Or maybe her imagination was getting the best of her again.
She opened her calendar next, going back for several months, and found nothing but her school schedule, a few theater and party dates with Ash, and of course her research trip, which according to this should have ended a few days after her accident. She also found a recent appointment with a wedding planner that they had missed, and realized that not only were they engaged, but apparently they had already set a date. One they would probably be forced to postpone now.
She quit out of her calendar and opened her photo file, but either she kept her pictures online or on a disk, or she wasn't a very sentimental person, because there were very few. Shots of herself and Ash, mostly. None of friends or fellow students. And none of family, which was no surprise since she didn't have any.
She did have a vast music library, and while she liked the various songs she sampled, she didn't relate them to any specific memories or events.
She went through file after file, but not a single thing, not even her school papers, looked familiar to her. She tried to be logical about it. She had barely been out of her coma for four days and the doctor had said it would take time. Logically she knew this, and she was trying to heed his advice. Emotionally though, she felt like putting her fist through the nearest wall.
"I hope you're not doing schoolwork already!" the nurse said as she walked in to check Melody's IV. Which was kind of a ridiculous notion, since not only would Melody not have a clue what work had been assigned, but even if she did, she wouldn't have any idea how to do it. She didn't remember anything about the law. But she had to cut the nurse some slack. It probably wasn't often she dealt with amnesia patients.
"I'm just looking at photos and things," Melody told her. "I was hoping I would remember something."
"That's a great idea! How's it going?"
"Nothing so far."
She hung a fresh IV bag and tossed the empty one in the trash by the sink. "Dr. Nelson would like to see you up and moving around today. But only with assistance," she added sternly.
Melody wouldn't dare try it alone. When she'd taken her shower earlier the nurse had to help her, and she had to shower sitting down. Her legs felt like limp spaghetti noodles and she was so dizzy she was having trouble staying upright.
"We could take a few practice steps right now," the nurse suggested, a not-so-subtle nudge, but Melody wasn't quite ready to put her computer aside.
"Could we maybe do it after lunch?" she asked.
"All right, but don't put it off too long. You need to rebuild your strength."
Melody knew that better than everyone else. And though walking might still be a challenge, she could feel herself improving by leaps and bounds. She gave most of the credit to Ash.
He'd given her something to fight for.
Five
After the nurse left, Melody went back to the photo file on her computer and opened a few of herself and Ash. When she looked at herself, it was still a bit like looking at a stranger. It was her, but not exactly her.
Her clothes were obviously expensive and quite form-fitting. The healthy eating must have paid off because she was very trim and fit-although now, after being in the coma, she looked a little gaunt. She seemed to like to show off her cleavage, which admittedly she had a fair amount of. She peeked under her hospital gown at her breasts and decided that she must own some pretty amazing push-up bras.
In the photos her hair was always fixed in a sleek and chic style that she couldn't help thinking must have taken ages in front of the bathroom mirror to perfect. So unlike the casual, wavy locks she was sporting now. Also, she wore a considerable amount of makeup and it was always flawlessly applied. She looked very well put together.
Just the thought of the time it must have taken to get ready each morning left her feeling exhausted. Maybe, when she was up and around again, she would feel differently. Although she couldn't help thinking she looked a bit … vain. But she was sure these photos represented only a small segment of her life. Who didn't like to look good for pictures? And she couldn't deny that she and Ash made one heck of a good-looking couple.
How would he feel if she didn't go back to being that perfectly put together woman? Would he be disappointed? Or did he love her for the woman inside?
The latter, she hoped. If not, would he be here by her side while she healed?
"Still at it?" the man in question said, and she looked up to find him standing at the foot of the bed. Ash was holding a newspaper in one hand and a brown paper sack in the other.
"You're back already?" she asked.
"Already? I've been gone almost two hours."
"Has it really been that long?" She would have guessed twenty-five or thirty minutes.
"I had to make a few calls to work, and I figured you wouldn't mind the time alone. Which apparently you didn't." He nodded to her computer. "Any luck?"
She closed the computer and shook her head, trying not to let it discourage her, or to dwell on it. "I've looked at pretty much all of it and I don't recognize a thing." She gestured to the bag he was holding. "What's that?"
"I stopped at the nurses' station on my way out this morning, and they called the doctor, who said there's no reason to have you on a restricted diet, so." He pulled a white foam restaurant container from the bag. "Your burger and fries, madam."
The scent of the food wafted her way and her mouth instantly started to water. Now she knew why she was marrying Ash. He was clearly the sweetest man in the world.
"You're wonderful!" she said as he set it on her tray. "I can see why I fell in love with you."
He gave her another one of those funny looks, as though the sentiment was totally unexpected or out of character.
"What? Don't tell me I've never said I love you."
"It's not that. I just." He shook his head. "I just didn't expect to hear anything like that so soon. I guess I figured you would have to take the time to get to know me again."
"Well, I sure like what I've seen so far." She opened the container top, her taste buds going berserk in anticipation. Her stomach growled and, up until that instant, she didn't even realize she was hungry. She automatically grabbed a packet of ketchup, tore it open with her teeth, and drizzled it over her fries. Ash pulled out a similar container for himself and set it beside hers on the tray, but his was a BLT with coleslaw. He sat on the edge of the mattress near her to eat.
The fries were greasy and salty, and by far the best thing Melody had eaten in days. Or maybe ever. And when she took a bite of her burger it was pure nirvana.
"How did your calls to work go?" she asked. "Are they upset that you'll be gone for a while?"
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter how they feel. They don't have a say in the matter."
She frowned. "I would feel awful if I got you in trouble, or even worse, if you got fired because of me."
"Don't worry. They aren't going to fire me. I'm the best damned CFO they've ever had. Besides, they know that if they did let me go, their competitor, Golden Gate Promotions, would probably snap me up. The owner, Athos Koteas, would do just about anything for an edge. And that would be very bad for Maddox."
"Not if your contract has a noncompete clause," she said, stuffing a fry in her mouth. "Working for a competitor would be a direct breach. They could sue the pants off you. And I'm sure they would."
When she glanced up, Ash had gone still with his sandwich halfway to his mouth, and he was giving her that "look" again. Why did he keep doing that? "What? Do I have ketchup on my face or something?"
"Mel, do you realize what you just said?"
She hit rewind and ran it through her head again, stunned when the meaning of her words sank in. "I was talking like a lawyer."
Ash nodded.
"Oh, my gosh! I didn't even think about it. It just. popped out." A huge smile crept across her face. "I remembered something!"
Granted it was nothing important, or personal, but it was something. She tried to dredge up some other legal jargon, but her mind went blank. Maybe that was just the way it was going to be. Maybe it would come back in little bits and pieces. At that rate she would have her full memory back by the time she and Ash retired, she thought wryly.
"For the record," he said, "I did have a noncompete clause and they removed it when I refused to sign."
Maybe it was her imagination, but she had the feeling Ash didn't share in her happiness. It was as if he thought her remembering something was a bad thing.
It was just one more little thing that seemed … off.
She shook the thought away. She was being ridiculous. Of course he wanted her to remember things. Didn't he? What reason would he have not to?