Aron thought. “The last time I was here in your office, the first thing that I could remember was waking up on Martina’s yacht in absolute agony. Now, I can remember everything. I recall dreading the heck out of going snorkeling, but my wife wanted to go and I’d do anything for Libby. While she was looking at fish, I decided to explore a small cave and there was an underwater earthquake. I only found that out a day or two ago. I can remember the water shimmering and vibrating. A coin had caught my eye, and I stayed too long in that hole looking for more coins.” He laughed. “You might know my greedy side got the best of me.”
“What happened exactly?” Scott was making notes.
“A rock fell and knocked me out. Apparently, I was swept out to sea and the men on the Isobella spied me and pulled me on board. I only regained consciousness a few times that I recall. Martina took me to Mexico City where I underwent brain surgery.”
“I’m going to get in touch with the surgical team down there and see if I can get your records.”
“That might be difficult. I don’t know what Martina might have threated them with, you never know. The doctor and staff had to have known who I was and what had happened. Jacob and Roscoe had plastered my picture and story on every news program from the Arctic to the Antarctic. But she was a feared leader of a drug cartel. If she told them to forget, that might be exactly what they did.”
“I’m still going to try, it won’t hurt to ask. As your current physician, I need to know the details.” Scott studied Aron’s face, wondering how best to phrase his next question. “When you awoke from the surgery, how did you feel?”
Aron made a face, considering his answer. “There was a lot of pain. Excruciating headaches. And confusion. I woke up in a world I supposedly belonged in, but a world I knew nothing of. My unfamiliarity with the people and circumstances frustrated my ability to heal. Martina told me she was my fiancé, yet I felt nothing for her—no attraction, no tenderness, no connection whatsoever. I was drawn more in a natural friendship with her father and a familiar acceptance of Los Banos and the work on the ranch.”
“In other words, you had forgotten your identity, but not your aptitude for ranching.”
“I think so, plus subconsciously, I guess I knew I had a good relationship with Tomas Delgado. We had done business together. Later, I remembered his daughter had developed an uncomfortable crush on me and that was the reason for this whole damn fiasco.”
“Ahem.” Scott continued to write on the pad. “During the weeks following your brain surgery, your memory began to return, slowly. Did it not?”
“Yes, I began to recall details about Libby and my family. I also found out who Martina was and the atrocities she had committed. I joined forces with another man at the ranch to take her down. Unfortunately, Martina discovered my memory had returned and that was when she took me to the chemist.”
Scott leaned forward. “You realize this all could have turned out very differently. You were fortunate.”
“Lord, you don’t have to convince me of that, the chemist had mercy on me. She could have easily done what Martina asked and wiped my memory out with those drugs.”
“Since you were here last, I’ve studied the Zip peptide. Experiments are ongoing, but they have proven the chemical can be used to destroy specific memories completely. It does not destroy the ability to create new memories, but it can eradicate entire segments of your past. And it’s done by administering the substance while stimulating the subject to recall the very memories you want him to forget.”
“Cruel sounding, isn’t it?” Aron shook his head, understanding he could very well have lost all of his past and knowledge of Tebow, his family and his beloved Libby.
“There are good applications for Zip. Patients who have endured extreme trauma, who cannot function in their own reality can be given chemically induced amnesia which allows them to lead normal lives.” They both were silent for a bit, considering the implications. Finally, Scott asked Aron another question. “Tell me how you felt when you came to, after you were given the Zip substitute.”
“As I understand, the chemist gave me a cocktail of several drugs, trying to replicate the effects of Zip in the short term, but without the permanent damage. Those drugs affected me. There was no doubt about it. I awoke with a complacency, a false sense of acceptance that my mind and body began to war against. One of those drugs was something Bowie Travis, a friend of mine, calls Devil’s Breath.”
“Yes, scopolamine.”
“The effects of that drug are compared to the old zombie making drug they used to make from puffer fish.”
Scott had to laugh at Aron’s disgust. “You’re right. The drugs you were given made you easy to control. Date rape drugs have much the same properties. Aron, you’re just fortunate the dose you were given was small. The chemist wasn’t trying to harm you; she was trying to save both her skin and yours. She took a huge gamble. If Martina hadn’t been brought down, she would have killed Emily, the chemist, for betraying her.”
“I realize that, and I’ve reached out to Emily. She has some family issues, and I’m going to make sure she has the funds to take care of her son. I’ve offered to bring her to the states and find her a position where she can continue the research she’s doing on certain types of cancer, mainly leukemia. I don’t know if you realize this, but Libby is in remission from leukemia. And if there’s a permanent cure out there, I want it to be found, just in case.”
“No, I didn’t know that. God, I’m so sorry, yet so glad she’s doing all right. How you feel is perfectly understandable. I just have a couple more questions. Tell me...now that you can look back, what were the differences in the way your memories returned between the natural amnesia from the blow to the head and the drug-induced amnesia?”
Aron looked off into the distance, trying to find the words. “The first time, the memories came back slowly, more often when I was suffering from headaches. There was quite a bit of swelling on my brain and the trauma of not only the initial injury, but the effects of the surgery itself hampered my ability to remember.”
“True.” Scott nodded his head. “The brain is a marvelous machine, but considering the ordeal you endured, the fact that you regained your memory as quickly as you did was quite amazing. Your temporal lobe received the brunt of the blow, and that was what caused your initial amnesia.”
“After the chemist drugged me, I was complacent about my inability to recall detail. But the day I saw my brother, Noah, at the restaurant was the day something triggered in my mind. I realized things weren’t right, they didn’t make sense. And when I began to question things, it seemed the memories began to eek back in, slowly. The specific memories Martina wanted gone was my knowledge of Libby, Tebow and my family. What she didn’t ask the chemist to repress was my memory of Martina’s sins and those facts returned first. And when they did, I began suspecting everything. When my family rescued me, their quick and dirty attempt at telling me every fact about my life only succeeded in confusing me, making me feel hopeless. But I never let them know that. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is returning to the woman I knew I loved, and I knew loved me, and I couldn’t remember her. I could almost recall the love, the emotion, the miracle of our union, but her face in the equation was missing. But when I held her in my arms, my mind didn’t recall her, but my body and my soul did.”
Scott listened intently, realizing he was getting a lesson in love.
“As human beings, we’re connected in more ways than we realize. I know you know more about this than I do, but I feel that every cell in my body has some form of memory. So, my bond with Libby and my family existed on more levels than what was contained in my brain. Being with them, being with her was right. And the more time I spent with them, the more time I let myself experience her love and her aching for me to be myself, the more the memories returned. I realize that the drug
s just had to wear off, and I’m grateful for that. But I think I’ve experienced the reality that memory is contained within the spirit. What makes me Aron McCoy isn’t limited to this gray matter in my thick skull, it’s contained within the eternal part of me...a part of me that can never forget.”
Scott listened and he learned. “I can’t argue with that. Science is learning more and more all the time about what makes these machines we call our bodies work, and we’re also finding out that there’s still a lot we don’t understand and can’t explain.”
“Love healed me, to a great degree, Dr. Walker.” Aron took his hat. “Did I answer all of your questions?”
“Yes, I may have more once I compare the test results of this lab work to what we recorded at your first visit.”
“Are we still on for dinner tonight? I’d like to get to know you in ways other than a professional capacity.” Aron McCoy rose and held out his hand
“I’ll be there. Seven?”
“Do you know how to get to Tebow?”
“I think you’re on the map,” Scott laughed.
After he showed the cowboy to the door, Susie buzzed him. “I put two bottles of wine in your office refrigerator for you to take to dinner tonight as a hostess gift.”
“You’re too good to me, you know.”
“Yes, I know.”
* * *
“You stay here.” She kissed Elvis on the nose. “They don’t allow dogs at the Alamo.” His sad face made her giggle. “I know, how horrible! Dogs should be allowed everywhere.” They were staying at the historical Menger Hotel where Teddy Roosevelt had recruited his famed Rough Riders before the march up San Juan Hill. “I won’t be long.” She promised him before she left.
Lia had come here for several reasons, not just for research. She’d also wanted to get away from home, to take her mind off her sorrows, and to be nearer to Scott. In some odd way just being in the same state with him offered a form of comfort. The weather was chilly in San Antonio as she crossed the street from the hotel to the Alamo complex. The first time she’d seen the famed mission, she was struck by how small it was and how odd it looked sitting in the middle of this Southern city, surrounded by hotels and traffic lights. But once she stepped on the hallowed grounds, everything changed.
She walked along the outer wall of San Antonio de Valero, a mission constructed in 1744. This simple Spanish mission became a pivotal point in history when it was captured by Texans and wrested from Mexican control in December of 1835 at the very beginning of the Texas Revolution. These two hundred men dug themselves in and formed what they considered to be a key first line of defense against Santa Anna, leader of the Mexican Army. But during 13 days of siege and battle, the defenders of the Alamo were defeated.
Pushing open the doors of the small stone church, Lia walked into the main room. The feeling that swept over her was one of sacredness and history. It wasn’t a brightly lit room, and people naturally spoke in hushed tones. She closed her eyes, touching the wall, trying to imagine the heat of battle, the screams of the dying, and how it must have felt to wage a war you knew you couldn’t win. Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, William B. Travis—names famous in history, especially Texas history and they all three died at the Alamo.
Taking time to look at the exhibits, she drew in her breath in amazement. In the middle of one of the displays was a photograph of Scott and two other men. One was identified as his father, Clint Walker, and the other his brother, Jordan. The caption explained that between the three of them, they possessed one of the most valuable private collections of Alamo artifacts in the world. One of Jim Bowie’s infamous Bowie knives and Sam Houston’s pocket watch were among the more notable pieces. Lia was impressed. It also made her wonder what else she might find out about Scott on the internet. Maybe when she went back to her hotel room, she’d check.
As she moved outside and over the garden grounds, she walked by the wall and through the long barracks, imagining what the rocks and stones had seen and heard. There were many tales of ghosts, gunfire and screams, even a little boy in blue. She closed her eyes and tried to listen with her heart. And finally the words came…
None will see tomorrow
None will be going home
Standing up for freedom
Is how a war is won
But husbands, sons and brothers
Will die here today
Remember the Alamo
Is what you’ll hear them say…
Leaning against the wall, she stopped to enter the words as a note on her phone, unwilling to depend on her faulty memory to retain them until she got back to the hotel. As she held the cell, she was tempted to phone Scott, but she didn’t. He might be busy, and besides she didn’t really know what to say…other than she missed him. An aching, desperate miss.
As she typed, a twinge of pain knifed through her abdomen. A familiar grinding cramp. She wouldn’t know for sure until she went to the restroom, but it seemed she wasn’t pregnant. Odd thing, Lia wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Relief should have filled her heart, but it felt more like disappointment.
* * *
Scott pulled beneath the arched TEBOW RANCH sign. It had been awhile since he had been on a property such as this. Tebow rivaled the King Ranch in Southern Texas, WestStar was big, but nothing like this place. Yet, the ranch house, the vehicles, the people—none of those things screamed extreme wealth. The McCoys were well-off, but they lived simple lives. Scott had only heard good things about them. Their philanthropic work spoke for itself.
Parking in the circle drive, he shut the door of his truck, seeing there were two similar ones already here. There were six brothers, but he had no idea who he would be seeing tonight. A dog barked in greeting, a black lab. Several cats sat on the porch and observed his arrival with jaded eyes. The rowdy canine welcome was better than a doorbell. Before he could knock on the door, it opened.
“Dr. Walker, please come in.” A beautiful brunette with violet eyes welcomed him. “I’m Libby. We’re so glad to have you.”
He had barely got through the door before several others came to greet him. He met Noah and a younger brother, Nathan. Jacob joined them, as did his wife and baby son. “I think this will be us tonight, Scott. Several of the family left to travel up the country to visit our first cousins.”
“I’m just grateful to be asked. I don’t get many chances to be around family.”
“You all sit on the couch, the roast is almost done.” Libby directed them as Noah and Jacob fetched drinks. “Nathan and I will watch things, he has to finish his homework.” Scott watched them leave.
He noticed several of Aron’s sculptures sitting around. “You’re very talented, Aron.”
“Thank you, I enjoy the work. It relaxes me.”
“Are you alone, Dr. Walker?” Jessie McCoy looked at him with concern. “We can adopt you.” She gave him a teasing smile, but he sensed she wasn’t kidding.
“Call me Scott. I have one brother, but I don’t see him often enough.” The little boy she was holding captivated Scott, he couldn’t take his eyes off the small face and grasping hands.
“Do you want to hold him?” Jessie asked.
Scott hesitated, then he gave in to the strong impulse. “Please.”
“Sure, you’re a doctor. I trust you.” She handed the baby over. “His name is Bowie Travis.”
“He’s beautiful.” A feeling of absolute wonder filled Scott. As he looked at little Bowie all he could think of was how Lia would look holding their child. Then it hit him, Holy Shit!
“What’s wrong?” Jessie asked. “Does he need to be changed?”
“No,” Scott answered. “It just hit me…” He hesitated to finish his sentence.
“What’s wrong?” Aron asked. “You’re among friends, if you need to talk about anything. What
you say here is put in the vault.”
Scott smiled with a sigh. “I’ve met someone and I just realized I didn’t use protection, nor did I ask her if she was protected.” He laid his head back on the couch. “I know better. But this woman has me twisted in pretzel knots.”
Noah and Jacob had to laugh at Scott’s befuddled expression. “You’ve been bitten by the love bug.” Noah observed, fully recognizing the symptoms. “Skye has me wrapped around her little finger. I miss her tonight. She went with the rest of the family to the Highlands. I think she and Ryder are up to no good.”
“Ryder is a first cousin and one of two female McCoys. A whole new breed. We’ve only discovered one another,” Jacob tried to explain. “Family drama, it’s complicated.”
Jessie, being female, was more than curious. “Would you be upset if your girlfriend were pregnant?”
“Jessie, that’s a little personal,” Jacob whispered—loudly.
Scott laughed. “No, I would be thrilled.” He let Bowie grab his finger. “I’ve played the field. Had no intention of marrying or getting serious. Then, I met Lia Houston. She came to my rescue when I was foolish enough to drive a Lexus into a snow storm. Hell, she saved my life. Pushed me out of the way when a tree almost hit me on the head.”
Libby came to the door. “Dinner’s ready.”
They all stood and Jessie took the baby. “After you.” Aron let Scott lead the way to the dining room. “I hope you like Texas beef. We eat a lot of it around here.”
“I was raised on a ranch, WestStar, not too far from here, so I can sympathize.”
“Really? Do you still run it?” Jacob asked as they all sat down.
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