Adam gave a short laugh that held no amusement. "So you got drunk, woke up married and you're planning on just getting a quiet divorce at some point in the future? This was your big plan? Man, I ought to bust you in your head! You should have been taking care of Angel and this is how you treat her? No wonder she's wasting away. This kind of pressure is too much for anybody and any fool can see she's special. She's creative and sensitive, you moron, and you've got her in a terrible position. She's lying to her friends and family, lying to the whole world and just waiting for the axe to drop. What's wrong with you, Adonis? Did we drop you on your head when you were little or something and I just don't remember it?"
Before Warren could start on him, Donnie held up a weary hand. His brothers only called him Adonis when they were truly angry about something. "Adam, you're not saying anything I haven't said to myself. But if it gives you any pleasure at all, you need to know that I don't want to divorce her. I want this to be a real marriage. I don't see how I'm going to let her go," he said quietly. "I've fallen in love."
Now it was Warren's turn to laugh, but it was a loud, hearty one full of real joy. "Well, it's about time you woke up, Cochran. So when do you plan to let your wife in on this?"
Donnie was saved from replying by the ringing of his cell phone. He pulled it out and saw Angelique's name on his caller ID. He smiled and answered in his best voice. "Hi, Angel. Where are you?"
"This is A.J. and we're in the emergency room. Angel had an accident."
Chapter Fourteen
Donnie stood motionless beside Angelique's bed. Her doctor had assured him it was just a concussion, and that she would be fine, but his heart hadn't stopped pounding since he got the phone call from A.J. It was a freak accident, that's all it was; she'd been hit in the head by a deflected hockey puck and knocked unconscious, then rushed to the hospital and subjected to every test known to man, but she would recover. She didn't look fine to him, she looked little and pale and helpless. He felt helpless, watching her sleep. If anything had happened to her... he went cold, absolutely cold at the thought. A nurse came in to take her vital signs and when she picked up Angelique's slender wrist to take her pulse, Angelique stirred. Her eyelids fluttered and blinked open and she looked at him dazedly. Then her eyes widened and she stared at him for a long moment; she glanced at the nurse and looked around the room, her eyes coming back to rest on Donnie as she looked questioningly at him. Relief rushed through him like a warm flood as he saw her gaze becoming more alert.
"Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital, Angel. You gave us quite a scare," he said. "A hockey puck went out of control and bounced off a pillar and then it bonked you in the head. You've been out for a few hours, but it seems to be a concussion, nothing more serious. You'll be able to go home tomorrow; you just need to get some rest tonight. A little pain reliever and you'll be fine," he assured her.
Angelique lay perfectly still during his words. She looked at the nurse, who was still performing her tasks. Then she looked back at Donnie and spoke again. "Are you my doctor?"
The nurse's eyes got big and she answered before Donnie could say a word. "Doctor? Honey, this is your husband.1"
Angelique sat up straight in the bed wincing a little a she did so. She had a pretty rugged headache, after all. But she smiled at the tall, very handsome man. "You're my husband? That's nice. What's your name?"
In a short while, the doctor was assuring Donnie that Angelique would be fine, that her temporary loss of memory wasn't unheard of and was far from permanent. "It's called retrograde amnesia and it can happen after a trauma to the head like the one your wife suffered tonight. It usually goes away in a few hours. We'll keep her here overnight and you can take her home in the morning."
"I don't want to stay here. I want to go home," Angelique said firmly. She was sitting up now and Donnie was sitting in a chair by the side of the bed. She had taken his hand earlier and showed no signs of letting go. She looked at him with her eyes full of entreaty and repeated her words. "I want to go home with you, right now." Turning to the doctor, she asked why she couldn't leave. "My husband can take care of me. Can't I leave now, please?"
Dr. Feinstein scratched his chin and looked at the determination on her face. "Well, it would be better if she was here so we could monitor her regularly," he began. Angelique's stony expression told anyone who knew her that this was only the calm before the storm. This was the point at which it was always better to compromise than risk a scene, and Donnie recognized the signs.
"Look, Dr. Feinstein, my brother is a physician and my best friend is also. My brother has privileges here, maybe you know him: Andrew Cochran."
The doctor's concern fell away from his face. "Of course, I know him. I think it should be fine. As long as you check her regularly and you're in contact with your brother, there shouldn't be a problem. I'm going to give you a list of symptoms and if she starts exhibiting any of them, bring her right back in. Actually, the sooner she's back in familiar surroundings, the sooner her memory will come back. I'll have the nurse bring in the information," he told them. After a little more conversation, he left Donnie and Angelique alone in the room.
She smiled at Donnie, a ravishing smile full of trust "Well, I think I need to get dressed," she said, looking down at her dowdy hospital gown. She finally let go of his hand and pushed back the thin sheet and blanket to reveal long, shapely legs, bare up to the hips where the gown had twisted. "Are you going to help me?"
Donnie swallowed hard as he realized the full import of the act. "Why don't I get your clothes and the nurse and she can help you get dressed" he said quickly. Fortunately for his sanity, Angelique agreed.
"Okay. Don't forget to come back for me," she said cheerfully.
After he got her situated with her clothing, he went out into the hall to wait for her. He took a deep breath and leaned against the wall to steady his nerves. Whatever else it was, life with Angelique was never dull.
***
The doctor had warned Donnie that Angelique might be groggy and disoriented for a few hours and suggested he put her to bed and check her pupils every hour. Dr. Feinstein had obviously never dealt with someone like Angelique. She was animated all the way home and more interested in the falling snow than her temporary amnesia "That looks so pretty! It looks like Christmas," she remarked at one point. Donnie finally got her home and into bed, a feat much more complicated than he'd expected. First she had to play with the dogs. She may not have remembered them, but they were still her great champions and they preened and danced around and played with her to their hearts' content. She was absolutely delighted with Jordan and Pippen, and rather charmed by the house, which she insisted on touring. Donnie had to demand that she get into bed by threatening a quick return to the hospital. She looked crestfallen, but agreed. Then she complicated matters by asking why her clothes were in the guest room.
It hadn't occurred to Donnie that she would expect to sleep in the same bed with him, but since she had no recollection of their unorthodox marriage, she thought sharing a bed was perfectly normal. He stammered out something about them redecorating and reorganizing the closets and she seemed to accept it. It seemed a harmless fabrication until she went into title "guest room" and came back with a sheer pink confection in which to sleep. He suggested that she find something warmer, as the Weather Channel was predicting a huge snowstorm for later that night.
"It's going to get really cold, Angel. You need to have on more than that." And I definitely need for you to be covered up. They compromised with her in one of his old T-shirts, which fit her like a nightshirt. She climbed into bed and looked at him expectantly.
"Aren't you coming to bed?" she asked sweetly.
"In a little while. Remember I have to check on you every hour," he reminded her.
"Okay, well, I'll stay up with you, I'm not sleepy," she replied.
"But you need some sleep. Doesn't your head still hurt?"
She looked a little uncomfortable and admitted that yes, it did. "But I can't go to sleep unless you're here with me," she said doggedly.