“Okay then, I’ll go with that,” she smiled at her, appreciating the compromise.
“And don’t worry, I had a normal childhood, without too many major screw‒up’s.”
“But uh, what about the rape, Vicky?” her blunt question caught Vicky unaware. “I’m sorry kid, I shouldn’t have said it like that.”
“That’s all right, it’s just that I’m still not ready to talk about it, not even with you, okay? Right now, I only want to talk about our good memories, if that’s all right?”
Aidan could kick herself for being so direct. She promptly changed the subject, “So do you have any pictures, of you when you were a teenager?”
“Sure. My mom put all my pictures into an album, and gave it to me last year for Christmas. I’ll be right back, don’t move.”
Naked, Vicky didn’t bother to put on her robe, as she slipped out of bed, and ran to the living room. Aidan smiled after her, admiring the way her cheeks practically danced on her butt. Thank you, God, for the little things in life.
With a silly laugh, Vicky ran back into the bedroom, and jumped onto the bed. She nestled up against Aidan’s side, and pulled up the blanket. “Now, before we start, I need to tell you that my mom, well she sort of…”
“Yeah, she hates me, I remember that much, for sure. What did she do, cut me out of the pictures?”
“No, thank goodness, she just didn’t put you in there, in the first place. I asked her for them, but she said she didn’t know where they were.”
“That’s no problem, I only need to see you, anyway.”
Vicky drew her knees up, and laid the album across them. Together, they sat shoulder to shoulder, looking at old photos, and reminiscing about Vicky’s adolescent years.
“Hey, I remember this picture!” Aidan was so happy to remember something so clearly, without a wave of flashes before it. “This was the same sweet little dress you wore when you brought me my birthday present. Oh, I remember how cute you looked in that little pink dress with a bow in your hair and pink boots to…” She looked closer at the photo, “Damn! You wore pink boots on our date.”
Vicky grinned knowingly, then added, “When this was taken, I had just come from church, and was in too much of a hurry to give you your gift, so I didn’t change clothes. My mom was not very happy with me.”
Vicky turned the page and Aidan saw a picture of her in a cheerleader outfit. “Damn! I dreamed about this!”
“You did?”
“Yeah. You were a teenager, waving your pom‒poms in my face, and uh…” Aidan’s mouth went suddenly dry, her eyes glazed over with lust.
“Uh‒huh. Dreamed about it or fantasized about it?”
“Six of one, half dozen of the other.” Aidan quipped.
They looked through a few more pages, when Vicky stopped suddenly. She came to one page with two pictures that clearly made her proud. “And this is me, graduating college with a Master’s Degree in Nursing. And that one beside it, is of me with my Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. Of course, it was a year later.”
“My God, was that taken yesterday?” Aidan asked, eliciting a laugh from Vicky. Then something caught Aidan’s eye, and she feigned jealousy, “Say, who’s that girl kissing you in this photo?”
“Oh, you mean the one giving me a peck on the cheek?”
“Uh-huh”
“Um, that’s my cousin, twice removed.”
“Good answer.” Aidan poked her in the ribs, and she giggled again.
“Aidan…”
“Yeah, kid?”
“You know I have had um… flings. I mean they weren’t anything serious, and they never lasted very long, for some reason.” Because I was waiting for you.
“Don’t worry about it. Like I said before, I’m sure I’ve had my share of women, I just can’t remember most of them,” The twinkle in her sea green eyes told Vicky that she was okay with it.
“Well, that’s one part of your memory, I don’t care if it ever comes back.”
Aidan laughed, but Vicky realized with regret, what she had just said, “Oh, gosh, no Aidan, I didn’t mean it. Honestly, I want you to remember everything. I want…,”
“What? What do you want, Vick?” Aidan noticed she was still hesitating, “Please, tell me.”
She turned away, afraid of her own emotions, “I want you to remember it all, and still choose me.”
Aidan thought, and here I was worried about you choosing me. “Oh, baby, look at me,” She reluctantly turned around, and Aidan lifted her chin up, “don’t you know yet, I love you so much, even before I got those memories back. I chose you then, and I choose you now. I love you more than you can ever know.”
“I’m so relieved. I’ve been waiting to hear that my whole life.”
Aidan looked at her puzzled, Damn it! Has she been waiting for me, all this time? “Vick…?”
She realized too late, her slip, “Yes, I have been waiting for you, I know that, now. That’s the reason none of my other relationships ever lasted.”
“Oh baby, I never would have left, if I thought… oh Vick, I am so sorry.” Aidan pulled her into a tight hug, smothering her head with kisses.
“How could you have known? We were kids. Even then, I wanted to marry you.” She leaned back, and looked in Aidan’s tear stung eyes, “I told my parents that, the night you left. And I still want to marry you, now.”
Aidan positioned herself in front of Vicky again and held her hands, “Vick, I would love nothing more than to make you my wife. I think I’ve wanted that my whole life too, but…,” Vicky held her breath, “but I just can’t. Not right now. Please understand, I have to find out who I am first. I have to get the rest of my memories back. I mean, what if I’m a bad person. How would we know?”
“Oh honey, we talked about this, and besides, I would know. I know what kind of person you were then, and are now.” She placed the palm of her hand over Aidan’s heart, “Your heart has never lied to me.”
Aidan took Vicky’s soft hand from her heart and kissed her palm, “I just want to be whole, when I come to you with a proposal. You understand? I want it to be ‘me’ that you marry.”
“I understand. We just found each other again. There’s no need to rush into marriage. But you need to understand this, I’m not letting you go. Not again. I will help you through it, through the bad as well as the good. I’m not letting you do this alone. We will face the future together.”
Aidan grabbed her into another hug, “Oh kid, that means everything to me.” Possessively, she kissed her, and when she came up for air, she placed her hands on both sides of Vicky’s cheeks, and she kissed her again, harder, deeper, longer. I will never let you go either, no matter what I find out.
***
“Hey, wait. You have to sign for that, ya know?” The dock worker handed him a clipboard with forms on it, and waited for him to sign the sheet. He wondered why the maintenance man was sweating, when it wasn’t that hot outside. There was even a steady breeze blowing through the plastic strips, that hung over the dock entrance. They were standing just off the dock, in an open room, where the oxygen canisters were stored, until needed.
“Oh yeah, sorry. I guess I’m still a bit new to this.” He wiped his brow with the palm of his hand, then wiped his hand on his pants, before accepting the ink pen from him. He took the clipboard and scribble his illegible signature on the form, then shoved it back at him. When he offered the pen back, the dock worker told him to keep it. He scooted the two‒wheeler under the canister, and secured it with an elastic bungee rope. The canister was nearly as tall as he was, and almost as wide. Tilting it back, he wheeled it off the dock, down the hallway, and towards the elevator.
As the doors slid open, he said a silent curse word.
“Going up?” The cafeteria worker asked, as she walked up to the elevator. As far as she knew, since they were on the ground floor, there was nowhere else to go, but up.
“Uh, no, I forgot something. You go ahead, I’ll
catch the next one.” He watched as the car left with its occupant. Impatiently, he waited, pacing and cussing, until the elevator finally returned. He checked to make sure no one else was around, then pushed the canister into the elevator, inserted a key, and pushed the down button.
***
“Good morning, Doc!” Aidan cheerfully greeted Dr. Kline as he showed her into his office.
“Well, someone’s certainly in a good mood this morning. How are you doing, Aidan?”
“Doc…, I’m in love! Madly, hopelessly, over-the-top in love, with Vicky. Did you know we were childhood sweethearts? I mean ,what were the chances that we’d find each other now, after all this time?”
“Did you remember that friendship, Aidan?”
She replied with a big cheesy grin, “Oh yeah, and then some!”
“Anything you’d care to share?” He didn’t have to ask twice.
The floodgates opened and she poured out everything to him. How most of her childhood memories had come back over the weekend. How they were caught by Vicky’s mother, making out in the treehouse. He listened intently, though he’d heard most of it before, from Vicky. He didn’t want to interrupt her momentum. She talked more in that session, than she had the entire time she’d been seeing him, and before she knew it, their hour was up.
“Aidan, how would you feel about bringing Victoria to your next session?” he asked, “I can have my secretary move it up to the end of this week, so we don’t lose the momentum you have going now.”
“Well, I don’t mind, but I’ll ask her what she thinks. I mean, Doc, isn’t she sort of your boss too?”
“Well, yes, when you think about it, I do work for the hospital, but I also have this private practice, outside of the hospital. Please understand that Victoria and I are friends, and I would never do anything to harm her position at the hospital. My word of honor.”
“Okay then, I’ll ask her. Thanks Doc.”
***
She watched as Vicky cut off a small piece of her filet mignon, and chewed each bite with delicious deliberation. Aidan was a bit more rustic, when it came to eating steak. Pouring what seemed like half a bottle of ketchup on her T-bone, she cut off a big chunk of meat and fat, and inhaled it.
“So, I had a very good session with Dr. Kline, this morning.”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear that, I hope he’s helping you?”
“Yeah, I’m starting to remember more, still bits and pieces, though. Most don’t make sense yet, but the doc says they will, once more of the memories come back.”
“Well, when we’re finished here, why don’t we go back to the house, and read more of the letters? Maybe it’ll jog something for you.”
“Sure, sounds good. Uh… hey, Vick?” Vicky looked up from her plate, “How would you feel about joining me in one of my sessions? The Doc asked me to ask you, but I would completely understand, if you’d rather not. I mean, you have your position to think about.”
“Screw my position, Aidan. If he wants me there, to help you, I’m there.”
Puffed up with gratitude, Aidan playfully growled as she ripped a piece of meat from the bone.
“Oh, you are so sexy when you act like a neanderthal.” Vicky laughed, but she wasn’t really joking, Aidan was stirring up a fire inside of her. “Um, I’m done eating, ready to go?” She still had about seven bites left on her plate, but she didn’t care. There was another hunger she needed to satisfy.
Later that night, though their intent was to read the letters, their heat for each other was just to enticing, and had to be quenched first. Then, when each woman had satisfied her throbbing, palpitating needs, Vicky rolled over and picked up the shoe box from the night stand, “Ready?” Aidan nodded her head, and Vicky pulled out the next letter on top of the pile.
Dear Vicky,
Well it’s been a year and a half since I left, and I’m beginning to think you’re not ever going to write me back. That’s okay, I understand…, I think. Anyway, I’m running with a bad‒ass Irish gang, outside of the projects in Chicago. They’re very tough, and don’t take no shit off of nobody. They’re teaching me a lot of important stuff, like cussing, smoking cigars and fighting. You have to learn to street fight pretty damn quick around here, if you want to stay alive. They even gave me a nickname, get this, they call me laoch, that means hero, because I rescued a kitten from a tree. How fucked up is that?
Love ya kid, Aid
“Fuck me! I remember that! I remember getting beat up a lot, until I learned to fight back. I remember I was quite the tough guy, back then!” Her eyes darted back and forth, as she tried to grab hold of the memories. “There was something that happened, something bad, but I can’t remember…, damn it!” A mixture of frustration and anger, washed across her face, and Vicky knew she was fighting herself to make the memories surface.
“Let’s read the next letter,” she suggested, “Maybe it will tell us something.”
Hey Vick,
I know I just wrote to you, and I know you’re probably not reading these, or maybe not even getting them, but you’re the only one I trust with my feelings. Sure can’t talk to these guys about shit. Anyway, this morning, some of the guys and I, were walking down the alley towards our hangout, when a car pulled up, and fucking fired at us. The leader of my gang, Truck, said it was the east side gang, and they want blood. Truck is fucking pissed and says this is war, we’re gonna kick their balls. Between you and me, Vick, I’m scared shitless. He’s talking about killing them all.
Gotta go sneak this into the mail, and try to talk some sense into him. Wish me luck.
Love ya kid,
Aid
“Oh, my God, Aidan, do you remember what happened after that?” Vicky’s worried look came across more as being scared.
“I remember it was a major rumble, and someone was killed, I think it was Truck. I got beat up, and did some beating, but somehow wasn’t arrested. I guess I hightailed it out of there before the cops caught me. I must have left the gang, after that.”
“Well, thank God you did!” she exclaimed, as she pulled another letter from the box, hoping it gave more details.
Dear Vick,
Sorry I left you hanging for over six months but I’ve been busy. I decided hanging with a gang was not for me. I stood by them, and fought by their side, as is the code, but when Truck got killed, that was it for me. I’m now in Maryland, of all places, and I’ve got a plan! I belong to a church now, long story, and the church has found me a family to stay with, and they let me work for room and board. And in one year and six months I’m going to join the Army.
Love ya Vick,
Aidan
Vicky asked, “Long story?”
Aidan didn’t remember that, so she shrugged her shoulders, “Considering I had just come from a sráide gang, I imagine the church was not the first thing I considered, when looking for a place to sleep.” Neither of the women realized that Aidan had slipped in the Irish word for street. She had learned a lot of Irish words, running with that gang, and not all of them were cuss words.
“Then again, perhaps you did choose a church, because you knew you’d be safe there. Maybe you remembered going to church with me, so it was familiar to you.”
She nodded her head at Vicky, “Makes sense.”
“So, want to read another letter?” Vicky asked, as she reached into the shoe box.
“Not right now, my brain needs a rest, and besides, I’ve got something else in mind,” she let out a soft growl and ran her hand up Vicky’s arm. The letters could no longer keep her hormones from rising at the smell of Vicky’s hair, the warm, soft touch of Vicky’s shoulder, the enticing passion in Vicky’s voice.
“Oh… that’s even better,” Vicky replied, as she set the box aside.
Just as Aidan moved her hand down Vicky’s soft alabaster thigh, the phone rang.
“Damn!” Vicky’s frustration got the best of her, but when she looked at the phone, and saw it was the hospital, she knew she had to an
swer it.
“Ms. Montgomery, this is Paul Stewart. There’s been an incident, and I’ve sent one of my guys to pick you up. He’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
Paul was the head of security at the hospital, and Vicky knew he was always intensely serious about his work. A retired Technical Sergeant from the Air Force Military Police, Paul knew his business, and Vicky trusted him with the safety of her beloved hospital.
She sat upright, “What’s happened, Paul?” she knew he would not have called, unless it was very high priority.
“I can’t say on an open line, ma’am. I’ll explain everything, as soon as you get here, okay?”
“Of course, Paul, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
She hung up the phone, and turned to Aidan, “That was Paul, my director of security. Something’s wrong at the hospital. I’m so sorry, but I have to go.”
“Not without me, you’re not.” She could see the worried expression on Vicky’s face. She knew how deeply Vicky felt about the hospital, and couldn’t imagine what would be so wrong, that they would roust her out of bed, in the middle of the night.
“We’ve got twenty minutes. How fast can you shower?”
“Uh, better make it a cold shower.”
Chapter 9
At night, with a sky full of stars, and a campus full of lights, the hospital took on a completely different look. Something akin to a Christmas scene, with small, twinkling lights in the trees and bushes, the white, backlit cross on the side of the building, and spotlights shining up at the statues of the saint at the front entrance. But Vicky saw none of that this night, as she rushed through the doors, practically colliding into the Security Director.
I Remember You Page 12
