Page 10 of True Valor
He started to make a joke about putting herstuff away, but stopped before it reached his lips.Instead, hewent over, moved the bags to the floor and sat beside her on thebed.“I can’t believe that you’ll have to, kiddo.I don’t know muchabout amnesia.I’m a medic, not a psychiatrist.But, surely...”
“Surely what?”Her voice rose, edging towardexplosion.“Tomorrow morning I’ll wake up and be cured?Or maybeI’ll fall off the balcony and hit my head and be cured.Or...”
She shot off the bed and out of the bedroombefore he could stop her.He followed.She paced in front of thebalcony window as if the room, not her brain, held her prisoner.Heperched on the arm of the couch.
“Julie, don’t panic yet.As far as we know,it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.Your memory will come back.Give it some time.I’d guess the harder you try to remember, theless likely you will.Out in the snow, it just came out of yourmouth.Maybe it will again.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“I don’t know, babe.”Things were just comingout of his mouth, too.It was disconcerting.He hardly knew thisgirl—didn’t know her at all—and he’s calling her babe.What thehell?
She stopped pacing and stared out thewindow.
“What happened to me, Nic?Who am I?”
Nic pushed himself to stand.He hated thisinaction, this wondering.“C’mere,” he said, pointing to the table.“Let’s make a list of what we do know about you.”
“I’m hungry.”Julie turned around, smilingnow.
Man, she changed gears faster than...
“You promised me a burger,” she said, leavinghim wondering when he’d done that.Maybe he had amnesia too.
“Let’s make your silly list over lunch.”Shewalked to the door and grabbed her coat on the way out.
They sat in the back corner of the upscaleburger joint, fries spread out on a napkin beside the hotel pad Nicstuck in his pocket before leaving the room.
“Okay, my first name is Julie,” she said.Popped a mustard-smothered fry in her mouth.
“And you put mustard on your fries.”Nicwrote that down.
“I like snow.”
“You catch snowflakes on your tongue and youdon’t drink coffee.”
“Now we’re close to solving the mystery.”Julie again, pointedly this time, doused her fry in yellow.
“You say things like ‘no worries mate.’”
“Wow, I do?You’re very observant.”
Nic waggled his eyebrows at her.“I get paidthe big bucks to be observant.”
“And you’re a paramedic from Boston.”
At some point, he’d have to clear up thatsmall misunderstanding.“I know who I am.”
“Showoff.”Julie reached across the table,sloppy fry in hand.“Here, have one.”
Nic grabbed her hand before the food touchedhis lips.Her eyes danced with mischief.
Whoa.
“Cut it out.”Nic released her hand andlooked back down at the paper.
“Sorry.”
She didn’t look sorry.Back to work.“Yourcar has California plates.”
