Lost Without Them (13 page)

“The nurse said you were done with the tests,” Sam said as he walked over and took Keegan’s hand in his. “You okay?”

She nodded as Sam turned his attention back to the doctor.

“Her tests were all clear. I was just trying to get some more information from Keegan. What’s the last thing you remember?” the doctor asked as he turned back to her.

“Snapping at Sam for yelling at me.”

She glanced at Sam and gave him an apologetic look. He didn’t respond. He was paying attention to the doctor more than her.

“Why did you think he was yelling at you?” the doctor asked.

Keegan sat up slowly and sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe his voice just sounded loud because of my headache.”

She didn’t like lying, but how could she tell them she was hearing someone yell for her through her mind, and every time she heard it, she experienced these massive headaches? They would think she was nuts. She thought she was nuts.

Dr. Borus turned to Sam and Cody. “Would the two of you go tell the nurse to come here and bring the syringe I asked for earlier?”

Sam nodded and motioned for Cody to follow him from the room. Cody touched her shoulder softly. “We’ll be back.”

As soon as they left the room, the doctor turned back to Keegan. “Are you sure there’s not something else, Keegan? Anything at all, no matter how small.”

Keegan shook her head.

“All right,” he said, sighing.

Keegan got the distinct impression he didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t sure she could risk telling him the truth. Not yet anyway. Maybe she could figure it out on her own.

“We did an MRI and found nothing wrong. I’m assuming these are migraines. It’s possible they’re something new, or it’s possible you’ve been having them for a while. With your memory loss, it would be hard to say for certain.”

Keegan clasped her trembling fingers in her lap. “What do I do for them?”

“I’m going to give you some medicine for the next time it hits, but I’m afraid there’s not much you can do to stop yourself from getting them.”

Keegan nodded and began to twist her fingers nervously.

“Is your head still hurting now?” he asked.

“A little,” she lied again. It really didn’t, but she thought that maybe if it was migraines, it should be.

“Keegan? Are you sure there’s nothing else?”

She looked up at the doctor, the words just on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell someone but wasn’t sure how without coming across as a nutcase.

“Nothing else,” she finally said, her voice soft and uncertain even to her own ears.

Sam and Cody came into the room, along with the nurse. The doctor nodded at the nurse, then waved for Sam and Cody to follow him out the door. Sam caught her eye and winked. “We’ll be right back…again.”

She swallowed back a lump in her throat the size of a baseball. She had an awful feeling of dread watching them walk out the door. She wanted to call them back but didn’t.

SAM CROSSED HIS arms over his chest as he waited for the doctor to say whatever it was he wanted to say. Cody shuffled nervously next to him, and Sam wanted to snap at him to stop, but he didn’t. Truthfully, he understood Cody’s edginess.

“Is there something wrong, Doc?” Sam asked.

The doctor shook his head, but worry clouded his eyes. “Her MRI was clean, but keep an eye on her.”

Sam narrowed his eyes. “Why? What are you thinking?”

“She said she thought you were yelling at her. Did you call her name?”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, but I didn’t yell it.”

“It’s probably nothing, and it could be the migraines like she thinks. They do affect sound, but keep an eye on her anyway. Watch out for possible auditory hallucinations.”

“What?” Cody asked.

“It’s where she hears things that aren’t there,” Sam said.

“I know what it means,” Cody snapped. “But why?”

The doctor shut Keegan’s file and turned to face them more fully. “She took a pretty hard hit to the head. I didn’t see anything on her scans, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a problem. Not to mention the fact that you know nothing about her.”

Sam scowled. “Are you trying to say she might be crazy?”

The doctor shook his head. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. Guys, just keep an eye on her.”

With that said, he turned and walked down the hall, leaving a confused Sam and Cody to stare after him.

“What exactly is he trying to say, Sam?” Cody asked.

“To be honest, I’m not sure.”

“Do you think he’s right? We didn’t know her.”

Sam looked at his brother and frowned. “Keegan is not nuts. Don’t even go there, Cody.”

“I wasn’t. I’m worried about her. Should we have told him about her nightmares?”

Sam sighed. “I don’t know. How did she seem yesterday when you guys were in town?”

Cody shrugged. “She was fine. Seemed to be in good spirits, although I think last night she was pretty restless.”

Sam nodded and moved to lean against the nurse’s station. “I noticed that too. She’s probably remembering the attack in her dreams, and because she’s not sleeping well, maybe that’s bringing on these headaches. We need to do something to help her relax more.”

Cody leaned in closer. “I would think the sex would’ve done that.”

Sam sighed and tilted his head to the side in acknowledgement. “I don’t think she’s crazy, but I do think there’s something she’s not telling us.”

“Like what?” Cody asked.

“I think there’s more to these nightmares and headaches than she’s letting on.”

Sam had begun to care for Keegan. More than he’d thought possible after just a few days. They needed to figure out what was going on, and the sooner the better. He wanted to know who she was, where she came from, before he lost his heart to her completely.

He turned to his brother. “I think it’s time we found some answers, Cody.”

“How are we supposed to do that?”

“Help her remember.”

* * * *

Keegan paced the deck, watching the sun set in the distance. She was so tense. Sam and Cody had been in and out, each taking turns watching over her like she was some sort of fragile flower. She hated it. She hated how they watched her. It made her nervous.

Images flashed behind her eyes, and she froze, gripping the railing with trembling fingers. This was the second time today she’d had images pop into her head. It was like watching a movie trailer. Short flashes of people and places that weren’t familiar and didn’t make any sense.

This time, the images looked like they were from another time. Horses and buggies. Women in long dresses. Men in long coats, hats, and canes. Why would she have memories like that? Memories from a hundred years ago.

With a sigh, she reached up and pinched her temples to ease the ache that was building behind her eyes. At least this one was coming on slowly, not the sudden onset of blinding pain that she’d experienced last night. Those only appeared when she heard the voices. Thank God those hadn’t come back.

“Keegan?” Sam asked.

She turned to face him as he walked out onto the deck. His brow creased in worry, and Keegan wanted to scream at him that she was fine. Her nerves were so frazzled right now. Her mind was a jumble of nameless faces and disjointed images.

“Is there something wrong with me that you and Cody aren’t telling me about?” she asked.

Sam frowned. “Why do you ask that?”

“Because one of you has been here all day. You’ve not once left me alone.”

Sam sighed and came to stand in front of her. “We’re just worried about you, Keegan.”

“I’m worried about me too,” she whispered.

“I think you need to remember, baby. You need to figure out who you are.”

Keegan nodded as a lump swelled in her throat. Sam took her hand in his and brought the backs of her fingers to his lips.

“I need you to remember, Keegan,” Sam whispered.

“Why? Why can’t we just keep going as we are?”

Sam moved closer and put his finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his stare. “What are you afraid of, baby?”

She swallowed, determined to tell him everything. All her fears, her flashes of images, even her nightmares. “I have this terrible feeling of dread. I feel as though I need to hide…as though someone or something is after me.” Sam frowned slightly, and Keegan drew in a slow, deep breath. “I know it could be residual fear from the wolf attack, but I think there’s more to it.”

“Like what?”

“I’ve been having these flashes of memory, but it doesn’t make any sense. It’s like watching a period movie from another time. I know I didn’t live during the eighteen hundreds, but that’s what I see. And my nightmares. They’re always the same. A brown wolf and a black-and-gray wolf are protecting me, talking to me in my mind. We’re in trouble. We’re preparing for a fight. Then I see you. The wolf that attacked me attacks you, but I can’t get to you. I’m being held back and have to watch as that wolf tears into you.”

A single tear slipped down her face as she continued. “But what’s even stranger is that when I dream of you and Cody, I know you better than I know myself. I dreamed of you that first night in the hospital. It’s how I knew your name when I woke up. I knew it because I knew you in my dream.”

“Keegan,” Sam argued. “You just remembered my name from when you came to in the emergency room.”

Keegan shook her head. “No. You didn’t tell me your name. I knew Cody too. You didn’t have to tell me his name when he came into the room. I already knew it.”

Sam frowned.

“And there’s more,” she whispered.

She pulled away from Sam and turned to the small table a few feet away, where she’d left her coffee cup. She raised her hand, then dropped it. “When you see this, just please don’t look at me as though I’m a freak.”

“Why on earth would I do that?” Sam asked.

“You’ll see.”

She raised her hand and concentrated. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Tears of fear and uncertainty. Would he turn away from her? Would he see her as strange or weird? Would he be afraid of her?

The cup flew to her hand, and she caught it within her trembling fingers. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Sam. She was too afraid of what she might see. She looked up and saw Cody standing in the doorway to the deck. His face had gone pale, his eyes wide as he met her gaze.

Keegan swallowed, knowing he’d seen her magic trick. She tensed, waiting for what he would say.

“How the hell did you do that?” Cody whispered.

“I don’t know,” she murmured.

She turned to look at Sam. His expression was unreadable, and her heart sank. She would almost rather see Cody’s shock than Sam’s blank stare.

“I don’t know how I do it. I’m scared, Sam. I’m not sure I want to know who I am anymore.”

Keegan sobbed softly, and Sam rushed forward, enfolding her in his arms. Keegan sagged against him and let her tears flow freely. It felt good to have him hold her, take care of her. She needed this. She needed
them
, she realized.

Cody came up behind her and rubbed his hand down the back of her head. She reached out one hand and grasped his elbow, pulling him closer. The other arm she wrapped around Sam’s neck, holding tight. The coffee cup fell to the deck, where it banged against the wooden planks, then rolled away, forgotten.

“It’s going to be okay, Keegan,” Cody whispered as he placed a kiss on the side of her head. “We’ll figure everything out, I promise.”

Keegan nodded and sniffed back as many tears as she could. She hated feeling this weak, this afraid. She was stronger than this, wasn’t she? Unfortunately, the thought of losing Sam and Cody made her heart ache in ways she’d never imagined it could.

She’d only known them a short time, yet it felt as though she’d known them forever.

“Keegan.”

She pulled away and looked up at Sam. “What?”

Sam frowned slightly. “Baby, I didn’t say anything.”

Keegan’s stomach knotted as her name was called again. This time she realized it was in her head. Pain sliced behind her eyes, and she gasped.

“What is it, Keegan?” Sam asked with concern.

Keegan shook her head and turned to walk back into the house. They were close. Whoever was calling her name was close. “Where are you?” she yelled.

“Outside,”
came the answer.

She ran to the front door, Sam and Cody close behind her. They had to think she was nuts, but right now she had to know who was calling for her. She burst through the front door and stopped at the top step leading into the yard. Just a few feet away were the two wolves from her dreams.

When she looked into the brown one’s eyes, everything came back to her in a rush so fast she had to grab the post for support.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

Sam and Cody ran forward, each grabbing an arm. “Keegan, get back in the house,” Cody pleaded.

“No,” she argued. “Stop, it’s okay. They’re not going to hurt me.”

Sam let go of her arm and ran back into the house. He returned seconds later with a rifle that he aimed at the wolves.

“No!”

Keegan used her powers to knock the rifle up, sending the bullet over the wolves’ heads. Both wolves tensed, crouching slightly, and Keegan moved to get between the wolves and Sam.

“Stop,” she snapped. “Take human form, damn it, before someone gets hurt.”

SAM DROPPED THE rifle and took a step back in shock. Cody cursed and moved to stand by Sam as they watched the two wolves morph into men. One had shoulder-length black hair with streaks of gray, just like the fur on the wolf. The other had shoulder-length brown hair with streaks of platinum blonde. Both had strong bodies. Both were extremely tall. And both had eyes the most unusual shade of gray.

“Where the hell have you been?” the one with brown hair snapped angrily.

“Don’t snap at me, Dastan. I’ve been through enough the last few days.”

“And just what have you been through?” the other asked, his Russian accent light but distinguishable.

Sam frowned, getting ready to say he’d heard enough.

“What the hell were you thinking?” the other asked angrily. “I should put your ass over my knee.”