Chapter 26 (Jasper)

As I looked up at this beautiful woman, I tried to remember who she was. Her presence alone was enough to get my heart beating fast. Beside me, the bright green line on the heart monitor was going crazy. “Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.

She frowned, her lips pressed so tightly together that they nearly disappeared. “It’s all my fault…” She whispered, hanging her head. “If you hadn’t met me, none of this would be happening to you right now. I bring bad luck wherever I go.”

“Hey.” I once again squeezed her hand. Tugging on it gently, I got her to sit down on the edge of my bed. “I’m not blaming you for anything. You were just as hurt by this experience as I was.”

“I’m not the one in a hospital bed.” She mumbled underneath her breath.

“I rather be the one lying here,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because I want to protect you.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“It’s not an obligation. It’s something I want to do.”

“ you can’t even remember who I am. Why do you want to protect me?” She protested, looking out the window with tears in her eyes.

Even though it pained me to do  I lifted my arm and wiped away her tears, letting my thumb gently graze against her cheek. “I may not remember you or our relationship together but the feelings are still here, lingering inside my chest. Trust me.”

She turned, looking me straight in the eye. I held her gaze.

Suddenly, she fell into my arms and began to sob. “I’m so sorry… this is all my fault.”

“Shh. Shh. No one is blaming you, Mandy. I’m okay. Please, don’t beat yourself up over this.” I whispered while gently running my fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down. “Please, just take a deep breath for me and try to calm down. I can’t stand to see you like this.”

Just then, the doctor walked in. He was a young man with an optimistic expression painted on his face. As soon as he saw us, a soft pink hue crept across his fair complexion. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Would you two like a minute? I can come back.”

“No.” Mandy shook her head, roughly wiping her tears, eyes puffy. “I want to know what’s wrong with him.”

“Actually, I have some pretty good news.” The doctor said with a smile. “As far as we can tell, Mr. Kilroy only has a few minor injuries. A hairline fracture of the skull. A few cracked ribs. And a minor concussion. The concussion, no doubt, is what made him lose consciousness. This is very common during head trauma.  there was no internal bleeding or bruising.”

“What about his amnesia. Will he get his memories back?” Mandy asked, eyes wide with hope.

“In most cases, the patient regains their full memory during the course of a month. Sometimes, it returned suddenly or piece by piece. It all depends, really. It’s different from case to case.”

“I see.”

“If you ask me, there’s nothing to worry about. Just a month of rest and relaxation and you should be as good as new, Mr. Kilroy.” He placed his hand on my shoulder while offering an encouraging smile. “Do you have any questions?”

“Yeah, when will I be able to leave.”

“In a couple of days. We just want to make sure that we didn’t miss anything.”

“Right.” I nodded.

“Besides, it's not like money is an issue, is it, Mr. Kilroy?” He said with a wink. “You could probably buy out this entire hospital with your billions.”

I cringed at the doctor’s attempt at humor. Cautiously, I looked over at Mandy who had her brows knitted together in confusion. Of course, I hadn’t told her about my fortune. All too often girls claimed they were in love with me just so they could get my money. I didn’t want Mandy to become one of them. I wanted her to know who I really was – to put money aside and see if anything could blossom organically. It had. And, I think that’s what made me love her even more.

“Anyway, take care. Don’t hesitate to call a nurse if anything comes up.” He flashed one more smile before leaving the room.

As soon as he was gone, Mandy looked to look at me. “What was all that about?”

I sighed. There was no point trying to hide it from her now. She knew my last name. All she needed to do was google ‘Jasper Kilroy’ and she would know everything about me.  I rather she hears it from the horse's mouth.

“Have you ever heard of Kilroy Kilowatts?”

Her eyes widened. “You mean the electric company that powers most of America?”

“That’s the one.”

She was silent for a moment. I could tell she was letting the information sink in.

“Look, Mandy, I don’t want this to spoil our relationship. I honestly cannot remember whether I told you or not but if I had to guess, I didn’t. That’s why I was living in the woods. I wanted to get away from the corporate life. There were too many people trying to weasel themselves into my life just to get to my money.”

“You mean, you can remember all that but you can’t remember me… am I the only thing you forgot?” Her voice cracked halfway through her sentence.

“I don’t know…” I wet my lips, suddenly feeling like I had said the wrong thing.

“I need some air.” She said, suddenly getting up.

There was no way for me to stop her. One second she was sitting on my bed and the next she was gone.