Shadows of Jane Read online

  Colt watched, but she didn’t respond. When Greg still hadn’t pushed the wheelchair through the automatic doors, he became impatient. “Oh, for—just let me do it!”

  He opened his door and turned toward her. Then, he scooted himself off the seat, and he managed to get his arms under her body. He picked her up and carried her through the doors. Lance was a few feet behind him, saying something about not leaving his truck in the loading zone. Colt couldn’t care less. This girl needed help, and the truck could wait.

  Monica, the receptionist behind the desk, gave Colt a big smile, which faded once she saw the girl in his arms. Her eyebrows rose above her wide blue eyes. “Who’s that?”

  “I have no idea, but she needs medical attention.”

  Monica picked up a clipboard and walked around to the front of the counter. “Follow me.”

  They passed several small exam rooms until they reached one in the back where she motioned for Colt to enter. He placed the girl in the bed and covered her back up, taking a somewhat protective stance by her side. He didn’t know why he felt the need to stick around. He’d done his duty. But something kept him glued in place.

  Maybe she’ll need to see a familiar face when she wakes up.

  Who am I kidding? She saw me for, like, thirty seconds. I won’t be familiar to her at all.

  Within a few minutes, a nurse took her temperature, confirming she did indeed have a fever, and proclaimed that her pulse was a little weak.

  Colt was anxious for the doctor. “Where the hell is Doc? He said he’d be waiting!”

  The nurse gave him a smile. “Don’t worry. He’ll be here as soon as he can.” She stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “Why don’t you have a seat until he gets here? I’m sure your girlfriend will be just fine.”

  Colt shook his head, feeling too antsy to sit. “She’s not my girlfriend. I don’t even know her.”

  The nurse gave him an odd look but nodded. “Suit yourself. He’ll be right in.”

  Just as the nurse was leaving, Lance entered. “There you are. You gotta move your truck, man. It’s gonna get towed if you don’t.”

  Colt shot an annoyed look at Lance. “You move it. I’m not leaving this room.”

  Lance glared at Colt. “You’re such a jackass sometimes.” Then, he left, complaining loudly about how he wasn’t a valet.

  Colt paced near her bedside until Dr. Weston entered the room. He was a middle-aged man with a portly physique and a receding hairline. Colt always thought if Dr. Weston gained another fifty pounds, he’d look like Boss Hogg from those old Dukes of Hazzard shows. Thankfully, the man was a medical genius, and Colt knew if anyone could help this mystery girl, Dr. Weston could.

  She still hadn’t moved or made a sound since Colt brought her in.

  Placing a stethoscope on her heart, Dr. Weston began his examination. Once he was finished looking her over, he called in the nurse to start an IV.

  “Her temperature is high, and she has a nasty gash on her head. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t had a proper meal in months. I’m going to admit her and hope we can figure out her story. Once she wakes up, maybe she’ll tell us what we need to know.”

  Colt just nodded, staring at the frail figure on the bed. He stepped out of the way while a nurse inserted the IV and prepared her for her trip upstairs to a private room. Even as he fell back and watched from a distance, he felt a possessive pull to stay close by. Aside from his kid brother, he couldn’t recall ever feeling this protective.

  Maybe that’s it. She’s like the little sister I never had.

  Dr. Weston interrupted Colt’s thoughts, “We’ll do blood work, run some tests, and make sure it’s nothing a round of antibiotics can’t cure. Then, we’ll keep her fed and healthy until we can notify her family.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  Colt reluctantly left the room and made it halfway down the hall when Monica caught up to him.

  “Colt! We need you to fill out these forms for her.”

  “I can’t, Monica. I don’t know anything about her.”

  Monica glanced at the papers in her hand. “Hmm…I guess she’ll be Jane Doe for now. I’ll have her fill them out once she’s awake. Would you like me to call you when she wakes up?”

  Colt’s mind raced. He should walk away now while he can, while he’s not too involved. He should run back to his cabin and enjoy the rest of his vacation time. He should—

  “Yes,” he said, surprising himself. “Please let me know what you can.”

  Monica nodded at him and walked to her desk just in time to answer the phone.

  Colt left through the double doors he’d entered in and searched for his truck. He quickly spotted it all the way at the far end of the lot. To no one in particular, he said, “Thanks for moving my truck, Lance. You’re a douche.”

  Jane Doe woke up to lights shining in her face.

  Ouch! Too bright!

  She used the back of her hand to shield her eyes from the invading light. Once she seemed to adjust, she took stock of her surroundings.

  A hospital? Why am I in a hospital?

  She couldn’t seem to remember how she’d gotten there or why she was there. In fact, she couldn’t remember anything at all. She closed her eyes and tried to will the memories to appear, but nothing happened. Panicked, she started visually searching the room for anything that would give her a clue about herself and her situation.

  The beeping of the heart monitor next to her bed was quickly getting on her nerves. In a fit of anger and anxiety, she unplugged it. Immediately, she enjoyed the satisfaction of the quietness until a nurse came rushing in to see why she’d flatlined. Giving her a stern look, she found the plug and set the machine back up.

  “Nice to see you are finally awake. How are you feeling?”

  Jane shrugged and peered at the nurse’s name tag that said Camille. “Okay, I guess. How long have I been out?”

  Camille picked up the chart from the foot of the bed and wrote down some notes. “Only a few days.” Then, she placed the chart on the bedside table and took a few steps toward Jane. “I need to check your temperature. Open up, please.”

  Jane allowed Camille to take her temperature, and to the nurse’s delight, it was normal.

  “Very good,” she said. She picked the chart back up and scribbled more notes.

  As Camille started to walk away, Jane grabbed her arm. “Please tell me, how did I get here? Who am I?” Tears were quickly pooling in her vivid green eyes as she begged the nurse for anything that would set her world right.

  Camille’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, dear.” She patted Jane’s hand. “I’ll go get the doctor, and we’ll both be right back. Don’t worry, sweetheart.” Then, she quickly breezed out of the room with the faint mutterings of, “Dear Lord. Poor girl,” lingering behind her.

  Jane leaned her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes, hoping that this nightmare would be over when she opened them.

  Within minutes, Camille returned with Dr. Weston.

  He gave her a friendly smile as he looked at her chart, and then he pulled a nearby chair close to the bed. “Hello, young lady. I’m Dr. Weston. I’m very glad to see you doing so well. You gave us a good scare the first day you were in here.”

  “I did?”

  “Yes indeed. You were severely dehydrated. You were running a high fever, and you had a gash on your head, cuts and scrapes on your hands, feet, and knees, but that wasn’t the worst of it. You actually died on us at one point. It was…well, never mind that. Look at you now! You’re awake with color in your cheeks, and from the looks of it, you’re doing very well.”

  “Thanks, I guess.” Jane had no idea how to reply. Her confusion was short-circuiting her ability to be logical.

  Dr. Weston leaned forward, bracing his forearms against his legs. “Nurse Camille tells me you have questions. I can’t promise to have all the answers, but I’ll be glad to tell you what I can.”

  Jane swallowed a lump in h
er throat. “I don’t remember anything. I don’t know how I got here or how I got hurt. I don’t even remember my own name.”

  Giving her a sad smile, he nodded slowly. “Unfortunately, I can’t answer most of those things for you. What I do know is that you must have taken a nasty fall, your temperature was dangerously high, and your heart stopped for several minutes. Combined, it could be why you have lost your memories. Your brain might not be ready to deal with the recent trauma.”

  All she could manage to say was, “Oh, okay.” Then, she studied her fingers, as if they could somehow tell her all the secrets locked away in her mind.

  Dr. Weston stood and handed the chart to Camille. “Don’t worry yourself over it too much. Your memories could reappear at any time. The brain is a funny thing, and it surprises us every day. Between you and me, I think there is something a little unique about you. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’ve witnessed miracles before.” He looked directly into her eyes. “I’m looking at a miracle right now.”

  She smiled at him, her first smile since waking up in this horrific ordeal. “Thank you, doctor. What do I…” She hesitated.

  “It’s okay. Ask any questions you have.”

  “I don’t know my name. What should I have people call me until I get my memories back?”

  Dr. Weston scratched his chin. “I suppose you can use anything you like.”

  “What have you all been calling me?”

  He smiled at her again. “Well, we’ve named you Jane Doe since we didn’t have any other information.”

  She thought for a moment and then nodded her head. “Jane. Yeah, I like that. Until I know the truth, call me Jane.”

  Camille noted that on her chart while Dr. Weston smiled warmly at her.

  “Jane it is! Now, get some rest. I’ll have the kitchen send up a meal for you. You need to eat,” he said.

  Then, he left with Camille close on his heels.

  Looking around her room once more, Jane tried to put a positive spin on her situation. She did her best not to think about all the things she’d forgotten, instead focusing on the new things she could learn about herself.

  She spoke aloud, staring at the heart monitor still beeping away, “Who are you, Jane?” She sighed. “I guess only time will tell.”

  NEW FACES SURROUND AND INVITE ME IN,

  BUT IS MY TRUST IN VAIN?

  Colt had just finished installing a new carburetor when his cell phone rang. He wiped his hands and pulled the black vibrating object out of his back pocket.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Colt. This is Monica from the hospital. I just wanted to let you know that your mystery girl is awake and seems to be doing well.”

  “Great. Thanks for letting me know.” He paused. “I’m glad to hear she’s okay.”

  “You’re welcome.” Monica’s voice raised an octave as she said, “You know, she’s in room one-oh-seven…just in case you want to check in on her.”

  Colt huffed out a small laugh. “Yeah. Okay.”

  “Well, it’s totally up to you, but she might like the chance to thank her hero.”

  “I’m no one’s hero, Monica.”

  “I’m sure she would beg to differ.”

  “Yeah, well…thanks again for calling.”

  “Bye, Colt.”

  He pressed the End button and stared at the phone. Did he want to see her? He wasn’t sure. He admitted to himself that he was at least curious about her. If he were being totally honest with himself, he had to concede that she’d constantly been on his mind since he left her at the hospital. But he had no idea why he couldn’t shake her from his thoughts. He never thought this much about the women he got involved with. So, why is a complete stranger holding his attention hostage?

  He decided the best course of action to satisfy his curiosity would be to visit her. Then, he could get her out of his system and move on with his life. Colt just hoped she wasn’t a melodramatic person. He wasn’t the hero type, and he sincerely wanted to avoid an embarrassing display of mushy gratitude.

  Putting away the rest of his tools, Colt locked up his toolbox and walked to Mike’s office. Without knocking, he strolled in and leaned against a file cabinet.

  “What’s up, Colt?”

  “I finished up that Road King, and I need to cut out early.”

  Mike raised an inquiring eyebrow. “Oh?”

  Colt knew Mike was waiting for an explanation, but he didn’t feel like giving one, so he just nodded his head.

  Mike sighed. “May I ask, why do you need to leave now?”

  Colt gave Mike a grim smile. “Yep, you can ask.”

  Mike looked at him for a moment longer. “But you aren’t going to tell me, right?”

  “You got it.”

  “Fine. Just be sure you come in early tomorrow.”

  Colt nodded, pushed himself away from the file cabinet, and left the office. After punching out his time card, he went to his locker and grabbed his keys.

  Before he made it out the back door, Jerry called out to him. “Aw, does Colt need more time off to cope with losing his daddy?”

  Colt turned on his heels and stared Jerry down. Then, he smiled. “Nope. Just off to do your mom, Jerry.”

  He turned and walked out of the shop, hearing Jerry screaming obscenities at him, and he closed the door just before Jerry threw something at it.

  Colt’s smile widened. Pissing off Jerry was becoming one of his favorite hobbies.

  Thirty minutes later, Colt was showered and in clean clothes, and he walked through the double doors at the entrance of the hospital.

  He located the first-floor patient rooms and searched for number 107. He stood outside the door, trying to decide if he really wanted to go inside. He wasn’t afraid or even nervous. Those were two emotions Colt rarely felt anymore. His hesitation stemmed from his concerns that this visit would only further his infatuation with her. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

  From the other side, he heard a melodic soft voice say, “Come in.”

  He pushed the door open and walked into the partially sunlit room. He always hated hospitals, but somehow, this room felt less dreary. It was almost cheerful.

  Colt looked at the woman sitting up in the bed. He could hardly believe his eyes. She barely resembled the dirt-covered sick girl he’d left there a week earlier.

  Her straight auburn hair was freshly washed and hanging long down her back. Her face was clean, and there were only faint traces of the scrapes she’d obtained before she’d found his cabin. He could see that she’d also gained a little weight as her sunken cheeks had started filling out, and her skin was regaining color. She still looked young but not as young as he’d originally thought.

  Jane looked up at the handsome stranger standing at the foot of her bed. She didn’t know if she was supposed to know him, but he seemed friendly, so she gave him a shy smile. “Hi.”

  Colt cleared the sudden frog in this throat. Her smile had transformed her from a lovely young woman to something almost otherworldly. He was caught off guard. And her voice seemed to draw him in almost as much as her smile. After finding his own voice, he replied, “Hi. I’m Colt.”

  “Hi, Colt. I’m Jane.”

  They stared at one another for a few moments, and the silence became a little awkward.

  She looked down at her fingers, nervously twitching them, and then she raised her eyes to his. “Colt, can I ask you a question?”

  He moved to the chair beside her bed and took a seat. “Sure. Ask away.”

  “Are we friends? I mean, did we know each other before my accident?”

  Colt was confused. Why would she ask a question like that? She doesn’t know if we know each other? “No. We don’t know each other. You don’t remember your accident?”

  Jane shook her head. “Unfortunately, I can’t remember anything. The doctor thinks my memories may eventually come back, but for now, I’m a complete mystery to everyone, including myself.”

  Co
lt slowly nodded his understanding.

  She eyed him cautiously. “If we don’t know each other, why are you here?”

  “Ah. I’m the one who brought you here. You knocked on my door and then passed out.”

  Jane’s eyes grew wide. “So, you’re the man I owe my life to.”

  Colt vigorously shook his head. This was exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. “No. You don’t owe me anything. Just focus on getting better.”

  Jane smiled at him again. “Regardless, thank you. You could have just left me lying there.”

  “No. I just did what any other person would have done. It was nothing. Besides, it would have been a pain in the ass to step over you every time I walked through the door.” Colt’s teasing smirk assured her that he was only kidding about that last part.

  She tried to contain a laugh.

  He decided to change the subject. “So, you don’t remember anything at all? I guess you remember your name at least.”

  “No, not even my name. I decided to use Jane because I’m a Jane Doe. Hopefully, my real name will come back to me at some point.”

  Colt sensed her apprehension and fear, despite her calm exterior. He could only imagine how frightening it would be to wake up in a strange place with no clue about your identity or past. He once again felt that pull to protect her.

  He shook his head. “Man, sorry. That sucks.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s just how it is, but yeah, it sucks.” She managed another smile, this one less confident than before. “The good news is, the doctor says I’m healing amazingly well. At this rate, I can go home in a few days—well, not home. I don’t know where that is. But he said I could stay at a woman’s shelter until we figured something out.”

  Colt frowned at the thought of her staying in that dingy little shelter. It was an important resource to the community, but it was in dire need of some upgrades. Why it should matter to him, he had no clue, but it did matter.

  Feeling slightly panicked at the turn his thoughts had taken, he abruptly stood. “I gotta go. I just wanted to see that you were okay. Glad you’re feeling better.”