Secret Identity (5 page)

“
I didn't think anyone carried handkerchiefs anymore.” It was a stupid thing to say, and he realized then that he was probably in shock.

Beth laughed and put the cloth in his hand and held his hand over a large gash on the side of Eve's head.

“Don't be afraid to put a little pressure on it. We have to stop the bleeding. I'm going to make sure she isn't hurt anywhere else.” Beth started running her hands over Eve's unconscious body. Carter looked at Eve's face and felt a tear slide down his check. How could he have been so stupid as to leave her alone?

“It's Bobbie's,” Beth looked at him and smiled. “The handkerchief.” She nodded towards the marine with the flashlight, who was shining the light over Eve so Beth could examine her. In the distance, Carter heard the sirens. What was taking them so long? “The handkerchief is Bobbie's.” Beth repeated and smiled up at her date. “He always tells me to be prepared for everything. Your wife doesn't have any more injuries that I can see. Just the nasty bump and cut on her head. She might have a sprained wrist.” Beth held Eve's arm up and Carter could see the bruises forming on her pale skin where her coat sleeve had ripped.

Carter flashed from fear to anger so quickly. Someone had done this to her. Someone had attacked her, and he hadn't been there to protect her. It was all his fault.

An hour later, at the hospital, he sat next to Eve, who was still unconscious. The doctors and nurses had come and gone. One stood over her, prepping her for a CAT scan. The police had come and were now outside the small room talking to Bobbie, Beth, Carrie, and Frank, the two marines and their dates, who had followed behind the ambulance to make sure everything was all right. So far, Carter had yet to regain his wits. Every time the police asked him a question, he would just repeat his story, and when he got to the point of leaving Eve on the curb to go back and retrieve his cell, he would choke up.

His head hurt, his eyes were dry and scratchy, and he knew he needed rest like everyone had been telling him. At this point, he didn't give a damn. He refused to leave her side when they rolled her in to examine her. Finally, the nurses just pulled the curtain and let him stand behind it in the same room. When they started to roll Eve out to take her upstairs to get a CAT scan, he held onto her bed and followed.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Edwards. You can't come in this room,” a short, plump nurse said. She had a friendly face, but upon hearing this news, he thought of her as evil. Then she smiled and pointed to a small glass area. “You can stay in there with the technician, though. We normally don't allow it, but for you, we'll make an exception. Just go through that door.” She pointed and he slowly let go of the bed. Then he pulled the bed to a stop as the nurse looked at him. He leaned over Eve and whispered into her ear, then kissed her gently on the lips. When he stood, the nurse was smiling at him. He turned and walked into the small glass room, watching as the nurse and technician transferred Eve's unconscious body onto the bed for the scan.

The scan took longer than he imagined it would. By the time the machines had come to a stop, his head was drooping. When the nurse showed up to take Eve back to a private room, she had a cup of coffee in her hands. “I thought you might need this.”

“Thank you.” He gulped the lukewarm liquid down in two swallows. He could feel the caffeine instantly shooting through his system, reviving him. They walked by a small waiting area. He could see the two couples still sitting on the benches there.

“I'm Laura. If you need anything…” The nurse pushed Eve's bed back into the private room and locked the wheels. “We should know something soon. If you don't mind, the two couples that helped you would like to talk to you.”

He nodded and pulled a chair closer to Eve's bed. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand. It was cool and soft, and looked very small in his. Her normally dark skin had a pale tint to it. He rubbed her hand, trying to get the color and warmth back into her fingers.

“Hey,” Bobbie said as the four of them walked into the room. “How's she doing?”

He shook his head. “They aren't sure.” He looked back down at Eve. A large white bandage covered most of her head. Her hair had been pushed aside and had been cut around the large gash. He knew she was very particular about her hair and probably wouldn't like that someone had hacked a good chunk off her head. Her face looked even paler then her hands.

“Head wounds always seem worse than they are.” Beth walked forward and rested her hands on the bed. “A bump like that might take some time to heal. She was lucky. She didn't lose too much blood.” When he just looked at the young woman, she continued. “Head wounds bleed a lot. I think we stopped the bleeding quickly. Whoever attacked her, the scream must have scared them off.” She looked at the other three people in the room.

“At least that's what we think.” Bobbie stepped forward and put a hand on Beth's shoulder. “We told the police everything we could. I wanted to give you my number. I'm stationed just outside of town. I'd appreciate an update on your wife. We're all very concerned.” The four of them looked at him and for the first time, he realized how kind these strangers were being. Emotions flooded him and almost overpowered him, causing tears to slip down his face for the second time that night.

Carter stood and held out his hand towards Bobbie. “I can't thank you guys enough. I'm glad you were there to help out. I know Eve”—he looked back down at her on the bed, unmoving—“would know what to say, she would have the right words.” He choked up as Bobbie shook his hand.

“It's okay, man. I know how you must feel. I lost several of my unit in Iraq a few years back.”

Carter baulked. “A few years back? How old are you? You can’t be over nineteen.”

Bobbie laughed. “I'm twenty-two. I was eighteen at the time and thought I knew and had seen it all when our Hummer was hit.” He looked at Beth. “That's when we met.” He pulled her closer as they smiled at each other.

“You should have heard him complaining. Some shrapnel to his shoulder and he turns into a little girl,” Beth said, smiling up at Bobbie.

“We'd all like to know how your wife does. Just give me a call anytime.” They shook his hand again as Carter nodded his head. Bobbie handed him a piece of paper with his cell number on it. Carter tucked it into his wallet.

After the four of them left, Carter sat back for a long night. Laura and several other nurses came and went over the next few hours. Each time they came in, he would awaken in his spot in the chair next to Eve.

When he noticed the light coming through the windows, he took out his cell phone. He had a few calls he knew he couldn't put off any longer.

The first call was to Mitchell, who promised to have their flight and hotel taken care of. Then he told him he and Sandi would be on the next flight to Chicago themselves and to expect them after lunch.

The next call was to Eve's parents. The colonel was not available, so he left a message with his secretary who promised to pass on the information as soon as the colonel was back in the States.

He tried to call Eve's mother, but when he dialed the number he had for her, he was told it was disconnected. He sat back down when the nurses came in to check on her again. So far, she hadn't moved a muscle. He'd tried several times during the night to wake her by gently rubbing her hand and arm.

Her left arm was in a large white splint. They’d told him after they took x-rays that it was just sprained. Her sexy dress had been cut off her; her coat had been ruined as well. He stood over her, not knowing what to do.

“I brought you some breakfast,” Laura said, carrying a large tray in and setting it on the stand. “There's some coffee and orange juice. If you want anything different, just let the new nurse on staff know.” She smiled and wheeled the cart towards a chair. “Come, sit.” She motioned to the chair. He walked over and sat down so she could push the cart up to him. “I'm getting off shift now, but the day nurse will take care of you. If you're still here tonight, I'll be back around eleven.” She walked over to Eve and checked her vitals.

“Any change?” he asked, taking a sip of the hospital coffee.

Laura shook her head no. “But that's neither good nor bad. We'll just have to wait this out.” She smiled at him. “Have you contacted your families?”

He nodded his head and opened the lid to his food. There was toast, eggs, bacon, and biscuits with jelly. He doubted he could eat anything, but after Laura left, he started nibbling. When he looked down again, his plate was empty. Pushing it aside, he walked back to the window and looked out. Snow had started falling and from the tenth floor, everything looked peaceful and beautiful.

H
e
didn't know how long he’d stood there, looking at the city, but sometime later, he heard the door open and close. Turning, he saw Mitchell and Sandi standing just inside the door. He felt relieved that his friends were there.

The next days were a blur. He refused to leave Eve’s room and it wasn't until Mitch pulled him aside and told him he stunk that he went into the small bathroom and jumped in the shower, only to put on the same clothes he'd been wearing before. At least he was clean and felt a little more human. When he’d walked out of the bathroom, Mitch had just shaken his head at him. He knew his friend wasn't going to push him into returning to the hotel. He'd made it very clear that he wasn't leaving.

“I can get you a change of clothes in the morning. Just give me your hotel key.” Sandi smiled at him.

Before he could respond, he heard a moan and rushed to Eve's side just as her eyes fluttered opened.

He could see she was confused when he looked into her unfocused eyes. Then the doctor was pushing them from the room, and Carter was following Mitch and Sandi down the hall towards the elevators.

She was awake, Carter kept telling himself over and over as he stood in the elevator heading down to the cafeteria.

The first night Mitch had been there, he'd sat up with Carter in Eve's room. Carter could tell that Mitch knew something was up between him and Eve. He knew his friend was dying to ask, so instead of waiting, Carter had blurted out that he loved her. Mitch's response was a huge smile.

“Well, it's about time.” His friend had shocked him; he didn't know what to say. Then Mitch had asked. “Does she feel the same way?”

“I…I don't know. We were just about to…” Carter had closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands.

Now, as they sat in the cafeteria, his friend was sitting next to his fiancée and was looking so much in love. Sandi had been a blessing to Mitch. Ever since Mitch's ex had broken him, he'd been a wreck. Then Sandi had come into his life and Carter could see the changes in his friend. Mitch actually smiled more.

Looking across the table at the small woman that had healed his friend, he noticed how opposite they were. Mitch was blond with green eyes and pale skin. Sandi, coming from the Middle East, had darker skin and rich dark eyes. She was shorter and smaller than Eve, not to mention a good ten years younger than the three of them.

Carter knew that Sandi had gone through so much in the past few years—running from her family, her life hanging in the balance, then losing her father and cousin. He couldn't imagine the horror she'd endured last year when her cousin had almost killed her, killing her father instead. He closed his eyes as an image of Eve flashed in his mind, of her lying on the ground in the alley.

“Hey, man?” Mitch broke into his thoughts. “Don't worry. The worst is over.” Mitch slapped him on the shoulder.

“Yeah,” he looked across at his friend. “I know you're right.”

“Have you thought about what you're going to do?” Sandi asked.

“What do you mean?” He sipped the coffee Sandi set in front of him.

Sandi looked between the two men. “Really?” She shook her head and chuckled a little. “Eve is going to need some time to recover. She'll need to stay somewhere, with someone.”

Carter hadn't thought of that. Would Eve need some recovery time? An image of his grandparents’ house flashed in his mind. He'd been meaning to get up there and take care of some home improvement projects that needed to be done.

“Eve? I don't think she'll want to take much time. We know her too well. She'll probably want to get back to work tomorrow.” Mitch laughed and drank his iced tea.

Carter thought about it and knew his friend was right. She was probably up there arguing with the doctor about leaving the hospital right now.

When they went back upstairs, the doctor was standing outside Eve's room, talking quietly with a nurse. As they approached, he walked towards them. “I'd like to speak to you privately. We can use an office down here.” He motioned for them to follow him.

When they were all seated in the small space, the doctor stood in front of the desk. “I'm afraid the bump to Miss Taylor’s head was a little more severe than we thought. Her CAT scans were clean and there are no signs of permanent damage.” He held up his hands, trying to assure them. “But the bump to her head has given her a case of amnesia. It's hard to say if it's temporary or long term. I've seen cases like this where the memory loss lasts only a few hours, but there are cases where something like this is permanent.”

Carter stood, and his entire body shook. “Eve can't remember anything?” When the doctor shook his head, Carter rushed from the room, leaving his friends and the doctor to finish talking. When he entered her room, she was sitting up, talking to a nurse.

When she saw him, she smiled, and for a split second he thought that the doctor had played a nasty trick on him. Then he got a better look at her eyes and he could see the smile she was giving him was the same kind of smile she'd always given clients she'd just met. The sparkle didn't flash in her eyes. His shoulders sank along with his heart.

When the group of people came back in, Eve watched as each of them looked at her like she'd just been given a week to live. Shock and sadness crossed every face. After a few minutes, she couldn't take it anymore and asked the nurse if she could go to the restroom. The young woman helped her walk into the bathroom, showing her how to pull the emergency cord if she needed any help.

When she shut the door, she made sure to lock it as she leaned back and closed her eyes. Her head hurt, her wrist hurt, and she had never felt so alone. She didn't want anyone's pity. Especially since she couldn't remember the people who were standing around her hospital bed as if they belonged there. Like they had no plans to leave any time soon.

When she opened her eyes and started walking across the small space, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking, she saw her reflection for the first time in her memory. Her eyesight was still fuzzy, so she stepped closer to the mirror and leaned on the sink to get a better look.

She had rich olive skin and large hazel eyes that looked a little hollow at the moment. There were dark circles under them and she could see a large bruise on her left temple just underneath a white bandage that sat over long, dark chestnut hair. The hospital gown hung loosely on a curvy figure. She looked down at her toes and memorized the shape of each one. Her nails were painted a deep red. Looking at her hands, she noticed long fingers with neat, clean fingernails painted the same color. Her left arm was in a sling and she tried not to move it too much. Her left ribs and back ached when she twisted or moved fast.

Looking back up at the mirror, she smiled to test the look. Then she noticed a tear slipping down her cheek as the smile slipped away from her lips. There was a stranger looking back at her in the mirror.

When she walked back out into the room, the conversation stopped. Mitchell, the blond man, looked mad. Sandi, his fiancée, stood by his side, holding his arm. Sandi's dark skin, hair, and eyes were the complete opposite of her fiancé’s.

Carter, the chocolate-eyed man, had his arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face. She started to take a step back towards the restroom, but then Mitchell spoke.

“
Carter and Sandi think that it's best to hide you away from the world for a while. Carter wants to take you up to his place in Maine. I think that you need to face this situation head on, no pun intended. I think you need to come back to Manhattan and get right back in the swing of things. Maybe the repetition will jog your memory.”

Manhattan? She was from Manhattan? She took a step back now and came up against the wall.

“See,” Carter motioned with his arm, swinging it towards her. “Just the thought of going back to the city scares her. She needs some peace and quiet. She needs some time to recover. What better place to do that than in Rockport?
Besides, she's due for a vacation and so am I.” Carter looked at her and for a second, she thought there was something else he wasn't saying. She didn't know how she knew it, but at that moment, she knew he had a secret that he wasn't telling his friends. Or her.

The next morning, Eve was wheeled out of the hospital room with Carter, Mitch, and Sandi trailing behind. When they made it to the lobby, Carter ran out in the snow to pull a car forward. It was a silver sedan and Mitch explained that they'd gathered her luggage from the hotel room and that Carter was going to drive them to Rockport, Maine, where they were going to stay until she felt comfortable returning to New York.

Mitch and Sandi hugged her at the hospital and assured her they would see her soon. She felt like a lamb being taken to slaughter. Based on the words of what were now strangers to her, she got in the car with Carter and let him drive her away from the only security she could remember.

The clothes she'd dressed in, given to her by Sandi, felt foreign. They fit perfectly and were very nice, but she couldn't remember buying them, or even if they were her style.

The brown leggings with the large burgundy sweater were very comfortable. Even the black boots with the warm insoles were very nice, but she just couldn't stop thinking about how strange everything felt.

She looked down at her arm in the sling and tried to move it a little. Pain shot up her wrist and arm, causing her to hold her breath. Carter looked over at her and she tried to smile, showing him nothing was wrong. There was a frown on his face and a small crease between his brows. Then he turned and looked at the road again and continued his conversation. She watched the snow fall as Carter drove out of the city. He talked almost non-stop and she let him. She'd ask him a few questions here and there, but nothing about her life, just about the scenes that went by as he drove.