by Rachel Ryan
She places a gentle kiss on my cheek and then her golden eyes stare into mine.
“Thank you so much for being here for me Jeremy. I wouldn’t have made it through this without you.”
“Ava, I’ll always be here for you and Brody. I know I’ve acted like a fool the past few weeks, but that was just my stupid pride. It still kind of hurts me to see you with him, but I can also see how much you two love each other, how you belong together. In all the years I’ve known Brody, I’ve never seen him as happy as he is when he’s with you.”
She smiles and whispers “Thank you.”
Later that afternoon, Jo and I are sitting in the room with Brody. Ava decided to go for a walk and call her Grandma to let her know about Brody waking up.
“Jeremy?”
I didn’t realize Brody was awake until he spoke my name, his voice sounding deep and hoarse. I guess not speaking for a week will do that.
I lean over the bed.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Sore. Thirsty. What happened?”
Jo reaches over to Ava’s cup of water on the table beside the bed and holds the straw out for Brody to sip on as I explain the details I heard about his accident and why the Doctors put him in an induced coma.
“Hey, Jo. What are you doing here?”
“Why wouldn’t I be here? I came to see you.”
“You came all the way here just to see me?”
Jo looks at me in confusion.
Suddenly we hear a small gasp from the door, and we all turn to see Ava standing there looking at Brody.
“Stone?”
“Yeah, Brody.”
Brody is still looking toward Ava.
“Who’s that girl?”
Brody
The girl slowly walks further into the room and I can see tears glistening in her pretty eyes, I wonder why she’s crying. I try to move into a sitting position but my body refuses to move an inch and my head is pounding. What was Jeremy saying about my accident? Head injuries? Coma? I honestly can’t remember any of it. Searching my brain, I try to think of the last thing I remember before waking up. I remember me and the boys having a meeting with Travis and the record label to discuss the details of our tour. Fuck! The tour! We’re supposed to be leaving in a month.
Turning back to Jeremy I offer an apology.
“Stone, man. I’m so sorry. I hope this hasn’t messed up the tour. I know I’ll be fine to play and I should be completely recovered by the time we leave.”
The look of confusion on Jeremy’s face has me worried. Maybe I was out of it longer than I thought. “How long have I been in hospital?”
Jeremy shakes his head slightly and whispers “Almost a week.”
Sighing in relief I smile. “Well that still gives me three weeks to recover. Easy.”
My eyes feel heavy as I settle back on the pillow and my eyes drift to the girl again. She’s standing just inside the door with a smile on her face, but tears are running down her cheeks. I give her a friendly smile just before my eyes close and sleep takes me.
When I open my eyes again I can hear familiar voices. Lifting my aching head a little, my eyes focus on a group of people standing at the foot of the bed. I see Jeremy, Hunter, Luke; and that girl is here again. Jeremy has his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She must be his latest conquest. It’s weird for him to bring her to the hospital though. They’re standing there speaking in hushed tones to a woman in a white coat, probably trying not to wake me up.
My mouth is still dry as I try to get their attention.
“Hey.”
All eyes turn to me and Hunter and Luke walk toward the bed. Jeremy and the girl stay at the foot of the bed as the lady I’m assuming is my Doctor pulls a chair up beside me.
“Hi, Brody. I’m Doctor Graham. It’s nice to see you back with us. I’m just going to raise you into a sitting position if that’s okay with you.”
Nodding my head I watch her as she presses a button beside the bed and I feel it slowly rising. I feel a slight ache in my head, ribs and shoulder, but apart from that I don’t feel too bad.
“Okay, that’s better. Now, Brody, Jeremy told me he has informed you a little bit about your accident. You had severe swelling on the brain as a result of the head trauma and we tried to reduce the swelling with steroids, however, they did very little, so we went with an induced coma as a last resort. The good news is it worked beautifully. We ran some scans on you a couple of days ago and the swelling had lessened considerably, so we were able to slowly bring you out of the coma.”
I nod my head even though most of what she says doesn’t even sink in, but I can tell she’s happy with my recovery.
“The bad news is that you seem to be displaying signs of a very serious after effect of a traumatic head injury. From what Jeremy has told me about your last discussion, it seems you may be suffering from short term amnesia.”
What? What the hell is she talking about? I don’t have amnesia. I glance around at each of the guys to see them all staring back at me with sad and somewhat pitiful expressions.
“I don’t have amnesia. Apart from Jeremy’s girl, I recognize everyone. The only thing I can’t remember is the accident.”The girl lets out a small sob, why the hell is she crying so much? Jeremy puts his arm around her again and pulls her close.
“Brody, we’ve already been on tour, man. I hate to say it, but the Doc’s right. You’ve forgotten all about the tour, you’ve even forgotten about what happened a month before the tour.”
“What the hell are you talking about Stone? The tour isn’t for another month. We just had a meeting about it the other day.”
Jeremy shakes his head at me. “The tour finished a month ago, man. It’s done. But you don’t remember it at all do you?”
What the hell? Is he serious? Surely he’s just bullshitting me. How could I forget something like that? It was one of the most important things to ever happen in my life and I can’t remember it. Fuck!
“Will…will my memory come back?”
The Doctor nods her head as she smiles down at me.
“Most people suffering from injury induced short term memory loss do recover their memories eventually.”
“Eventually? How long will it take?”
“Brody, everyone is different. It all depends on your brain’s recovery from the trauma. I can’t give you a time frame.”
“Shit.”
Suddenly, the girl asks a question. “Will it help if he looks at photos or if we talk about things that he has forgotten, try to jog his memory?”
The Doctor nods in agreement again. “There may be certain triggers that will help Brody recover his lost memories. Things such as sounds, scents, places, for example.”
I wonder if I have met the girl before. She seems to know me.
The Doctor stands and says she needs to complete her rounds but she’ll be back to see me in the morning.
The room is eerily silent for a few minutes after she leaves. I rub a hand over my tired eyes as I try to process the information I just received.
“You guys are going to have to tell me every little detail about the tour.”
They all look at the girl and I wonder what the hell I am missing.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Jeremy walks over and sits down on the chair the Doc had been sitting in. Leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees, he says in a soft voice.
“Brody, there was a pretty important event that happened while we were on tour.”
“What? What happened?”Jeremy glances over at the girl, who is now smiling, the tears gone and then looks back at me.
“You fell in love.
Ava
Placing my hand on Jeremy’s shoulder I look at Brody to see his face is in utter shock.
“I’m going to go get a coffee and give you all some privacy.”
Walking out of the room I look over my shoulder to see Brody watching me leave. My heart is aching as I walk away from hi
m knowing that he doesn’t remember me. However, I know he needs to hear this without me there. I’m a stranger to him; he won’t open up while I’m there. It’s so bittersweet, I am just so happy that he is alive and well but it hurts so much to think he doesn’t know who I am or remember anything about our time together. I order a coffee and ponder how on earth we are going to get through this.
Drinking the last of my coffee I sit there, so many thoughts racing around in my head. For some silly reason I can’t bring myself to stand up and walk back to his room. I guess I’m scared of his reaction to me. In a way I’m kind of scared of rejection as well. What does this mean for us? What if he never remembers who I am or what I mean to him? Feeling a hand touch my back I look up to see Jeremy with a glum expression.
“What’s wrong?”
He moves to the seat across from me.
“I’m so sorry, Ava. He doesn’t remember you at all. He thought I was joking. He thought you were my girlfriend. I hate this so much Ava I see how much this is hurting you.”
He runs his hand though his hair and looks down to my hand.
“I’m so sorry.”
Reaching out across the table I grasp his hand.
“It’s okay.”
“I told him a few details of the tour and the time he spent with you, trying to jog his memory. He just doesn’t remember any of it.”
“Jeremy, it’s fine, we’ll get through it.” I smile sadly, trying to remain optimistic. “If it’s meant to be it will be.”
Chapter 8
Brody
I stare out of my hospital room window as I try to get my head around this whole thing.
How the hell could I forget something as important as falling in love? I have always been the type to avoid relationships because they get complicated and someone always ends up hurt, so I am totally shocked that I have apparently fallen in love with this girl.
Jeremy told me a few details about the tour and the times that I spent with her, but I can’t recall any single memory of her or our time together. He told me her name is Ava. I say her name quietly to see if saying her name or the sound of it feels familiar, but there’s nothing. She doesn’t even look familiar.
I can’t even remember flying all the way to Australia to see her. I just can’t believe that I did that. Jeremy told me that she had come on tour with us and we spent a lot of time together. He said we developed a friendship first and then by the end of the tour, we were in love.
This is such a fucked up situation. I know it’s no fault of mine, but I feel terrible that she is suffering because of a stupid accident that never should have happened. Jeremy told me where I had been before the accident happened and I was so pissed off. I don’t know why I would have bothered giving that woman who calls herself my Mother the time of day.
Movement in the doorway grabs my attention and I turn to see Jeremy strolling into the room.
“Where are Luke and Hunter?”
“They had to go. Hunter said something about going to meet up with someone called T.”
Jeremy grins. “Tori, our stylist. They also got together while we were on tour.”
I shake my head. “Wow, I feel like I wasn’t even there. How was it?”
“What? The tour?”
I nod my head.
“It was fucking awesome. It felt so good being up on the stage playing to all of those people.”
He must see the flash of envy in my eyes.
“Hey, don’t worry man. It’ll all come back to you. The Doc said to talk to you about the stuff that has happened and eventually you will remember it.”
It’s only then I realize that Ava didn’t return with him.
“Where’s Ava?”
Jeremy looks down at the floor.
“She just wanted to give you some space and let you come to terms with it all. I think you both need to spend as much time together as possible so you have more chance of remembering it all, but she doesn’t want to put any pressure on you or make you feel uncomfortable.”
“Did she go home?”
Jeremy shakes his head.
“Nah, she still won’t leave the hospital. She’s down in the cafeteria.”
Fuck!
“She doesn’t have to do that. I do feel awkward about it, but only because I feel bad that I can’t remember anything about her.”
“She knows that it’s not your fault, Brody. She is just so happy that you are alive and well. But she is upset for you that you remember nothing about one of the most important times of your life, the tour. She really is a great girl Brody. You’re really lucky to have her in your life. And she loves you so much. So much more than she ever could have loved me.”
His words confuse me.
“What do you mean?”
Jeremy smiles.
“Before you two fell in love, we kind of had a thing.”
“What? Did you know her before the tour?”
Jeremy shakes his head.
“I met her the same day you did. We spent a bit of time together while we were touring, but it wasn’t meant to be. You and Ava were always going to end up together; I just didn’t realize that until recently.”
I wonder what he’s talking about, but I’m too tired to ask. I lie back on my pillow and close my eyes.
“Thanks for being here for me, Jeremy. You’re a great friend and I don’t tell you that enough.”
I feel Jeremy’s hand rest on my arm as I slip into a deep sleep.
When I open my eyes again, I can feel her presence in the room before I even see her. Turning my head slightly, I see her curled up in the arm chair beside the bed, sound asleep. Her feet are tucked up under her and her head is resting on the side of the chair. Her long, dark hair is spilling over the side, and her long dark eyelashes rest on high pink cheeks. She is definitely the type of girl I could see myself falling for, with her natural beauty. She looks almost exotic, with her olive complexion and dark hair. Her lips are curled up at the corners, almost like she’s smiling and I find myself smiling as I watch her. I feel a little creepy watching her sleep, but it’s the first chance I’ve really had to study her face. She is beautiful. I reach out my hand and run it through the ends of her soft hair. Why the hell can’t I remember her? She looks too beautiful to forget. Her eyelashes flutter on her cheeks and her lips twitch. I draw my hand back and continue to watch her as she slowly wakes. When her eyes open, she looks around the room a little before her pretty eyes settle on mine. This close to her I can see specks of gold in her warm amber eyes and I instantly wonder if that was what I was drawn to in the beginning. Her eyes are gorgeous.
She sits up straighter in the chair when she realizes I’m watching her.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I just came to check on you, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She starts to rise from her chair but I hold my hand out to stop her.
“Wait. Don’t leave.”
She smiles almost shyly and sits back down.
“Okay, um…how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, kind of tired.”
“Can I get you anything? Food? Drink?”
I give her a friendly grin. “No thanks. I’m fine. So…um…Jeremy was telling me you came on tour with us. Did you enjoy it?”
The grin on her face answers my question, but the words that follow warm my heart.
“It was so great. You guys were fantastic, I really enjoyed every minute.” Her eyes mist over and then she looks down at her lap.
“Ava. I’m sorry.”
Her eyes meet mine and I feel the pain behind them.
“What are you sorry for, Brody?”
“I’m sorry for all of this. I’m sorry that I can’t remember you or anything we shared. I’m sorry for your pain.”
She leans forward and her hand grasps mine.
“Brody, none of this is your fault. You’re alive. That’s the only thing that matters to me.”
I glance down at our joined hands and I run my thumb over her soft skin, her smal
l sigh the only sound as I stare into her warm amber eyes.
“Thank you for being here for me. Jeremy told me that you’ve hardly left the hospital while I’ve been here. I really appreciate it.”
She smiles again and gently removes her hand from mine before rising to her feet.
“Well, if you’re okay and don’t need anything, I think I might head home for a shower and a rest. I’ll come back tomorrow though…if that’s okay with you?”
I nod my head. “I’d like that.”
She grabs her handbag from the floor and heads toward the door. As she reaches it, she turns back and gives me a sweet smile.
As the door closes behind her I look down at my hand and I can still feel the goose bumps that broke out all over my skin as soon as her hand touched mine. As I lie back on the bed and stare at the window, I can see the image of her warm, friendly eyes in my mind and I find myself missing her presence already.
Chapter 9
Jeremy
“Jeremy! There are still too many. We need to cut it down even more.”
As my eyes skim over the guest list I prepared for the party, I look for the names that are insignificant, but all of the people listed need to remain on there.
“Jo, you need to remember this party is for three people. I know it’s a birthday party for Ava and Luke, but it’s also going to be a celebration of Brody’s recovery.”
“We’re going to need a bigger venue then. The Red Tavern won’t hold more than one hundred people.”
We decided on the bar close to Brody’s house as it won’t be too far for him to travel, but the downside is, it’s a lot smaller than other bars around this area.
“Jo, it will be fine. We will invite one hundred people, but not everyone is going to turn up. We may only end up with half.”
She frowns at me and crosses her arms across her chest.
