Zander

by Maryann Jordan

  As her door closed behind him, a tear slid down her cheek.

  15

  Walking into Rosamond’s room the next morning, Zander was shocked to see her sitting up in the large patient’s chair. A fresh gown, blue with white stripes, covered her from neck to feet—which were adorned in fuzzy socks—and a blue blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. Chloe was sitting next to her, assisting as she ate from a breakfast tray on the stand in front of her.

  Her blue eyes were bright as she pinned him, smiling in the middle of eating a spoonful of oatmeal.

  “Wow,” he enthused, “look at you. Sitting up, eating real food.” Stalking over, he stopped behind Chloe, peering over her shoulder toward the beauty. Each day the bruises faded a little more. Today, the large bandage over her nose was replaced with a much smaller strip. The swelling around her eyes was diminished, allowing them to open wide.

  Chloe stood and said, “Since you’re here, do you mind helping? I’ve got a few other patients to check on.”

  Doubt hit his gut and he asked, “Is there anything I should know?”

  “We want her to work on her motor skills and, to be honest, she’s much better today than yesterday. Just be here in case she has difficulties.”

  Sliding into the seat vacated by Chloe, he looked at the tray dubiously. Upon closer inspection, the breakfast consisted of a meal-replacement shake, a bowl of orange gelatin, and oatmeal.

  “Hmmm, well, this probably isn’t the breakfast of champions, but for your first food in a while, I’ll bet it tastes pretty good.”

  She nodded as she concentrated on getting the spoon from the gelatin to her lips. Successful, she swallowed. “Goo…” she said, the sound rough.

  His eyebrows shot upward as his mouth dropped. “You’re speaking.”

  A light pink color shaded her cheeks and she lifted her shoulders in a little shrug. “Nah mu.”

  “Not much?” he repeated. “Just hearing your voice at all is amazing.”

  Her gaze shot over his shoulder and he twisted his neck to see Dr. Calhoun entering the room.

  Greeting them both, he reviewed Rosamond’s chart before moving to her chair.

  “I see you are making a stab at the food. Excellent. You’ll need to be on a simple diet for another day or so. We want to see you go to the bathroom on your own. Your catheter was removed last night, of course, so the nurses will be monitoring your output.”

  The blush on her cheeks deepened and Zander moved back a few feet to give her privacy, turning his attention to the flowers in the room. He saw another bouquet from Rafe and shook his head in mirth.

  “You’ll be staying with us until we are certain you are stable. At that time, we can look at rehabilitation placement if needed.”

  Zander glanced at her face, seeing her brow wrinkle. Recognizing her concern, he said, “Don’t worry about that now.” Shooting Dr. Calhoun a warning glare, he sat back down in the chair facing her.

  After the doctor finished the instructions, entering them into the computer as he talked, he left and Zander noticed she visibly relaxed.

  “You know, I hate to call you Rosamond when I know that isn’t your name. Or is it? Am I the best guesser in the world?”

  She smiled and shook her head as she looked at the whiteboard on the wall, Rosamond still written by Patient Name. “Ra…”

  “Your name?” he asked, excitement coursing through him.

  Chloe walked back into the room and he called out, “She’s trying to tell us her name.”

  “No way,” Chloe exclaimed, her excitement equally showing. Moving closer, she asked, “What is it, honey?”

  “Ro…”

  Zander’s brow creased as he repeated, “Ra…ro?”

  “Ro…le.”

  “Roly?” Chuckling, he said, “Your name’s not Roly is it?”

  She giggled as her eyes danced. Zander stared, dumbstruck. Her gentle laughter, while hoarse, was music to his ears. Unable to think of anything other than the desire to hear that sound every day for the rest of his life, he was grateful when Chloe continued the guessing game.

  “It starts like Ro?” Receiving a nod, she then asked, “Is there something between the Ro and Le?”

  Another nod. He watched her eyes move back to the board before shifting to him again. “Ro…a…le.”

  “Ro-a-lee?” He saw the frustration building as her arms twitched about, her movements still jerky. Jumping up, he stalked over to the board on the wall where Rosamond was printed. Pointing to the ‘R’ he watched her nod. His finger moved to the ‘o’ and she nodded again. Sliding along to the ‘s’ and ‘a’, both receiving nods, he looked to Chloe, her face registering shock as well.

  “Rosa. Your name is Rosa?” Chloe asked, now bouncing on her toes.

  Zander waited anxiously as she said, “Le. Ro…a…le.”

  Sucking in a gasp, he said, “Rosalie. Is your name Rosalie?”

  A huge smile met his question. Without thinking, he rushed over, enveloping her in his arms. Rocking her back and forth he felt her thin body underneath the blanket, firing his protectiveness even more.

  “Do you know your last name?” Chloe asked, her smile wide.

  Rosalie’s face scrunched slightly as she opened her mouth, but no words came out. Twisting up to look at him, she clutched his shoulders tighter.

  “It’s okay, princess. A bit at a time,” he assured, followed closely by Chloe’s assurances.

  Chloe congratulated them while she walked over to the whiteboard and wrote Rosalie in place of Rosamond. “You know, Zander…it’s crazy that you came so close to her real name. All because of Sleeping Beauty.” Grinning, she left the room.

  Pulling back until his face was in front of hers, he whispered, “Hey, Rosalie. I’m Zander. Nice to meet you.”

  Rosalie smiled, a tear falling onto the blanket still wrapped around her. Nodding, she said, “You…too.” For the first time since awakening, she felt the stirrings of life once again.

  Zander looked over as the door to the bar opened and grinned as he saw Cael, Asher, Jaxon, and Jayden walk in. With a nod toward Charlene, he headed over to greet them.

  Sitting at one of the old, round tables, they called out their thanks as Charlene brought over beer.

  “Y’all need anything else?” she asked. “Burgers, wings, fries…oh, wait, we don’t have that, do we, boss?” Laughing, she patted his shoulder before turning to walk back to the bar.

  “What was that all about?” Cael asked, his eyes moving from Charlene to Zander.

  Shaking his head, he said, “She’s after me about opening a kitchen so we can serve food as well as drinks.”

  “Grimms’ Pub instead of Grimm’s Bar. I like it,” Jaxon responded.

  “Of course, you would,” Jayden laughed. “You’d be in here every night just to eat. Aren’t you afraid you’d gain weight with all that fried food?”

  Leaning back, Jaxon patted his flat stomach. “Hell, the women love my body. And, as much exercise as I get, I could keep the pounds off.”

  “As fascinating as this conversation is,” Zander interrupted, “I’ve got no plans of expanding. Grimm’s is fine just the way it is.” Looking over to Cael, he noticed he was staring at him. Crinkling his brow, he asked, “What?”

  Cael shook his head slowly, answering, “Don’t know, man. You tell us.” As the others looked between the two, Cael added, “You look better…more relaxed. Dare I say even happy?”

  Now with all four men staring at him, Zander sighed, torn between wanting to share with his friends and wondering what they would say. “Oh, hell, might as well tell you. She woke up—”

  The table erupted in a mixed chorus of “Thank God” and “Hell, yeah”.

  Laughing, he said, “And she was able to tell us her name. It’s Rosalie.”

  “What about her last name?” Jayden asked. “Can the police find out more about her?”

  Shaking his head, he said, “Not yet. The doctors say that as her brain heals,
she’ll regain her strength and remember things.”

  “Good,” Jaxon said, cracking his knuckles. “Then maybe she can identify the prick who did that to her and we can pay him a little visit before the police pick him up.”

  The others nodded their agreement, but Zander cautioned, “She might not remember. They said that sometimes when memory comes back, the one thing that stays out is memory of the trauma.”

  “So, she could remember everything about herself except that night?”

  His friends watched as his face registered doubt and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. Sighing, he nodded.

  “Well, that’d be a good thing, right?” Jaxon asked.

  “Yeah…” Shifting in his seat, he added, “I can’t imagine what the attack must have been like for her. You’ve seen her…she’s small. And the beating she took…” Clearing his throat as anger swarmed over him, he continued, “So, I’d rather she never remember that. Oh, hell, I rather she never remember that it was me who kicked her out, placing her in the way of that asshole.”

  “But?” Cael prodded.

  “Without her testimony, the police will never know who attacked her. He could get away with what he did to her.”

  “And, if she does remember?” Asher asked, his soft voice cutting through the conflicting emotions.

  Swallowing hard, Zander sat up straighter and looked his friends in the eye. “Then I’ll have to deal with her memories…and hope the good outweighs the bad.”

  16

  Sitting in the chair, Rosalie looked anxiously toward the door, wondering when Zander would come. If he would come. She did not understand her feelings—only that she knew his was the face she longed to see…the voice she longed to hear.

  Maybe, now that I’m awake, he won’t come to see me anymore. Closing her eyes, she forced that thought out of her mind. He promised. He said he never breaks a promise.

  Today’s breakfast had graduated to eggs, toast, and bacon. As she pushed the empty tray away from her, she smiled, the taste of food and a full tummy going a long way towards making her feel better. Looking down, she smoothed her hands over her legs, now covered by soft flannel pajama pants. Paired with a matching flannel nightshirt, she felt better. She had questioned Chloe when it was given to her, the answer still causing her to smile. Chloe told her the nurses pitched in together to buy a few things that would make her more comfortable than being in a drab hospital gown.

  The night nurse had assisted her with a shower and Rosalie lifted a hand to feel her clean hair, her fingertips barely skimming over the rough scar where the stitches would soon be removed. Glancing at the clock, she wondered what Zander would think when he saw her today. Clean, sort-of dressed, able to feed herself, and walk with help.

  And, she remembered more. Looking up at the board, she smiled as she viewed the name Rosalie Noble. It came to her this morning just as her breakfast tray had been delivered. The hospital aide had walked in and called out “Rosalie? Rosalie who?”

  “Rosalie Noble,” she had replied automatically, almost shouting in joy after the tray was set before her and the aide had left the room. Rosalie Noble! I remembered! As soon as Chloe came in, she could not wait to tell her and watched with glee as the kind nurse immediately wrote her name on the board.

  Hearing a knock on the door, her gaze shot over, expecting Zander. Instead, an older woman stood there, beautiful flowers in her hands. Snowy white hair, pulled back in a bun. Wire rimmed glasses perched on her nose. A pastel, floral shirt dress, belted at the waist. Stockings and orthopedic shoes completed her outfit, but it was her face that captured Rosalie’s attention. A beautiful smile. Light blue eyes that sparkled. Rosy cheeks. And lines emanating from her eyes, giving evidence to years of laughter.

  “Hello, my dear. I’m Miss Ethel.” She walked to the window and set the bouquet onto the wide sill. “I see some of my boys have sent flowers as well,” she commented as she perused the other bouquets.

  “I…didn’t know…sent them,” Rosalie said haltingly, her eyes never leaving the visitor.

  Miss Ethel turned back to her and said, “May I visit for a few minutes?”

  Nodding, she lifted her hand, waving it at the chair Zander usually sat in. Miss Ethel settled down into it, setting her purse on the floor before leaning forward and taking her hands in her own.

  “My sweet girl, I’ve been longing to come back, but wanted to wait to give you time to recuperate. I visited last week, when you were still sleeping, but you won’t remember.”

  Her voice tickled the memory banks of Rosalie’s mind. “You are strong. So strong. The Psalmist said, ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’ I pray that for you, sweet girl.”

  “I remember…your voice. God is my strength,” she whispered, her eyes wide as she watched Miss Ethel’s face break into a beaming smile.

  “Oh, my goodness gracious! Yes, child. Yes. I came to visit with you and Zander, and said a prayer for you. How marvelous that you remember.”

  She met the older woman’s smile with one of her own. Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “Zander?”

  “Yes, I’m a friend of Zander’s. And my other boys, who sent you some of those flowers.”

  Rosalie twisted around to look at the bouquets in the room, a quizzical crease settling on her forehead. “I…did not…know…who…”

  “Well, it looks like the big pink roses over there are from Rafe. He’s one of my boys and a friend of Zander’s. Well, more like a brother. Let me see, the carnations and daisies must be from the twins, Jayden and Jaxon.” Chuckling, she pointed to the sunflowers, “And those are from Cael and Asher.” Looking back at Rosalie, she explained, “My Rafe would send roses because he would assume any woman would want roses. Jayden and Jaxon would have picked out the colorful bouquet…that fits their personalities. And Cael and Asher…well, sunflowers grown in the wild are just what they would love.”

  Shaking her head, Rosalie said, “I don’t underst…know them.”

  Miss Ethel’s face softened as she leaned forward to hold her hands again. “My dear, they are Zander’s friends…his brothers. They know how much he wanted you to get well. How full of anguish he was over your…accident.” Her tiny shoulder lifted in a shrug, as she said, “The flowers were to brighten your room so that when you awoke, you would have beauty. But they were also a show of support for Zander.”

  At that, Rosalie smiled, giving Miss Ethel’s hand a little squeeze. “Thank you. For visiting…and for your boys.”

  Laughing, Miss Ethel, said, “Oh, you don’t have to thank me. Anyone who has them in their lives is lucky indeed.” Standing, she bent over to kiss her forehead and whispered, “You are strong, my dear. And I’ll keep praying for your strength to increase.”

  Rosalie watched as Miss Ethel picked up her handbag and walked out the door, twisting to look at the multitude of flowers only after she was alone. Her thoughts began to swirl. Zander…friends who are more like brothers…Miss Ethel.

  Blinking rapidly, she realized, just as she could not remember much about what happened in her life before she woke in the hospital, she also did not know who Zander was to her. Before she had a chance to process that, another visitor entered. Recognizing him from the other day, she sucked in her breath. Peter. The detective.

  Zander stepped off the elevator, his heart lighter than it had been in a long time. His book tucked under his arm, he nodded as he passed the nurses’ station, halting as Chloe called out to him.

  “I was going to call, but knew you’d be here soon. Rosalie remembered her last name!”

  Eyes wide, he smiled broadly, but halted at her next words.

  “We called the police. Detective Chambers is in there with her now.”

  “Shit,” he mumbled under his breath, hurrying down the hall. I wanted to be here. If he’s upset her…

  Pushing her door open, he rushed in, stopping at the sight of her sitting in her chair, dressed in fresh pajamas. Thoug
h she was covered from neck to toes, she still looked beautiful. Her cheeks were rosy and her hair was freshly washed and braided. Her eyes sought his, a tentative smile aimed at him.

  And there was Pete…sitting in my chair. Glowering at his friend, he walked past, bending to kiss Rosalie’s forehead. Mumbling against her hair, he said, “You look good today, princess. Did you eat?”

  He felt her nod and leaned back to peer into her eyes.

  “I ate eggs…toast. And bacon,” she whispered in return.

  Shooting a glare toward Pete, he said, “Thought I told you I wanted to be here when you talk to her. I don’t want her upset.”

  Pete quirked an eyebrow, “Sorry, Zan. Got a call that she remembered her name.”

  Looking back into her face, she said hesitantly, “Ros-a-lie No-ble.”

  He looked at the board on the wall and observed Rosalie Noble printed for patient name. Noble. How fuckin’ perfect. A noble princess.

  Unable to keep the smile from his lips, he kissed the top of her head again. “That’s perfect, Rosalie.” Leaning his hip on the side of the bed closest to her chair, he looked at Pete, waiting for him to speak.

  Clearing his throat, Pete explained, “I’ve only just gotten here, Zan, so you can keep your fierce looks to yourself.”

  Rosalie giggled and Zander pretended to glower at her as well.

  “So far, she’s just been able to tell us that her name is Rosalie Noble. I asked about where she lives or if there is family we can contact, but she was unable to tell me.”

  Zander caught her lips pinching as her fingers clasped together on her lap. Reaching over, he placed his large hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. You remember more every day. You shouldn’t try to force it.” Turning back to Pete, he asked, “What can you do with her name?”