Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
I’d just ended a call with Sergej when Aislinn called. The moment I heard the first word out of her mouth, I knew something had happened.
“Lorcan,” she said, her voice shaky. Judging by the background noise, she was in the car. “Can I drop off Finn?”
“Sure. What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you later.” She hung up, and I tried not to turn into a worried madman. If she’d been in danger, she would have said it.
She pulled up in front of the warehouse ten minutes later, her cheeks flushed. She rushed toward me and left Finn in the car. “What’s wrong?” I asked when she collided with me.
“Imogen woke up. I got the call twenty minutes ago. I need to see her, and I don’t want Finn to know before I know details about her state.”
I glanced at Finn. His head was lowered in concentration. He was probably playing one of his games on her phone. We had told him about Imogen about a month ago, when he’d asked about her again. He’d taken the news considerably well, maybe because her current state didn’t change things for him. She still wasn’t a caring mother, just like she’d never been, and he had us. We were his family. Nothing would change that, not even Imogen waking up.
“I’ll take him to the park. I’ll take the rest of the day off, but the rest of the week is busy. We’ll have to ask Maeve if all fails.”
“She has a fussy newborn. Finn loves Mrs. Byrne. She’ll gladly watch him.” I picked Finn up and Aislinn rushed off after a brief kiss.
Finn peered up at me. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah. Maeve needs her help with the baby, that’s all. We’ll have fun at the park. How about we take a boat ride?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s just quickly wake good old Seamus so he can handle business while we’re gone.”
Finn nodded enthusiastically and grinned. He and I were a good team.
Aislinn came home late, long after dinner, so Finn and I had enjoyed a Reuben sandwich at the best foodtruck in the city. When she came into the apartment, Finn was already asleep. I was sitting on the sofa, reading over the inventory of the shipment that we intervened when Aislinn plopped down on the sofa beside me and put her head on my shoulder without a word. She let out shuddery breath. I touched her head and allowed her to cry, waiting for her to be ready to talk to me.
“She woke up. They took out the breathing tube but she can’t speak. The doctors say she’s doing surprisingly well. But I can tell that she doesn’t remember me. I sat by her bed and she looked at me but I could tell she didn’t know why I was there. I was a stranger to her. The doctors said I shouldn’t overstrain her with information. Many people with brain injuries and amnesia get upset if relatives try to make them remember, so I’m supposed to take it slow. She was asleep most of the time after she initially opened her eyes.” She peered into my eyes. “I can’t imagine forgetting you or Finn or Mum. It seems absolutely horrible. I hope she remembers soon.”
“I can’t imagine forgetting you or Finn either. You’re such an integral part of my life now.”
Aislinn squeezed my thigh. “I hope Imogen’s connection to me is strong enough to pull her back, to remind her of who she is and who her family is.”
I stroked her arm. “Don’t think that all the responsibility rests on your shoulders. I’m sure there are many more factors playing into Imogen’s amnesia. And maybe her brain is using amnesia to protect her from the past. I’ll help you however I can, but I think you’ll have to take into consideration that Imogen won’t ever be the sister you knew.”
“I know. The doctors say her brain injury contributes to the amnesia, but sometimes other parts of the brain take over the tasks from injured parts.”
“What about Finn? Will you tell him?” I had my own thoughts about the matter, but even if Aislinn and I cared for Finn together now, I still always let her have the final say. It was strange for me to let others decide, but in this case it felt like the right thing to do.
Aislinn sighed. “I’ve been thinking about it since I got the call today, but I’m torn. It’s his mother, but he’s too young to understand what’s going on. If he finds out she’s awake, he’ll want to see her, and if she doesn’t remember him …”
“He’ll be heartbroken,” I said. “Do you want my take?”
“Of course. You and I are both taking care of Finn, so I think we should decide together.”
Fuck, I tried to hide how much this meant to me. I was turning into a sap. “I wouldn’t tell him yet. Let’s wait a bit. Not just because it would hurt Finn but also because the knowledge that she doesn’t remember her own son might unsettle Imogen too.”