PART THREE
Chris held up the strange ring that Dr. Miller claimed was his wedding band. It glittered in the sunlight, sending a shaft of green light directly into his eyes. Reflexively Chris closed his eyes against the glare and found himself thinking of Rita. Her eyes were the exact shade of that green light. He imagined himself looking into those eyes from across a candlelit table, touching his lips to her hand. Her mouth curved into a smile, and she...
Wait a minute, Chris thought, opening his eyes. Why on earth am I thinking of her that way? I swore to myself that I would stop doing that. I'm with Jillian now. I love Jillian. And now, here I am, holding a wedding ring, and I can only think of Rita. What is the matter with me?
Chris looked at the ring again, and noticed an inscription inside it. 'Always and Forever, Sam.' A shiver went up and down his spine. "WHAT?" he shouted out loud.
Candi came rushing into Chris's room, looking flustered. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Chris was so stunned that he didn't even notice that she was in the room, and he continued staring off into space, holding the ring in his hand. Candi wasn't sure what to do. She cleared her throat and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Uh, Mr. Lorenzo, are you all right? Do you need Dr. Miller?"
Chris turned unseeing blue eyes on Candi. Candi shrank away from his blank gaze. He was really starting to scare her now. "Chris!" she said desperately, trying to get his attention. She had looked at her clipboard the minute she left his room the last time and memorized his name. She had been looking for an excuse to come into his room and call him 'Chris," hoping that maybe he would warm up to her. He was quite possibly the cutest guy she had ever seen in her whole life. Only now he didn't look cute...he looked almost haunted. His eyes were giving her the creeps.
She had just decided to call the doctor when he shook his head slightly, as if to clear it. He looked up at Candi and put his hand on her arm.
"I'm okay. I just had a shock, and I wasn't handling it very well. There's nothing to be worried about." Chris said, flashing a grin which made Candi's knees weak.
"Are you sure?" Candi said uncertainly. He seemed to be back to normal, but the memory of his strange behavior lingered in her mind. She turned and left the room, looking quickly back over her shoulder at him. He was looking at his ring again. She couldn't figure out why that ring was so important to him.
Chris's mind was reeling. Rita? He had married Rita? Just thinking about being Rita's husband put a smile on Chris's face. He couldn't believe that he'd actually had the nerve to tell her how he felt about her, and he really couldn't believe that she had felt the same way about him. Devilishly, Chris thought of the honeymoon night, and his smile broadened into a grin. He could kick himself for not remembering that. What a night that must have been...
His grin quickly faded, however, when questions that he had no way of answering popped into his head. What about their being partners? What about the captain? Did he know? Good Lord, what about Jillian? Did she know? He realized that all of these questions could be answered if only he knew one thing: How did he get here?
Chris winced as he thought of a way to find out. Reluctantly, he pushed the button next to his bed and buzzed for Candi.
She peeked into the room from around the corner. When she saw that he had not reverted to his past zombie-like state, she smiled and came fully into the room. The fact that he had buzzed for her put a slight blush in her cheeks. Could there be a chance he might feel the same way?
"Yes, Chris?"
"Candi, would you call Dr. Miller for me?"
Candi's blush faded somewhat as she realized that he hadn't called her into his room because he liked her, but nodded and turned to leave. Before she even reached the door of his room, however, Miller came in with a worried look on his face. He nodded at Candi and closed the door after her retreating figure.
"Chris, what in heaven's name is going on here? The beeper number you gave me is invalid. I took the liberty of calling the company, and they told me that the woman who had that number moved to Massachusetts, and--"
Chris cut him off. "Massachusetts? Jillian?"
"Wait, there's more," Miller continued. "The car phone number you gave me has been assigned to another police officer. Evidently, Rita has left the police force. According to the current holder of the phone number, Lt. Lance turned in her badge and gun quite some time ago."
"Lieu...Lieutenant? But Rita's rank is Sergeant. Wait, she quit the force? She can't do that; she's my partner. Where is she? Let me talk to her."
"Chris, I don't know where Rita is. No one seems to know. Don't you see? Something's going on here. Something funny, and I don't like being kept in the dark, and I'm assuming you don't like it, either. My main concern deals with how you ended up at that gas station. Are you sure you don't have any idea how that happened? How you ended up being shot and left for dead in an alley behind a gas station?"
Chris's mind was whirling. How had his life ended up like this? A few weeks ago--no, months, he corrected himself; it was the end of April now--his life had been perfectly in order. He loved his job, worked with his best friend, and loved a beautiful intelligent woman who loved him back. Suddenly, Chris thought of someone who might know something about this predicament.
"Doc, have you tried calling my captain in Palm Beach? He might know something about this."
"Actually, that was something else I wanted to tell you. I did call Captain Lipshitz. He was surprised to hear from me, but when I mentioned your name, he got very quiet. He almost hung up the phone because he was so flustered. When I told him you were here and had no memory of these past four months, he said he would be here this afternoon."
For the first time since he had woken up from his coma, Chris felt a little relieved. If Lipshitz didn't know what was going on, he could certainly find out.
Miller noticed his patient's dazed look and said, "I think I'll leave you to take a nap. I have a feeling you are in for a whole series of shocks and surprises, and I want you to be rested." He reached into the pocket of his white lab coat, drew out a small sleeping pill, and handed it to Chris.
"This is just a mild sedative. When your captain arrives, I'll let you know, okay? Now, let me think. Should I send Candi in to wake you, or should I..." He trailed off, smiling, when he noticed Chris's murderous look. "Merely a little humor, Chris. It's rumored to be the best kind of medicine, you know."
"Yeah, but giving your patient a stroke and a heart attack at the same time can hardly be considered practicing medicine, Doc," Chris said with a smile.
Miller's low chuckle echoed in Chris's room for a little while after he left. Chris doubted he could sleep after what he had just heard, but he swallowed the pill anyway. He dozed off two minutes later with a faint smile on his face, thoughts of his and Rita's honeymoon night dancing in his mind.
Questions? Comments? Criticisms? Smart remarks? Email me at kdl@gulf.net. Just write "Karen's Story, part three" on the subject line. Thanks to everyone who wrote me with comments. I really appreciate them. Keep 'em coming!
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