Tell Me Lies (22 page)

“Will you come back?” she asked.

“If you want me to,” he said.

“I do.  Please come back.”

Jonas moved to the side of her bed and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her cheek.  “As often as you wish,” he whispered before moving to the door and slipping quietly out of the room.

Paige placed her hand on her cheek and smiled.  He had kissed her.  Nothing spectacular, but still it had touched her.  She hadn’t felt anything earth shattering, but there was a soft flutter in her chest.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reflections and she called out, hoping it was him returning.  When Darren entered the room, she almost felt disappointed.

“Darren.”

“Were you expecting someone else?” he asked, wondering why she hadn’t lit up as she had the last time he had come.  Had she remembered something?

“No…of course not.  Who else would I expect?”

“Oh, maybe your father or brothers.”

“I saw them earlier,” she said, smoothing out her covers.

“Are you tired?  You don’t seem like you want to talk.”

“A little.  Between all the excitement of waking up and seeing everyone and the therapy session, I’m barely keeping my eyes open.  It‘s been a very busy day.”

“How about I sit with you until you drift off?”

“You don’t have to, Darren.”

“I want to.  Now close your eyes like a good girl.”

Paige did as she was told, but the images dancing before her eyes weren’t of Darren.  They were of Jonas Barnett.

~*~

Jonas leaned back against the headrest of the cab and smiled.  He was nearly giddy with relief.  Paige had remembered him, even if it had only been a small snippet.  It was a start and she had asked him to come back to visit her.  That could only mean that she had been intrigued and had felt something.

His cell phone rang and he dug it out of his pocket.  “Hello?”

“So?  How’d it go?” the deep English voice asked.

“She remembered me, John.”

“She remembers your love affair?”
he asked.

“No, but she remembered that she knew me.  That we had been in the same room dancing.  She remembered me dancing with Sara and kissing her cheek,” Jonas said excitedly.

“Well, that’s a start, JD.”

“It is.  And she asked me to come back.”

“Well!  You must have made some kind of impression, JD!  That’s good news!  So when are you going back?”

“Tomorrow.  I checked with Doctor Gates.  Her therapy session is over at ten.  He thought I could slip in to see her then.”

“And what about Darren?” John couldn’t help but ask.

“I can’t stop him from seeing her, not while she can’t remember the things he did to her.  I don’t want her to hate me for keeping him away.  But I can try to monopolize her time so he can’t see her as often as I do.”

“You are evil, Jonas,” John said, knowing that he would do the same.

“When I have to be.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast?”

“Just as we planned.  For now, I am going to the hotel and get some much-needed rest.  I’ve been running on adrenaline and I think it finally wore off.”

“See you in the morning, buddy.  Get some rest.”

“Thanks John.  For everything.”  Jonas hung up and closed his eyes.  Visions of Paige crowded across his eyelids and he smiled.  There was a sliver of hope and he was going to cling to it until she remembered everything.

~*~

Darren walked out of the hospital, wondering what had happened this evening that Paige had been so withdrawn from him.  Sure, she had gone through a lot the last few hours, but she had seemed different tonight, as though she didn’t want him around. 

She had fallen asleep quickly, and while he had watched her sleep, unanswered questions ran rampant through his head.  He knew that Jonas Barnett had arrived in Chicago.  Had he gotten in to see her?  Had he told her anything?

No, he mused.  Barnett would adhere to the doctor’s orders.  He wouldn’t risk Paige’s fragile health by telling her anything about what happened in December.  He would wait until she remembered on her own. Well, he would just have to make sure what she remembered was to his advantage and not Barnett’s.

~*~

Paige woke with a smile on her face.  She wasn’t sure if her
dreams last night were her memories trying to surface or just that, dreams.  But Jonas Barnett was prominent in them.  Sitting up she tried to piece together the dreams, searching her memories for a connection.

All she could remember of her dreams was that Jonas was there and she felt safe and secure.  Grinning, she reached for the magazine by her bedside.  Flipping through the pages, she frowned, her head aching as she looked at picture after picture of wedding gowns and floral arrangements.  A nurse had left this here for her to look at, but the pictures inside caused her head to hurt.  Flinging it aside, Paige pressed her fingertips to her temples.

The door opened and Doctor Gates entered the room.  “Paige?  Are you okay?” he asked, seeing her hands pressed against her head.

“It hurts,”
she whimpered, rubbing her temples with her fingertips.

He went to her side, sat on the bed beside her and wrapped his hands around hers.  Gently he pulled them away and held them.  “Breathe through the pain Paige.  That’s right, deep breaths.  Now tell me what triggered the pain.  What were you doing?”

Paige panted against the pain until it eased then she opened her eyes and glanced at the magazine.  “One of the nurses left it.  I was glancing through it.  The pain just burst into my head.”

Dr. Gates looked at her, and then smiled gently.  “What do you remember?  Think Paige.  What comes to mind when you see those pictures?”

“I can’t….it hurts too much. And it’s all such a blur.”

“Okay…okay.  Don’t think about it.  Relax, Paige.  Just relax.  Now I want you to lie back and rest for a while.  I am going to cancel your therapy session for this morning.  Just lie here and relax.”

Paige nodded and allowed him to ease her back against the pillows.  The pain was subsiding now that she was relaxing and she felt weak all over.  Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply, telling herself that if she could remember the pain would be worth it.  She heard the door open and close and wondered when she would get her memories back.

“Hey beautiful.”

Paige opened her eyes to find Jonas standing at the door, his fingers gently tugging at his ear lobe.

“Hey yourself.  When did you get here?” Paige asked sitting up.

“Just as the doc was leaving.  He said you had a headache.  If you want me to leave I will,” he said, pointing at the closed door.

“No, it’s okay.  It doesn’t hurt as much now.  Come on in,” she said, patting the mattress beside her.

“Did you remember something?” Jonas asked, sitting beside her on the bed.

“No.  I wish I could though.  This is so frustrating.  I know there are things that everyone around me knows that they can’t tell me.”

“I’m sure they would if they could,” he said.

“Would you tell me?” she asked, eyeing him critically.

“Is there something you think I know about you that I can tell you?” he asked.

“I get that distinct feeling,” Paige said, smiling at him.

“Do you want to get out of here for a while?” Jonas asked, changing the subject.

“Can we?  I think I’ve been in the hospital long enough.”

“Let me clear it with the doc, but I think I can pull a few strings to get you out of here.  For a little while anyway.”

Paige watched as he reached for the phone and dialed a number.  His warm voice filled her ears as he spoke to the doctor and told him of his request.  “So what do you think Doc?  Can I get Miss Harper outta here for an hour or so?”

Jonas listened to the instructions from her doctor and nodded his head, all the while smiling in her direction.  She was expectant and he didn’t want to disappoint her.  “Okay, Dr. Gates.  I’ll have her back in her room by 2 P.M.  Thanks.”

“I can go?” she asked, eagerly.

“Just to the physical therapy pool.  But it will get you out of this room for a while.  The Doc said he would have lunch sent down to us as long as I have you back here and settled by 2 P.M.  He doesn’t want you worn out.”

Paige was so excited about the prospect of getting out of her room, she threw her arms around Jonas’s neck, startling him.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, squeezing him tightly.

Jonas was stunned for a moment, then his arms went around her and he held her tight, breathing in her unique smell.  He had dreamt of holding her in his arms like this, feeling her body next to his.  It was pure torture that she didn’t know just how much he wanted this, wanted her, and loved her.  But there would be a day that she would remember all they had together and until then, he had to content himself with this little bit.

“Okay.  Let’s get you a wheelchair and head down to that pool!” Jonas said, easing out of her embrace.

~*~

Paige sat at the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in the water as she watched Jonas swimming laps the length of the pool.  With each stroke, his body cut through the water, taking him further from her, towards the far end of the pool.  He would disappear under the surface, flipping his body gracefully, his feet kicking off the edge and then he would resurface, swimming with ease back towards her.

His head broke the surface of the water near her feet, his grin boyishly handsome as he stared at her.  “You want to come in?” he asked, splashing her gently.

“No.  I want to watch you swim.”

“Why?  Am I that funny looking?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at his butt, wondering if the trunks he had borrowed looked as ridiculous as he thought.

Paige blushed.  Jonas was far from funny looking.  She stared at him, the muscles in his back and side stretched tautly as he looked at his rear end.  When he turned back to her, she smiled, willing the pink color on her cheeks to go away.  No, he was far from funny looking.  The rippled abs, the strong arms, the muscular legs; the entire package made her heart flutter.

“No…you are not funny looking,” Paige said, her cheeks warming again as he turned that lethal smile on her.

“Come on in,” Jonas implored, holding his hand out to her.

Paige shook her head no, laughing as he splashed her lightly.  He called her chicken, teased her unmercifully, splashed her until she was soaked, all the while laughing as she squealed in protest.

“Ah…so here you are.”

Paige whirled her head around, the laughter dying on her lips as she spotted Darren, leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest.  She quickly pulled her hand from Jonas’s, a small smile finding its way to her lips.

“Darren.  I didn’t know you were coming this afternoon,” she said.

“I brought your lunch.  The nurses on your floor said you were having a picnic here at the pool with Mr. Barnett.  I hope you don’t mind that I have invited myself to join you,” he said, glancing over at Jonas.