~Joan~
It was dark, but I could hear the voices. Familiar ones. I wanted to open my eyes, but they were too heavy. I wanted to cry out for help, but my voice wouldn’t come. Still, I could hear them.
“Hey, Jo. How are you doing today?” It was Aaron. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t okay, that everything hurt, but no words would come. His fingers brushed against my hand, warm and reassuring.
“Open your eyes for me, kitten. I fucking miss you.” His voice was strained, thick with something raw. My lips wouldn’t move. When had speaking become so difficult?
“I miss you too.” The words echoed in my mind, but the darkness pulled me under before I could force them out.
When I surfaced again, I had no idea how much time had passed. The room was silent now, still shrouded in that same suffocating darkness. My body ached in places I couldn’t name. I stayed still, listening, hoping someone would come.
The quiet broke with the sound of a door creaking open. Then-soft, muffled sobs. Someone was crying.
“Jo, I’m sorry.” The voice trembled, but I couldn’t recognize it. Why were they apologizing?
They spoke again, but everything blurred at the edges, the words distant and distorted. Before I could focus, the darkness swallowed me whole once more.
The next time I resurfaced, exhaustion clung to me like a second skin. Drifting in and out of nothingness was draining, and I was beginning to resent it. My body felt weak, heavier than it should be. I needed Aaron. He’d hold me up. He’d make sure I was okay.
Why wasn’t he here?
Why couldn’t I see him?
The minutes stretched endlessly, the weight of silence pressing against me. My throat was dry-achingly so. I needed water. Summoning every ounce of strength I had, I forced my lips apart.
“Water.”
Had anyone heard me? My voice sounded foreign, hoarse, barely above a whisper.
“Water,” I repeated, this time more insistent. Something scraped against the floor, hurried footsteps moving closer. A hand touched mine, hesitant but warm.
“Jo? Water?” The voice was familiar, though I couldn’t place it. A small groan escaped me as I tried to nod.
“Here, here,” they said, and a cool bottle pressed against my lips. The first sip burned down my parched throat, but relief washed over me instantly. It was heaven.
As I swallowed greedily, my head felt lighter, the fog slowly lifting. My limbs still resisted movement, but something inside me was waking up.
“You’re good?”
I hummed weakly in response, letting them ease me back onto the bed.
Forcing every muscle to cooperate, I pried my eyes open. A sliver of light pierced through, making me blink against the sudden brightness. My vision adjusted, shapes coming into focus. Someone sniffled. I turned my head.
Brown eyes-warm, wet with tears-stared at me.
I knew those eyes.
She heaved a shaky breath, standing abruptly. “Hang in there, alright? I’ll get the doctor.” Her voice was tight, thick with emotion, before she hurried out, nearly colliding with someone entering the room.
A man. Tall.
She looked up at him, shook her head with a teary smile, then disappeared into the hall. His gaze snapped to mine, sharp and searching. I tilted my head, trying to place him.
Where had I seen him before?
He moved quickly, crossing the room in long strides. He stopped beside me, closed his eyes and exhaled slowly before leaning in, pressing the softest kiss to my forehead.
My stomach fluttered. Oh.
He pulled back, his dark eyes glassy, fingers brushing gently over my hair. I just stared. Was this the afterlife? Was he an angel?
The door swung open again, and a man in a white coat stepped inside, the woman from before trailing behind him. The stranger stepped back, and I had the irrational urge to protest. He smelled familiar. Comforting.
The doctor approached, scanning me with sharp but kind eyes.
“Hi, I’m Doctor Jax,” he introduced himself. “You don’t have to nod, okay? I’ll just ask you a few questions.”
“What’s your name?”
I almost huffed. Really? That was his first question?
“Joan. Joan Madison.” My voice was terrible, scratchy and weak. A fresh wave of embarrassment crept in, mostly because the ridiculously good-looking man was still watching me.
The doctor smiled warmly, jotting something down on his clipboard.
“How do you feel?”
I pursed my lips. How do I explain it?
“My head is throbbing, I feel pains all over my body, and I’m confused,” I muttered.
“Do you know what today’s date is?”
I frowned slightly, staring up at the ceiling. “June 13th?”
Dr. Jax pressed his lips together before glancing at the man beside him.
“That should be the day of the incident, right?” he asked. The man nodded once, jaw tight.
A pit formed in my stomach.
Dr. Jax turned back to me. “Joan, listen to me carefully. You were attacked in your home on June 13th. You passed out and were rushed here. You’ve been in a coma for ten days. Today is June 23rd.”
My pulse stuttered.
“Why… why can’t I remember anything?” My voice wavered. Fear crept up my spine.
“You will,” the doctor reassured me. He turned to the man beside him. “She’s suffering from Transient Global Amnesia and Retrograde Amnesia. That means she doesn’t remember the events leading up to this point and has temporary memory loss. She should be fine within twenty-four hours.”
Relief flickered through me, but it was short-lived.
What if these people weren’t safe?
I might have seen them before, but without my memories, how could I trust them?
The doctor promised to check in again later and left the room. The woman hesitated for a while, not knowing what to do with herself, before the man convinced her to go home and rest. She gave me a small smile before slipping out.
And then it was just us.
Alone.
My heart picked up speed-not from fear, but something else.
I studied him from the corner of my eye. He was… well, exactly my type. If I was capable of having a type in my current state.
I sighed. He drifted closer.
“You’re fine… really fine,” I muttered before I could stop myself. “And that’s making me nervous.”
He chuckled, the sound deep and familiar. His hand brushed against my forehead, his touch featherlight.
“You think?” His lips curled into a slow smile. “It’s actually cute you still think I’m fine, even without your memory.”
Something about that made my chest tighten.
“I’m happy you’re back,” he murmured, voice quieter now. “I’m happy you’re alive, kitten. I fucking missed you.”
I stiffened.
I knew those words. I’d heard them before.
They echoed in my mind, pulling at something buried just out of reach.
Heat crept up my neck. “This is embarrassing, but… could you move away a little?”
He raised an eyebrow, pretty amused. “Why?”
I cleared my throat. “My mouth probably smells terrible.”
His grin widened. “You’re all good, Jo. Trust me, that’s the least of my problems right now.”
I looked away, heart hammering.
And then-
“I love you, Jo.” His voice was soft, and quiet. “I love you so damn much.”
My breath hitched.
What?
He offered me a small, patient smile.
“I’ll wait, okay?” His fingers found mine, squeezing gently. “Take all the time you need. Even if you never remember, we’ll make new memories together.”
A strange warmth spread through me-excitement, nostalgia, something else I couldn’t name.
I didn’t know him. Not yet.
But I wanted to.