Page 15 of Lost and Found

I act like I’m thinking about her question. “Sleep, eat, you know the usual.”

Paige laughs. I watch mesmerized. “Well, I think it’s great you are so dedicated to your job. It’s amazing really to see the passion you have for it. I just don’t know how you juggle your office, hospital, and now children’s clinic.”

“Well, at least someone thinks it’s amazing that I’m so dedicated.” My tone sounds harsh, even to my ears as memories of my last conversation with Ella earlier this week comes flooding back. Paige tilts her head and gives me a questioning look. “I’m sure plenty of people would disagree with you.”

“Why?” she asks.

I sigh. I really shouldn’t be having this conversation out here in the lobby, but I can’t tell Paige no. “I’m sure my ex-girlfriends would disagree with how amazing you think it is. It means less time for them.”

Paige rolls her eyes. “Well, some women are stupid.” Now, it’s my turn to laugh. I walk through the door that leads to the hallway of offices. “Don’t work too hard, Dr. Reid,” Paige calls out to me, as I’m heading down the hallway.

As I make my way down to the lounge room where I’ll stash some of my stuff, I can’t help but thinkwhere has this girl been all my life?The question is short-lived, because my mind quickly reminds me she’smarried.And just like that, a bucket of ice-cold water is dumped on me. The elephant in the room has returned. Paige still doesn’t remember, which means Arden and I are left lying to her. I scrub my hands over my face before heading over to Arden’s office to see if she’s in. Luckily, she is. I knock on the doorframe and she looks up from the file in front of her. “Good morning, Reid.”

“Good morning, Arden. I see you hired a new receptionist.”

Arden smiles. “Yeah, she was talking about not being able to support herself.I could see a thousand questions floating in her eyes and I didn’t have the answers, so I lied to her, again, and told her she worked here before and she could have her old job back.” Arden collapses in the chair behind her. “These lies are just piling up.”

“I know. Has she had anything come back in the past week?” I’m hopeful as I ask, but I think I already know the answer to the question.

She shakes her head. “No, just says she gets these pains in her head from time to time. She listens to your iPod a lot and I see her dancing around to it and singing along, which is like the old Paige, but she still doesn’t remember that.”

I sigh. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make the memories instantly come back. It would save us all, but I can’t. For all I know, at this point, the amnesia could be permanent. “We can tell her if you want. I know I advised you not to at first, but at the time I really didn’t expect the amnesia to last this long. The pain she’s feeling in her head is often a sign of healing, but that doesn’t mean she’s any closer to regaining her memories. The decision is yours.”

Arden sighs. “I don’t want to tell her just yet. I mean, she’s done so well since she started working here. She’s smiling and happy. She laughs and plays with Gideon. I mean, she still seems lost from time-to-time, but if there is a chance she’s still healing and they could come back. I don’t want to burst her happy bubble, if that makes sense.”

I nod. “It does. So, for now, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing. It is good for her to get a new routine.The job was quick thinking, but a great idea for her.”

“Thank you. She’s just naturally so good with kids. I’ve always envied that about her. Sometimes I think my own son likes her better than me,” she admits, with a laugh.

“Gideon adores you. She’s just his fun aunt who he remembers being fun. She baked and danced with him if I remember you telling me correctly. To him she’s fun. She doesn’t have to discipline him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you. You’re a great mom to Arden. Don’t sell yourself short,” I tell her, as I stand up.

“Thank you, Reid.” I nod and head out of her office to see my first patient of the day.

By lunchtime, I’m starving. It’s become a routine that on Saturday, I buy lunch for the staff on shift. So, I head down the hallway collecting everyone’s orders from the local bistro down the street. As I approach the front desk, I hear music playing quietly from Paige’s computer. I can’t help but smile. She comes around the corner with a stack of files in her hands. She seems to be struggling, so I rush toward her, pulling the files into my arms. “Thank you,” she says, a little breathlessly.

“No problem. Where do you want them?” I ask her. She motions to the corner of her desk. I place them in a neat stack and step back. “So, what do you want for lunch?”

She gives me a quizzical look. “What?”

“Every Saturday that I’m here, I buy lunch for the staff. I have everyone’s orders except yours. I also grab it at the local bistro down the street.” I hand her my phone where I have their menu pulled up. I doubt she’d remember what was on there anyway.

“Oh, you mean, Kazen’s?” she asks, with a spark of excitement in her eyes. I nod. “I love their Mediterranean chicken griller there.”

I’m not sure how she knows about that. “Did you already look at a menu?” She shakes her head. “How did you know about that griller?”

Paige gets a perplexed look on her face and bites down on her bottom lip. Her wide eyes look up at me. “I don’t know. I just…remembered?” she asks, the last word as a question.

I smile at her. “That’s great. That means little things are starting to come back to you.” She smiles and it’s beautiful and full of hope. “I’ll call in the order now.”

Once the order is placed, I file some of the paperwork from my patients away. When the time comes to go grab the order I head to the front of the office. “I’m heading out to grab the food.”

“Want some help?” Paige asks.

I usually walk, but I don’t know if she’ll be up for that so I nod. “Let me grab my keys then.”

Paige stands up and waves her hand in dismissal. “It’s only a few blocks. We can walk.”

“Are you sure you’re up for that?”

---