Crazy For You (36 page)

“I’ll call Dr. Sterling directly.” The nurse left
before Roxanne could make any further inquiries.

Roxanne remained in her bed and looked around from
one blank wall to the next. She wasn’t asking for much. All she
wanted to know was what was going on.

It felt like ages before the door opened again. This
time, a guy stormed in, her doctor she presumed.

“Roxanne?”

“In the flesh.” She gave a little laugh. “Who are
you?”

“It’s me...Jerry.” He thought he’d see a spark of
hey-I’m-glad-to-see-you
in her expression. But there was
nothing. She stared at him with vacant eyes. A bad feeling washed
over Jerry. “Don’t you know me?”

“Should I?”

“Yes. You should. I’ve been your doctor for six
years.”

Roxanne shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Roxanne?” Jerry said cautiously. “Do you know where
you are?”

“I’m in the hospital,” she said, a bit
frustrated.

“But where?”

“Tennessee.” She shrugged. “Which reminds me…when
can I get out of here?”

“Going somewhere?” he asked like a true shrink.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I am.”

Jerry didn’t like the fact that she thought she was
in Tennessee. He was also curious to know where was she in such a
hurry to go. “Where are you going?” he asked casually.

She looked at him suspiciously. “Candy and I are
going on a trip.”

“How old are you?” he asked pointedly, more afraid
of this answer than any of her previous ones.

“Nineteen.”

That simple little word was such a bombshell. But he
had to tell her the truth. “Roxanne...you’ve already taken that
trip. You’re not in Tennessee. You’re in Florida.” He waited a
moment, to give her time to let that sink in, then he continued,
“You’re not nineteen. You’re twenty-seven.”

Roxanne stared at him like he was crazy. “Who’d you
say you were?”

“I’m Dr. Jerry Sterling.”

“Are you sure you didn’t escape from the mental
ward?” she asked half-seriously.

“You really don’t have any idea who I am, do
you?”

“I don’t know you,” she said firmly.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I told you that already.” She sucked in a breath
and held it for a moment. “Candy and I are going on a trip.”

“I know this is a very hard thing for you to
comprehend,” he said. “But like I’ve already told you…you’re in
Florida. You’re twenty-seven years old. You have a very lucrative
career as a best-selling author, and you’re an award-winning
actress.” He stopped to catch his breath. How much was too much
information at this point? But Jerry had to set her straight. He
had to bring her back to 1989. “You’re married to a rock star.
Frank Garrett. And the two of you have a five year old son named
Frankie.” He wrapped up the past eight years in a nutshell.

She found the notion that she could be a writer or
an actress, much less best-selling or award-winning, absolutely
ludicrous. She was no actress. She knew that. Sure, she liked to
write, but she was too afraid of rejection to consider letting
anyone look at her work. And married to a rock star? That was an
even bigger one to swallow, right along with the notion that she
had a kid. It wasn’t a real big secret and everybody knew
it—Roxanne Simon was not the motherly type.

“I don’t buy it,” she finally said.

“There’s more.”

“Really?” She laughed, feeling vulnerable.

“Do you want me to tell you why you’re here in the
hospital?”

“Oh, enlighten me, please,” she remarked a bit
snidely, and regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

“You tried to kill yourself.” He sounded serious and
that bothered her. “You plotted and planned your demise in great
detail for months.”

“I have just one question for you...” Roxanne paused
long enough to make sure she had his attention. “If this is all
true like you say, and my life was so great…” She didn’t buy the
bill of goods this
doctor
was trying to sell. “Then why on
earth would I try to kill myself?”

“Your life is very complicated. It hasn’t been as
easy as it sounds.”

“Supposing that I’m willing to give your little
story the benefit of the doubt…can you prove any of it?”

“Well, I could bring in the books you’ve written. I
could bring in the movies you’ve starred in. I could even bring you
a video tape of your wedding, as well as your marriage license. I
could bring you pictures of your son and his birth
certificate.”

“Stop it!” Roxanne had heard enough. None of this
stuff sounded right. “Then why don’t I remember any of it?”

He sighed deeply before answering. “Your
relationship with Frank Garrett has been less than successful. I’d
theorize that your mind has decided to block out all existence of
him. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is wipe out your entire
memory of the time you’ve known him.” Jerry shook his head. The
truth wasn’t pretty. “Regrettably, everything else gets wiped out,
too.”

“If I hated him that much—” She questioned no one in
particular. “—then why in the hell did I marry him in the first
place?”

“I don’t think it was a case of hate at all.” He
gave his opinion. “But I think your love for Frank Garrett was
overshadowed by the thought of losing him, and it tore you
apart.”

The thought that maybe the doctor was telling the
truth crossed Roxanne’s mind. If that were the case, then she had a
five-year-old son out there somewhere. A son she couldn’t remember.
And God knows she never wanted to be anybody’s mother—not that she
could remember. Chuck’s mother used to say Roxanne didn’t really
love Chuck because she refused to have his children. She thought
she’d loved Chuck, but still, having a kid was the last thing she
wanted. But now, here this guy was, telling her she did have a
child.

“Would you excuse me for a moment?” she asked
softly, unable to hide the anxiety seeping out in her voice.

Roxanne got up and took slow, careful steps toward
the bathroom. Once inside, she closed the door. If it turned out to
be true...if she had given birth, then the evidence should be there
on her stomach. Slowly she lifted her hospital gown, afraid of what
she might find. Looking down at her tummy, she saw faint stretch
marks. She released the gown and it fell back down over her
knees.

Roxanne’s gaze traveled up the wall. A mirror
entered her peripheral vision. She turned toward it and stared at
herself. While her face wasn’t marked with any tell-tell lines,
clearly she was much more mature than she remembered.

Suddenly Roxanne was afraid of what she’d become,
professionally and mentally. She also feared the thought of a
husband she couldn’t remember. It sounded like he might’ve had a
little too much control over her. After all, according to the doc
outside, she’d tried to kill herself because of him. But the thing
that bothered her most of all was the fact that she was supposed to
be somebody’s mother. And because she couldn’t remember ever
wanting to be a mother, she didn’t think she had what it took.
Otherwise, she would never have pulled a stunt like this. With no
forethought whatsoever, regarding the consequences of leaving a
child motherless. She obviously hadn’t thought about that, because
if she had, she never would have done something so cold and cruel.
So heartless.

What have I done
?

Roxanne went back out into the room and sat down on
the edge of the bed. “What about Candy? Where is she?”

“She’s in Tampa,” he said. “And she’s very worried
about you.”

“But
how
is she?” Roxanne wanted more.
“What’s become of her life?”

“Well, like you, she’s an award-winning
actress.”

That news pleased Roxanne. She smiled. She could
easily believe Candy was a successful actress. Yep, she could
definitely see that. “Is she married? Does she have a family?”

“Well, no. But she is very close to your husband’s
partner.”

Roxanne told herself that surely Candy must be
happy.

“Well I suppose we should give them a call,” Jerry
said. “They’re all going to be very happy to learn that you’re
awake. And Frank…well, Frank is going to be very eager to see
you.”

That thought scared her half to death. “No,” she
objected quickly. “I can’t see them.”

“You don’t want to see your family?” he asked,
letting his confusion shine through.

“You don’t understand,” she said “I don’t remember
them. I can’t see them. I wouldn’t know what to say or do.”

“Okay, okay.” Jerry didn’t want her getting too
upset over this. “If you can’t face seeing them right now, that’s
okay.”

“You have to promise me that I won’t have to see
them.” She looked like a frightened child.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to face anybody until
you’re ready.”

J
erry did contact Jason,
and they both decided that humoring Roxanne would be the best
course of action, at least for the time being. They also knew that
if Frank Garrett had the slightest inkling Roxanne was awake,
nothing or no one could keep him away.

With a bit of reluctance, they decided to let
everyone continue to think she was still in the coma. Everyone,
including Candy. But to pull that one off, they had to keep all of
them away from Roxanne. That’s when Jason came up with the idea of
a legal document to fix the problem. They paid the hospital dearly
to carry on as if Roxanne was still there and in a coma.

Meanwhile, Jason and Jerry got Roxanne out of the
country, where she was less likely to be recognized. If the news of
her recovery got out, Frank would be more overbearing than
ever.

The bottom line was that Roxanne just wasn’t ready
for Frank Garrett.

***

Chapter 32

Seven Months Later

K
irk followed Roxanne as
she headed for the house directly behind them. Leaving the beach,
she punched in a security code and passed through a gate leading
into someone’s lush, private digs. Kirk couldn’t help but eye the
Olympic-sized swimming pool as they passed it by, thinking it was a
bit of a waste since the beach was steps away.

“I’m sorry I don’t remember you,” she said. “You
said we were in a movie together?”

“Yes.” Kirk followed her toward the house. “Your
first.”

Even though she’d been told about the past eight
years in great detail, over and over again, she still had a hard
time keeping it all together and inside her head. Her brain had
shut out the information and it seemed determined not to take any
of it back in again.

“I’ve got the movies on video,” she said. “But I
haven’t worked up the nerve to watch them yet.” She almost laughed
at herself.

“I get that. I have trouble watching footage of
myself too.” Kirk cleared his throat. “Roxanne, how is it that you
came to be here?”

Slowly, he came to the realization that she had some
form of amnesia. Yet, at the same time he was totally confused.

She opened the slider and stepped inside the house.
“I think Jason and Jerry can explain that better than me.”

Jason and Jerry. Of course. He’d forgotten all about
them.

“Kirk!” Jason and Jerry blurted his name in
unison.

“You!” Kirk belted out. “What the hell are you two
doing here?” Finally, reality smacked him in the face.

“This is my home,” Jason said, as if he owed Kirk
nothing.

“I want to know what’s going on,” Kirk insisted.
“And I want to know now.”

“All right, Kirk,” Jerry said. “You want to know
what’s going on...have a seat. It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got all the time in the world.” Kirk sat down
on the couch.

Roxanne sat down on the sofa too, but not directly
beside him.

“Roxanne woke up from the coma with a rare form of
partial amnesia,” Jerry explained. “She’s blocked out eight years
of her life, dating back to shortly before she met Frank Garrett.
She doesn’t remember anything that happened during this time, or
anyone she met…including Frankie.”

“Why are you hiding her recovery from everyone?”
Kirk was trying desperately to understand.

“Roxanne was scared,” Jerry said simply. “She
doesn’t remember anybody but Candy…and she only remembers her as a
nineteen-year-old girl, not a twenty-seven-year-old woman. She has
no recollection of anyone else that she’s met during the last eight
years. Not even me or Jason.” He paused, wondering how he was going
to explain this to Candy and Frank. “She doesn’t understand why she
did what she did. And she can’t bear the thought of having to
justify her actions to a family she can’t remember.”

“But you had no right…” Kirk’s voice trailed off in
an quarrelsome tone. “You could have let them know she was
okay.”

“And knowing that Roxanne was awake,” Jerry
supposed. “Just how long do you think Frank would have stayed
away?” He went silent briefly. “I’ll tell you…not very long. Not
very long at all. There’d be no place on this earth she could
hide.”

“They did it because I asked them to,” Roxanne said.
“If anybody’s to blame here, it’s me.”

“Roxanne’s welfare is the most important factor in
all of this,” Jerry said. “More than Frank or anybody else’s needs,
for that matter.”

“You let me believe she was lying helplessly in a
coma,” Kirk said solemnly. “You let her family think that, too. You
let her son think that.”

“Under the circumstances, I think it’s probably best
for Frankie this way, too.” Jerry gave his opinion.

“Don’t tell me about Frankie,” Kirk said. “I was
there when he was born. Where were you?”

“You were there?” Roxanne asked.

“Remember,” Jerry quickly focused on her, “You and
Frank were apart when you had Frankie.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said vaguely and then turned to
Kirk. “You and I must have been really good friends then.”