Forgetting Jane

by C. J. Warrant

  “I told you, she stood in the middle road. I slowed down and swerved out of the way to avoid hitting her and that is when I saw the white car coming. I swerved again.”

  Eli remained quiet. He needed to digest the information his friend explained.

  “I’m sorry,” Harold choked out.

  “No one was seriously hurt. That’s all that matters,” Eli said as he pulled up to Raymond’s house.

  Raymond charged out of the house like fire was on his heels. “Is he okay?” Raymond opened the passenger side door. “What the hell happened to his eye?”

  Eli shook his head. “Don’t know. But he’s exhausted, Raymond. He’s not to leave your sight.”

  “Are the people pressing charges?” Raymond asked while pulling his brother out of the truck.

  “What do you think?” Eli replied.

  “I don’t know, but keep me in the loop,” Raymond called over his shoulder as he lugged Harold back to the house.

  Eli called out, “Raymond, make sure he doesn’t leave town either.”

  “Got it,” Raymond shot back and then pulled his brother inside the house.

  Eli waited for the front door to close before putting the truck into drive and headed home. He wanted to head back to the hospital to see Jane but he needed some sleep first.

  He radioed in. “Cindy Lee, I’m heading home. Call me if anything happens.”

  “10-4, Chief.”

  Eli pulled up to the farmhouse and got out of the truck. The whisper of the cold wind gave him a soft brush across his face like a caress.

  Another day gone, and thankful for it but nothing came about on Jane’s case. One thing was for certain, this girl in the yellow dress was tied to Jane and Harold. Finding her was the key.

  Tomorrow.

  Sleep was what he needed now, but was the last thing he got. Nightmares came to him as predicted.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jane had a good night. No dreams of ghosts or nightmares of unfamiliar faces hovered over her. There weren’t bodies stuck out of the ground, calling to her for help. No hands reached out of the murky soil, trying to pull her in.

  It was a new day, and Jane was thankful and lucky to be alive.

  Jane stretched onto her side as she looked out the window to the snowy outside world. The dawn had peeked over the horizon and the morning colors of orange and yellow welcomed the day.

  She closed her eyes and made an oath to stay strong, and not break down into tears every time she thought of her sad dilemma. Finding her identity wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to think positive. She had to laugh at herself.

  What a mess she was in.

  The pain in her muscles hurt like hell and the back of her skull had a dull heavy ache. The bandage around her head moved when she turned, which caused some of the staples to snag on the cotton binding. She couldn’t wait to remove it.

  Even though her body was healing, Jane still felt broken, and old. Twenty-six wasn’t old by any means but—“Wait. I’m twenty-six.” Jane had to say it out loud as a confirmation. “I’m twenty-six.”

  Her eyes watered at the small accomplishment. Don’t cry!

  The sound of footsteps from the hall drew Jane’s attention. Leaning against the doorway, stood a large breasted, tall blonde in fuchsia-colored scrubs.

  “Can I help you?” Jane had never seen this nurse before.

  “Yes, you can help me. And no, I’m not here to wipe your back side.” The nurse’s clipped tone was the last thing Jane needed to hear. Her good mood vanished the moment the blonde opened her mouth.

  “Apparently you’re not here to do your job. So what do you want?” Jane folded her arms and countered.

  The nurse walked inside the room but kept her distance. She mashed her red lips together and looked around the room before she spoke. “I’m Caroline. I came here to see what all the fuss is about. I know Elias is doing his job and, he does it quite well by the way. But I don’t get the reason why everyone is in a tizzy over you. It’s not like you have any looks. There is no comparison from me to you. I win hands down.”

  “Nurse—“

  “Caroline,” she interrupted.

  “Caroline, I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jane glared back at the blonde.

  “Everyone is saying that you and Eli are together. I knew the rumors weren’t true. But I came to hear it from the horse’s mouth.” Caroline snickered then continued. “There is no way he would be into you.” She pointed one of her pink polished nails at Jane.

  “You mean like, dating?” Jane shook her head no. This Caroline was off her rocker.

  “Dating. Very good. Oh, I forgot you lost your memory—Let me make it simple for you.” Caroline leaned and lowered her voice. “You’re not ever to sleep with Eli. He’s mine. Got that?”

  Jane almost choked on her spit. She couldn’t believe what she heard.

  “I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but I want you to understand something. The chief and I, are not, nor will ever, sleep together. He is only helping me reclaim my memory and find the person who did this to me. Got that?”

  Caroline gave her a wide toothy grim. “I knew that. But I wanted you to understand there is another woman. And if you have any ideas floating around in your battered head about hooking up with my man, you will find yourself six feet under, again.” She walked out without giving Jane time to digest her threat.

  Jane let out a loud huff. She almost lost it and wanted to run after the nurse and yank all the bottle blonde hair out of her head. Instead, she tightened her grip on the bed rails and tried to ignore the stupidity of what the nurse had said.

  Still fuming when Magda came walking in with elation pasted on her face. “Good morning. I’m surprised you’re awake this early.” Magda stopped at the foot of the bed and wrinkled her nose at Jane.

  “It’s too early to be that cheerful, Magda.” After Caroline’s visit, Jane wasn’t in the mood to be happy anymore.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Jane wasn’t sure if she should tell her what happened. “I couldn’t sleep. Bad dreams.”

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure? I’m a great listener.”

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “If you change your mind.” Magda patted her heart and gave Jane a gentle smile. “Since you don’t want to talk, let’s check your vitals.”

  With one end of the stethoscope in her ears and the other on Jane’s heart, the elderly woman watched her with a careful eye. “The darkness under your eyes is much lighter and most of the bruises are barely noticeable now. A good sign of a healthy recovery. But you are going to have a heck of a bruise on your arm, if you keep messing with your IV.”

  “I can’t help it. It itches like crazy.”

  “I understand. I’m a mover too. I have to sit you up to fix it.” Magda gave a soft chuckle as she elevated Jane’s bed and repositioned the line and taped it.

  “I don’t think it’s funny.” Jane frowned and looked away.

  “Aww, honey, I didn’t laugh at your discomfort. I’m so happy that you are finally doing better. For a while there… Let’s not talk about what if.”

  Jane checked out the secured tape. “I’m sorry for sounding bitchy. I had a rough morning.”

  “No need to apologize,” Magda said. She kept moving. Right after she filled a small pitcher of water and put it on the table, she grabbed her chart and jotted things down.

  Jane watched in fascination as the silver haired woman walked around her with grace. Compared to the other nurses who wouldn’t utter a single word to her, she found the elderly woman refreshing and calming.

  “How long was I in a coma?” Jane asked with hesitation.

  Magda paused and sat down next to the bed. “Two weeks.”

  Really?” Jane absently touched her IV. “Was I that bad—I must have been.”

  “You were unconscious when you arrived here and in ver
y bad shape. At one point you almost died, but thankfully Dr. Rollins revived you.” Magda gave her a gentle smile. She patted Jane’s shoulder. “You can’t touch this IV or you’re going to get an infection and your arm is going to hurt something fierce,” she said while putting on another strip of tape.

  “I almost died,” Jane whispered to herself.

  “Don’t dwell on that, honey. Everything is going to be all right. I believe that, and so should you.”

  “What actually happened to me?”

  Magda paused and looked at her. “Didn’t Elias explain everything to you?”

  “Yes. I met Harold and Traitor yesterday. But…I want to know if my body was so broken.” Jane’s chest tightened with each word that passed her lips. Her throat constricted. She swallowed down the hard lump while she remained calm. “Please.”

  “You want details?”

  “All of it.” Jane pleaded with the woman. “I need to know the truth, no matter how bad.”

  “Okay.” Magda took in a breath and began. “You came in frozen, beaten black and blue and barely alive. The back of your head had a four-inch gash. You barely clung to life. Two fractured ribs on your right side and a sprained wrist.”

  Jane shivered. Her jaw hurt from clamping it tight. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to remember any of those parts. Pressure formed at the back of her throat. The truth was hard to swallow. It overwhelmed her to the point that she wanted to rewind the past hour and forget what she’d been told. Actually she wanted to rewind the last month to reclaim her life.

  But life wasn’t a fairy tale.

  She couldn’t dwell on what couldn’t be changed. Though she could take charge of her future.

  “You know I have no memory of what happened or who I am.”

  “I know that, dear.”

  “I don’t know anyone here or anywhere else for that matter.” Jane wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “I just want to say that I trust you, Magda.”

  Magda’s eyes glazed with tears as she reached out and held Jane’s hand. “I’m here for you, Jane.”

  “Thank you. I might need someone to talk to,” she said, relieved.

  “We do have a wonderful psychologist in residence. I’m sure he could help too. That is a part of healing, inside and out.” Magda stood up and patted her shoulder. “You know I’m not the only person you can trust around here.”

  Jane knew who the woman was talking about. “The chief.”

  “Very perceptive. Yes, Elias is a wonderful person. He may be gruff and very rough around the edges, but he can be sweet and he is here to help you. You only need to trust him.”

  “Maybe at times. In your eyes, Magda, everyone is wonderful. I don’t think he cares one way or the other about me, except to clear this case up and be done, which is fine by me. I want answers to who I am and who did this—And rough doesn’t describe his attitude. Rude, insensitive and a stubborn ass is more like it.”

  “Is that gumption I hear? I like that. You are much stronger than I gave you credit for. And no, not everyone around here is wonderful. I’m only telling you to trust him. He will help you.”

  The nurse leaned in and looked straight at Jane with no hint of a smile. “Do you know from the moment you were brought here, Elias visited you every day. Every day, even on his off nights. Do you think he doesn’t care?”

  That information surprised Jane. She had no clue the chief watched over her that much. “Why?” Jane’s voice cracked. Though, his presence gave her some sense of relief that he sat by her side the whole time. Strange, but at the same time comforting.

  “Because Elias does care.”

  “It’s weird for me to hear that. He doesn’t know me. So why take the time? I know his job is to protect but—”

  “Because, Jane, he does care for you. He’s not the ogre you see him as, or how he portrays himself,” Magda interrupted.

  Jane’s heart pounded a little harder. “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For everything. I guess I needed that talk after all.” Jane tilted her head toward the window, then back to her. “Magda, did the chief mention anything about what I saw yesterday?”

  “No. What did you see?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “Come on now. You started this. I have a few more minutes to spare.”

  Jane swallowed hard and looked down at her hands. “I think I saw a ghost.”

  “And?” she asked nonchalantly.

  “Crazy, hah? Either I’m losing it or I’m really seeing a ghost.”

  Magda sat on the edge of the bed. “Jane, you have a major head injury. There are many explanations for why you might be seeing things. What did Elias say?”

  “He laughed at me. He didn’t believe me.”

  “Maybe you caught him off guard. Not everyone believes in ghosts, especially Elias. He only believes in hard facts.”

  “Maybe I am delusional.”

  “I will let the doctor know. He will probably want to run some tests. Don’t be disheartened, Jane. We will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, I’ve taken too much time visiting. I have to make my rounds. I will see you later. Breakfast is in an hour. Rest and please try to be careful of your IV.” Magda gave her a sincere smile. She grabbed the controller and leaned the bed back.

  “Thank you.” Jane gave the woman a small grin back. “Can you call the chief for me? I’d like to talk to him again.”

  “Yes, I’ll call him,” Magda agreed, then left the room.

  Exhausted by her emotional roller coaster, Jane leaned her bed back and closed her eyes. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the truth about the Chief McAvoy. Jane couldn’t imagine him sitting there and watching over her. That would take heart and respect. Where was that compassion when he grilled with questions? With his condescending attitude and his abrupt demeanor, at least he protected her like some guardian angel. She had to chuckle at the image of him standing over her. Wings spanned out and a lance in his hand. Or was that a surfboard?

  A sudden rush of warmth flooded her body. Jane sighed. For a moment, she found herself wondering what Elias McAvoy really looked like under all that scruff and tried to shake off her curiosity.

  She even tried to think of something else. Anything other than the chief. Magda. But every time she focused on the woman’s face, Eli’s intense green eyes kept intruding. She gave up and let her imagination take over.

  The image of the tawny-haired shirtless policeman made her stomach flutter. His skin golden bronzed from the sun, with sinewy muscles in all the right places. The sun and beach hung in the backdrop with his gleaming smile as the focus. The only thing out of place was his smile. She wasn’t sure why she saw him happy, but he looked damn good with it on.

  Then a flash of a blonde with big boobs stood next to him. The freaky nurse, Caroline. Jane wanted to rip the woman right out of her mind. Bitch. She even ruined a good daydream.

  Jane let out a yawn and tried to relax. Pressure like lead weights pressed down on her skull. She shifted her body slightly to one side and pressed at her temples. It wasn’t helping. Her eyes watered from the hurt.

  With her lids closed, Jane focused on the chief’s face, hoping that would lighten the pain. Instead his image smeared into black. Another picture replaced it.

  Like a slow moving movie projector playing in her head, she tried to turn it off. Nothing helped. They played out anyway.

  A young girl stood in the middle of a golden field. In the distance were others, but she couldn’t see their faces clearly. A small marshy lake was to her right. She was a pretty little thing. Her long chestnut colored hair was carried by the playful wind. Her bright yellow sundress rippled with every spin she took. The warm and innocent smile on her face made Jane smile.

  Jane asked for the girl’s name.

  “You know my name, silly. It’s Jane.”

  The spinning stopped and the girl’s smile faded into something ugly. Her body contorted and hair melted into a hid
eous green slimly mess. The yellow dress changed to dark faded green and black hues.

  The warm sun disappeared—replaced by shadows and cold. The smell of spoiled earth suffocated Jane.

  Jane kept repeating. It’s only a dream. Open your eyes, dammit. She tried to open up her eyes but they stayed glued shut. Her heart raced so fast that she hyperventilated. Strangled breaths caught at her sore throat. A scream lodged in Jane’s throat but wouldn’t come out.

  As the grotesque figure moved forward—arms out, calling out for help. Jane stared down into her sunken eyes and saw death.

  With all the strength Jane had, she forced open her eyes and bolted up from the bed.

  Tears trailed down her face. She sucked in large ragged breaths to calm her pounding heart. Both her arms shook as she held onto the rail in a death grip, while she attempted to erase the haunting image from her thoughts.

  She laid back down and yelled out, “Why me? Why are you doing this to me?”

  Jane covered her head with the sheet. She didn’t want to see the colors of morning anymore. She thought she had woken up to a new and brighter day. She was horribly wrong.

  Chapter Twelve

  Dressed in his regular clothes, he slipped into Jane’s room. If he got caught (which he wouldn’t) he would use the excuse that he was checking up on her. He waited all day to see her. Anxious.

  He jammed the chair under the door handle and sauntered over to her bed. Jane’s chest rose and fell in an even flow—the opposite of his adrenaline-swamped body.

  Coming into the hospital in the middle of the night wasn’t a big risk, but still a risk. The price of playing this game was worth it. He took pleasure to a whole new level. And with Jane, euphoria was his to gain. Besides the pleasure for himself, the satisfaction of revenge encouraged him to steal her away sooner than later.

  Aww. When he buried her body, he’d make sure she posed like how she was found the first time. That would fuel the carnage in the chief’s ass. He wanted to enjoy the aftermath her death caused.

  The thrill to see his victims, but Jane doubled his pleasure.