Page 26 of The Two Last Moments

I kick off the covers and scoot out of bed. In the bathroom, I brush my teeth and study my face in the mirror, my mind sifting through the knowledge in my head like I’m taking inventory.

My name is Lark.Check. I’m staying with the Bradleys in West Oaks, California.Check.

And no, nothing else has miraculously cleared up inside my brain.

But the aches and pains in my body are getting better. My bruises are starting to turn garish colors, which means they’re healing.

As Danny promised, I have my own suite here. A queen-size bed, a small desk along one wall. An attached bathroom with soft linens and modern tile. But homey touches keep the room from being sterile. Like the framed cross-stitch designs on the walls, and the mismatched blankets and pillow covers.

The decor in here reminds me of the rest of the house. Like someone chose items one by one without a bigger plan in mind. Seems like the way that I would probably decorate. A bit of this, a little of that.

My favorite part about this room is the view from my window. A tall privacy fence surrounds the garden. Flowers grow everywhere out there, in pots and on bushes and on vines on trellises. The trees along the fences are heavy with lemons and oranges. I can practically smell the fruit blossoms through the window, and I can feel the pruning sheers in my hands, carefully trimming each plant so it’ll learn to grow.

Who knows? Maybe I’m a plant expert in my regular life. Or at least a plant enthusiast. Maybe I have a garden of my own.

The best part of the backyard is the weeping willow tree. I’ve found myself staring at it whenever I haven’t been napping. There’s something about the swaying branches that calms me. It feels comfortable and familiar to me. The same way it feels to be around Danny.

And Danny Bradley has the most tranquil blue eyes ever displayed on a human—Check.

Just one of those things I know.

Aside from a final visit to the hospital, where I explained to a very annoyed Nurse Julie that I was checking out, Danny and I haven’t been on any more field trips.

The last time I checked in with Angela, she didn’t have any news about finding my family or my real identity. I don’t have a cell, but there’s an actual landline in my room. I assume if she has updates, she’ll call.

After a quick shower, I dress in some of Nina’s old clothes and venture out into the kitchen. There’s no one here, but there’s a pot of coffee brewing and a plate of pastries. As if a breakfast fairy has come through recently and waved a magic wand. That would explain some things, because the Bradley household is a little too wonderful to be real. Except for Nina’s illness, obviously. That part is a smack of reality, and it sucks.

I gulp down coffee and eat two croissants slathered in jam and butter, then go to Nina’s room. “Hello?” I say quietly.

She’s awake, lying in bed and working on a crossword puzzle with the help of her nurse Starla. But there’s a man here too, wearing scrubs, someone I haven’t met before. He’s probably in his thirties, with a stocky build. His eyes sharpen when he sees me, moving down my body so quick I almost miss it.

“Look who’s up and at ’em,” Nina says. “Come have a seat and chat. This is Ryan.” She nods at the male nurse.

“Hi.” He smiles shyly and shakes my hand, the touch lingering. “I’m training with Starla today. You must be Lark.”

“I am.”

Starla purses her lips. I’m guessing she saw Ryan giving me the once-over. He seems like he’s just eager for gossip, but I’m not interested in being his entertainment.

Starla is our mother hen. From what I can tell, she spends a few hours here on most days, while Danny takes care of Nina the rest of the time until it’s night. That’s when Jess arrives for a shift. I guess Ryan will be picking up a few as well, helping to fill in if the other nurses aren’t available.

“So Lark,” Ryan says, “it is true you have amnesia? You can’t rememberanything?”

Starla clears her throat. “Ryan, we need to go over a few more things. We’re not off the clock just yet.”

He smiles apologetically, as if he expects me to be disappointed, then crosses the room. While the nurses murmur off to one side, looking over a cabinet filled with medical supplies, I sit on the upholstered chair in the corner.

Nina’s smothering a laugh. “A lot of new faces around here. Better to keep things interesting.”

I’m not going to say this out loud, because I’m not a jerk, but Nina looks tired today. Like she’s sinking into the bed. I wonder if it’s a bad day, or if she just had extra energy on the day I arrived. Pumped up on adrenaline the way I was.

“How are you feeling?” I ask her.

“You’ll catch on fast that I don’t like answering that question.”

“No problem. I don’t either.”

“Well, that won’t work. I do want to hear howyou’redoing. Know your last name yet?”

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