“Can... you tell me about Wyatt’s burns?” She forced her thoughts to jump back to Wyatt, and she remembered when she’d felt the puckering on his arm. “Was it from the cannon blast?”
“Yes. Burns take time to heal, but his face is especially sensitive, which is why we must keep his bandages on.”
“How much of his face was burned?” Jessica couldn’t even imagine how much pain Wyatt had suffered because of his injuries.
“At least half. I think, however, that a few of those burns will heal and not leave much of a mark.”
“We can only pray for that miracle.”
“Agreed.”
Silence grew between them for a few uncomfortable moments. She shifted from one foot to the other, wondering if she should leave.
“Jessica, just promise you won’t become too attached to him.”
Dread filled her clear down to her soul, but she wouldn’t let it show on her face or in her actions. “I will treat Wyatt like I treat the other patients.” Which, of course, meant she’d have to help the others extremely well so that the other nurses didn’t think she was singling out Wyatt.
“That’s all I ask.” He smiled.
She turned to leave, but when she placed her hand on the door, he cleared his throat.
“Actually, that’s not all I ask,” he added.
She lowered her arm and turned back to him. He stepped closer, and the rhythm of her heart hammered faster. It was the look of interest in his eyes, and his charming smile that was making her breathless.
“Jessica, I would like to know if you are free this evening?”
“I don’t work a shift tonight. Do you need me to?” Although she’d be tired when she finally returned to the boarding house, working the late shift would mean she didn’t have to sneak into the hospital to see Wyatt.
He chuckled. “No, I don’t need you to work another shift. I’m wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me?”
She held her breath. Hugh couldn’t be serious, and yet... the way his brown gaze softened the longer he looked at her made her weak in the knees.
Her darn throat dried again, and this time, it was harder to swallow. “You want to... court me?”
“Well, I suppose that’s a start, but for now, I would just like your company for dinner. It’s nothing fancy. As you’ve probably heard, my mother is the cook at your boarding house. I thought the two of us could have dinner with her tonight.”
“Yes. Mrs. Gladys mentioned that. I have briefly met your mother. She’d very kind.”
Tilting his head, he arched an eyebrow. “So, is that a yes for joining me tonight?”
It would be rude of her to turn him down. Spending time in his presence would only make her jittery. Then again, she had to overcome this feeling. He might be an attractive man, but Wyatt was the one who held her heart.
“Yes, I’ll join you tonight.”
His smile grew. “Good. I’ll arrive at the boarding house around seven.”
This time when she turned to leave his office, he let her. She didn’t know what Hugh wanted to gain from this dinner tonight, but she only wanted to be friends. Then again, he probably wanted to spend time with someone closer to his age, since everyone else at the hospital was older by at least ten years.
Just as she stepped into the hall, Sheriff Adamson and Deputy Workman stopped, tipping their hats to her. She smiled and gave them a nod.
“Good day, Sheriff Adamson,” Hugh said. “What can I do for you fine men today?”
“We just brought in another deserter.” The sheriff was medium height, but the crassness on his face made people pause in their tracks. Jessica knew this was a man she never wanted to go up against. The deputy, however, was a sweet man. He was younger than the sheriff by a few years, and his disposition was one that attracted people to him and made them friends.
“Oh, good.” Hugh nodded. “We have one for you to take to jail, now that he’s healed.”
“Yes, we know,” Deputy Workman said. “Nurse Twitchell is getting him ready as we speak.”
“If you will excuse me,” Jessica politely interrupted, “I need to get back to my duties. It was nice to see you both again.” She smiled at the sheriff and deputy before leaving them to talk to Hugh.
As she walked by the ward where Wyatt was in, her emotions switched in a different direction. How was she going to jog his memory when she’d never had to work with a patient like this before? Deep in her gut, she knew that Wyatt wasn’t a deserter. One way or another, he must remember soon, or once he was healed, he’d be the patient the sheriff and deputy would take to jail. She prayed God would direct her in the path she needed to take. Wyatt needed to remember, and she needed him to remember her.
Being lonely wasn’t a healthy way to live.
FOUR
So, his name was Wyatt. He was fine with that name. It was rugged. It beat not having a name at all.
He wanted desperately to have the bandages removed from his eyes, but the doctors who had helped him insisted that they were needed to heal the burns on his face. Slowly, he lifted his hand and touched the dressings. Being as careful as he could, he felt around and found all of the sores located underneath. They stung like the dickens, and he gritted his teeth against the pain.
How long he’d been like this, he didn’t know. Minutes had turned into hours, and days had turned into weeks. Time didn’t matter any longer. The staff at the hospital must have kept him heavily medicated because that was the only explanation as to why he hadn’t gone insane yet.
And then... an angel came into his life. She said her name was Jessica Simone. Her voice was much sweeter, and she sounded much younger than the other nurses. But this one actually wanted to help him heal.
Her short visit last night had given him hope that things would start looking better for him. Doom and gloom wouldn’t always be his companions. Instead, he looked forward to hearing Jessica’s sweet voice when she helped the others in the hospital. And he especially waited patiently for this night to arrive. They could talk more personally then. Of course, he wouldn’t know what to say, but at least her voice would make him happy.
He wasn’t certain how long it had been since he last heard her voice, but he could tell the light from the other side of the bandages was growing darker. Night must be upon him now. He wouldn’t have much time to wait.
Wyatt moved both hands to his face as he tried to peel away the coverings from his eyes. Finally, a small amount of light shone through, enough for him to see around the room. From outside the windows, night had indeed begun to take over. Excitement grew inside him, and he hoped he could look upon Jessica’s face this time. He would convince her to take him outside for a walk or something. One way or another, he needed to see her. Perhaps that would be the key to opening his memories.
He’d heard the other men in the room talking from time to time. Wyatt realized that this hospital ward was where they kept the deserters from the war. Even if he had no memories, he knew what war was. Something in his gut told him that he had been part of that senseless time in the past. However, he also felt that he wouldn’t have deserted – that he would have kept on fighting until the war was over.
If only he knew for certain. Something terrible must have happened to him. Maybe that was why his mind was afraid to open and let him remember.
He prayed his angel would help him in some way since nobody else would.
* * * *
Hugh Lyman was genuinely surprised to discover how much Jessica entertained him during dinner. His mother had visited with them for a few minutes, but because she had other people in the boarding house to feed, she couldn’t give him and Jessica her full attention. He didn’t mind. Jessica had captured his interest, and he was reluctant to look away for fear he’d miss one of her adorable expressions.
When she told him stories about what she’d gone through while staying in the nursing school, she had become very dramatic. Her expression changed with each emotion, and he fo
und himself mesmerized. Her deep brown-eyed gaze held him prisoner. When she laughed, her eyes sparkled.
He’d never known a woman who could keep him entertained throughout a whole meal. Usually, women bored him quickly, which was what he told his mother when she had asked why he wasn’t married yet. The real reason, however, was because he couldn’t find a woman who shared his interests. He hadn’t become a doctor just to have a prestigious career. Instead, he cared about people, and he wanted to heal them. His enjoyment was seeing the gratitude on their face when he was able to help them.
Most women turned up their nose at him for wanting to spend all of his time at work. Of course, he also spent some of his time with his mother or brothers, but mostly, he worked at the hospital.
From what he could tell about Jessica so far this evening was that she too enjoyed helping people. That was a good thing, and yet, because she had become so attached to the amnesia patient, Hugh worried that she might push the nurse-patient relationship limit a little too far and that she would be the one getting hurt in the end.
He hadn’t realized she stopped talking until pink bloomed in her cheeks. Then he remembered that he’d been staring at her while she told him about her family. Now he felt like the fool for getting caught day-dreaming.
“I’m um...” she said, “I’m sorry if I’m boring you.”
“Nonsense.” He touched her hand, resting on the table by her empty plate. “You are far from boring. In fact, I think the word that comes to mind is... fascinating.”
Her face flamed a deeper red, and her gaze dropped to the table. “You are too kind, Hugh, but I feel that you are over-flattering me.” She looked at him again. “And let me warn you... I don’t take kindly to men who lie.”
He chuckled. “You think I’m lying to you?”
“It’s just hard for me to believe that you would find me fascinating.”
“Well, I do. You are an amazing woman.”
Her gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Now you think I’m amazing? I’m wondering if you’ve been taking some of the pain medication Nurse Twitchell gives to our severely injured patients.”
Hugh threw back his head and laughed heartily. “No, my dear, Jessica. I wouldn’t dare touch Opium or even Morphine.”
She nodded once. “Good. I wouldn’t think highly of you if you did.”
He glanced out the window. The sun had gone to bed, and from what he could see of the back yard, it appeared to be lit well enough to venture out into the night. He met her gaze again and grinned. “Would you like to go for a stroll with me?”
Her fast intake of air was noticeable, and he found it adorable. But he wouldn’t tease her about it. That was one of the many things he liked about her. Her innocence was a breath of fresh air. He thought she was a very lovely woman, and yet she acted as though she wasn’t used to having men pay attention to her.
“It’ll be a short stroll,” he continued. “Both of us have an early shift tomorrow morning, so we need our rest.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she nodded. “A stroll sounds like it’ll be the perfect thing to calm us both down after a hard day at the hospital.”
He stood and offered his arm. Jessica rose to her feet and hooked her arm around his. She was a petite woman. He was a good head taller than her. But he liked the way she gazed up at him with those sparkling eyes. It was enough to make him breathless.
A gentle wind blew through the night air, and it tousled her hair. She had taken it out of the bun he’d seen it in this morning, and it flowed over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. Thankfully, she’d changed her clothes as well. For their date, she’d worn a plain brown skirt with a daffodil colored blouse. It was certainly nice to see her without her apron.
At work, he looked upon her as a nurse, but now, every inch of her was a woman. Seeing her this way made his heart skip, and it also reminded him that he was still a bachelor looking for the right woman to fall in love with.
“Hugh, I feel as though I have done all the talking tonight. You probably know everything about me now, but I still don’t know much about you, except that your mother is the cook here.”
“My father died when I was sixteen. I grew up fast after that as it was my responsibility to take care of my mother and brothers.”
“Were you a soldier in the war?”
He shook his head. “I was actually learning how to be a doctor during that time, but I was able to help a few medical tents that passed by our area. I think I learned more about being a doctor during that time than going to school.”
Sadness creased on her face. “It was a senseless war... So many fatalities.”
“Agreed.”
They stopped at the wooden fence along the property. Just on the other side was a small flower garden. Hugh leaned his shoulder against the fence, facing her, and she copied his stance.
“Jessica, the one thing you haven’t talked about tonight is your relationship with the deserter with amnesia.”
Her expression hardened. “Hugh, I would appreciate it if you called him by his name – Wyatt.”
Sighing heavily, he shrugged. “The problem is, we don’t know for certain if his name is Wyatt.”
“I do.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is your childhood friend, Wyatt?”
Hesitation flittered across her facial features before she lifted her chin, stubbornly.
“Hugh, I know it’s Wyatt. His voice is so much like the man I remembered, and his hair color is the same – maybe slightly darker, but enough to be the same color. But his birthmark is what tells me that is him.”
“Because it’s in the shape of a lightning bolt?”
“Yes.”
“Today, when I was changing his bandages, I looked closer at his arm. It doesn’t look like a birthmark. It’s a burn.”
“No, it’s a birthmark. I’m aware that there is a burn there as well, but I see his birthmark, Hugh. I know this is Wyatt.” She placed her hand on his chest. “If one of your brothers was missing from the war and someone found an injured man who resembled him, wouldn’t you want to believe that he was saved from death?”
Hugh didn’t answer right away. Her touch was doing silly things to his belly as warmth flowed over him. He breathed slower, hoping that the pleasure he found from her touch didn’t show in his face.
“Of course, I’d want to know if that was my brother,” he answered, keeping the tone of his voice steady.
“Well, Wyatt has parents and siblings, too. I want them to see him again.” She sighed and leaned closer. “Hugh, I want to try and help him remember, but I don’t want the other doctors and nurses to think I’m giving him special treatment.”
His mouth turned dry. They were too close for him not to be affected. And it was Jessica’s flowery scent he could smell, not the garden on the other side of the fence. “Have you ever helped a patient with amnesia?”
“No. Have you?”
“No, and neither have the other doctors.”
“Then what is the harm in me trying to help him?” The plea in her voice softened. “You never know, it might work.”
He was sure she could feel the quick beat of his heart. If only he knew that their closeness affected her, too. He took her hand from his chest and lifted it to his mouth. He brushed his lips across her knuckles. Her eyes widened.
“Tell me, Jessica,” he whispered. “What are your feelings for Wyatt?”
Hugh couldn’t tell if her quick intake of air was from his breath on her fingers or from his question. He hoped it was his touch that startled her.
“I... I...” Her throat jumped as if she swallowed hard. “I’ve known Wyatt since we were twelve years old. Our properties connected and he and I went fishing together, and horseback riding. We did so many things together.”
“Did you think of him as a friend or a brother?”
She snorted softly and rolled her eyes. “He’s nothing like my rambunctious broth
ers.”
“So, Wyatt was your friend.” Hugh held his breath, not wanting to hear that they were more than friends, and yet, his gut was telling him that was the case.
“We were good friends,” she replied. “And if roles were reversed and I was the one lying in the hospital with amnesia, and he was the nurse, he would want to help me just as I want to help him.”
Disappointment filled Hugh. Jessica wasn’t going to admit it to him. Then again, he wondered if she was worried that he wouldn’t let her care for Wyatt if Hugh knew the truth. She was smart because he wouldn’t allow her to tend to Wyatt’s needs if that were the case. Yet, now Hugh was put in a sticky situation. If he gave into her and allowed her to spend all of her time with Wyatt, it would be only because Hugh didn’t want her upset at him.
Decisions, decisions.
“Jessica, I don’t feel like it’s a good idea to help Wyatt, only because of your past with him.” She scowled, so he quickly continued. “However, if you can show me – and the other doctors and nurses – that you will remain professional, I’ll allow you to care for your friend.”
She gasped, and her face brightened. Before Hugh realized what was happening, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. He immediately made the best of this situation and circled his arms around her petite frame, pulling her closer. Of course, he made it look as if he was hugging her back. Hopefully, she wouldn’t know that he pressed his cheek against her silky hair and breathed in her heavenly scent.
“Oh, Hugh.” She withdrew slightly, peering into his eyes. “You won’t regret your decision. I promise to act professionally.”
He really shouldn’t be having these feelings for her, not when their conversation was about the man she had probably given her heart to as a child.
The full moon highlighted her face, and although he couldn’t see every inch of her, she was still able to make him breathless. “You are so beautiful, Jessica.”
Once the words left his mouth, he groaned inwardly. It was too soon to let her know his feelings... or, in this case, his infatuation.
A Nurse for Wyatt Page 3
