Separate Lives – By Monica J

(~~) denote the past, mostly in the form of a memory.

 

~~ “I’ll love you for the rest of my life. You are

my best friend, my lover and my source of

strength. I know that our life together won’t be

without trials and obstacles, but I promise to

try my hardest to prevent you from feeling

pain. You are my world, the mother of my

future child and the keeper of my heart. I love

you Marlena and I am just so grateful that we

found our way back to each other. I want to

wake up to your beautiful face for the rest of

my life.”

 

John’s words were more than she could bear.

With her own tears streaming, Marlena reached

a hand and whipped a single tear escaping

down his cheek. Their gazes never faltered,

locked in a passionate embrace, knowing that a

fracture in contact would cause them to break

down with emotion.

 

“John…what can I say about the love of my

life? What can I say to you that I have yet to

have shared? You are my hero, my protector,

and my best friend. My dear love, I promise to

believe in us and the power of our love. I

promise to be there when you need my support

and to smile when you need cheer. I will love

you for all eternity.”

 

The soft Mediterranean breeze was blowing

Marlena’s hair into a cascading cape of gold and

pushing her white silk gown behind her,

showcasing her large protruding stomach. John’

s breath caught in his throat. Her image was

that of an angel. She was the most beautiful

expectant mother he had ever seen; her radiant

glow emanating from her and touching all those

around. Her eyes were burning into his soul,

etching her permanent place within him. She

flashed him a smile that made his heart ache.

His mind flashing to the events of the past six

months, thinking how incredibly lucky he was

to even have her in his life. The sudden feel of

water rushing around his ankles finally brought

him out of his revelry. Marlena squeezed his

hand and smiled knowingly. John gazed into

her hazel eyes and squeezed hers in return.

 

The priest continued his speech on the

commitment needed to enter into marriage, but

both John and Marlena needed little advice

when it came to commitment. They both knew

this was it. They were going to be together

forever.

 

Their fingers dancing with each others in

anticipation, just waiting for the magical words

that would bind them together for all of eternity.

 

“I now pronounce you husband and wife…you

ma-“ John did not need to be told to kiss his

bride. As soon as the preacher opened his

mouth, John took Marlena’s face between his

hands and pulled her into the most passionate

kiss, causing both of their hearts to race. Then,

he kneeled down and kissed the stomach that

carried their precious child and spoke to it with

all the love in his heart.

 

“Little one, you are going to be the most loved

baby in the world. I thank God every day for

bringing your mother into my life and I am so

happy that you are going to be coming into this

world very soon. I can’t wait to meet you.

Daddy loves you so much.”

 

“What happened?” John asked himself, the

sound of anguish coming from deep within his

soul. Thinking back to their wedding day

always made him smile, but what happened

after made his mind twist and his heart ache. If

John had known what was to befall, he would

have grabbed hold of Marlena and clung to her

for dear life.

 

A year had gone by. A year of questions. A year

of pain and agony. It was like a cruel joke to

John. Finally, he had all that he had ever

wanted. They were free to express their love

and they were going to have a baby. They were

going to be a family, a real family, with a new

start in a new place. His memories of the

accident that tore her away were few, but

vivid. He could hear her screaming out to him,

but he could not see her, could not reach her;

she was gone and no matter how hard he tried

he couldn’t find her.

“Hurry up!!!! I knew I should have given you a

head start!!!!” Sydney turned and laughed back

at her riding partner, then stood up and

pumped up the ridge harder.

 

“I’m just….biding…my……..time”

unsuccessfully trying to hide his exhaustion,

Jackson grimaced as he attempted to catch up

to the beauty who was actually gaining more

speed up the hill. “OK…OK….wait up Syd!!!!”

 

“Sorry babe….I can see the top!!!” Laughter

threatening to topple her and the bike, Sydney

pushed on through screaming muscles to reach

the top of the mountain. At the top she raised

her arms ala Lance Armstrong and basked in

the satisfying thrill of conquering a ride.

 

Looking back at her struggling companion,

however, brought on full side-splitting

laughter. “Come on Jacksy, you can do it!!!!”

 

Finally in a straining last effort, Jackson crested

the hill and collapsed onto the ground. “Oh

man….. I hate….. you….. for this,….three

miles….. straight up.” He yelled though

sucking breaths.

 

At this point Sydney was in full blown, tearing

laughter. She could barely catch her breath

enough to make fun of him. “I assumed you

were in good shape, I mean you definitely look

like you would be” She said looking him over

appreciatively. “I guess your chiseled chest

and six pack are misleading”

 

Before she could have a chance to stick it to

him anymore, Jackson had regained his

stamina and ‘tackled’ her back to the ground.

Pinning her arms above her head with one of

his hands, he threatened to tickle her until she

apologized. “There is nothing misleading about

me Syd….I promise. Now, I suggest that you

apologize unless you want me to discover every

one of your ticklish areas….every one.” Jackson

tried his hardest to maintain a straight face, his

angular features breaking in and out of

laughter.

 

“All of them huh?….That might be informational

considering I lost my memory” Sydney was

trying her hardest not to show how vulnerable

she felt.

 

“Oh, so it could be like research” At this

comment Sydney was taken aback, like a case

of dejavu. Jackson noticed her distracted

expression. “What’s wrong Syd, did I say

something?”

 

“Oh, umm…no. Sorry, I just had a weird feeling

like I had heard that before or something.” She

could almost feel a memory, but it was a

jumbled up mess of images she could only

guess where past memories.

 

“Are you having a memory do you think?” The

concerned look on Jackson’s face made Sydney’

s heart jump. He was so caring and loving. She

felt totally safe within his strong arms. His only

concern was for her health and safety. He didn’

t care if she had her memory or not, but he was

just as supportive through her trying to get it

back.

 

“I’m not sure, I think it could have been. But,

for all I know, it was from an old movie or

something. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry

you.” She wasn’t sure if she was trying to make

him believe that or herself.

 

“I like worrying about you. Do you want to talk

about what you felt when I said that?” He really

did want to help her remember. She was the

only person he felt he could be himself with. He

wanted her to know her past so that she could

move on with him and be complete, with no

uncertainties.

 

“Actually, the only thing I want to do right

now….Is kick your butt back down this

mountain!!” Before she could even finish her

sentence, she was out from under him and

trying to get back on her bike.

 

“Oh no you don’t, I have some thing else in

mind before you TRY to beat me home.” In one

step he was lifting her off her bike and placing

her onto the soft ground. She thought about

resisting him, but couldn’t when she caught his

amazing smile. His eyes were eminating a

combination of love and lust, which made her

want to get lost in him. A minute later Jackson

had once again pinned her arms, but instead of

tickling her, he had claimed her mouth in kiss

that only served to escalate their desire for one

Another.

“Hey John, what brings you here?” Abe was

seated at his desk looking over some case files

when John knocked on his door.

 

“Sorry to bother you partner, but I was

wondering if you could put me in contact with

someone in the Athens police department?”

 

“Athens police? You already contacted the ISA

and they came up with nothing. I don’t mean to

upset you, but this search is killing you.” Abe’s

dark eyes were showing nothing but concern.

 

“Abe I just know that my wife and child are out

there somewhere. I can feel it. I would know if

they were really dead.” John’s emotions were

running high. He knew they were out there, he

just had to find them. He had been searching

since he woke up 5 months ago, even after

everyone told him she was gone.

 

“John, I know it’s hard, but you have to accept

1. Marlena wouldn’t want you doing this to

yourself.”

 

“Look, if you won’t help me, then I’m just going

to go on my own again, but this time I am going

to find the answers that I need. The only way I

can accept her death is if the medical examiner

himself tells me.” The determination in John’s

voice scared Abe, but he knew when to back off.

 

“OK, I’ll see what I can do. Just be careful and

call me if there is anything else I can do.”

 

“Thanks Abe, call me when you find out

anything. I’m leaving in about an hour, so if I

don’t hear from you before, I’ll call you when I

reach Greece.” Before Abe could reply, John

was already on his way out of the station.

 

“I can’t believe you can ride that well already.

You are one amazing woman.” The admiration

in Jackson’s voice was unmistakable. He rose

from the coach and walked over to where she

stood by the window. The morning sun filtering

in seemed to form a golden haze all around her.

He couldn’t see her face, but could tell that she

was smiling. He stopped behind her and slipped

his arms around her, rubbing the soft terry

cloth of her robe and pulling her tight. Her head

fell back to his chest and he leaned in to

breathe in her scent.

 

“Hmm…” she paused, enjoying the feeling of

his body “Stop it. You are the reason I am out

of that hospital. If you wouldn’t have been

pushing me, I would probably still be sitting

there feeling sorry for myself.” Sydney smiled

at the thought of Jackson’s motivation. She

owed him so much. She didn’t know what she

would have done without him.

 

“Baby, you could barely walk 6 months ago,

and now you are riding 30 miles. That was all

you… like I said, you are amazing!” To make his

point, he turned her around to face him, lifted

her off the ground and swung her around the

room. By the time they reached the couch she

was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

“I’m coming to find you Doc, I’m coming.” John

knew there was something he was missing.

That this time he would find the clue that would

lead him back to her. He had to, he couldn’t live

like this anymore. He needed her. She was his

reason for living and in the time he had been

without her he could feel himself slipping away.

It just wasn’t fair. After everything that had

happened in Salem, they both needed a new

beginning. Going to Greece to get married and

have the baby was supposed to be just that.

Initially they were going to live on the

mainland, but a sailing trip took them to the

Greek Isle of Santorini, where they had

remained ever since. Santorini was the

quintessential Mediterranean village. The

winding, cobblestone streets were so narrow

that sometimes it was hard to walk side by

side. The emerald blue of the waters was offset

by the white sand beaches and whitewashed

buildings, creating an oasis of beauty. Their

days on Santorini were spent shopping in town

or sailing their yacht around the harbor, while

their nights were spent dining on the docks or

lounging on their terrace overlooking the

Mediterranean.

 

John remembered one of the last days they

spent together. The day was perfect, beautiful

and sunny. They had spent the entire morning

lying in each others arms and then headed to

town to wander around the shops and search

for furniture for the nursery. At this point

Marlena was over 7 months pregnant and John

was trying his best to keep her as comfortable

as possible. That day he arranged a private

lunch at her favorite outdoor café.

 

~~ “It’s so beautiful and relaxing here, I feel

like our problems have just vanished away.”

Marlena looked so radiant and relaxed. Her skin

was bronzed and glowing and her hair was

blowing in the breeze.

 

“I know it Doc, the rest of our lives are going to

be spent just like this.” He reached over and

touched her face and leaned over and tenderly

kissed her lips.

 

“Ummm….I can’t wait until this little one is

here to make it that much better.” She looked

down and placed her hands on her stomach

then looked up and smiled at the man she loved

more than anything. His blue eyes sparkled

against the gleaming white backdrop, and she

loved looking into them.

 

“Very soon honey. Actually, that is something I

wanted to talk about. I was thinking that we

should go back to Athens to have the baby.”

 

“You think so? I thought you said there were

some really good doctors here on the island?”

She wasn’t really questioning him, she knew he

always wanted the best for her.

 

“Yeah I know, but I just think the facilities in

Athens would better equipped if there were any

kind of problem.” Even saying that there could

be a problem made him nervous. As if knowing

of his inner worry, she gave him her most

assuring smile.

 

“Since I know you’ll never let me be if I say no,

I think it would be in my best interest to say

yes. Besides, we haven’t gone sailing in a while

and it might be nice to take the trip before the

baby comes.” Her smile made his heart flip a

little. He couldn’t wait until the baby was with

them.

“Ok then, we’ll leave this afternoon, maybe

visit one of the other Isles before we visit

mainland.” He loved being with her on the

yacht and couldn’t wait to get going.

 

“Sounds wonderful, the next time we come

back here it will be as a family.” Marlena placed

her hand on her stomach and smiled at him,

while John envisioned their return with their

baby.

“Sydney, I am really pleased with the way you

are healing. The scars behind your ears are

very nice looking, you can barely see them, and

the one on your abdomen has faded

significantly. Plus, Jackson told me of your

biking accomplishments, so I think we can cut

back your appointments to once a month.” Dr.

Romano loved his appointments with her, each

time she was more beautiful than the last. The

first time he saw her he didn’t know if she

would ever fully recover, not just physically,

but mentally as well. She was a tattered and

beaten amnesiac, who for all purposes should

probably have perished in whatever accident

she was involved in. And he wasn’t even the

first doctor to see her; she was a transfer from

Athens.

 

A sexy, if not mocking pout crossed Sydney’s

features. “Awww…does that mean that we will

no longer be having our weekly rendezvous’?”

 

“Well my darling, that is entirely up to you. I

would gladly see you on a more permanent

basis.” Sydney’s mock pout quickly turned to

wicked smile, followed by her throaty laughter.

Dr. Romano’s thick Italian accent, not to

mention the tall dark and handsome persona,

always made her look forward to their

appointments. However, their flirtatious banter

was so obnoxious to Jackson that he began to

just wait for her in the reception area.

 

Just before Sydney could reply, Jackson

knocked at the door and popped his blond head

1. “Are you two done flirting enough for me to

come in yet? Cuz if not, I could always go take

a walk or something.” His beaming smile gave

away his true feelings. He knew nobody could

resist Sydney, the doctor being no exception.

Her irresistibility was one of the things he so

loved about her, not because of how he knew

that she was, but how she didn’t.

 

“Ahh you are just in time. I was just about to

be taken in by the doctor’s advances.” Sydney

grabbed Jackson’s hand and smiled at him to

assure him she was joking.

 

“Listen Doc…I know she looks beautiful, but

she really is a pain in the ass. One day of her

and you’ll be begging me to take her back.”

Jackson looked over to Sydney with a giant grin

plastered to his face, but immediately noticed

that something was wrong. In an instant he

was at her side with his arm around her.

 

“Syd are you ok…what happened?” The worry

in Jackson’s voice brought Sydney back. Lately

she had been having more and more flashes.

Anything could bring them on; a certain word, a

familiar sight or even a way that Jackson

touched her. The problem was that they weren’

t really memories, they were more feelings. The

only flashes she had of anything were in the

nightmares she had about the accident and

even those were just a jumble of confusing

images.

 

“Oh…Oh…ummm..I’m sorry guys, I’m fine.”

She wasn’t, but she didn’t want them worrying

about her.

 

“Come on, I know this is hard, but please think

about what it was I said that made you feel that

way.” Jackson really wanted her to start

dealing with the memories. He could see that

they were really tearing her apart, and

whatever was hurting her was hurting him.

 

“I think it was when you said ‘Doc’, that seems

really familiar to me.” That wasn’t the first time

she had heard that, she had begun to hear that

in her dreams.

 

~~“I know it Doc, the rest of our lives are

going to be spent just like this…..”~~

 

The man’s voice made her heart skip a little.

After the dreams she would wake up sweating

and out of breath. She knew the man was very

important to her past, but no matter how hard

she tried to see his face, it never came to her.

 

Seeing that perhaps they needed some time

alone, Dr. Romano excused himself to check on

another patient. “You can stay in here as long

as you need, just make sure you find me before

you leave.” As soon as he left the room, Sydney

broke down into tears. She just couldn’t take

the questions and unknowns anymore.

 

“God Jackson, when is this going to be over? It

has been over a year since I woke up and I still

can’t even remember my name!” The emotion in

her voice was thick and raw. Jackson had never

seen her so vulnerable. She had been so strong

and positive, although he knew she was putting

on a front for him most of the time, he still

never expected this.

 

The tears were streaming down her cheeks and

Jackson would have done anything to make her

stop hurting. “Baby I am going to do whatever

it takes to help you find the answers….so, that

means we have to go back.”

 

“Back to where?” She knew where he was

talking about, but was scared to hit another

dead end.

 

“I know that Athens is the one place that holds

the truth.” He was determined to help her find

the answers, not just for her, but he needed to

know just as much. The year he had known her

had been the best of his life and he would do

anything to keep what they had. “I’ll make the

arrangements as soon as we get home.”

John sat on the leather couch of the cabin and

stared out the window. Everything in his life

seemed surreal; the fact that he was sitting in

the cabin of his own plane was one of the

things that boggled his mind. It had been years

since Roman came back and he was still coming

to terms with who he really was; that he was a

wealthy Alamain and had been brainwashed by

Stefano. That time of Roman’s return had been

so painful and scary, yet she had been the only

one to stand by him, she was the only one that

loved him for who he was. Although they tried

to do what they felt was right, and deny their

feelings, eventually it became too hard and he

decided to leave so that he wouldn’t hurt her.

But, just as he was ready to leave, she came to

him. That was the night they created their

child, right there on the couch he was sitting

1. When they found she was pregnant with his

baby, they knew it was fate and she left Roman

to be with him. Until she did that, he hadn’t

realized just how much he needed and

depended on her.

 

God, he needed her now more than ever. The

only thing that was keeping him sane was the

memory of their love. That would always be

there; she was in him, in his soul. As he drifted

off to sleep, the last thing on his mind was the

night they were reunited.

 

~~“Doc…you are….so beautiful.” John could

barely speak, he was so captivated by the sight

of her standing before him. The flickering glow

of the candle light was shimmering off the

creamy silk of her negligee, highlighting every

amazing curve of her body. He ached to touch

her, it had been so long since they had last

been together, but the memory had stayed with

him during the time she was gone. Things may

have been confusing and complicated, but the

one constant was the profoundly deep love they

shared.

“I love you……you know that right?” The

sincerity in her voice made him want to believe

her, but he was still hesitant. She reached out

and ran a finger down the side of his face. Her

touch sent shivers radiating through out his

body.

“I just…it’s so hard to believe. After

everything that has happened…I don’t want to

lose you again.” He was speaking directly from

his heart, he hadn’t meant to get so emotional,

but his fear was taking over. All he could think

about was that she was going to realize she

had made a mistake and leave him….again.

She knew he was talking out of fear, with all

that had happened it was hard not to break

down into an emotional wreck. But, she knew

what she wanted, who she wanted, and that

was him. He was the only man who could

arouse the feelings within her soul. She knew

that things were only going to get more

complicated, but she couldn’t bare the thought

of living without him. She leaned into him until

she was just inches from his face.

“You’ll never lose me. I love you with all of

my heart and that means that I can’t live

without you…that means we can’t live without

each other.” She leaned in until their lips were

almost touching, then whispered into his

mouth, “ and I don’t ever want to.” The kiss

was searing and hot, but filled with such gentle

passion that they were both left out of breath.

They paused just long enough to looking into

each others eyes and confirm what they both

wanted.

“I want you so much John…I need you” That

was all John needed to hear. With gentle arms

he lifted her up and carried her toward the bed,

lightly kissing her neck along the way. Marlena’

s soft moans made John’s body react with

desire. He wanted to ravage her body, but

knew this was not the night for that. He was

going to cherish her and show her how right

they were. It had been over months since they

had last been intimate, but their bodies reacted

as if it were just yesterday. He knew every inch

of her body, every mark, every freckle and

every single tender spot that could take her to

ecstasy and back.

He placed her on the bed and gently laid his

body on top of hers. Slowly he rounded off to

her side. Leaning on his right arm, he used his

free hand to trace a path from her chin to her

navel. Her back arched at his sensual touch and

she let out a frustrated moan. She couldn’t take

it anymore and turned on her side to face him,

ready for him to take her. She reached for his

shirt and pulled the tail out of his pants. After

pushing him onto his back, she straddled him

and ripped his shirt open, sending buttons

flying across the bed. The sight of John’s bare

chest made Marlena’s eyes flash with desire.

She leaned down to run her hands over his

defined chest and taunt stomach. She could

feel him harden beneath her and squeezing her

thighs together, elicited a low guttural moan

expressing her approval. She bent forward until

she was almost flat against his chest and

hungrily kissed his neck. Then, she slid up to

nibble and run her tongue across his ear,

knowing that it would send him over the edge.

John’s self control was quickly diminishing;

his body was pulsing with arousal and all he

could think about was pushing her back onto

the bed and fucking her. His hands were

roaming over the silk of her negligee, resisting

the urge to rip the skimpy garment off her

body. His breath was becoming heavy and

labored. He slid his hands up to her shoulders

and pulled her back until she was sitting

upright.

“I need to make love to you” His voice was

passionate and she could see the yearning in

his eyes. All of a sudden she felt vulnerable and

nervous; It had been a chaotic few months and

the guilt over hurting Roman was starting to

affect her. She gave him a tentative smile that

failed to cover her feelings. He could sense her

apprehension. With her still straddling him, he

wrapped her legs around his waist as he sat up

and faced her.

“Do you want me to stop?” His gentle words

came out into a whisper. He wanted her, but

she had to make the decision to go further. He

couldn’t pressure her into something that she

wasn’t ready for, and he couldn’t bear it if she

regretted it.

Although she was nervous, it had nothing to

do with her decision to be with him. She loved

him and knew in her heart that being with him

was right. Pushing her nerves away, she told

him what he wanted to hear.

“No, I don’t want you to stop….I want you to

make love to me.” As soon as the words left her

lips some of her nerves returned and she

looked down at her hands like a virginal

teenager. Tentatively John placed his hand

under her chin and lifted her face until their

eyes met. Slowly, he moved his hand back into

her hair and pulled her into a kiss that made

any trepidation a distant memory.

John gently pulled her head back exposing

her neck; possessively he sucked at her tender

flesh, drawing a cry of pleasure from her lips.

Her cries escalated his longing and in one swift

movement he tore away her negligee, revealing

her gloriously naked body. Hungrily he attacked

her breasts, sucking her nipples until she

thought she was going to scream. Her dewy

skin and lithe body reacted to his touch just as

he remembered. With her legs still wrapped

around his waist, he stood up and turned

around so that her back was to the bed. She

was still kissing his neck as he laid her down

against the pillows. She grabbed for him as he

pulled away, her only thought being his hands

on her body. He clutched her hands with his

and kissed her knuckles before he stood again.

She made a move to go to him, but he gave her

a look that told her to stay put. He was going to

please her and cherish her like she deserved,

especially after all that she had been through.

He looked down to her supple naked body and

for a second he thought he might be dreaming.

“What are you doing all the way over there?”

Her voice was sexy and playful. Smiling he

placed a finger over his lips to silence her. In

the next instant John’s had undone his belt and

kicked his pants across the room. Marlena

looked him up and down, admiring her, ‘handy

work’, so to speak. He looked so sexy in his

boxer briefs, the tight material clinging to his

defined legs among other things.

From the end of the bed he began his slow

crawl toward her waiting body. The sexy,

inviting smile on her lips made his groin ache

with anticipation. His head stopped between

her bent knees and his mouth opened to blow

on her. Her back arched and her hips thrust

upward from his soft breath. His tongue had a

mind of his own as he caressed her clit in the

way that he remembered would give her the

most pleasure. Her body was trembling with

desire and her moans were becoming more

intense with every flick of his tongue. She could

feel the pressure building up in the anticipation

of the spine shattering orgasm John’s gyrations

were bringing.

“Oh God….John.” She could barely speak. Her

body was shuddering, telling John that she was

close. “Oh…Oh John…Oh God!” Her body seized

and jerked, releasing into the most intense

orgasm she had ever had. For a moment she

couldn’t think or move.

“That was…mmm…incredible.” She was still

out of breath as she fell back onto the pillows.

He moved up beside her and stared at her

stunning body. Her hair was tousled and sexy

and her moist skin was glistening in the candle

light. He had never seen anything more

beautiful.

She opened her eyes and looked at him with

heavily lidded eyes and a wicked smiled on her

lips. “You don’t think you are getting off that

easily do you?” In the next moment she was

pulling off his boxers and had climbed on top of

him. She began to torture him by gyrating her

hips against his groin, causing his manhood to

pulse with desire. Her kisses were sensual and

sweet, and her tongue flicked out of her perfect

mouth, seductively sucking his lips. He moaned

from deep inside his throat and closed his eyes

to enjoy the feeling of her on his skin. Gradually

she let him enter her, relishing the feel that

only his penis could fill her with. His instinct

was to thrust into her and carnally take her.

Taking her by the waist, he took control and

rolled her over until he was on top. He attacked

her neck with his lips and drove deep inside.

Her breath caught in her throat and she

moaned as he hit the spot. Her moaning was

driving him further and further, making it

difficult to stay in control. Her roving hands slid

up and down his hard body, one was laced

through his thick black hair, while the other

raked up and down his back. He looked into her

eyes and could see that she was as ready as he

was. Clenching on to one another, their bodies

rocked together in a passionate rhythm. She

arched her head back and closed her eyes to

savor his feeling. He sucked hard on her newly

exposed throat and thrust into her.

“Doc…Oh baby…I love you” His labored

breathing made it hard to speak. He was so

close to releasing into her. “I love you too

honey…come with me.” Her words were barely

audible, but were enough to bring John to the

brink. She grabbed hold of his back and

pressed her nails into his skin as she was about

to come once again. John moaned loudly and

grabbed her ass; all thoughts left his mind as

he powerfully thrust into her and came. Her

hips jutted against his and shuddered as she

went with him to ecstasy.

Exhausted and deeply satisfied, they fell back

onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. He

wrapped his arms around her, placing his

hands over her slightly swollen stomach, and

pulled her further into him, never wanting to

surrender the feeling he had at that moment.

The last thing he remembered before falling off

to sleep was the sweet smell of her hair against

his nose….

The drive home was spent in relative silence.

Neither one of them wanted to discuss the

possibility of coming home with no answers.

Jackson glanced over to find that Sydney had

fallen asleep, not that he was surprised since

she always fell asleep on the weekly 2 hour

drive home from Rome. Something about the

innocent look of her asleep made him think of

the first time he saw her and how she changed

his life…

 

~~ Maxwell Jackson was not one to believe in

love at first sight, as a matter of fact he wasn’t

sure he believed in love at all. Of course he had

all the opportunity to find it considering he was

known as the most desired bachelor in Europe.

His broad 6’3” chiseled frame and blond hair,

blue eye combo were only part of his appeal;

Jackson was dark, not in a menacing way, but

in a complex and reserved way. Although he

had always been very funny and playful, no one

really knew the true Jackson. Little did he

know, a trip to the hospital to visit a friend

would lead him to the only person who had ever

been able to see the real him.

 

In his life Jackson had done more than most

people. He was an extreme sport junkie who

loved surfing, snowboarding, climbing, sky

diving, mountain biking, motorcycle racing and

anything else that brought an adrenaline rush.

However, life hadn’t always been an adventure.

Being from one of the most powerful families of

Europe meant that there were certain things

expected of him. His childhood years were

spent away at the top boarding and military

schools of Europe, where he learned to depend

on himself and himself alone. After graduation

his father informed him of his obligation to

serve as an officer in the military. Being tired of

his fathers orders, Jackson decided that was

the last thing he wanted to do. Although he was

not listening to the wishes of his father, he

knew he wanted to experience something new

and foreign, so when he was accepted by

Brown University he left for the U.S. and tried

to never look back.

 

Two years after graduation Jackson received

the news that his father had died and his

mother requested that he return to Europe to

take over the company his father had left

behind. He soon found the benefits of being the

CEO and spent most of his time traveling and

having fun, leaving the company to be run by

the board of directors. He couldn’t have cared

less if the company was run into the ground, he

knew he and his mother would always have

enough money, and the thought of being like

his father made him even more resolute to live

life as he wanted. Living life and doing it with

his closest friends was the only thing that

mattered to Jackson; business and women

were only something he involved himself in

when he had to.

 

————————————–

~~ He couldn’t believe that he was visiting

Marcus in the hospital. He was the kind of guy

who could do anything, and probably would if

there was enough money involved. However,

despite his fearless attitude, he wasn’t

reckless, which is why his accident took

Jackson by surprise.

 

“Of all the stupid shit man…” Jackson’s smiling

face was the last thing Marcus needed. Luckily

the pain medication was keeping him pretty out

of it.

“I know…where were you to talk me out of it?”

The sound of Marcus’ slurred Italian accent

made Jackson laugh.

“Hell…I probably would have put more money

on it.” Jackson winked at him. “Seriously

though, are you really ok?” He really was

concerned for him; Marcus was like an older

brother.

“No problem, besides the leg, I am fine. Thank

god I still have my beautiful face, huh?.”

Marcus could make a joke out of anything.

“Yeah, thank god…” Jackson was relieved to

see that his friend was going to be ok. Jackson

was packing for a surfing trip to Costa Rica

when he got the call. There was no question as

to whether the trip would wait, Marcus was his

best friend, and he had to be there for him.

“Hey, I know this Greek food must be killing

your fine palate, so I am going to grab you

something from the Italian restaurant down the

street. Get some rest and I’ll be back soon.”

 

—————————-

 

~~ Not knowing what Marcus would be in the

mood for, Jackson purchased about 5 different

dishes and headed back up to his room. “I

wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I got a bunch

of dif—…..OK, well I guess nobody is here…”

Seeing that he wasn’t in the room, Jackson set

the food down and walked out to reception to

ask where he was. The nurse at the desk

pointed him toward the physical therapy wing.

He could never have known that she was

pointing him toward a door that would change

his life forever.

~~ Jackson pushed open the door and scanned

the room for Marcus. It looked empty, so he

quickly turned to leave, but as he turned he ran

right into a wheelchair, knocking the woman in

it to the ground. He looked down at the

crumpled form and was immediately taken by

her fragile body and stunning face. It took him

a minute to realize she wasn’t getting up.

“Oh my God! I am so sorry, are you ok?” He

was praying that he didn’t hurt her, because

she looked like she had been through enough.

“Yeah…I think I’m ok.” She tried to cover

the grimace on her face, but he could see that

she was hurting. In one move he leaned down

and lifted her into his arms. Quickly he moved

her to a couch against the wall and gently set

her down. Silently she sat, staring down at her

hands, embarrassed of her self and his

questioning eyes. He couldn’t take his eyes off

of her; there was something about her that

drew him in. He didn’t even know her name,

but he had a desire to learn every detail about

her.

“Are you alright? Can I go get someone for

you?” His concerned voice made her turn to

look at him. She had never heard someone act

so concerned about her. Not that she could

remember anyway.

“Yeah I’m ok, I was just a little stunned.”

She was trying to make him feel a little better.

“Hang on, I’ll go get a nurse to make sure.”

As he went to get off the couch, she grabbed

his arm to stop him from leaving.

“No. No. Please, I don’t need to see anyone.

I just need a minute, ok? Her voice was slightly

pleading and her eyes had a look of urgency.

Not wanting to upset her further, he sat back

down. “Thanks…I just don’t want to see

anymore nurses for a while.” Her voice trailed

off a little, and a slight nervous smile crossed

her lips. “Anyway, I’m sure you have some

place to be; if you could just get my chair for

me, I’ll be fine.” She didn’t want him to know

how helpless she felt. She wasn’t even

supposed to leave her room because of the

danger it could put her in. She was weak and

was just starting to recover from the serious

injuries that had almost killed her.

 

Jackson didn’t want to leave her yet, so he

decided to try to find out a little about her. He

started by testing her sense of humor.

“Well actually, I intentionally knocked you over

so that I could meet you.” The look of

bewilderment on her face brought a giant grin

to his face.

“Yeah, see I have been looking for a

beautiful woman who can’t run away from me.”

He wasn’t sure if she would find humor in his

joke, but he hoped she would. She looked like

she really needed a laugh. For a moment she

just stared at him in slight shock, then burst

into a fit of giggles. Her laugh was the sweetest

sound he had ever heard. Soon they were both

laughing uncontrollably.

She wasn’t sure if she had ever laughed like

that before, but it felt really good. For the brief

time that she had been with him, she had been

able to forget all about her problems. Her

beaming smile put him at ease; thankful he

hadn’t offended her.

“Well, you certainly found someone who can’

t run away.” Her bright smile faded a little as

she was reminded of her injuries. Seeing her

serious expression made him regret his words.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make a joke out

of your injury. I was out of line.” For some

reason he felt the urge to pull her into his arms

and hold her. The regretful look on his face

made her feel bad. She hated how she always

felt sorry for herself. He made her smile more

than in the whole time since she woke up from

the accident.

“Oh no…I don’t know the last time I laughed

like that. I should really be thanking you.” She

gave him a beautifully genuine smile. She

meant what she said, and she really felt like

hugging him. He took her smile as a cue to

press a little further, and smiled back at her.

“You don’t have to thank me, I’m just glad

you didn’t hit me since I probably deserved it.”

He smiled back at her and then spoke again.

“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Usually

she avoided talking about her situation,

probably because she had the most questions,

but there was something about him that made

her comfortable. Before she knew it she had

told him all about her waking up with no

memory and a series of life threatening injuries

to overcome. She told him how she didn’t know

anyone and that very few people spoke English,

so she just sat in her room by herself all day.

She told him everything that she remembered

and everything that haunted her dreams, and

the entire time, he sat there, mesmerized, and

listened to every word she said. It wasn’t just

that he felt bad for her and was letting her vent

her frustrations, but he really wanted to help

her and if just listening would do that, he’d sit

there all day.

 

It wasn’t until she had finished talking and they

were just looking at each other, that he realized

he didn’t even know what to call her. He wasn’t

sure how to broach the subject. “So…I’m

Maxwell, but everyone calls me Jackson.” He

gave her a warm smile and held out his hand.

Immediately she looked down and felt her face

flush with embarrassment. She had just told

her whole story to a man who’s name she didn’t

even know. He could see her embarrassment,

so he grabbed her hand and shook it, giving her

a beaming smile. The look on his face put her at

ease and she couldn’t stop herself from

laughing.

 

”I’m so embarrassed! I’m sorry you had to sit

through that.” She stopped laughing and

looked down at her hands. He reached over and

grabbed her hand.

 

“Hey…I would have sat here all day…” He

rubbed his thumb across her knuckles causing

goosebumps to run up her arm. “But, you still

haven’t told me what to call you.” She pulled

her hand away and thrust it out in front of him.

 

“Well…I don’t know what my real name is, but

you can call me Sydney” She smiled at him and

he took her hand in his and brought it to his

lips. “It is absolutely lovely to meet you

Sydney, and lucky for me, my best friend is

here with a broken leg so this won’t be the last

time I get to be blessed with your company”

 

After dropping off Sydney in her room, Jackson

made his way back to find Marcus, who he had

totally forgotten about. He found the door and

stepped in to see if he was there.

 

“Hey man….” He looked over at Marcus who

was banging the remote control against the rail

of his bed.

“Jackson? I thought you ditched me…where

you been?”

“Oh, well I went looking for you and ran into

someone…literally…” He didn’t know what to

really say, but he knew he didn’t want to let

Marcus bust his balls about ‘picking up’ a girl in

the hospital. More like he didn’t want to let him

lessen what had happened. He could see her

gorgeous face and hear her sweet laugh and it

made him feel something he had never felt.

Marcus could see the far away look and the tiny

grin that crossed his lips couldn’t be mistaken.

“Wouldn’t happen to be a woman would it?”

Jackson couldn’t help but laugh at the cocky

grin on Marcus’ face. The man could always

read him and he hated that sometimes.

“Don’t worry about it, besides I can only

imagine the nurses you have propositioned

while you’ve been here.” Jackson tried to divert

the attention away from him and it seemed to

work.

“You know they can’t resist this face….lets just

say I get as many sponge baths as I want…” At

that they both laughed and Jackson said his

goodbye and headed toward the door. Just as

he was about to leave Marcus remembered

about Jackson’s surfing trip.

“Oh, have fun in Costa Rica, grab some giants

for me!” His simple comment made Jackson

freeze in his tracks. He had forgotten about

everything, including his trip, but he knew

what he had to do. He turned back to Marcus

before stepping out of the room.

 

“I’m not going”

“Doc!!!” John bolted up from his sleep on the

couch. He could still feel her in his arms as if it

had been real and not a dream. He wanted so

much for it to be real. Defeated he sunk back

into the couch and laid his head in his hands.

“I know you are alive Doc…and I am going to

find you, both of you” John’s words were heavy

with emotion. He could see them in his mind;

their beautiful baby girl in her arms, waiting for

him to find them.

Just then the phone rang bringing him back to

his painful reality.

“Yea” His voice was hollow and flat

“Mr. Black we have begun our final approach,

30 more minutes sir.” John put the phone back

down on the receiver and stood up, running his

hands through his hair in nervous anticipation.

“This is it, I am finally going to get my family

back”

 

———————-

 

Sydney looked out at the Italian landscape that

she had begun to recognize and wondered if

she would ever see a place from her past that

she would remember. She wondered how many

car trips she took with her parents that she

spent looking out the window just like she was

now. She wondered where they went and if she

had any brothers or sisters. She wondered if

her mother was as beautiful as she imagined

and if she was her fathers little girl. Despite her

growing heartache, she only let one tear fall

down her cheek. She was determined to live in

the present and focus on what she did

remember, which almost entirely revolved

around Jackson. He was the only thing she

could count on and she loved him with all that

she could. She knew that he would do anything

for her and that he loved her with all his heart,

but she had the feeling that her heart wasn’t all

hers to give.

 

Jackson looked over at her staring out the

window and knew she was slipping back into

the hopelessness of her amnesia. He reached

over and ran his hand down her arm, drawing

her attention. She had a smile on her face, but

he could see the sadness in her eyes.

“What are you thinking about sweetheart?” He

smiled at her and grabbed her hand. She didn’t

want him to feel bad, so she lied.

“Just about you and how wonderful you are.”

She squeezed his hand and gave him a

flirtatious smile. He loved that smile and it was

making it hard to concentrate on the road.

“Yeah?…uhhh….I was actually thinking about

the first time I saw you.”

“hmmm…” She smiled to herself thinking about

that day. “You ran me over in a pathetic

attempt to pick me up…” She looked over at

him and started to laugh.

“Yea…well, you were a pretty easy target…” He

gave her his most gorgeous grin, only to be met

by her fist flying into his arm. “You jerk!

Taking advantage of a poor helpless girl in a

wheelchair!” The laughter that ensued made

him warm inside. They had grown so close and

to be able to joke like this made him feel so at

peace.

“OK! OK! You were absolutely irresistible and I

had to meet you. Knocking you down was just

part of a plan that is working out quite

wonderfully.” She blushed lightly and turned to

look at him.

“You are such a flirt….MAXWELL!” She knew he

hated the use of his first name and it brought

pleasure to her to see his face scrunch up in

disgust.

“Funny…really funny Syd.” He grabbed at her

leg and squeezed the tender area of her inner

thigh, making her squirm and giggle at his

touch. He kept at it until she was laughing so

hard that she could barely breathe.

“I take it back….I take it back!” She squeaked

through sucking breaths. At her admission of

guilt, he stopped his assault on her leg and

grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He

loved her so much that sometimes he thought it

should hurt, but he wanted nothing more that

to make her laugh like that for the rest of his

life.

 

Sitting there hand in hand, Sydney thought

about the day she finally got out of the

Hospital….

~~ “I can’t believe I am finally out of there!”

She could barely hold back her excitement as

she slowly made her way through the door

Jackson was holding open. He had never heard

her so happy and carefree. She wrapped her

arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.

“Thank you so much Jacksy, I could never have

walked again without you!” Her voice was

emotional as she expressed her thanks to him.

He loved it when she used the nickname she

gave him.

“Hey, they are still your legs. Nobody could

make them work but you.” He stroked the side

of her face with his hand. “Now let’s get you

settled in.” He grabbed her bags and took them

up to her room.

She looked around her new residence, Jackson’

s Lake Como townhouse, and thanked God that

she was out of that hospital. Using her cane for

support, she walked to the console behind the

couch and picked up a framed picture of her

and Jackson. He was standing behind her with

his arms around her neck and a huge laughing

smile on his gorgeous face.

“I love that picture.” Jackson saw her with the

picture as he walked down the stairs.

“Yea….it’s really good.” Something in her voice

made him nervous.

“Hey, what’s wrong? I’ll put it away if you don’t

like it.”

“No, No! I really do love it..” She paused, “I

just don’t want to be a burden to you. You have

already done so much for me, and now you are

welcoming me into your home.” It was just too

much. She knew he cared about her, but she

felt she was just going to complicate his life.

Taking the picture from her and setting it on

the table, he took her hands in his and pulled

her closer to him. “Listen to me, I know you’re

scared, but you have to trust me. I would do

anything for you Syd.” He looked into her eyes,

willing her to believe him. She knew he was

telling her the truth.

“I know you would, I just don’t understand

why.” He moved his hands up to each side of

her face and told her the truth.

“Don’t you know how I feel about you?” She

looked longingly into his eyes and held her

breath while she waited for him to continue. “I

love you Sydney.” He leaned in and took her

lips in a soft and sensuous kiss. Her heart raced

at their touch. She slid her arms around him

and pulled closer to him. After a few moments,

he slowly pulled away, breaking their kiss. He

had wanted to do that for so long, but didn’t

expect to be left so affected. Not wanting to

overwhelm her, he tried to break the silence.

“Alright, now that we’ve got that taken care of,

let’s go upstairs.” The look on her face made

him laugh out loud. He could see that he

needed to be a little clearer. “and put your bags

away Syd.” He winked at her and continued. “I

had no idea you had such a dirty mind…I can’t

believe you would think that way about me.”

He watched as her face turned a brilliant shade

of red. Quickly though, she turned the tables on

him. She pressed her finger into his chest and

put on the sexiest pout he had ever seen.

“Awww…and I thought we were going to have

a little afternoon fun. Too bad you are such a

prude.” She gave him a wink and left him

standing in the middle of the entryway as she

made her way up the steps.

 

———————-

 

So much had happened since she moved in with

Jackson. Her days gradually became less and

less about regaining her memory and more

about living the life that she had. She and

Jackson had a life, filled with fun and

excitement. They traveled every weekend,

Jackson determined to show her the best of

Europe. During the week they enjoyed the

scenery of Lake Como, whether enjoying the

lake from his yacht, biking the local mountains,

or spending their evenings dancing and dining

at the best restaurants in town. Although she

felt her life was nothing more than leisure, it

was better than sitting alone crying about a

past that she wasn’t even sure she wanted to

remember. Besides, she didn’t know what else

she should be doing.

 

When they arrived home from her appointment

in Rome, Sydney kissed him quickly before

laying down on the couch to take a nap before

they went out for dinner. Jackson went upstairs

to make their travel arraignments and thought

how different his life had become since meeting

her. He no longer needed to get the adrenaline

rush; he was more satisfied just sitting at home

holding her in his arms, watching a DVD. His

priorities had changed so drastically that, with

Sydney’s suggestion, he had even begun to

take more of an interest in the company he had

been neglecting for so long.

 

He thought about how it had been when they

first traveled, and because she didn’t know her

last name, she used his. Of course, everyone

assumed they were married and he hoped that

would come true very soon. He even had the

ring, but was waiting for the perfect time to ask

her. He was scared that he might be pushing

her too soon, but he was more fearful of losing

her to her past. She was in her soul and he

didn’t want to know what it was like to be

without her. He wanted to hold her every night

and make love to her; he couldn’t wait to make

love to her. Because of her memory loss, she

felt it wasn’t right to be with him like that until

she came to terms with her past. Not that he

didn’t know she loved him, because they

expressed their love in different ways, but

either she was going to fully recover or she was

going to accept that she would never know and

move on. With every passing month, she

became less and less concerned with her past,

and was embracing her future with him. He

knew it would only be a short time before she

was ready to move on and he hoped their trip to

Greece would bring her the closure she needed.

 

Jackson moved over to his desk and dialed the

airline.

“Hello…yes, I need two tickets for your earliest

flight to Athens tomorrow.” Jackson wanted to

get started as early as possible.

“And who will be flying?” Jackson smiled as he

told the agent their names, thinking how happy

he was going to be when it was legal.

“Maxwell and Sydney Alamain”

ohn stepped off the plane with the memory of their

love making still fresh in his memory. The

Mediterranean sun was hot and bright, making him

squint and cover his eyes. He could feel that there was

something different about this trip. He could sense that

she was close. He let the feeling wash over him and

smiled for the first time in months.

“I know I am going to find you Doc…”

 

———————

 

Sydney had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She reached over and grabbed Jackson’s hand as the

plane prepared to depart. Somehow, she knew that

their lives were never going to be the same. She

squeezed Jackson’s hand a little harder than necessary

and he looked at her with his blazing blue eyes filled

with concern.

“You ok babe?” He noticed the far off look in her eyes

and immediately became concerned.

 

She couldn’t hear anything. Her mind was taking her

back to another pair of blue eyes on a plane just like

this. She could hear the rain hitting the cockpit and the

crack of lightning off in the distance. Her coat was

soaked and but she didn’t care. The only thing she felt

was the growing pit in her stomach, and the urgency in

her need to stop him. She needed him, she could feel

that, and she couldn’t stop her heart from aching at the

thought of him leaving……

 

“Syd?!” Jackson squeezed her hand and raised his

voice, “Honey, talk to me, what is wrong?!” His voice

was shaking a little and his heart was racing. He was

so scared for her, and for himself, if she were

remembering something terrible.

 

Her consciousness was straining against the memory

her mind was forcing. She could see him facing the

window, but she couldn’t see his face. She saw the

blurred outline of her hand reach out in front of her,

struggling to reach him. Just as she thought she might

touch him and see his face, her world went black.

 

Jackson watched in shock as her outstretched arm

dropped into her lap and she slumped back lifelessly

into her seat. He reached for her, cupping her face

between his hands. Frantically, he began trying to urge

her back to life. “Sydney!!! Don’t do this baby…come

on, come back…” He was trying to remain calm and

soothing, but the fear was evident in his voice. He

began to relax a little as she slowly began stirring in

her seat.

 

She opened her eyes and tried to focus on her

surroundings. She was disoriented and her head was

pounding. She reached out for Jackson, who was

stroking her face and talking softly to her. “What

happened? Where am I?”

 

Jackson was so relieved that she was ok, and he leaned

in and pulled her into a soft embrace. “You kind of

zoned out and then fainted….Do you know what you

were thinking of?” She brought her hands up to rub her

temples, trying to assuage the intense throbbing of her

head and help her concentrate.

“I really don’t know, everything in the last few minutes

is a blur.” Now, her mind wasn’t letting her remember

what happened. She could feel something, but didn’t

know what it was. She looked over at a nerve racked

Jackson and grabbed his hand.

“Do you want me to get you something?….He paused a

minute, thinking about what she could need, ”maybe

we should ask the pilot to turn around so you can see

Dr.Romano before we travel.” His concern brought a

slight smile to her face.

“No, No. I just got caught up packing and forgot to eat

breakfast. I’ll be fine, I promise.” She was trying really

hard to be reassuring, but he knew better.

“This trip isn’t worth risking your health. We can come

back anytime.” Although she knew he could be right,

she had to find out what Athens was hiding.

“Seriously, I’ll be fine….” She trailed off, thinking of

how close she felt to the truth. “I have to go Jacksy, I

really feel like we are going to find some answers this

Time…”

The last time John was in Athens, he had only

been able to locate a death certificate to a Jane

Doe that could have matched Marlena, but nothing

else. They couldn’t locate a body, tell him if the

baby had survived or even give him information as

to what hospital she was taken to. Everywhere he

went he met dead ends, so he left for Salem,

telling himself she was gone and that the death

certificate was the proof. But nothing changed

when he returned home; he could still feel her and

no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make

himself believe she was dead. That was when he

started his search; starting over from scratch. He

was obsessed with finding answers, spending

morning and night on the phone with contacts

overseas and enlisting the help of associates in the

ISA. If he didn’t find her alive, he was at least

going to find conclusive evidence of the contrary.

Everyone in Salem saw his deterioration and tried

to make him stop, but he sent them all away,

eventually leaving Abe as his only friend and

confidante. He didn’t care. The only thing he

thought about was her and he wasn’t going to let

anyone get in his way.

 

———————-

 

Athens was as beautiful as she remembered, and

she wished she could have enjoyed it more during

the time she was there. Looking around Exarchia

Square, she felt a strange sense of desavou and

had the feeling she had been there before. She

looked over at the other people eating their lunch

at the outdoor cafe and at the buildings that

surrounded the area. Everything looked so familiar

and yet so foreign. She couldn’t place anything in

her broken mind. Looking farther down the street,

she noticed something she had not seen earlier.

She couldn’t move, her eyes were transfixed on

the harbor. In a moment of clarity, her mouth was

not hers and she yelled out what was in her mind.

“Pasalimani!….” The word came out unexpectedly,

but she knew what it meant.

“What?” Jackson snapped his head up in attention.

 

Before she could explain, she was getting out of

her chair and running to the water.

“Sydney!!…wait…” Jackson got out of his seat and

ran after her. He caught up to her and grabbed her

arm, stopping her. “What is going on?!…what does

that mean?” She turned to face him, not sure what

she was feeling, but needing to tell him.

“It’s the Yacht Marina……I remember the Yacht

Marina!” It took a moment for her words to sink in

and register.

“Pasalimani is the Yacht Marina? Why did you

remember that?” He was trying to remain calm.

“I don’t know…I don’t know, it just hit me when I

saw it.” She paused trying to decipher why she

knew it. “I have to get down there Jackson. I have

to find out why it’s important.” The urgency was

evident in her voice and before he could respond,

she was once again taking off toward the water.

 

She walked out on the dock and looked out at the

busy harbor. The smells, the giant catamarans and

sailing yachts all looked familiar. She walked

further on, until there was no where else to go.

Turning around to look for Jackson, she caught a

glimpse of a dark haired man walking the other

direction. It was only his back, but she had seen it

before. She had to see him and she yelled out to

him.

“WAIT!!!!!!!…”

 

———————

 

John had once again run out of leads. He visited 3

new hospitals, non having any answers. He needed

to feel close to her, so he went to the place that

signified what was supposed to be the start of

their new life. He walked out on the dock and

gazed out at the large yachts coming in and going

out, reliving the day they sailed away. Her aura

was all around him and taking a deep breathe,

savoring the feeling, he turned to leave.

 

——————-

 

She could see him starting to walk away and ran

after him. She couldn’t let him leave, she just

couldn’t. She didn’t know why, but she had to see

him, had to see his face.

“Wait!” She yelled again, hoping to be heard over

the loud humming of the boat engines. She picked

up her pace and yelled one more time.

“Please!!!!…..STOP!!!…”

 

——————-

 

John froze and his breath caught in his throat. He

couldn’t hear anything but her voice. He thought

he was dreaming, but she sounded so real, so

close. He was shaking as he turned around to

search for the voice, scared it was another fantasy.

It only took a moment for his eyes to see her.

“Doc…”

 

——————–

 

She stopped when she saw him turn around. She

looked at his face in a daze, her mind being over

come with memories. She couldn’t move and her

head started to pound again. She saw him come

running at her and held her hand out as her body

began to go weak. Her head was spinning, but she

could see his blurred form coming closer. She

knew he would help her and staggered toward him.

 

He was in a dead sprint, trying to get to her as fast

as his legs would go. He could see the pain in her

face and knew she needed him. He reached her

just in time to catch her before she fell.

“Doc?!!…Doc!!!” He was so overcome with

emotion. His tears were a mix of joy and fear. He

held her close to his chest and sank to the wooden

floor. He cradled her, rocking back and forth,

crying as he sank his face into her hair. He looked

at her beautiful face and lightly brushed her cheek.

“Baby please wake up and look at me.” He smiled

as he felt her stir a little in his arms. A small

grimace crossed her face and she reluctantly

opened her eyes. He stared down at her and she

could feel the love emanating from his body. She

felt warm and safe in his arms and for a moment

she didn’t know where she was. She blinked again,

finally bringing his face into focus. He leaned

down and kissed her forehead, but looking at her

again, saw the confusion evident on her face.

“Doc? Are you ok?” He would never have been

prepared for what came out of her mouth.

“Who are you?…”

Jackson came down the steps just in time to see her

fall into a stranger’s arms. His instinct to protect her

kicked in and he picked up his pace. He reached

them in seconds, but was shocked to hear the man

crying and speaking as if he knew her. Anger and

terror flashed in his eyes at the sight of the other

man holding her in his arms. He suddenly had the

urge to pull him away from her and throw him into

the river. He inched forward, trying to hear what the

man was saying without giving away his presence.

He could hear very little but managed to

discriminate one word.

 

“Doc?” He quietly repeated to himself, suddenly

remembering how she had reacted to that before.

His heartbeat quickened and he could feel his

cheeks burning red with heat. “Who is this man, and

what does he mean to Sydney?”

 

——————————

 

John looked down at her, the horror of her question

evident in his eyes. She could never have forgotten

him. But, the look on her face told him that it was

true. He could see the torment within her, the way

her eyes dashed back and forth over his face and

how her body was rigid in his embrace. He tried to

remain calm, but he finally had her in his arms and

wasn’t about to let her go.

 

“Doc, it’s me….John.” She looked up into his face.

His eyes, his voice, they seemed so familiar. She

was trying desperately to remember something,

anything, when with out warning, crushing pain

came searing through her head. She squeezed her

eyes shut tight and cried out in anguish. She turned

her face into his chest and cringed as a memory

came crashing against her skull, like a wave

violently pounding the shore.

 

~~ “Doc…” She was facing the window, staring out,

but looking at nothing. He walked toward her, but

couldn’t think of anything to say. She looked so

tired and weak, so unlike herself. She heard him call

out to her, but couldn’t look at him.

“How could we have done this to him John? He is a

good man, he doesn’t deserve this.” Her voice was

quiet, almost a whisper, and she couldn’t stop the

tears from flooding down her cheeks. She was an

emotional wreck, fighting between her brain and her

heart.

“I know sweetheart…but we didn’t do it to hurt

him, we couldn’t stop what was in our hearts. I

know we both believed we were doing the right

thing before; that Roman deserved to have his

family back. But, you and I, we had the kind of love

that sinks in to your soul, that gets under your skin,

it didn’t matter what my name was, we were

passionately in love. What happened on that plane

may not have been right, but I refuse to believe that

it didn’t happen out of love…” He stopped his

impassioned plea, suddenly thinking of a way to

make her see his point. He walked over to her and

put his hands on her shoulders. She couldn’t help

but tense at his touch and he smiled knowing she

couldn’t stop her body from reacting to him. “Let

me ask you something…. When you made your way

back to Salem, who were you coming back to?

Roman or me?”

“What do you mean? I thought you were Roman.”

Her words came were bitter and she angrily pulled

away from him, turning around toward her desk.

She had been trying to avoid this whole

conversation, knowing he would push her until the

truth came out.

“That isn’t what I meant.” He walked up behind her

and leaned down until his lips were touching her ear

and whispered, “Whose face were you coming back

to? Whose body… whose touch… whose love were

you coming back to Marlena?” She closed her eyes,

unable to move. She could feel his chest against her

back, and the touch of his lips sent shivers down her

spine and made her breathing quicken. She felt him

pull away and knew he was looking at her, willing

her to turn around and tell him the truth.

 

She was so confused and angry with herself. She

couldn’t do it anymore and turned to face him. She

looked at him, and all the emotion that was under

the surface came out in a torrent of anguished sobs.

He could see her breaking down and pulled her into

him. They stood there for a long time, her crying

into his chest and him holding her, wishing he could

take away all the pain. Finally, she looked up at him

and spoke.

“I had been trying to avoid that question since he

came back.” Her voice was tearful, but she tried to

smile at him. She was tired of lying to herself and to

him. “But, it was you. I wanted you.” She took a

breath and looked up at his face with longing eyes.

“And I still do…I love you John Black” She had

never allowed herself to say that before, and it felt

amazing and scary at the same time. He looked

down at her with all the love in the world. Her

simple words had made his life worth living and he

couldn’t help but smile through the tears building in

his eyes. He had waited so long to hear those

words. He took her face in his hands, looking down

at her teary eyes and tentative smile.

“I’ve always wanted you, and I always will. I love

you too Doc.” Their eyes were locked, and slowly he

leaned down and brought their lips together, sealing

the truth of their love. She quickly reacted to his

kiss and pulled in close to him, wanting to feel his

body against hers. After a few moments they both

pulled away breathless, wanting more, but knowing

they shouldn’t. She looked up into his eyes and tried

to hide the fear in her voice.

“What does this mean? What are we going to do?”

Her eyes were still staring up at him, begging him to

give her an easy answer. Slowly, he extended his

hand until it came to rest on her flat stomach.

“We are going to tell Roman the truth…” He paused,

wishing it were as easy as it sounded. “And then we

are going to be a family. You and me and our baby.”

Fresh tears came to her eyes, but she wouldn’t let

herself cry. She lowered her face and walked into

his waiting embrace, resting her head on his

shoulder and clinging to him tightly. She knew that

what lay ahead was going to be the hardest thing in

the world, but she knew that he was right and that

they would get through it… together.~~~

—————-

 

Her eyes flashed open and she instinctively dropped

her hands to her stomach. Quickly, she looked up at

him to confirm that she had in fact had a memory

and not a dream. In an instant she knew that it had

been real, and that he had been the man from her

past. “John…where–” Her head was still pounding,

and she was finding it hard to concentrate. She tried

to sit up, but the dizziness stopped her. He could

see that something had happened, but that she was

still in pain.

“Take it slow honey…what happened? Do you

remember anything?” His voice was mixed with

tenderness and excitement, but he knew he couldn’t

rush her if she had any sort of brain trauma.

“Yeah…” She placed her hands on her forehead and

sat up with his help. “I think so…” She tried to

recall every detail of the flashback and piece

together any chronology.

“But it is like watching a video clip of someone else’

s life…” She stopped, unsure if she wanted to

continue. He put his hands on her shoulders and

forced her to look at him.

“What did you remember?” He was too eager to

wait and had to know. He filled with yearning and

hope and she could practically feel it exuding from

his body. The intensity of the moment was

overwhelming and she hardly knew where to start.

“Ummm…we were in an office together, talking

about how we hurt someone we cared about…” She

trailed off, trying to remember the rest. There were

so many questions, and so many unknowns. She

was so frightened, yet so excited of what the

answers could be.

“About hurting Roman?” John continued, knowing

what pivotal moment she had evoked. Her head

jerked up and in that instant she started to

remember everything that happened.

“Yes! Yes, I remember” She became excited as

more and more of the memory came back. Swept up

in her excitement, John pulled her back into his

arms and hugged her tightly, whispering into her

hair.

“You are right there honey, let them come..” She

listened to his words and the reality that she could

actually get her memories back started to sink in.

She began to recount everything that happened in

the flashback, thinking it may have held some kind

of key. Suddenly, the realization of what went on in

that office hit her and her revelry quickly grew into

a mix of fear and shock. Shaken, she grabbed at his

arm and pulled back to look at him.

 

“Oh God…John…I was pregnant wasn’t I?”

 

———————–

Jackson reached them in time to be struck by the

cruelest words he thought he might ever hear. She

was looking deep into the man’s eyes, fear and

confusion evident in her own. Her voice was quick

and questioning, like she wasn’t sure if she wanted

it to be reality. What she asked made Jackson’s

mind race with the weight of what the truth could

hold. He listened as the man made his fear a reality.

 

“Yes Doc, you were pregnant with my baby.” The

look in the man’s eyes shone with pride as he

answered her question. Jackson’s heart pumped

with fear and hatred for what this man could take

from him, but he wouldn’t let her go without a fight

and prepared himself to confront them. He had to

find out what she remembered and do damage

control. He slowly crept forward until he was right

behind them and let them know he was there.

 

Just as she was about to respond to John’s shocking

disclosure, Jackson decided to make his entrance.

Quickly he brushed by John as if he didn’t know he

was there and kneeled by her, speaking in a calm

and concerned voice. “What happened Syd? Are you

ok?” Startled, she turned in John’s arms and at

Jackson.

“Jackson?” She realized the compromising situation

he had found her in and hastily disengaged, moving

to stand on her own. Both Jackson and John stood

with her, both trying to support her as she shakily

rose. She looked from man to man, shaken by what

she saw in their faces. Their eyes were identical

shades of piercing blue, but each set conveyed a

different emotion. John’s were a mix of joy and

confusion while Jackson’s were fearful and

concerned. She couldn’t speak and for a moment

they all stood looking back and forth, the two men

eyeing each other, trying to ascertain the . It was

Jackson who finally spoke.

“What is going on sweetheart?” His soothing voice

and use of ‘sweetheart’ made John sick to his

stomach. It was obvious that they knew each other

and had some sort of close relationship. He didn’t

want to think about what kind of close relationship

it could be.

“I had a flashback, but this time I remembered

something, not everything, but something

important” She looked at John and smiled then

looked back at Jackson, excitement brimming in her

face. “This is John.” She stepped back, not knowing

how to explain him. John could sense her need and

spoke. “I’m her husband.” She hadn’t expected him

to say that, but even though she couldn’t remember

it, somehow she knew he wasn’t lying.

“Why am I so nervous?….” She looked into the

mirror, checking to see if her hair and makeup were

perfect. Since she had first come face to face with

him, the memories locked in her mind had been

slowly coming to the surface. She remembered

some of their past and about being pregnant, but

everything else was still hazy and she knew he was

the only one who could bring things into focus. And

tonight was just going to be the beginning of

putting it all together.

 

—————–

 

John stood in front of her hotel, more nervous than

he had ever been in his life. His palms were

sweating and his stomach was filled with

butterflies. He felt like he was a teenager on his first

date, but it was so much more than that. He almost

couldn’t believe that he had found her, after all the

months of looking he couldn’t believe it, even when

she was standing in front of him. He had wanted to

take her in his arms and never let her go, but was

shocked to find that although she recognized him,

she didn’t really remember him. Despite his hurt, he

was determined to bring it all back, and he knew

tonight was just the beginning.

 

——————-

 

Jackson sat staring out the window, thinking about

everything that could happen tonight. After the

revelation on the pier, John had come back to their

hotel, and he told her all about her life and his

search for her. However, although she did have

some clarity, she could only remember bits and

pieces, and most of what John told her she couldn’t

remember. The most disturbing though, was the

fact that she could have been pregnant when she

had the accident and that the baby could have

survived. No matter how much Jackson had wanted

her to remember before, he couldn’t help but wish

she would never get her memory back. Especially

about the pregnancy, if they had a child out there

somewhere, he knew she wouldn’t stop until it was

found. He wanted to believe that she could never

leave him, but he couldn’t be sure until he had the

entire picture in his grasp. He wasn’t scared about

John being her husband, because she didn’t

remember that yet, and he would have to make sure

that even if she did, she couldn’t leave him. The

only thing to take care of was the truth about the

baby and he had already started.

——————-

 

She heard the knock at the door and prepared

herself to see him again. Each time she looked into

his eyes, her heart stopped for an instant and her

face became flushed. She wasn’t sure why, but she

knew it had something to do with their past

together. She smoothed her skirt and put her fingers

through her hair before opening the door.

 

John couldn’t speak. She was stunning. Her flowing

knee length white linen skirt and brown silk and

lace camisole perfectly accentuated her curves,

making him want to discover her incredible body all

over again. His eyes couldn’t help but notice the fact

that she wasn’t wearing a bra, and he yearned to

touch her perfect breasts. He gazed at her legs,

admiring how good they looked in the strappy gold

wedges she was wearing. Her hair was longer than

he remembered, but golden and beautiful with

waves cascading down her back. There was a hint of

redness in her cheeks and a glow to her skin that

made her look rested and healthy. He wasn’t sure if

it were the fact that he hadn’t seen her in so long,

but he couldn’t think of a time when she looked

more beautiful and it made him want her so badly.

 

“You look amazing.” His simple statement made her

blush and smile.

“Thank you…you look very handsome yourself.”

God, he did look handsome in his khaki pants and

blue striped oxford shirt and she had trouble not

staring at his body. She noticed that he wasn’t

coming in and stepped back from the door.

“Please come in.” She smiled and let out a small

laugh. It was music to his ears.

“Oh…yeah, right. Sorry.” She could see the

embarrassment in his face and it made her smile

again.

“Just let me grab my handbag and we can get

going.” She sounded anxious, and although he could

understand, he was still saddened that she reacted

like that to him. She reached for the gold clutch by

the door, but was stopped by the sound of his voice.

“Ummm…would you like a drink before we go?” He

was trying to break the ice and lower the tension a

little. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him,

not be nervous. She was a little taken aback by his

suggestion, but did think it could help loosen her up

a bit.

“Sure, ok.” She gave him a half smile and went to

sit on the couch while he got the drinks. “I think

there is some chardon—“ She was interrupted by

his outstretched arm. She took the wine glass from

him and shyly smiled, realizing he must have known.

 

“I hoped you still liked chardonnay.” His smile made

her thankful she wasn’t standing to go weak in the

knees. He sat down next to her and turned until

they were facing each other. “So, do you feel as

nervous as I do?..” He figured if it was out in the

open, she would feel more comfortable. She laughed

out loud and leaned back into the cushions.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one!” Her laughter was

infectious and he joined her in it. For a while they

just sat there enjoying their wine, and each others

company. Looking at his watch, John decided it was

time to get the first part their evening started.

 

“I hope you are ready for tonight” He winked at her

and grabbed her hand, helping her up from the

couch. Their touch was electric, and she laughed

nervously before responding.

“As ready as I will ever be.” She grabbed her bag as

he led her toward the door, both of them excitedly

anticipating the evening ahead.

 

————————-

 

As they walked along the water, Marlena wondered

where he was taking her, but was content just

enjoying the scenery with him. While they wandered

along the promenade, he told her how they had

taken this same walk before, but that last time,

because of the pregnancy, it took much longer. She

smiled at him and chuckled a little.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure I wasn’t in a rush huh?” She

laughed a little more, trying not to show the pain

that was in her heart.

“Nah, we weren’t in a rush to get anywhere”

Although he laughed a little after telling her the

story, his heart was aching for the loss of his child.

He had been so certain that he would find them

both alive. She looked at him and saw the deep

sadness in his face. Stopping, she grabbed his hand

and looked into his eyes.

“I’m sorry..” Her words were soft and her eyes were

tearful.

“For what Doc?” His question was simple, but filled

her with conflict.

“A lot of things” She didn’t know where to start.

“The loss of your wife, your child…your life.” She

felt like she had ruined his life, and she couldn’t

even remember it. He could hear the guilt in her

voice and it was breaking his heart. He couldn’t let

her do that to herself.

“Oh honey, it isn’t your fault. I am just so thankful

you are here in front of me and I can talk to you and

look at you and see you smile. I dreamed of this

moment for so long that I can’t even begin to

explain how I feel…” He looked into her eyes and

pulled her hand into his chest. “I never gave up

hope that you were alive…never. And now just

being able to hold your hand is giving me more joy

than you could ever know. Do I want you to

remember our love? Yes, of course. But if you never

do, I’ll still be thankful you are in this world, no

matter what you remember.” His confession brought

tears to her eyes. She could feel her body reacting

to his closeness and her hand was on fire within his

tight lock. She reached up and wiped away a stray

tear, her hand stroking the side of his face. She felt

like his eyes could see into her soul and she couldn’t

stop looking into them. Something about the

vulnerability in them made her want to hug him

tightly and tell him everything would be ok.

 

Slowly, she leaned forward, waiting to see if he

would react. As if a magnetic force was pulling at

him, he leaned down and softly kissed her lips. He

couldn’t stop himself from putting his hands in her

hair and pulling her tightly to his body. She hadn’t

known what to expect, but now she could think of

nothing other than the feel of his lips and the

passion she felt growing. She let him deepen the

kiss, and his tongue slipped into her mouth as hers

grazed the bottom of his upper lip, softly sucking it

into her sweet mouth. For what seemed like both an

eternity and a brief moment, they stood together,

locked in a perfect kiss. Slowly, they pulled away,

each with soaring emotions. He wanted so much for

her to tell him that she remembered everything and

that she loved him. She was embarrassed by the

way his kiss was affecting her and looked toward

the water, trying to avoid his loving eyes. Her body

wanted him to put his arms around her and hold

her, but her mind was conflicted. She felt his finger

under her chin and looked up at his concerned face.

 

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have done that, I don’t want

to rush you, I just got caught up in-“ She cut him

off before he could finish his explanation.

“Don’t be sorry. I was just as responsible as you

were.” She squeezed his hand and smiled. “Now let’

s go eat. I’m starving!” He laughed, loving the way

she could instantly make a situation comfortable.

“Me too, the restaurant is right over there.” He

pointed to a lit outdoor café just ahead. “Let’s go.”

 

——————-

 

Initially, she had agreed to spend the evening with

him based solely on his ability to shed more light on

her past and help her regain her memory. She even

had a list of questions to ask. But, sometime during

the first part of the night, her ‘research’ project

turned into a wonderful evening and essay

questions couldn’t have been further from her mind.

She had never laughed so much, and wondered if it

had always been that way when they were together.

He was so easy to talk to, and besides the initial

meeting at the hotel, they hadn’t had a moment of

nervous laughter or silence all night. They just

talked, about anything and everything, and he

continued to tell her about her past and their

history together. She couldn’t believe some of the

details of their past, but he didn’t try to force her.

He just told it like a story, with maybe a little less

drama and a little more humor. But, it was

impossible to see the humor in everything, and

while John was telling her about the plane accident,

which he thought took her life, she could see the

underlying pain within him. She could see the guilt

festering and could tell that the subject was like an

open wound, not aching until exposed.

 

She so wanted to ease his pain and guilt. She

stretched her arm across the table and rested her

hand on his, lacing their fingers together. His dazed

expression softened at her tender touch and he was

again reminded how much he loved her.

“John, please don’t feel guilty anymore. Bad things

happen, things that don’t make sense. I struggled

with that every time I woke up in the hospital and

couldn’t walk or remember who I was. But, I know

that there was nothing you could have done; with

this accident or the plane crash.” She squeezed his

hand and smiled at him. “Let’s focus on how lucky

we are. That was one of the only ways I kept myself

going when I was in the hospital.” At the mention

of the hospital, John was reminded of all the pain

she must have been going through by herself.

“I am so sorry you were alone, I don’t know what

happened after the accident. I should have been

there for you.” His voice sounded so pained and she

knew he really meant what he said. She didn’t want

him feeling sorry for her and tried to put his mind at

ease about it.

“John, stop it. Yeah, it was hard for me for a while,

and I know you would have been there if you could

have, but I did have support and someone to lean

on.” Her inference to Jackson made John’s jaw

clench and he inadvertently looked away, unable to

look at her face. He really was happy that she had

someone to lean on, but something about Jackson

made him nervous. He hoped, for Jackson’s sake,

that it was just jealousy, because if he found any

reason not to trust him, he would kill him.

“Yeah, you had Jackson…:” She realized she hit on a

touchy subject, but she refused to pretend like he

didn’t exist.

“I was lucky to have him John. I don’t know if I

would have ever gotten out of the hospital without

him.” She noticed the skeptical look on his face. “He

really is a wonderful man.”

“Well, what did you find out?” Jackson’s tone was

cold and demanding, despite the fact that he was

talking to his closest friend.

“I checked the records of Areteion Hospital, where

she was, and there was nothing in her file about a

pregnancy. However, I did find that she had been a

patient at another facility before Areteion.” Marcus

hoped what he found would be of some help.

Jackson was his best friend and he knew how much

‘Sydney’ meant to him. Once Jackson contacted him

for help, he immediately agreed. He called a nurse

he knew from his stay there and she helped him get

into her patient file.

“Another hospital? I had no idea” He doubted if she

knew either; she had never mentioned it or

requested her patient file when they moved to Italy.

“What hospital?”

“It didn’t say. I found the information on a

handwritten note someone had stuffed into the file.

There was no record of it on any of the actual

documents, just the note.”

“That makes sense. I never got to see the actual file,

they just gave me copies of the documents.”

Jackson smiled to himself, thinking how

advantageous this new piece of information was. He

grabbed Marcus by the shoulder and grinned.

“Good job man, excellent job.”

 

———————-

 

Marlena could see that John was still doubtful about

Jackson.

“Really, he has been very good to me.” She dropped

John’s hand and looked away, guilt over not

thinking of him the entire evening suddenly hitting

her. John didn’t know what to make of her guilt. He

was trying not to get angry, and he figured it would

be a good time to find out more about him.

 

“Marlena, I am grateful that you weren’t alone.” He

picked up her small hand and held it with both of his

large ones. “I guess I am just jealous of him,

because I would have given anything to have been

there for you.” He wasn’t ready to put her on the

defensive. The evening had been going so well and

fighting with her about Jackson was the last thing

he wanted. “But, I would like to know how you met

him exactly.” He smiled trying to betray his

jealousy. She could tell that he was putting off his

feelings and appreciated it. She did not feel like

fighting, the night had just been going too well. So,

she decided she owed it to him to clarify her

relationship with Jackson.

 

“Ummm…OK, I met him in the hospital…” She took

a breath and sat back in her chair. “He was there

visiting his friend and, well, he accidentally knocked

me out of my wheelchair while he was looking for

him.” She smiled, thinking back to what happened.

John tried to ignore the look on her face.

 

“He knocked you out of your chair huh? Real

smooth..” He was trying to act nonchalant and cool

about it, but he didn’t know how long he could keep

it up. She giggled and looked down at the table

before bringing her face up to meet his. Her shy

smile brought back so many memories and he ached

to touch her.

“It was an accident. But, a very fortunate one for

1. He helped me up and we ended up talking for a

long time. After that he came to the hospital almost

everyday, just sitting with me and giving me

encouragement….I think he was the reason I made

myself walk again.” John was torn; he should have

been appreciative of him, but he couldn’t get over

the feeling he had.

 

“Well, I am happy about your recovery. You are

doing so well, no one would ever know you couldn’t

walk a few months ago. ” He smiled at her and

grabbed her hand. Standing up he pulled her with

him. She was surprised, but figured it was getting

late and he wanted to go.

“Oh, I guess you are ready to go?” She bent to get

her bag. He pulled her back up.

“No way, I was thinking you could give me a

demonstration actually.” She laughed a little,

confused as to what he was referring to.

“A demonstration of what?” He laughed, knowing

she was thinking the worst.

“Of exactly how well your legs work.” He held out

his hand, “Dance with me?” He was throwing out

the charm and he prayed she still couldn’t resist

him. She bit her lower lip and thought about saying

she couldn’t, but her mouth betrayed her.

“OK…” She let him lead her to the dance floor and

she could feel her heart beating in her chest. To be

honest, she was scared of how being that close to

him would affect her. It didn’t help that she had a

few too many glasses of wine with dinner and she

was now feeling frighteningly uninhibited.

 

As they reached the middle of the floor, John took

her hand and twirled her around before bringing her

into his chest.

“Ahhh!!..Wow…” Her face turned red and she

exploded into laughter. He laughed with her and, for

the hundredth time, noticed how incredible her

smile was. He adjusted her in his arms, bringing

their entwined hands to his chest and wrapping his

other arm around her slender waist, while her free

arm snaked around his neck. He was so captivated

by the feeling of having her back in his arms that he

was oblivious to anything else but her gorgeous face

and silky skin. Everything about her was both

familiar and new at the same time. It was still the

same chemistry, but she was slightly different. Her

hair was longer, her skin more bronzed and her

body, although still curvaceous and slim, was tighter

and more toned, as though she had been working

out a lot. But, he didn’t care, she felt amazing and

he wished he could hold her like that all night.

 

She could feel the flush of her cheeks and hoped it

wasn’t too apparent. With his arm around her waist,

she was amazed at how comfortable she felt. They

were like a mold, absorbing into each other like their

bodies were meant to fit like that. They swayed to

the soft strains of jazz and held each other close,

Marlena refusing to look at him for fear of giving

herself away. She could feel his breath in her ear and

smell his light cologne, all of her senses were

heightened and she couldn’t remember a time when

she felt so vulnerable, yet completely in tune with

her body. His face was nestled into her hair and he

inhaled her familiar scent. His body was tingling

with their contact and his heart was beating rapidly.

But, he could feel her apprehension and although he

wanted to continue their intimate contact, knew he

should break the silence.

 

“So, it’s proven, your legs are back in dancing form.”

She pulled back from his shoulder to look at him,

thankful he said something to ease the tension. Her

stomach was in a knot and her palms had been

starting to sweat with anxiety. She smiled nervously

and tried to forget about the feeling his touch was

bringing.

 

“Well, I guess you are the only one who would know

if they are or not. I don’t remember ever dancing

before.” She could see a mischievous grin begin to

form on his face. Suddenly, he twirled her again,

spinning her away from his body and gracefully

bringing her back into him, her back pressed into his

chest and his arm around her waist. He wrapped his

muscular arm tighter around her and whispered into

her ear.

 

“You’re right, and I do know.” He waited until she

looked back at him. “And let me tell you, we were

quite the couple on the dance floor.” Before she

could respond, he grabbed her opposite hand and

spun her out of his arms and then quickly brought

them back together, grabbing her other hand so that

they were once again face to face. The look of shock

on her face was priceless.

“You really have to start warning me before you do

that.” He started laughing and put his arms around

her neck, letting his hands fall naturally behind her.

Her heartfelt laughter filled the dance floor and

enveloped him. Without thought, she brought her

hands up to hold his forearms and they stood there

on the dance floor staring at each other.

“I don’t know if I can promise you that, but I’ll try.”

His smile made her knees tremble and for a minute

she thought they might give out. She giggled a little

more and looked down at their feet before

responding.

“Have you always been so impulsive?” She returned

her gaze to his face and was struck by the passion in

his eyes.

“With you?” He put moved his hands to her small

waist and pulled her against him. “Always.”

 

———————–

 

The couple was oblivious to the pair of eyes staring

at them from a table in the corner. Their flirtations

were making him sick and he was having trouble

keeping his anger at bay. He knew he had to do

something quick, or all his work would have been

for nothing.

 

“Enjoy it while it lasts, Black…Soon, you’ll regret

you ever found her.”

She was undeniably sexy, that much he had always

known, but there was something else about her. Or

maybe it was really because it felt like he was falling

in love with her all over again. He glanced over at

her while she wasn’t looking and took in everything

about her. She was unassuming and had no idea

how captivating she was as she walked along the

wooden pier, sandals in hand. Her arms lazily swung

back and forth as she gazed out at the water. There

was a slight saunter in her step that made him

smile, thankful that some things never change, and

she still couldn’t handle her alcohol. Just as he

began to remember another night when she had had

too much to drink, he heard her suddenly call out in

pain.

 

“Ouch, ouch…ooww” Her face was in a tight grimace

and she was hopping around on one foot.

“What happened?” He had a small smile on his face

at the sight of her, less than gracefully, teetering on

one foot.

“Aahh…I have a splinter…oww.” Her voice was

childish and whiney and he had a hard time not

laughing at her. She never could deal well with pain.

“OK, OK. Let me look at it, hold still.” Before he

could bend down to look at it, she started to lose

her ever shaky balance. “AAHHHH!…JOHN!”

 

In an instant he had snatched her up into his arms

and was carrying her over to a nearby bench. “Hang

on Doc.” They were both laughing as he fell onto the

bench with her in his lap. He glanced over at her and

saw a strangely contemplative look on her face.

 

“It’s not as weird as I thought it would be.” He was

perplexed by her comment, but more by her tone of

voice; like she had a revelation.

“What’s not as weird?” She half smiled at him and

answered.

“When you call me Doc…it’s not that weird.” The

‘matter of fact’ way in which she said it was

adorable and he smiled.

“Oh…well, that’s good.” He chuckled a little, “I

guess I don’t even think about it, you’ve just always

been my ‘Doc’” A few moments of awkward silence

ensued and she shifted a little uncomfortably in his

lap. He set her beside him on the bench, resting her

‘injured’ foot on his lap. He picked it up and brought

it to his face, but quickly realized it was too dark to

perform any surgery right there. So, instead he put

her foot down and got off the bench and with his

back facing her, kneeled down.

“What are you doing?” He turned around to look at

her with mocking exasperation.

“I know you won’t be able to walk back….so get on”

His attempt at indifference was endearing, but she

kept a straight face and questioned him skeptically.

“Get on your back huh?…What do I look like, a

child?” She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“You don’t look like a child, but I know you’ll whine

like one if you have to hobble back to the hotel.” Her

eyes got wide and she looked at his smug face with

disdain before she smacked him on his back.

“John Black…you JERK!!!!” He turned and brought

his arms up, trying to protect himself from her flying

fists.

“Ouch Doc! I was just trying to help!” He was

laughing between words and almost fell from his

kneeling position in front of her. By that time she

was laughing just as hard and instead of continuing

to hit him, she brought her arms down to rest across

the back of his shoulders and leaned down, placing

her forehead on her crossed forearms. The

combination of alcohol and quick movements was

making her dizzy, but she couldn’t stop herself from

giggling. John closed his eyes and leaned back,

resting his head on the top of hers. He could feel her

body shaking with laughter and he felt totally

content. He turned his head to the side, until his

cheek was pressed against her hair.

 

“So you gonna let me give you a ride or what?” His

voice was low and thick, but soft and playfully

questioning. She raised her head and her face was

just inches from his cheek. He could feel her sweet

breath against his cheek and his groin ached with

desire for her. He had the urge to turn around, pull

her into his arms and make love to her, right there

on the pier. He turned his neck a little more,

straining to see her better. As he caught her gaze

the air stopped in his throat. Her eyes were heavily

lidded and her breathing was labored. The look of

desire and passion on her face was unmistakable.

She wasn’t sure if it were the alcohol or a

combination of things, but she wanted to kiss him

so badly. His cheek was mere centimeters from her

lips and she could practically taste his hot flesh.

Following her passionate impulse, she silently slid

from the bench and kneeled behind him on the hard

wood. She needed to be closer, to feel him.

 

His chest was pounding as he turned in his position

and faced her. Slowly, he reached out and placed his

hands on each of her upper arms. His touch was like

fire on her sensitive skin and she brought her hands

up to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart as

she moved her hands over his taunt muscles.

 

“Doc…?” He was pleading for her to tell him to

continue. She slid her arms around his neck and

moved in until their heaving chests were touching.

Softly she whispered the words he wanted to hear.

 

“Kiss me…” Her request was husky and filled with

want. He responded quickly, squeezing her arms

tightly and bringing her lips to meet his in a forceful

kiss. The rough material of his shirt brushed her

hard nipples and she moaned deep in her throat,

pulling his head closer and intensifying their kiss. He

moved one hand to the base of her neck, the other

splayed over the small her back and pulled her lower

body into his. His lips traveled to her neck and he

possessively sucked at her honeyed flesh. His hand

left her neck and grazed her collarbone on its path

to discover her perfect breast. She inhaled sharply,

arching her back to give him better access. His hand

caressed her breast, knowing the amount of

pressure that would give her the most pleasure. Her

soft moans let him know his memory was correct

and made his own hunger for her grow. The only

problem was their location; a public forum was

hardly the reunion spot he imagined. He brought

both hands to her face and softly kissed her as he

pulled away, looking into her familiarly seductive

eyes.

 

“Oh baby…I have missed you so much.” She had

almost forgotten where they were, but was

reminded as soon as he pulled away. She didn’t

know what had come over her; she had been

completely swept up in a passion like she had never

felt before. She could feel the love emanating from

his body and she had to look away from him to gain

composure.

 

“John, I–…” She didn’t know what to say and was

thankful he stopped her. He smiled warmly and she

saw a glimmer in his eyes she hadn’t seen yet. He

took her hands in his and squeezed them softly.

“Are you ready for that ride yet?” She smiled back

and shook her head.

“I think so…” He turned back around so that she

was facing his back.

“Hop on pretty lady.” She laughed a little and

grabbed her shoes from the bench, then wrapped

her arms around his neck tightly as he stood up. He

took hold of her dangling legs and brought them

around his waist. He turned his head to the side,

looking at her from the corner of his eye. “Ready to

go?” He didn’t know if he was, but loved the feel of

her pressed against his back. He reminded himself to

make the walk as slow as possible. She bent down

to his ear and giggled, speaking in a hushed tone,

almost like she was telling him a secret.

 

“John…Take me back to the hotel…” He didn’t need

any other encouragement and started walking,

Marlena securely settled on his back. He was unsure

of what would happen when they got there, but was

excited about the endless possibilities.

“Oh John!!…” Her cries of ecstasy filled the room and

she pressed her supple body tightly against his. Her

nails made red marks down his back as she brought

them to his firm butt, pulling him even closer. She

could feel his stiffness through his khaki pants and

ached for him to be inside her, filling her wet

opening. She wrapped her long legs around his

waist, closed her eyes and pressed her face into his

neck, sinking her teeth into his hot, sweaty flesh.

 

He could barely control his desire and had to see her.

He pulled her arms from his back, stretched them

above her head and in one motion pulled the skimpy

cami off her body. His breathing was heavy and his

eyes were full of desire at the sight of her newly

naked form. He slid his hands down her arms,

making his way to her hard, heaving breasts. He

fondled them for long moments before leaning down

to suck on them with his mouth. Hungrily, he

assaulted each breast with eager lips then clamped

down on one of her hard nipples, causing her to

scream out in both pain and excitement. With a mind

of its own, his mouth traveled to her delicate neck

and he sucked forcefully on the sensitive skin,

making her moan and blindly lace her hands through

his thick black hair in unbridled desire. Her own

breathing was labored and ragged and her voice was

seductively thick as she spoke into his ear.

 

“John..I want you so badly…” She pulled back and

looked into his eyes.

“Make love to me..”

 

————————-

 

Jackson walked into the room and looked at her

peacefully sleeping. He sat beside her on the bed,

lightly running his finger down her bare arm. He was

certain she was the most beautiful creature he had

ever laid his eyes on and he was thankful his plan

from last night had worked. After seeing their public

display on the pier, he realized drastic steps were in

order; he just hoped it would bide him enough time.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and got up to

step out of the room, not wanting to wake his

Sydney. Checking the caller ID he smiled, thankful

for the invaluable information the caller had helped

him with. Stepping into his office and closing the

door, he answered.

“Hello Mother…”

 

————————

 

A contented smile was spread on her face as she

opened her eyes to the morning sun. She stretched

out, expecting to feel John against her back.

Groggily, she turned over and realized he wasn’t

there. Quickly, she sat up and scanned the room to

for any indication of his presence, then slumped

back into the pillows, accepting the truth.

 

It had just been a dream; a wonderfully delicious

dream, so real she thought she could still smell him

on her skin. But, he was never in her bed or even in

her room, the reason why suddenly hitting her like a

ton of bricks and making her sick to her stomach.

She let her head fall back against the head board and

looked up at the ceiling, tears blurring her vision.

“Why John?…why?” Her voice was nothing more

than a sad, trembling sigh. She closed her eyes and

let the tears wash down her cheeks as she sank into

bed and pulled the covers back over herself, using

the pillows to soften the sound of her sobs.

————————

 

John looked out his hotel room toward the water,

thinking about her. The evening had been wonderful

and he knew she had been just as affected by it as

he had. He was certain that even though she didn’t

remember everything, she could still feel the love

they shared and that she wanted him. That is why

her sudden distance, after a call from Jackson,

alarmed him. He didn’t know what to make of it, but

he was going to find out, and soon.

 

———————

 

“No Mother, she has no idea…I took care of it.”

Jackson thought back to how perfectly Sydney had

played into his plan.

“Very good son…Just make sure you cover your

tracks, but get rid of him as soon as possible.” He

listened to his mother’s advice and knew she was

right. John Black was a liability and he needed to be

out of their lives.

“I know Mother. He won’t be a problem much

longer…I have to go now, but I will be in touch.

Goodbye, Mother.” He closed his phone and put it

back in his pocket, then headed to the kitchen to

prepare a breakfast for her. With the breakfast tray

in hand he made his way up to her room, wanting to

remind her of how happy she was with him. But, the

sight of her crying into the pillows made him stop in

the doorway. How could she be that upset about

someone she barely remembered?

 

Putting on his most concerned face, he put down the

tray and sat next to her on the bed. He ran his hand

up her arm then brought it up to stroke her hair. His

soft touch startled her, and she jerked her head up,

praying John had come to explain everything. She

tried to hide her disappointment, but he saw it in her

face. He hid his own pain and gently spoke to her.

“Don’t worry sweetheart. I won’t let him hurt you

ever again.” He drew her into a hug, clutching her

tightly to his chest and spoke into her hair.

“I promise…”

“That bastard doesn’t deserve to even look at you,

let alone talk to you!” Jackson’s angered voice

penetrated the room and bore into her brain. She

knew he wouldn’t lie to her, but she just couldn’t

believe John could do something so terrible. She

had to get his side of the story.

“But, what if you are mistaken Jackson? What if he

didn’t know I was going to survive?” She silently

prayed for that to be the case. John had only been in

her life a short time, but she felt totally trusting of

him.

“Syd-“ He stopped, remembering that she preferred

being called Marlena in hopes that it would help

with her memory. “Marlena…I know you want to

believe that to be true, but I have the paper work

proving it” He walked over to her and grabbed her

shoulders for emphasis, “He abandoned you” She

looked down, willing herself not to cry. She felt so

foolish for letting herself trust this ‘stranger’, yet

couldn’t help but feel like he had betrayed her. She

let herself fall against Jackson’s chest and took

comfort in his familiar embrace, thankful that he

was there to support her. Tears came back to eyes

as she thought about what this must be doing to

him; he loved her and she almost threw it away

because of her own stupidity. She made a vow right

there to never take him for granted again, but one

question still plagued her, not letting her move on.

 

“Then why did he come back?…What does he want

from me?” She closed her eyes and thought back to

the night before, how she almost let herself be lost

in him. If it weren’t for Jackson’s well timed call,

she didn’t know what would have happened.

 

~~ “Ahhh!!! John…slow down!!!” Her uncontrollable

laughter was making it hard to breathe as she tried

to hold tight to John’s running form. It was made all

the more difficult thanks to her handbag and shoes

occupying her hands, causing her to have to wrap

tightly around his neck, her head bouncing next to

his as he ran down the sidewalk. His large hands

were gripping her thighs, and she thought how

good they felt on her bare skin.

“Almost there!!!” His voice was shaky and strained

as he sucked in air and ran at the same time. He

could feel her chest rumbling with laughter and he

squeezed her legs a little and smiled. She felt so

good and he couldn’t help but want to go back right

to where they left off, as newly weds who couldn’t

get enough of each other. But then he thought how

it could be to romance her all over again, and his

heart flipped a little. As long as she was in his life

though, he didn’t care.

 

They reached the hotel and he stopped, panting and

out of breath. Regretfully, he put her down, not

wanting to surrender contact, but not wanting to

embarrass her in front of the concierge and the rest

of the hotel staff. Her face was flushed from

laughter and her skin was glistening from the moist

August air. He watched in a daze as she brushed the

hair off her neck and shoulders, arching her neck

back and putting her hands through her long

tousled waves, drawing it from her heated skin. She

raised her head back up, holding her long hair on

top of her head with one hand and using the other

to wipe the perspiration from her neck.

Involuntarily, he licked his lips and imagined

pressing her up against the wall, ravaging her until

she screamed his name.

 

“John? Hello?” She laughed as he finally came back

to reality, his face turning red and a shy smile on his

face. She didn’t want to know what he had been

thinking.

“Sorry…” His face turned soft, yet sincere. “I just

can’t stop looking at you.” She stopped smiling and

looked into his passionate blue eyes, lost in the

warmth they filled her with. He took his hand and

ran it down the length of her arm, stopping to grasp

her small hand. His gentle touch caused goose

bumps to erupt over every inch of her skin. She

thought about how crazy the last few days had

been; she had so many expectations of the answers

he would have, she just never expected this; she

was falling in love with him.

 

She opened her mouth, preparing to tell him how

she felt, but her cell phone chose that moment to

ring, disrupting her train of thought. She blinked

and looked down wistfully at her bag and hastily

decided to answer it.

 

“Hello?” Her voice sounded funny and Jackson wasn’

t sure if he caught her in time.

“Marlena…it’s me. Is he there with you? Don’t say

anything if he is” He sounded urgent and she was

suddenly worried and confused. She turned away

from John and bent over slightly to block their

conversation.

“Uhh, hi Jacks…Is something wrong?” He could hear

the concern in her voice and had to find out if he

was too late.

“Where are you right now?” She was scared of his

tone and answered quickly.

“Downstairs, at the hotel. We just got back from

dinner.” He smiled and prepared to deliver his blow.

“Thank God..” He let the relief show in his voice,

“You have to get away from him.” He paused,

letting the suspense build, trying to show that he

was upset at having to tell her the news. “He has

been lying to you.” ~~

 

——————-

 

She hadn’t known how to react to Jackson’s phone

call, but knew that whatever he found out was

important. So, she had turned back to John and told

him she was tired and going up to bed. She cringed

as she recalled the pain and confusion on John’s

handsome face as she dismissed him, but she

believed she owed it to Jackson to at least hear

what he had to say. However, she had been

prepared to see John the next day and explain why

left so hastily, sure that whatever Jackson found

could be easily cleared up. But, that was before.

That was before Jackson told her how deceitful the

real John Black was. She looked down at the

crinkled piece of paper in her hand. For a second she

had the urge to rip it to shreds and forget it had

ever existed.

———————–

 

John walked quickly through the square, taking no

time to enjoy the beautiful scenery. He hadn’t been

able to sleep, the end of the evening replaying over

and over in his mind. He was positive Jackson had

said something to make her so quickly dismiss him.

Before the call, he would have bet that she was

going to invite him up and that they would have

rekindled their love before the night was over. But

things had obviously not gone as planned, and he

was on his way to find out why.

 

Just as he turned the corner, of her hotel, he

spotted Jackson. He was standing on the curb

outside, arguing with a dark haired man. It looked

like they knew each other, but Jackson looked

frustrated and kept running his hands harshly

through his blond hair. John stepped closer,

straining to hear their heated conversation….

 

———————

She looked over the admittance form once more, the

impact of it bringing the nauseous feeling back to

her stomach, knowing she couldn’t deny what it

meant…. He had left her to die in a foreign hospital,

not just a hospital, but the Athens Sanitarium. His

signature glared at her from the bottom of the page,

taunting her naïve and trusting nature. She glanced

once more at the offensive document and then

slammed it down on the table, heading toward her

room to get dressed. She needed answers from him,

and not even Jackson could stop her from getting

Them.

She quickly tousled her wavy hair and headed for

the elevator with determination. The anger in her

had been building all morning, mostly from her own

feeling of stupidity. She was mad at herself for so

easily falling for him. Although she had some vague

memories of him, when she really examined them,

she had no substantial reason to believe anything

he said. She thought back to how easily she had let

him into her life, the real reason being flashing

defiantly in her mind.

 

It had been her heart. It had been that feeling she

got in the pit of her stomach when he touched her.

She had wanted him to real, to be the man who

would sweep her off her feet and bring back all her

stolen memories. God, why was she so foolish? She

told herself to give up on that ever happening and

focus on protecting herself. With no memory of the

past, anyone could come into her life and pretend

they knew her, using her for whatever sick game

they wanted. That wasn’t going to happen; even if

it Jackson’s allegations weren’t true, until she got

her memory back, she wouldn’t let herself trust

John Black, or anyone else ever again.

 

———————

 

“Marcus, I thought you had everything under

control?” He spoke through gritted teeth, not

wanting to draw attention to their conversation.

“I did man, it isn’t my fault the adoption agency

won’t give me the information.” Marcus was getting

tired of being Jackson’s henchman. He loved him

like a brother, but every relationship has its limits,

and helping to cover up a baby was bringing theirs

to the brink.

“Then steal it, bribe someone…I have to know who

adopted her.” His jaw was tightly clenched and the

look in his eye scared Marcus. He had never heard

him so determined. The guy he knew was laid back

and carefree, a far cry from the man standing in

front of him.

“Why is it so important? You already destroyed any

evidence of the baby’s birth..” Marcus was trying to

reason with him, get him to back off.

“Why is it so important!?” His tone was seeping

with frustration, annoyed that Marcus couldn’t just

follow his order. “Don’t worry about that…just find

out!” His patience was wearing thin and he was

having trouble keeping his anger at bay. Wearily,

Marcus shook his head and agreed to do this one

last thing.

“Alright man I’ll find out, but that’s it, I’m done

after this…” He turned to leave, but stopped,

needing to say something else. He quickly turned

back, facing him with hard questioning eyes. “How

can you do this to her? How can you keep her child

away from her?” Jackson’s eyes turned a steel color

gray and flashed an intensity Marcus didn’t

recognize.

“Because I love her.” His simple answer made

Marcus ill. He was obviously deluded with some

fallacy of what love was, obsessed with possessing

her, no matter the cost. Marcus just hoped, for

Marlena’s sake, that Jackson’s sick plan actually

worked. He didn’t want to think about what his

friend would do if she left him.

 

——————–

 

Marlena stepped outside and put on her sunglasses,

attempting to shield her eyes from the bright glare

of the sun. She looked casual, but elegant in her

sleeveless pale yellow wrap top, white wide leg

trousers and flat leather thong sandals. Her tortoise

shell sunglasses added a touch of glamour and

highlighted her glowing skin and wavy golden

locks. But, her casual look contradicted the tension

she felt throughout her body. She was consumed by

bitterness and need. Her only thoughts were of

finding John and making him tell her the truth; she

just wasn’t sure what she wanted the truth to be.

 

——————

 

“Because I love her…”

 

That was all John heard before the conversation

was over. He watched as the man turned away from

Jackson, shaking his head, the look of pity covering

his European features. John wondered who he was

and why Jackson would say that to him. He

watched intently as Jackson turned, noticing the

intensity on his face. His look made John’s stomach

drop, suddenly fearful of his intentions toward

Marlena.

 

“What’s going on with you Jackson? Just how much

do you love my wife?” John’s eyes were narrow and

hard, staring at the man who was trying to replace

him in Marlena’s heart. He realized he knew very

little about him, so overwhelmed with finding her

that he neglected to find out anymore than his

name. Silently, he chided himself for making such a

careless mistake, realizing this man could be

anyone.

 

“Just who the hell are you?” He was going to find

out, and very soon. But first, he had more important

issues at stake; getting her to talk to him.

 

——————-

 

Jackson spotted her as she exited the hotel, fresh

and beautiful as usual. But instead of the smiling

exuberance he was accustomed, she looked stern

and determined; an aspect of her personality he had

never seen. It turned him on, she looked as sexy as

he had ever seen her, but part of him hated the way

she looked and the way she had been acting

recently. It was because of him, John Black. She

had become a different person since his arrival, no

longer the dependant, vulnerable woman he knew

and fell in love with.

 

He tried to capture her attention as she walked

toward him, a far off expression on her face. It

wasn’t until she had almost passed him that he was

finally able to get her to notice him. He grabbed her

arm and stepped forward, blocking her path.

 

“Hey you.” He smiled sympathetically, masking his

displeasure. “I didn’t expect to see you out this

afternoon.” He had wanted her to stay in her room

all day, giving him time to iron out the details or his

plan.

 

She was stunned for a moment, her mind still

thinking about John. “Oh….yes, well I just couldn’t

stay in the room any longer.” She looked down the

sidewalk, aching to get to John, to get to the

answers she needed.

“Oh, well where are you headed looking so lovely?”

He smiled innocently even though he knew. She

looked back at him, trepidation in her face.

“I’m going to John’s hotel. I have to talk to him.”

Jackson twisted his face into a look of fearful alarm.

“Marlena you can’t go over there. Once he knows

that we are onto him, there is no telling what he

might do.” The urgency in his voice sounded

sincere, but she couldn’t be so easily swayed.

“Jacks, I have to know why he lied and what he

wants. I won’t be able to move on until I know.”

She sounded desperate but resolute, and Jackson

feared it was going to be more difficult to keep her

away from John.

“Listen sweetheart, I understand that, but atleast

give me a little more time to look into it. I couldn’t

take it if something happened to you.” Inwardly she

couldn’t make herself believe that John would harm

her. But as she looked at the concern and worry in

Jackson’s face, she knew she couldn’t dismiss him

again.

“Jacks—“ He cut her off before she could defend

him.

“M, please have lunch with me before you do

anything?” He had to get her to stay with him, to

control the situation. Though he couldn’t take care

of any other details for the afternoon, it was better

to know exactly where she was. He could see her

distress and decided to push further. He grabbed

her arms and squeezed tightly.

“Please honey, I can’t let him hurt you again.” She

looked away from him, guilt ridden and affected by

his pleas.

“Yeah, ok. Maybe I should have some lunch first.”

She tried to sound convinced and smiled.

“Thank you” He smiled back sweetly and clutched

her hand in his, “Shall we go?” He motioned

forward and she walked ahead, torn between her

desire for the truth and her need to calm the

intense guilt she felt every time she looked at

Jackson.

Although John had wanted to follow up on Jackson,

it was more important to find Marlena. He quickly

entered the hotel and prayed that she was still in her

room. He stepped into the empty elevator and leaned

back against the cool steel wall. There was a fear in

him that he couldn’t shake. Something was wrong,

something had happened during that phone call. His

entire body was rigid with fear. He just got her back,

yet it felt like she was pulling away from him and

that scared him more than anything. He knew how

withdrawn she could get if she let herself go into

protection mode. Her strength had always been

something he admired, but in this case it scared him

to death. This time she didn’t remember him and he

knew she would push him away until she felt safe

again.

 

—————

 

The restaurant was busy, as it was every beautiful

Saturday afternoon. They took a seat on the patio

and she tried to relax, but her body felt tense. She

could feel there was something wrong; that she had

to find John. Everything about the situation seemed

wrong, but she couldn’t determine why. She trusted

Jackson, she had to, cause she couldn’t believe the

last year of her life had been a lie. He wouldn’t lie to

her, and she forced herself to believe him. He had

earned her devotion and she wasn’t going to let him

down again.

 

—————

 

John stepped out of the elevator and stopped in his

tracks. She had been there, her scent was in the air

and he breathed deeply, inhaling her into his body.

She wasn’t in her room and he knew it; he had

missed her. He walked to the door and pressed his

hot forehead against the cool wood.

“Where are you baby? I need you…” He heard the

elevator stop and the door open, and he turned

quickly hoping it was her. Two men in suits stepped

out and his eyes dropped to the floor, disappointed.

He started back for the elevator, but one of the men

moved in front of him, blocking his passage. John

looked up, knowing these men weren’t just staying

in the hotel.

“I don’t think you will be going anywhere Mr. Black.”

 

——————————-

 

“Mother is really concerned about you. She is coming

here later today to see you.” Jackson looked across

the table to the beauty sitting with him. She looked

preoccupied, her thoughts obviously not with him.

“M? Hey, are you still here?” He laughed, trying to

gain her attention.

 

“Oh, yeah…I’m sorry. What did you say?” The glaze

over her eyes faded away as she brought her

attention back to Jackson. She had been trying so

hard to forget about John for just an afternoon, but

she couldn’t. He invaded her thoughts.

“I was just saying that Mother is coming today.” He

tried to hide the contempt in his voice, but her

constant state of distraction over John was

becoming very old.

“Your mother is coming where? Here?” If that were

true it would be that much more difficult to see John

and she hoped she had misunderstood.

“Yes, she is really worried about you. I was thinking

that you could come with me to the airport to pick

her up.” His mother’s idea to come was perfect. She

would occupy Marlena’s time and keep tabs on her,

while he took care of John.

“You are picking her up? Why aren’t you sending a

limo?” She knew once his mother was there, she

wouldn’t have a minute to herself. She needed any

time she could get to go find John.

“I suggested it, but she really wanted us both to

meet her. Something about the long flight..” She was

trying to get out of it so she could find John and he

knew it, but wasn’t about to let it happen.

“Oh, well I think I will stay here at the hotel and

clean up before she gets here.” She was trying to be

as casual as possible, but the anxiety was creeping

1. She had to get to John, she could feel that

something was terribly wrong.

“Don’t worry about cleaning up, I’ll send the hotel

staff up to the room. You don’t need to be up there

working right now.” He was trying to be as

accommodating as possible, not giving her an option

to say no.

“Umm, ok, but I need to get something from the

room before we go…Excuse me.” She got up quickly,

before he could say anything else.

“Wait, I’ll go with you.” He hurriedly got up with

her, not wanting to let her out of his sight.

“No, No, I’ll be fine. I’ll meet you in the lobby…” She

spoke quickly as she brushed by him, in a rush to get

back to the hotel. She suddenly had a sinking feeling

in her stomach and needed to get back to her room,

to find John.

“Ummm…yeah.. I’ll see you downstairs in a few

minutes!” He practically had to yell back at her as

she sprinted from the table. He wanted to go with

her, but didn’t want to let on that he was keeping

tabs on her. He sat back down at the table and

pulled out his phone, deciding that it was safe to call

while she was gone. He waited patiently as the

phone rang.

 

“Hello?” The man on the line sounded out of breath

as he answered and Jackson could hear struggling in

the background.

“It’s me…what is going on? Do you have him?” He

hoped that they had carried out his orders and that

John would no longer be a problem.

“UUhhh. Yes we found him sir, but he is much

stronger than we anticipated. We can’t get him in

the elevator.” Jackson’s mood turned very dark, very

fast.

“What elevator?! Where the hell are you?!” He had a

bad feeling and had to get out of the restaurant.

“We’re at the hotel, outside Marlena’s room.”

Jackson didn’t answer; he snapped the phone shut

and ran as fast as he could toward the hotel.

 

—————–

 

She reached the entrance in no time, not even sure

why she had needed to go back there. Her mind was

telling her to go to John’s hotel, but her body felt an

urgency to get back to her room that she couldn’t

ignore. Her stomach was in a knot as she made her

way to the elevator. She pressed the up button five

or six times, wishing it would force the doors open.

It came in a few moments and she stepped inside,

not waiting for the other guests to get out before

she hit the button for her floor. The doors closed and

she leaned back against the steel of the wall. Her

eyes closed and for a moment she felt his presence,

like he had been there with her. She opened her eyes

as the elevator reached her floor, but before the door

even opened she could sense something was wrong.

What she saw when the doors finally opened made

her scream in horror.

 

“JOHN!!!” He was there, being pressed up against

the wall by two strong-looking men. His face was

bloodied and bruised, his handsome features masked

by swelling. Marlena ran to be by his side, paying no

notice of John’s desperate pleas for her to stay away.

 

John watched Marlena rush towards him, the horror

filling his battered face. “DOC….NO!!!” He didn’t

know what these men were capable of doing to her

and he couldn’t let her get hurt. He held out his arm,

trying to stop her from coming, as her screams filled

the air, penetrating his dazed senses.

 

“Why are you doing this to him?!!!” Her frenzied

shrieks were loud and she directed her attention to

the man beating him. She snatched at his arm with a

strength that she didn’t know she possessed, pulling

as hard as she could to stop the brutal attack. But

before she could stop him, the second man came up

behind her and grabbed her waist, hauling her

struggling body away.

 

“DOC!!!” At the sight of the man restraining her,

uncontrollable rage consumed John, and he found

his second strength. Violently he tossed the goon’s

arms off of him, his face red and his breath heavy

with rage. He drew a deep and calming breath and

threw a brutal punch in the other mans face, sending

him crashing back against the opposite wall. Without

a second glance at the injured man, John dashed to

where Marlena was being detained. He seized the

second man by the arm, with fury flashing

dangerously in his eyes.

“If you don’t let her go, you won’t have a life to beg

for.” His teeth were clenched rigidly and his voice

was hard and strained. He wasn’t about to let

anyone hurt his wife. He clenched more firmly on the

man’s arm, cutting off the circulation with his

inflexible grip. It was just hard enough to cause the

man relax his hold on Marlena, so that she was able

to wiggle one of her arms free and grab for John.

 

“John…” Marlena clung to John like a lifeline, never

ceasing her struggle to free herself from the mans

unyielding hold. The desperation to be with John

overtook her body, and she was terrified that

something was going to take him away from her. In

one last endeavour to help her, John ripped the

restraining arm free of Marlena, pinning it painfully

behind the man’s back.

 

“Let her go!” The man tried to resist, but the pain in

his arm was so excruciating that he thought John

might rip it off. But before he would release her, he

gave Marlena’s slender arm one last painful squeeze,

and let her go. Marlena rushed into John’s arms,

somehow knowing that he would protect her,

crushing herself into his chest as his arms closed

around her briefly.

 

Before the men could react, John was pulling

Marlena with him toward the stairwell. Once they

were inside, he locked the door and headed for the

stairs, hoping they could beat the men, and the

elevator to the basement. He knew that she was

scared, and his only concern now was getting her

someplace safe.

“What happened? Why were they after you?”

Marlena panted as she tried to keep up with him

running down the stairs. She clutched his hand

tightly, afraid that if she let it go, they would come

after her again.

“I don’t know…I came up looking for you and they

followed me…I don’t care, I just have to get you out

of here”

 

——————

 

Jackson reached the floor just as John and Marlena

took off down the stairs. The two men were at the

door, trying to go after them when they noticed

Jackson.

“She showed up and they took off down the stairwell

sir…”

“Damn it! Well go after them!!! Take the elevator you

Idiots!”

Jackson watched as they scrambled for the lift,

eager to make up for their slip-up with John. He

waited until the door closed to pull out his cell

phone. Quickly, he dialed the number and patiently

waited for the hotel reception to pick up.

 

“Good Aftern—“ Jackson cut him off before he could

finish his greeting.

“This is Jackson Alamain from penthouse B…I just

got attacked by two dark haired men in suits. Get

security, they are going down in the elevator now!”

He snapped his phone shut, pressed the button for

the elevator and looked into the hall mirror, his

hands pressed on either side. He stared at his

reflection for a brief moment, steeling himself for

what he was about to do. Violently he slammed his

skull into the hard glass, the bone crushing thud

reverberating through his entire body. He pulled

back and looked at himself once again, a satisfied

smile forming on his lips as he saw blood rush from

the self-induced gash above his eye.

 

————

 

John raced for the stairwell door, pulling Marlena

with him into the busy lobby. He looked around

hastily, checking for any sign of his attackers. He

glanced toward the elevator and came to a stop

when he saw a group of uniformed guards

approaching through the hotel entrance. John and

Marlena watched as the doors opened and the

guards rushed in, detaining the men and dragging

them from the elevator.

 

“What is going on?” Marlena looked at John and

then turned her attention back to the scene

unfolding in front of them, confused by what she

was seeing.

“I have no idea…maybe another guest saw them

and called the front desk..” John was trying to

understand what had happened. He didn’t think

there had been anyone else on the floor, but he

wasn’t sure. He squeezed Marlena’s hand and

walked forward, ready to find out what was going

1. Just as they got close enough to hear, the

second elevator opened and Jackson stepped out,

bloodied and bruised, looking like he had also been

attacked.

 

Jackson knew Marlena and John were somewhere in

the lobby watching him, wondering what was going

1. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted them by

the stairwell, holding onto each other. He rushed

toward his hired henchmen, ignoring their obvious

confusion, and grabbed one of the men by the collar.

 

“Where is she?!” He was yelling into his face,

hoping he sounded convincing. The man shook his

head and tried to speak, but Jackson grabbed him

harder and cut him off before he could say anything.

“What did you do to Marlena?!” He knew she could

hear his concerned pleas from her spot with John

and he kept going with his act.

“If you have hurt her, I’ll kill you myself!!!” He

looked into the man’s confused and bewildered eyes

and sneered before leaning in close, pretending to

say something threatening into his ear. Quickly he

whispered instructions, his hushed tone unable to

be heard by anyone else.

 

“Just cooperate with them and don’t say anything. I’

ll take care of it..” Before he could push away, a

guard had grabbed Jackson and pulled him away.

 

“We’ll handle them Mr. Alamain, we are taking them

to the Police. You can meet us at the station and

give your statement” The guards started to take the

men away and Jackson realized Marlena still hadn’t

come forward yet.

“No, not until they tell me where she is!” He lunged

at them, acting as though he was still enraged,

letting the guard hold him back.

 

Marlena had been watching the exchange, holding

tight to John’s hand, unsure what to do. She heard

the hysteria in Jackson’s voice, sure it was caused

by his undying devotion to her. Raw guilt and

concern for him flooded her body, and she dropped

John’s hand walking forward, needing to let him

know she was okay.

 

“Jackson..” She walked toward him, away from John

and further away from her guilt, and tried to capture

Jackson’s attention.

 

‘Finally…’ Jackson thought to himself before he

turned around and looked at her. He ran to her, false

relief spread on his face.

“Oh thank God! Marlena are you OK?!” He pulled her

into his arms and held her tightly to his chest. He

kissed the side of her face and stole a sideways

glance at John, certain he had gotten the best of the

situation. She pulled slightly from his embrace and

tenderly touched his cheek, inspecting his bruised

face.

“I’m fine, I’m fine… But, what happened to you?

Who are those men?” Her compassion filled him

with warmth and cemented his resolve to always

have her with him.

“I don’t know, I went up to find you and they

jumped me.” He paused, wrapping his arms around

her again and drawing her into his chest, “I was so

scared something happened to you.” She let him

hold her, not pulling away as she told him what

happened when she went back to her room.

“When I got to my floor I saw those men attacking

John…. I don’t know how, but we managed to get

away down the stairs..” She stopped talking, her

mind flashing to the previous events. She needed

him, she had felt it so strongly. The desperation to

be with him had taken over and her body wasn’t her

own as she viciously attacked the man beating John,

needing to stop the pain he was inflicting. She

tucked her head back into Jackson’s shoulder,

shame invading her body.

 

John stared at his wife in the arms of another man

and felt sick to his stomach. She looked natural with

him, the way she rested her head against his neck

and how she clutched his shirt tightly, almost

desperately, keeping him near. He thought of how

many times he would hold her like that and comfort

her when she was upset or scared. She would bury

into his chest, like she wanted to become part of

him and let him hold her until the fear or heartache

had subsided. He yearned to be able to touch her

like that again, to feel her pressed closely against

his body, taking comfort from only his embrace.

 

He shook off his revelry and walked up to them,

needing to remind her of his presence. He still didn’t

understand why she had become so distant the

night before, but he could read the guilt in her face

when she turned to look at him. He didn’t know

what to make of the guilt, but there was something

else in her eyes that made him want to slink away

and hide, never having seen that look intended for

him. It was contempt and anger, feelings he had

only seen directed at her worst enemies.

 

“John..” She wanted to say more, something to

explain to Jackson why they had been together,

letting him know she hadn’t fallen back into John’s

trap. But, she couldn’t lie, she couldn’t say that it

had been a coincidence. Something had compelled

her to go back to her room, to get to John. She

looked at him again, the sight of his face covered in

blood and bruises making her heart break. She

hadn’t felt that way when she looked at Jackson,

instead guilt had choking her feelings, making her

rush to get away from John.

 

John forced himself to take his eyes off her grief-

stricken, angry face, turning his attention to Jackson.

 

“Who the hell were those men, Jackson?” He looked

into the man’s eyes, and sensed a familiarity there

that made him recoil slightly, unable to grip why he

felt like that. Jackson stared back with equal

intensity, too calculating to see John’s reaction to

their eye contact.

“I was about to ask you the same thing John!” His

mind was quickly turning, thinking of a way to

implicate his adversary.

 

John started to defend himself, getting angrier the

longer he stood there and looked at her secure in

Jackson’s arms. Before he could respond she cut

him off, not wanting tempers to flair to the point of

no return.

“You both need to calm down. Let’s all just go up to

the room and take care of your injuries.” She was

trying to be sensible, but didn’t know how she was

going to be able to deal with both of them in the

same room. “Then we can sort this out, okay?”

 

She felt Jackson squeeze her more tightly, more

tightly than necessary and she looked up at him,

hoping he would agree and let it go for a moment.

She looked back and forth between the battered

men, checking for signs they were going to concede,

and was startled once more by how similar they

were. It was their eyes and the striking shape of

their faces, strong and angular. She stopped on

John’s face, silently pleading with him to give in.

She was still looking at John when Jackson

answered, needing to look like the bigger man.

“You’re right M. We should go upstairs and calm

down….” He looked down at her and smiled, sure he

had made his desired impression.

The room was heavy with tension as the group

entered Marlena’s suite. She looked back and forth

between the men, trying to sort out what to do. Her

eyes stopped on John, and her heart involuntarily

ached as she looked at him, bloody and swollen. She

turned away, looking at the floor, and scolded

herself for feeling sympathy, instead of the hatred

she should have felt. She got up from the couch,

unable to remain near to them, but needing to

establish some sort of control.

“Who were those men?” She looked from man to

man, not directing her question at either one. Her

arms were crossed in front of her in a protective

manner as she leaned against the desk on the wall.

If she was scared, neither of them knew.

 

“Doc, I have no idea who they were.” John got up

from the couch and walked toward her. “But they

knew who I was…They must have been following

me all day.” John leaned over and grabbed the back

of a chair, squeezing hard on the fabric. He was

angry with himself for not realizing he was leading

around a group of hired hitmen all day, and he

shuddered to think what could have happened.

 

Jackson glanced at his watch, remembering that he

needed to get to the police station soon, he couldn’t

risk his men saying anything incriminating.

However, he couldn’t risk a confrontation with John

either. At this point, he still needed more

information and didn’t want to give John the chance

to deny the allegations he had set up.

“Listen, we aren’t going to find out until we get

down to the police station.” His brain was turning

quickly, thinking of a way to get John out of Marlena’

s room so that he could go to the police station

alone.

“I’m going down there. I know the chief of police,

and maybe he can give me some information about

them, and who they work for.” He stood up and

walked to Marlena, his face smiling sympathetically.

He reached his arms out and ran his hands up and

down her bare arms, enjoying the feel of her skin.

“Listen, I’ll find out what’s going on ok? Don’t

worry about anything, just sit tight and I’ll call you

as soon as I know anything.” He could see the

doubt in her eyes, and knew she might insist on

going. Jackson looked down at his watch as though

he had lost track of time. “Oh, I almost forgot about

my mother…I’ll have to send a car and she can meet

you here.” He thanked his mother again for

providing the perfect excuse.

 

“I can’t just sit here, I’m going with you guys.” She

stepped away from Jackson and looked briefly over

at John, who was still leaning against the chair.

Jackson quickly countered, needing both her and

John to stay away from the station, at least until he

had time to get the situation under control.

“Marlena, I know you want to go with me, but

honestly it will be better if I go alone” He looked

over to John, expecting to see a challenge from his

comment of going alone, but there was none.

 

John stood up, thankful for Jackson’s request to go

alone. He didn’t wanting to leave her, especially

after the strange way she had been acting toward

him. But, because of Jackson, he knew he couldn’t

be obvious about it. He didn’t trust him and

somehow knew the man would find a way to keep

them from spending time alone together.

“Actually, I am going to my hotel anyway…I’d like

to clean up.” He made a gesture pointing out his

bloodied face and clothing, hoping Jackson would

accept his explanation.

 

Marlena quickly turned to John, the idea of him

leaving suddenly turning her stomach into a knot.

She knew she shouldn’t feel that way, but couldn’t

help it. Something about being around him made

her feel safe.

“Yeah, maybe you should go to the hospital…” She

spoke with a concerned voice, not trying to be too

nice, but unable to drive away the worry she felt for

him. Her words were comforting to John, realizing

his caring Marlena was still there.

“No, really, I just need to wash up.” He headed for

the door, wishing he didn’t have to be secretive

about his intentions.

“I’ll meet you down at the station Jackson.” He didn’

t wait for a reply, but looked at Marlena’s torn face,

once more cementing his need to talk to her alone,

and left the room.

 

Jackson looked at her from behind, knowing her

beautiful face was lined with grief over John’s

departure. He drew his large hands into tight fists

and his jaw clenched at the thought of her

despondency. Calming himself, he walked up behind

her and put his arms around her small form.

“Thanks for staying here sweetheart. I promise to

keep you updated.” He kissed her on the side of her

face and turned her around.

“Call me when my mother gets here, ok?” Smiling

he leaned in, and for the first time in days, kissed

her soft lips. She was surprised by his advances, but

she let him kiss her, remembering a time when she

couldn’t get enough of it. Suddenly, thoughts of

John invaded her brain and she couldn’t help but

pull away from him slightly. Jackson tried not to

notice her abrupt dismissal and he turned her face

back toward him.

“I love you…” Before she could answer, he pulled

her into a hug, not letting her speak of her obvious

apprehensions. He quickly pulled away and headed

for the door.

“I’ll call you soon,” and with out a second glance he

left her alone in the suite.

 

————–

 

John watched Jackson finally leave her room, the

stairwell door blocking him from view. He stared at

his adversary, certain there was something

untrustworthy about him, but he was unable to put

his finger on it. He wished he could leave his hiding

spot undetected so that he could hear the phone

conversation that Jackson was having, knowing it

would implicate him in some way. John listened

intently as the elevator dinged, signaling it’s arrival,

and waited until Jackson was in to leave the

stairwell.

 

Marlena heard the knock at the door, and she stood

from her spot on the couch to answer. She was

grateful for the distraction, her thoughts had been

of nothing but her confusion over John and she

needed to get away from them. She steadied herself

by the door, painting a smile on her face as she

prepared to open the door to see Jackson, having

forgotten something. Her smile quickly faded as she

saw who was on the other side.

“John?…”

His heart broke from the look on her face. She didn’t show any

of the happiness that he had hoped for, instead she seemed

shocked and offended that he would show up at her door.

“Can I come in?” He was scared for a moment that she would say

no and send him away, but was relived when she stepped back,

granting him access to her room.

 

“What are you doing here?” She had been reluctant to let him in,

her brain telling her not to trust him, but deep down she knew he

posed no threat so she let him in. “I thought you were going back

to your room to clean up.” She looked again at his wounds and

was reminded how desperate she had been to help him, how she

had felt when she thought he could have been seriously hurt.

 

“Yeah, well…..I thought we needed to talk.” He walked closer to

her, wanting nothing more than to touch her. She looked down

contemplatively, fighting her feelings with every breath.

 

“I don’t think we need to talk about anything…” She looked back

up at him, contention in her eyes. “As a matter of fact, I think

you should leave.” She walked toward the door, attempting to

force him out. Before she could get far, John grabbed her arm,

pulling her back. Angry, she wretched her arm from his grasp and

stared into his eyes with vehemence, challenging him.

 

“Who the hell do you think you are?!!” Her ferocious words

rattled through his head, making him drop her arm out of shock.

 

“Doc—“ He started to explain himself, but she cut him off, anger

once again taking over her mouth.

 

“Don’t call me that!!! I’m not your Doc…I don’t even know you!!!”

She spat out the words angrily and then turned away, her eyes

suddenly burning with tears. He looked at her back, unsure what

to do. He wanted to hold her, but he knew she wouldn’t allow

that. All he could do is speak from his heart.

 

“Marlena, what happened? Why are you acting like this?” His voice

sounded so hurt, almost childish. She stayed in her position,

unable to meet his eyes that she knew would break her heart all

over again. He kept going, needing to get through to her, needing

to know what he did.

“I love you so much. I need you so much…don’t push me away.

Tell me what I did….please.”

 

“What you did?! What you did?!” She could barely contain her

anger, her words coming out in bursts. The tears were streaming

down her cheeks, further inciting her anger and she callously

brushed them off. She was mad at everything, the way it had all

turned out, the way she felt more lost than when she knew

nothing about herself.

 

Her outburst confused John and he didn’t know what to do.

Something had obviously happened to make her so mad at him, he

just hoped it was something he could explain away.

“Marlena, I swear I have no idea why you are upset…I would

never do anything to hurt you…” His eyes were pleading and

honest, softening the contemptuous glare she was giving him. She

sighed and wiped her cheeks, readying herself to give him the

proof of his deceit. Silently, she walked to the desk and opened

the top drawer, pulling out a single wrinkled piece of paper.

“There..” Her quiet voice trembled with emotion, “That is what

you did…” She handed him the document and looked into his

eyes, her previous look of scorn replaced with hurt and sadness.

The pain he saw made him sick, realizing that she believed he had

purposefully hurt her. He looked down at the paper, his hands

shaking as he scanned the words in horror, not understanding any

of it. His eyes quickly darted back and forth over the foreign

paper, trying to get a grasp of what it meant.

 

“I don’t know what this is…” His voice stammered and he looked

into her amber eyes, praying she would believe him, “Where did

you get this?” He looked again at the paper, the date at the top

suddenly catching his eye. It was dated during the time he

couldn’t remember, a time shortly after the accident.

“I would never do this to you, I wouldn’t!” The tears that had

been forming suddenly fell down his cheeks, drawing lines through

the crusted blood on his face. He dropped the paper and rushed

toward her, fear of losing her taking over his body. He grabbed

her and pulled her into him, crushing his arms around her tightly.

She struggled only briefly before letting the pain and desperation

take over, leaving her sobbing into his chest.

 

“I don’t know where you got that, but it wasn’t me…It wasn’t me

who signed that paper. I couldn’t do that to you.” His voice was

soft, but tearful, trying not to break down. He kissed the top off

her head and stroked her hair, needing to let her feel how much

he loved her. Even if he couldn’t remember anything from that

time, he knew he couldn’t have done that to her.

 

“I really want to believe you, but-“ She tried to tell to pull away,

to say that she couldn’t, but she was cut off by John’s finger on

her lips, “Believe it, believe it.” He removed his finger and put his

hands on the sides of her face. “I wouldn’t do that to you…I

couldn’t.” She stared into his blue eyes, honesty radiating from

them, and she was lost. At that moment she would have believed

anything he said. Slowly, he leaned down, placing his lips on hers

and pulling her back into his arms. He wanted to pick her up and

take her to the couch, to make love to her with all the pent up

emotion that was flowing through his veins. But, he knew she

wasn’t ready, so using all the restraint he had left, he broke their

kiss and placing his hands on her shoulders, he pushed himself

away from her body.

 

She didn’t know what to do. All she had to go on was what he

was telling her, but she believed him and she didn’t know why. It

was something in her heart, in her body that knew he was telling

her the truth. She looked up at him, unsure what to say, but

noticed his cuts and bruises, reminding her of how he needed to

get them cleaned and bandaged. She tenderly placed her hand on

his cheek and looked at him with concern filled eyes.

“Some of these cuts look really bad. You might need stitches; we

should go to the hospital.” He smiled, realizing his caring wife was

still in there.

“Always the doctor” He smiled wistfully and shook his head

slightly, remembering how she used to act the same way before

the accident, before she lost her memory.

“Always the doctor”, she repeated his words, cementing the

thought into her own mind, “And this doctor would like to take a

closer look at you if you aren’t going to go to the hospital” She

took him by the hand and started toward the bathroom, his

willing form

following close behind. She thought for a moment about how

natural it was to call herself a doctor and she marveled at how

her instincts had kicked in, thankful once again that he had

helped her see a little of who she was.

 

She opened the door and dropped his hand, letting him go in

first. He leaned back against the countertop, still facing her,

unable to stop looking at her face. She blushed lightly when she

looked at him, the coy smile on his face unmistakable. Quickly,

she went to the cabinet, pulling out a towel, antiseptic and some

bandages.

 

“OK, why don’t you sit on the counter?” He followed her orders,

silently pulling himself up and sitting down on the hard granite.

He knew he should be taking this very seriously, but he couldn’t

help but become aroused by her close proximity. He was

straddling her, his thighs pressing against her hips as she worked

at cleaning his face. He looked down, mesmerized by the rise and

fall of her breasts as she breathed in and out, the air from her

lungs escaping lightly onto his cheek. Every sense was heightened

and his body was rigid with anxiety. He breathed in, closing his

eyes as her familiar scent flooded him with lust. Once more, he

looked at her, watching her as she intently went about tending his

wounds. He grasped her hand, stopping her work and bringing her

eyes to meet his. She was struck by the intensity in his stare, her

heart beating faster as she sensed his desire, her own growing

with every moment she remained near him.

“Doc…” The air caught in his throat and he almost couldn’t speak

as he stared into her hazel eyes, “I love you.”