at the moment. She liked the feeling. The feeling of belonging. The feeling that she had someone she could confide in. Someone who believed in her.

Daniel stayed close to Madison for the rest of the ride home. He knew she could take care of herself. He knew that nothing had changed with her. But he also knew that he cared even more for her now. Now she needed him. She needed his protection. She was vulnerable. Anyone could take advantage of her. They could lie to her and convince her that she knew them. That could be devastating.

He wasn’t sure yet what he was going to do to help her, but he had to do something. But, first he had to convince her to allow him to stay near her.

After they finished up for the day, he caught her before she disappeared to go home.

“Madison,” he called, running up behind her. She looked tired. She hadn’t adapted to the work routine yet. It had taken him a long time to adapt to the long physically grueling days. “I’ll walk you home.”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Please. Let me. No one else knows where you live. If something were to happen, at least I would know where to find you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay. If you insist. But I really find it unnecessary.”

“Good,” he said. “Then we can go to dinner.”

“I don’t think so.”

“And why not?” He asked, moving into step beside her.

“Because I am filthy and I am exhausted and I’m not going anywhere like this.”

“You can clean up first.”

“Nope. After I clean up, I’m going to crash into my bed.”

“Okay, you win. When’s your first day off?”

“Tuesday.”

“Great. We’ll have dinner on Tuesday.”

“You’re a little persistent, aren’t you?”

“Sometimes.”

“Have you ever had a restraining order against you?”

He laughed. “Never. Actually, I would let most people go.”

“Why not me?”

“Cause you’re pretty.”

This time she laughed. “You’re insane.”

“Hey, maybe you were a psychologist.”

“Maybe so,” she said, sobering.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t help trying to figure out the puzzle.”

“Yeah, well, try living with it.”

“Talk to me. Let me help.”

“Not now. I’m drained. And right now, all I need to know about me is that I am exhausted.”

He nodded. And allowed her to walk in silence.

When they turned down Patterson Lane, Daniel stopped and looked around. “You don’t live here?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because people who live here aren’t train brakemen.”

“How do you know?”

Because I used to live here. “Because it’s not the kind of neighborhood that working people live in,” he said, turning down the familiar street.

“Who lives here?”

“Some professionals, some entrepreneurs, some philanthropists. Maybe an author.”

“Maybe a brakeman who does it just for fun could live here,” she suggested.

“I don’t know,” he said.

She shrugged.

“If you really live here, you probably don’t need to work on the train. You need to be riding the train.”

She laughed. “This way I get to not only ride the train, but also have something to do.”

She unlocked the front door and he followed her inside. The patio home - not really a condo at all, was elegantly furnished. There was a pale pink and brown rug across the mahogany floor of the living room which was furnished with a rich mocha leather sofa softened by pink throws and pillows.

The terrace doors opened out into a brick-fenced back yard several yards deep. Without looking around, he knew the bathroom sported a patio tub and the kitchen would have an indoor grill, huge island, and large side-by-side thermal refrigerator.

He’s spent some time around this area of the neighborhood.

Unable to resist, he went to the door leading into the garage and opened it. He whistled when he saw the car inside. It was a sleek black Mercedes. “Is that your car?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Madison,” he said, following her into the kitchen. “You have a Mercedes parked in the garage of your half-million-dollar patio home.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, you need to find out who you are. You don’t need to work.”

“I want to work.”

He shook his head. “You’re insane.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Just because I have some nice stuff doesn’t mean I have any money. And even if I do, first of all, I don’t know how to access it. And, second, I like my job.”

“I’m sure you do,” he said. “It’s one of the best jobs a person can have.” He paused and looked around the well-furnished living area - devoid of photographs and other personal items. “However, if you’ll let me, I’ll try to help you figure out who you are. It’s got to be stressful just not knowing.”

She nodded. “It is stressful, but I’ve adapted.”

“Adapted? It’s been what? A week?”

“Something like that.”

“You haven’t had time to adapt. You’re just reacting.”

She crossed her arms and looked away. “You don’t know.”

“Then help me understand,” he said, going to her, but not touching her.

She wouldn’t look at him. He could help her. He knew he could. He could help her figure this out.

Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe she didn’t want to know. Maybe she didn’t even know that she didn’t want to know. But maybe she didn’t. She was building a new life here and maybe that was what she wanted. A new life.

“Do you want to know?” he asked softly.

She turned to him with tears in her eyes. “Please tell me how I could possibly not want to know. I have no memories of my childhood - Christmases, vacations, graduations. I don’t even know if I went to college.”

“I’m sure you did,” he assured her.

“No. You don’t know.”

He put his hand on her shoulder then. “You, Madison McKivitz are successful. Whether you went to college or not, you are no loser.”

She looked away. “I just need to know. I need to know who I am. Where I came from. So, don’t ever think I don’t want to know. I want to know more than anything. But I can’t know right now. So, I have to make the most of it all. Just because I’m coping doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said, walking away from him. “You can’t know. No one can know. The confusion.”

“Sadness?”

She seemed to consider this. “No, no really. It’s hard to mourn what you can’t remember.”

Daniel’s heart went out to her. He so wanted to fix things for her, but he so didn’t know how. He knew what he had to do. He had to just be there for her. Despite her brave words of conviction, his instinct told him she didn’t want to know who she had been. Not yet anyway.

“Madison, I’m here if you need me.”

She turned and looked at him again. “Thank you.”

“I’m gonna go now and give you some time to yourself. Five in the morning comes awfully early.”

She smiled then, but she looked like she could have cried just as easily. “Okay.”

“Here’s my contact information,” he said, handing her a business card.

She nodded and looked down at the card he handed her.

Closing the distance between them, he hugged her and kissed the top of her head. She responded by putting her arms around him and holding on. They stood that way for what could been seconds or could have been an hour - he completely lost track of time as he reveled in the feel of her soft body pressed against his.

He wasn’t sure whose idea it was to pull away, only that he didn’t want to despite the knowledge that he had to go. She was too vulnerable right now for him to make any moves on her and he would be a heel if he did so.

He turned and she followed him to the door. She stood at the door, one hand on the doorknob, and watched him walk away.

Daniel had been right. Five o’clock did come incredibly early. She was beginning to get the feeling that she really wasn’t a morning person. If she ever got a day off, she would happily spend it sleeping. She couldn’t say she hadn’t slept well. She’d fallen asleep with her mind enveloped with thoughts of Daniel and she hadn’t stirred all night long. When she woke, he was the first thing she thought of, and she couldn’t wait until she saw him again - the only good thing about being up at five and out the door at six.

For reasons unknown, the train was busy that morning. She only saw Daniel once from a distance and they passed once in the aisle of a coach car. He had a passenger in tow. He winked as he passed, sending her pulse into overtime.

Madison found herself answering numerous questions from inquisitive tourists, but true to form, everyone quieted as the train crept along the canyon wall, just inches from disaster.

A couple of times that morning, Madison noticed that a young woman maybe in her mid-twenties kept watching her and turning to whisper to her male companion. Madison pretty much ignored it, assuming that it had something to do with her uniform.

As they were on the home stretch to Silverton, Madison was walking past the same woman when she thought she heard her name.

“Dr. McKivitz.”

She stopped and stood still, looking ahead, her thoughts racing frantically. Someone else must have her same last name. She looked to see who the woman was talking to. She was looking straight at her. Madison looked behind her, but there was no one there, except for a couple of kids.

“Dr. McKivitz,” the girl said again.

“I’m sorry. You have the wrong person.”

The girl pointed to her name tag. “But you’re Madison McKivitz.”

Madison glanced at her nametag, as inane as that was. “Yes, but…”

“You’re my doctor. In Houston. I saw you three months ago.”

“I’m sure it’s just someone who looks like me,” Madison said. “Everyone has a twin out there.” She looked up and saw Daniel watching her from a mere few feet away. She shook her head and walked the other way.

It was a coincidence. That was all. She wasn’t a doctor. The idea was preposterous.

A few minutes later, Daniel followed her to the front of the train where she had fled.

“Madison?” he called.

She didn’t look at him. “She’s mistaken.”

“I spoke to her. She’s certain you’re her doctor.”

She turned at him, anger in her features. “You had no right to talk to her about me. About who she thinks I am.”

‘I’m sorry. I want to help.”

“Then stop trying!” she said through her teeth. The train slowed and she jumped off. She jumped off and ran. Blindly. She didn’t know where she was going. She didn’t care. She just needed to get away.

Daniel had no choice but to let her go. It was bad enough having one staff member running away from the train when it was about to dock, but having the conductor do so would have been unconscionable. He watched her until she disappeared around the corner of a large gray building. Then he went back to his passengers.

He felt bad about invading her privacy, yet he could not pass up the opportunity to speak to someone who possibly knew who she was. It did seem a little far-fetched that she was a physician. But then, she had known how to help the little boy who was swatted by the bear.

This definitely warranted more thought – later - when he had the time to explore it. Right now, he had to get the passengers off the train so he could find Madison.

He found her in the little park under the aspen trees. She was watching a father and son with their collie playing catch in the adjoining field. She glanced in his direction when he walked up to her.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“I didn’t act very professional. And I’m sorry about that.”

“Madison. You’re going through something that supersedes your job. You had every right to be upset.”

“Upset. Yes. But I should not have left my passengers.”

He smiled to himself. Her passengers. She was definitely integrated into her role as a brakeman. He found it endearing. “Madison,” he said.

She looked up at him, her eyes still moist.

“Why do you think you couldn’t be a physician?”

“Because I know nothing about medicine. Nothing. I’ve racked my brain and I’m not coming up with anything beyond ibuprofen and Benadryl. Normal things that everyone knows about.”

“What about other things?”

“What other things?”

“Other things that you should know?”

“I know where we are. I know who the President is. I know all the basics to get by, but I don’t know who I am except that I do know that I’m not a doctor.”

“Ok,” he said, sitting down beside her and stretching his long legs out.” Maybe you have a twin.”

“Maybe so,” she said, her face brightening. “That could explain it. I could have a twin or a sister. But.... we wouldn’t have the same name.”

“No, but you could have adopted her name when you lost your memory.”

“Maybe so,” she said, considering.

“Come on,” Daniel said, “I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.”

“I’m a guy. Guys eat.”

She got up and they started walking toward Main street. “I hope you don’t want pizza again.”

“What’s wrong with pizza?”

“A girl has to watch her figure.”

He scoffed “That’s not something you have to worry about.”

Madison looked at him, frowning.

“I’m just saying.”

“Nonetheless, let’s see if we can find someplace with a salad.”

Daniel breathed a silent sigh of relief. Not only was she feeling better, but she was beginning to feel comfortable around him. He was making progress in the right direction.

“What’s wrong with this place?” she asked, pointing to the first restaurant they passed.

“You don’t want to go in there,” he said.

“Why not? It looks nice enough,” she said as she opened the door and walked in.

All eleven men sitting at the bar turned and watched them walk inside. Madison seemed oblivious to them. A perky blonde server came up to seat them.

“We’d like to sit away from the bar,” Daniel said.

“Sure, honey,” the server said. “I can get you whatever you want.”

“Just a table.” he said.

Madison looked at him questioningly. “I tried to warn you.”

After they were seated at a small table with a real flower in a vase between them, Madison asked, “what’ s wrong with this place?”

“It’s nothing. I’m sure they have salads.”

“Daniel,” she said, and waited until he looked up at her. “Those guys at the bar? The waitress? Is this some kind of pick-up place?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” he said.

She looked around at the mix of what must be locals and what were obviously tourists. Then she laughed.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “What’s funny?”

“I don’t know. It’s just funny that these unsuspecting tourists are here just having a good time and the locals are trying to pick them up.”

“They don’t pick up tourists,” he said, seriously.

“Why not? Tourists would be a great one-night stand.”

“Yeah, but tourists don’t stay the night. Now if they do, that might be different. I’ve only had to stay over a couple of times, and I always stay in my room.”

“Is that so? You don’t go for adventure?”

“I wouldn’t call being picked up for a one-night stand an adventure.”

The server came back, took their order without incident, and disappeared. “One house salad for the lady and one cheeseburger well-done with fries for the gentleman,” she repeated.

Madison watched her walk away. “She lost some of her friendliness.”

“Who knows,” he said, opening a package of crackers. “Are you sure all you want is a salad?”

‘I’m sure,” she looked up thoughtfully. “Maybe I was a nutritionist in my other life.”

“You give the meaning of another life a whole new meaning.”

She smiled. “I guess I do, don’t I?”

“Have you been through your whole house to look for clues?”

“Only about a dozen times.”

“Would you like me to take a look - in case you missed something?’

“Trust me. I looked at everything.”

“Okay,” he said, backing off. He had to remember not to push so much. “What’s your favorite movie?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he winced. She didn’t know anything about herself, how could she possibly know what her favorite movie was?

“Rear Window,” she said.

“Really? With Jimmy Stewart?”

“Yes, and Grace Kelly.”

“How can you know that?”

“I don’t know. I just know.”

“That’s fascinating,” he said, leaning back with his arms crossed.

“That’s freaky,” she said, “the way you’re looking at me.”

He uncrossed his arms and sat up. “I’m sorry. You’re right. But it is interesting that you know that.”

“I agree. But sometimes I wish I hadn’t told you about the whole memory loss things. I just felt strange not being able to answer basic questions.”

“You know,” he said, sitting back again.

“Here you go,” the server suddenly appeared again. “One house salad and one cheeseburger,” she announced, setting their plates in front of them. “What else can I get you?”

Madison didn’t bother to answer since the waitress was focused on Daniel. He shook his head.

They ate in silence for a couple of minutes. Daniel was focused on something he was trying to remember from psychology class.

“You were about to say something,” Madison said.

“I was trying to remember something.”

“And did you?”

“I seem to remember studying a condition where someone loses their memory and travels to a new location and starts a new identity.”

“It’s called a fugue,” she said, stirring her salad and taking a bite.”

“Yeah, that’s it. It’s been awhile since my intro psych class.”

“What was your major?’

“Economics.”

“Economics?” she echoed, chuckling. “Did you graduate?”

“Sure did.”

“What made you choose that for your major?”

“It seemed practical.”

“Are you a practical person?”

“Sometimes.”

“So, do you remember anything about your childhood? About growing up?” he asked.

“Actually, yes,” she answered. “I remember I was a majorette in high school.”

He smiled. “I can see that about you.” He could imagine her in a little short skirt, twirling a baton, a smile on her face.

“Stop it,” she said.

“What?” He asked, all innocent.

“I think you’re enjoying the idea too much.”

He lowered his gaze and bit back the grin, but he couldn’t resist the image.

They finished their lunch, and went back to the train, mostly silent on the walk back.

Daniel contemplated the possibility of Madison being in a fugue state. He would have to do more research on it.

“I’m going to stay in the open-air cars,” Madison announced, interrupting his thoughts.

“Sure, I don’t blame you,” he said.

Madison found the rest of the trip to be uneventful. Maybe she looked unapproachable, standing there in her dark sunglasses, but no one asked her any questions. And no one stuck their head out the windows.

She knew she was still feeling out of sorts when she didn’t even bother to wave to the tourists watching them travel past.

After getting all the tourists and their belongings off the train, she gathered up her bag and started across the depot area.

She was caught off-guard when she spotted Daniel standing next to the engine with a guy and two girls that she didn’t recognize. They were about Daniel’s age and the girls were exceptionally attractive - one blonde and one brunette.

He didn’t even notice her as she walked past - not six feet from him. They were laughing and completely oblivious to anyone else.

Madison walked through the depot and started home. For the first time she could remember, she felt lonely. Lonely and morose.

She hadn’t seen Daniel all afternoon, not since lunch. And he had seemed distracted on their walk back to the train, hardly saying anything at all to her.

She let herself into her condo, looked around at the sterile environment that could belong to anyone. Nothing was personal. None of it gave her any clues as to who she was. No collectables, no pictures, no books. No answering machine to check. No mail. No email to check. Not even a pet to welcome her home from a long day at work.

She sat on the sofa, put her face in her hands, and wept.

She wept for what she couldn’t remember. She wept for she had lost. But most of all, she wept for what she now knew she couldn’t have after a glimpse of what she wanted - Daniel.

“Tell me again why Adam couldn’t make it,” Daniel said, over a beer.

His best friends, Randi, Jenni, and Mark had dragged him, all but kicking and screaming, to their favorite watering hole - the Silver Nugget.

“He had to work,” Randi said.

“Right,” Daniel said, still distracted. His friends exchanged glances. He knew this, but didn’t care. Adam and Randi were a couple and Jenni and Mark were married. He was the odd man out anyway. He was used to it. He would have been happier if he could have brought Madison, but he remembered what she had told him last night. She was dirty and tired and “wasn’t going anywhere like this.” So, he had left her alone. He had checked their schedules and they both had Tuesday off. Tuesday he would pester her until she agreed to spend time with him.

“What’s been going on in your life?” Jenni asked him.

Daniel drank from his beer bottle, glanced at her. “Just work.”

“How has work been?”

“It’s been fine, Jenni.”

Daniel kept his tone even. Jenni had a master’s degree in clinical psychology and he could rarely get past her without her trying to delve into his psyche. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to date after all this time.

“You seem distracted,” she persisted.

“I’m just tired.”

“You’re always tired. This is different.”

“Mark,” he pleaded. “Do something.”

“Hey, man, don’t look at me.”

“Randi?”

“She’s right. There’s something going on with you.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “And you wonder why I don’t date,” he mumbled under his breath.

“What’s her name?” Mark asked. Mark had known Daniel since grade school. He wasn’t a psychologist, but he knew his friend.

“Whose name?” Daniel asked, hiding behind his bottle.

“He’s not going to tell you,” Mark told his wife.

“Then it must be serious.”

Daniel groaned. Then it occurred to him that Jenni was just the person he needed to talk to. “Jenni?” he began.

Jenni perked up. Always ready to perform psychoanalysis.

“Have you ever heard of a fugue?”

“Sure. Why?”

“I’m just curious. Someone was telling me about it.”

Jenni seemed disappointed, but nonetheless seemed happy to convey what she knew. “It’s very rare. It’s a stress response. The person travels to a new location, forgets everything they knew about their past life and takes on a whole new identity. If someone sees them and confronts them about their old identity, they deny it. They don’t want to go back.”

“So, they’re resistant to remembering?”

“Yeah. They want to leave it all behind.”

“Even if they say want to remember?”

“Unconsciously, they don’t.”

“Do they ever remember?”

“Sure, but reluctantly. But then they forget their new identity.”

“Completely?”

“Yes, typically.”

Daniel stared at her. Madison would forget who he was! This was not good. How could he marry her when she was going to forget him?

“So, it doesn’t always happen?”

“I don’t really know. I’ve never actually seen a case.”

Daniel considered this. So, she might forget him. Which meant she might not. He needed to get to his computer to check the Internet. There was one more thing.

“Does that mean the person has a mental illness?’

“Well, sort of. They aren’t schizophrenic or anything. Usually the stress is just so overwhelming or something traumatic happens and it’s the only way they can deal with it.”

Daniel pulled some money out of his pocket, left it on the table, said a hasty goodnight to his friends, and headed home. He need to think. He needed to sleep. He had an early day tomorrow. And he needed to spend as much time with Madison as possible.

He didn’t want her to forget him.

Maybe he didn’t want her to remember her past after all.