Page 7 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

His brain worked to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Lemon had a flat tire and was walking to get help. That was the story, but it didn’t explain why Lemon had been standing in the middle of the road. Or why she was acting so dazed. She appeared to be unhurt. She had no memory of who she was. Did she not have a purse or some other form of identification in her car? Why hadn’t she simply called for a service to come and fix her flat tire? Jaxson wished Ramsey were here instead of on a plane, headed on his honeymoon. Ramsey was the detective in the family. It wouldn’t be hard for him to get to the bottom of the situation.

Knox looked at the doctor. “Henry, can you tell us more about Lemon’s condition?”

Jaxson was momentarily thrown off by Daddy’s use of the doctor’s first name. Then, he remembered that the two golfed together.

The doctor looked at Lemon. “Did you remember your name?”

“No,” she said flatly.

“Jaxson saw Lemon at the scene of the accident,” Knox explained. “He recognized her.”

“I see.” The doctor hesitated, shifting his feet. “I’m not sure that the patient’s condition should be discussed so openly, with all of those present, privacy laws being what they are.”

“Hogwash,” Knox countered, glancing at Williams and Phillips. “The officers will have to know the details to file their report. As for the rest of us. We’re all friends here.” Knox motioned at Jaxson. “If he hadn’t recognized her, you’d have a Jane Doe on your hands. I’m sure the girl wants to know the depth of her condition.” He gave Lemon a challenging look.

Doctor Jepson looked to Lemon for approval. She nodded her consent.

“Are you sure?” Doctor Jepson asked.

“Yes,” she said simply, clenching her hands.

Jaxson could feel her duress and confusion as if it were his own. He was caught off guard by the fierce need that rose inside him. He wanted to protect Lemon at all costs. From what, he didn’t know. It just cut him to see her looking so pale, so uncertain.

“Henry?” Knox prompted.

All eyes moved to the doctor, waiting expectantly.

He touched the rim of his glasses before tightening his hold on his clipboard. “We’re still waiting for the results from the CT-Scan, but upon examination, I can’t find any evidence of trauma.The patient has zero memory of her life or identity. She was found wandering the road.” He paused. “It is my opinion that she’s suffering from dissociative amnesia.”

Jaxson stole a glance at Lemon to get her reaction. He figured that Lemon would be devastated by everything she was hearing. Not so. She seemed curiously unaffected by what the doctor was saying. Strange. Didn’t she want to know who she was? What had led her to this point? There were so many questions burning inside of Jaxson, but it was doubtful that Lemon could answer any of them. He couldn’t fathom what it would be like to forget everything. He felt a glum sense of loss, knowing that she didn’t remember him.

“What does this mean in layman’s terms?” Knox asked.

The doctor cleared his throat. “Dissociative amnesia is often caused by severe trauma or stress. As a protective mechanism, the mind blocks out information, feelings or thoughts that are too overwhelming to handle. In extreme cases, this can lead to dissociative fugue where the person travels to a different location and takes on an entirely new identity, completely shedding the old.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Knox countered.

“It’s extremely rare,” Doctor Jepson explained, “affecting only one percent of the male population and a little over two percent of the female population. There seems to be a genetic or inherited connection. Those who have close relatives with dissociative amnesia tend to be at greater risk for developing it.”

Jaxson’s sudden intake of breath was the only sound in the room.

“What?” Knox asked.

Jaxson shook his head, not wanting to disclose everything he knew in front of Lemon. He feared it might be too much for her to hear.

“Will Lemon’s memory return?” Birdie asked, a clear note of concern in her voice.

Jaxson observed Lemon. Her expression was guarded. He would give anything to know what she was thinking right now.

Doctor Jepson continued, “Dissociative amnesia is different from that caused by medical problems. Most cases of this type of amnesia are temporary. Often, when the memories return, they do so suddenly and completely. This recovery may happen on its own, or it may be triggered by the person’s surroundings.”

Had something terrible happened to Lemon? Was that why she was aimlessly wandering in a torrential downpour? Jaxson looked at the police officers. “Wasn’t there a purse or wallet in Lemon’s car?”

“No,” Officer Williams answered. “The car is a rental. We are waiting to get information back. Now that we have Lemon’s name, it will help speed up the process.”

Jaxson turned to Lemon. “You really have no idea who you are?”

Her eyes grew troubled. “No.” She looked at his ankle. “I—I’m so sorry to be the cause of your accident. You could’ve died because of me.”

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