Chapter 5

Drew’s eyes popped open early with the first rays of the sun. Confused as to where she was, she lifted her head just enough to look around the room. It looked like a hospital, but she had no idea why she was there. On her right side she noticed a little blonde curled up against her that looked like Katherine and a crib holding a baby that looked like Lola, but she had no idea where she was. Feeling her bedmate snuggle in closer, Drew grinned to herself. Regardless of why she was confined to the hospital bed, she instantly felt better when she realized she was holding Kate as she slept. Briefly wondering where Paul and Natalie were, Drew simply stroked the blonde’s head, taking guilty pleasure in being so intimate with her best friend even though Kate was married to someone else.

Just then the door opened admitting a tall, dark haired woman wearing a large white overcoat. “Well, look who’s awake? Good morning, Drew.” Melissa greeted pleased to see Drew’s dark eyes open.

“Good morning, doctor.” Drew replied.

Lola was becoming aware of the sensation of someone touching her, but as soon as she felt Drew’s chest rumble and her voice, she shot up quickly. “Drew! You’re awake! Oh, thank God! I’ve missed you so much!” Lola cried instantly pummeling Drew’s face and mouth with fervent kisses. “I love you so much, baby.”

Drew groaned at the feel of blonde’s lips against her own. She had always secretly dreamed of being able to have more than a friendship with her best friend, but now she was in bliss at the shower of affection Kate was showing her. “I love you too, Kate.” she replied.

Lola froze when her mother’s name slipped from Drew’s mouth. Pulling back and looking at Drew in confusion, she asked, “What did you just say?”

Bewildered at the question, Drew repeated, “I love you too, Kate. What’s wrong? What happened to me, Katie? Why are you and Lola here in the hospital with me?”

Perplexed Lola followed Drew’s line of sight to the crib. Immediately realizing what Drew thought, Lola began to cry as she mumbled, “Oh, God.”

“Katie, don’t cry. I’ll be fine. You’ll see.” Drew vowed trying unsuccessfully to put an arm around her, but Lola evaded the touch rising from the bed.

Lola looked at Melissa in tears as she sunk into a chair near the bed. Drew looked at her before looking toward the doctor who had approached her. “Well, it certainly seems you haven’t lost your speech. That’s a good sign, Drew. My name is Melissa Johnston. May I ask you some questions?” Drew nodded. “Do you know who you are?”

“Drew Bailey.”

“How about where you are?”

Drew shrugged. “At a hospital.”

“All right. Do you know who this woman is?” she asked pointing to Lola.

“My best friend, Kate Emerson.”

“Okay. Could I ask you hold old you are, Drew, and what you do for a living?”

“I’m twenty-one, and I’m a senior at UVA.” she replied perplexed by the question of her occupation. Looking back at Lola, she asked, “Kate, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Lola just looked at Melissa helplessly. Even though Melissa had told her of the possible effects of Drew’s injury, Lola never really considered that Drew wouldn’t recognize her or mistake her for someone else, especially her own mother. Melissa exchanged looks with the young blonde, extending her sympathies through a soft gaze before looking back at Drew.

“Drew, you’re in the hospital due to a head injury you sustained when you were trampled by a horse. Do you have any recollection of that?” Drew shook her head. Melissa nodded. “All right, Drew, what I’m about to tell you will probably come as a shock, and you might have difficult accepting what I’m about to say, but I want you to know that I’m about to give you some facts about your life.” she began taking a seat in the bedside chair next to Lola’s. “First of all, you are forty-eight years old, not twenty-one, and you are currently the sheriff of this county.”

“What?” Drew inquired disconcertion, knitting her brow. “How can that be? I just got home from school for summer vacation. My dad is the sheriff, Dr. Johnston, not me.” she defended beginning to become agitated before looking at Lola and saying, “Kate, tell her she’s mistaken.”

“Drew, I know this is difficult for you, but this is not Kate.” Melissa stated, putting a hand on Lola’s arm. “This is Lola Emerson-Bailey, your wife.”

Drew scowled. “My wife? There’s no way! I would never marry Lola! I wouldn’t even touch Lola! I could never betray Kate that way! I love her even though she is married to that loser, Paul! Lola is a baby, an infant! That would be practically incest! You are not Lola, and you are not my wife! That is Lola!” she yelled, looking to the crib.

“Actually, Drew, that is your youngest child, Emma. I know this is hard for you to understand, but this is Lola. You two are married, and you have three children together.” Melissa tried again.

“Now I know you’re lying, Doc, because I hate all kids except for Natalie and Lola! I’m never having kids! All I need in my life is Kate!”

“Lola, do you have pictures on you?”

Wiping tears from her face, Lola whispered, “Yeah. I think I might have some in my purse.” Leaning down to grab her bag from the floor, Lola pulled out her wallet and opened it. With an encouraging nod from Melissa, Lola addressed Drew directly. “Drew, I would never hurt you. I love you with all that I am. It might be hard to understand, but we are married, have been for six years. Here is a picture of us on our wedding day and some of our kids.” she stated tentatively placing the wallet on the bed. Even though she was desperately trying to hold her composure, Lola felt shattered inside at Drew’s adamant declaration of love for Kate. It brought back painful memories when she was in college, and Drew had been having a secret affair with Kate little to anyone’s knowledge.

Drew looked at the pictures and tried to reach for them. However she found it extremely difficult to get her muscles to move the way she wanted. Sensing the problem after a moment, Melissa inquired, “Would you like for me to hold them up for you, Drew?”

“No!” she barked focusing harder on getting her arm to reach out to the pictures. Struggling for another moment she growled in frustration as she screamed, “Dammit! What the hell is wrong with me?”

“Drew, you’ve been in a coma for some time, almost a month. Your muscles are weak. I’d like to perform some tests on you to see what kind of condition they are in. Why don’t we do that now, and then get back to the pictures in a bit. They’ll keep for a few minutes. All right? I want to look over your physical condition.”

“Fine, but can I talk to you alone, Doc?” Drew requested.

“Of course.” she answered before looking to Lola. Knowing that the last thing Lola wanted was to leave the room but figuring she might have better luck with Drew alone, she said, “Lola, why don’t you take Emma outside the room and make some phone calls? I’m sure your family will want to know Drew’s condition.”

Lola looked at Drew for a moment before giving a resigned nod. “All right but I’ll be just outside if you need anything.”

Once Melissa and Drew were alone, Melissa stood. “Okay, Drew. I’m just going to run through these as quickly as possible, and then we can talk. I sense you have something you want to say without Lola in the room.” After running through several tests, Melissa determined that even though Drew was extremely weak, she had not been paralyzed from the injury, knowing that would be a relief to Lola. Taking up the pictures off the bed, Melissa looked at them briefly before noticing the make-up mirror hidden inside one of the inner pockets. “Drew, I know this is a big shock for you, and it can be painful and scary to realize you don’t remember, but I want you to look in the mirror for me. I want you to see yourself as I see you. Will you do that for me?”

Reluctantly Drew gave a slight nod. As Melissa held up the mirror and Drew caught a glimpse of herself, she gasped at what she saw staring back at her. Her normally tanned skin was ashen and her eyes tired. The wrinkles along her brow portrayed her real age. “Oh, God.” she mumbled in dismay. Looking up at Melissa, she inquired in a voice revealing her terror, “Why can’t I remember?”

“Amnesia is somewhat of an enigma, Drew. Sometimes it’s temporary, other times permanent. Your body is weak but will recover, of that I’m sure. It might take some time, but you will be back to your normal self eventually physically. Remember that you’ve had a serious brain trauma. It will take time to heal. Things won’t come back to you right away.”

“But they will eventually right?”

“It’s my greatest hope, Drew, but I can’t guarantee that. However Lola is going to be by your side every step of the was well as many other people that love you. Your loved ones are going to be your greatest asset in helping you remember things, so even though it might be hard to feel strongly toward them given your confusion and anxiety, know that they love you and have your best interest at heart.”

“I just don’t understand. I have no recollection of Lola beyond her being a baby, and now you two tell me we’re married with children. It’s hard for me to grasp.”

“I know, Drew. I could hardly believe it the first time I saw her with you myself. There is quite an age difference.”

“It’s not just that, Doc. I’ve been in love with her mother since the moment I laid eyes on her. How could I marry her daughter?”

“How long have you known Kate?” Melissa asked curiously. “We met in high school. I was fifteen. She was eighteen. I’ve known her for- how old did you say I was again?”

“Forty-eight.”

“Wow. It’s been thirty-three years. It’s so strange. The last memory I have of her was coming home from school for summer vacation, and I went over to see her and the girls. Paul wasn’t home, so it was just Kate, Natalie, Lola, and me. I was sitting there in the chair holding Lola in my arms as she slept while Katherine rocked Natalie and hummed to her, because she had fallen and bumped her head, and she was crying. I remember just intently watching, thinking how I much I loved that woman. She truly was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and I was hopelessly in love with her. I stared at her in silent awe, wishing and hoping that she return that love and leave Paul for me. I wanted to marry her and raise Natalie and Lola as our own. I just can’t fathom how I went from that to marrying that baby I had cradled in my arms.”

“Drew, I really don’t know that, but fortunately there are people who help you fill in those pieces. I’ve met Kate myself, and I think she’s an extraordinary woman. She’ll be a real asset in helping your recall those memories, and Lola can help you remember your marriage and kids.”

“But how can I even look at Lola? She’s a child herself, and I married her? I let her have children. I’m in love with Katherine.”

“Drew, I didn’t know you prior to your accident, so I can’t say for sure how you felt for Lola, but I think you’ll come to find that you are not in love with Kate. You think you are, because of the place where you are in your mind, but as your memories come back to you, you’ll realize why you married Lola.”

“But what if I never remember her as anything other than a baby? I don’t even know my own children.” she stated with obvious dread.

“I know you’re scared, Drew. It’s perfectly natural, but give it time. That’s all you can do. Only cross the bridges when you come to them. Don’t fret over what ifs. Focus on getting your memories back. That’s all you can do.”

“All right, Doc.”

“Good. Now I’m going to go talk to Lola for a few minutes, and then I’m going to send her back in here to show you these pictures if you’re comfortable with that. Does that sounds okay to you?”

“Yeah.” Drew replied.

Lola was just finishing the conversation with her mother when Melissa appeared. “Well, what happened after I left?” she asked anxiously.

Gesturing down the hall toward the sitting area, Melissa said, “Let’s go sit down for a minute. I have some things to explain to you.” They moved the chairs before Melissa began, “First off, it appears as if Drew has not be paralyzed from the accident. She is very weak, but with some physical therapy, I expect her to recover. Her mind however is another issue. She has lost more than half of her life’s memories. I can tell she’s terrified, but I calmed her down enough to make her understand who you are even though she doesn’t remember you as anything more than an infant. She knows you’re Lola, her wife and Kate’s daughter. I should warn you though, Lola, that Drew is in a place in her mind where she is in love with your mother. I don’t know if that was some skeleton in the closet or not, but she’s obstinate in her feelings for Kate. I know that has to hurt you, but please don’t take it out on Drew. She doesn’t remember you as her wife nor does she remember the love you share. You’re going to have to help her recall that. She’s having difficulty understanding how she went from loving your mother to loving you, but I couldn’t help her with that one. That’s a job for you. Now that she knows who you are, I believe that she will take what you say at face value. I explained to her that you are vital in helping her recover her memories, so I think she will be receptive to you. However I should caution you that she still thinks she’s in love with your mother, and in her mind you’re a baby, so sexual contact probably won’t go over well. I do think she’d be okay with physical contact, but I would be careful not to get too intimate. Having said all that, I think Drew’s outlook is good. We’ll get her scheduled for some PT, and she’ll have to continue her stay here a little longer, but she will be able to go home at some point in the near future with minimal physical side effects. I think she’ll be ready to leave us before she’s recovered all her memories though, which could cause some complications at home, but we don’t have to go into those right now. She could surprise us and start remembering things quickly, but in my experience these things take time. Now I told her I was going to talk to you and then send you back in there. Are you ready to go back? I said you would show her the pictures from your wallet.”

“All right. I can do this.” Lola said with resolution.

“Oh, I also think it would be a good idea to get your mother out here. I hope you aren’t threatened by Drew’s current mentality toward your mother, but it would be good for Drew to be able to see and talk to her. Just remember Drew’s mind set is that of a twenty-one year old in love with Kate Emerson. Please don’t take it to heart that she doesn’t remember your love yet. Give it time, and if you have to, make her fall in love with you again. Also, Drew mentioned Kate’s husband, Paul, who I am assuming is your father. I didn’t know anything him to give to Drew, but since she mentioned him I think you should talk to her about him. Her feelings for him weren’t that positive in her twenty-one year old mind, but you could at least tell her where he is and what he’s doing now to help her.”

“Oh, well, my father has been dead for ten years. Drew was there when he died. They were good friends.”

“Then you might want to say something to lessen the blow if she recalls that particular memory. I also think it might help the both of you to have couples counseling to try to piece your relationship back together. I’ll leave that decision up to you for now, so think it over. I really have to go make some rounds now, but I’m so happy that I saw Drew’s eyes open this morning. She’s come a long way.”

Both women stood and hugged for a long time. “Thank you so much for everything, Melissa. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

Melissa smiled pleasantly at her. “This might be one of the rare occasions that I’ve actually been envious of my patient. Drew truly is blessed to have you, Lola. You are quite the remarkable woman.”

The long gaze that passed between them expressed the deeper emotions for the Lola that the doctor didn’t say. Realizing the moment for what it was, Lola gave a charming smile as a slight blush rose in her cheeks. “You are pretty exceptional yourself, Doctor Johnston. Now if you’ll excuse me, my wife needs me.”

“Then by all means, go to her.” Melissa replied, a hint of sadness lining her voice even though she gave a professional, becoming smile..


Chapter 6

Lola made her way back to Drew’s room, pausing to take a deep breath before making her entrance. Drew was looking out the window when she came in but gazed over at the door to see Lola standing there with Emma in her arms. “Well, Lola Emerson, or is it Lola Bailey now?” Drew asked hesitantly.

“Actually it’s Lola Emerson-Bailey. I hyphenated it because of my dad.”

“Paul? What about him?”

Taking the seat she had abandoned several minutes prior, Lola replied, “I didn’t really want to start with my dad, but I might as well get it out of the way. The summer before my senior year of high school, my father was killed by a drunk driver. You were at the scene of the accident, and he actually died in your arms, Drew. The two of you were really good friends.”

“Oh, poor Katherine. How has she managed all this time?”

Lola shrugged. “I would have to say she managed largely due to you and then Jim.”

“Who’s Jim?” Drew asked curiously.

“Mom got remarried a couple of years ago. Jim is her new husband.” Lola answered wondering if they were ever going to move beyond questions about her mother.

“I see, and how long have we been married?”

“Six years. Six wonderful years.” she said with her first smile. “And we have three children. Let me show you the pictures.” Holding up the first one, she said, “This is us on our wedding day.”

Drew looked closely at the picture Lola was holding up her for inspection. “This is at my parents’ ranch. This is my favorite tree.” Drew mentioned happy to recognize something.

“Yes. Actually it’s our ranch now, but you’re right. That is your favorite tree.”

“Why do we live here? What happened to my parents?” she questioned timidly.

“You’re parents are fine, Drew. They are healthy and happy. When your dad retired, they moved and let you take over the ranch, but they are fine. They’ve actually been in town, and I just called them a few minutes ago, so they should be on their way here.”

Satisfied with that answer, Drew turned her attention back to the photo. She noticed that she was wearing flowing white pants and a long white jacket buttoned all the way up to the collar with long tails in the back. “Nice monkey suit I’ve got on.” she mumbled.

“You looked so sexy in that.” Lola commented earning her an uncomfortable stare. Heeding Melissa’s warning about sexually charged comments and touches, she said nothing else on the subject.

“You look beautiful, though.” Drew complimented seeing the simple white off the shoulder dress that Lola had worn. Lola was holding her bouquet, and Drew had her arm around Lola’s waist. When Drew had seen enough of that photo, she glanced up at Lola and inquired, “We really are married?” Lola nodded. Drew furrowed her brow. “Please forgive me if this hurts you in any way, but I just can’t understand why and how that was possible.”

“I know. Hopefully it’ll come back to you, honey. It’s going to take a long time to explain, and I think it would be best if Mom and I talked to you together about it.”

“Okay. Is Kate coming here today?”

“Yes. She should be here this afternoon. Would you like to go on to the next picture now?”

Drew nodded, so Lola flipped to one of Drew, Jack, and Drew’s father, Jackson. “Is that my dad?” Drew inquired looking closer. “And who is this young fellow?”

“Yes, that is your father, and that is our son, Paul Jackson Emerson-Bailey. We named him after our fathers, but we call him Jack . He’s five. He’ll be starting pre-school this fall.”

“What’s he like?”

“Surprising with the way we conceived him, he’s a lot like you, highly intelligent but also very sensitive and down right precocious at times. He’s been having a hard time with you being in the hospital. Normally he isn’t overly affectionate, but he’s been down right clingy since your accident. I know that he feels responsible even though he can’t really express himself adequately.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, he was there when the accident happened. You were actually saving him when you got hurt. The two of you were down at the outside training ring, which we added on after we got married, and one of the horses got spooked and almost trampled him, but you pushed him out of the way and ended up getting hurt yourself. I know you might not remember our children, but I hope you can find it within yourself to at least pretend for their sake. They adore you, Drew. Jack idolizes you, and he and our two girls need assurance that everything will be all right and that they are well loved by us.”

“Of course, Lola. They’re only children. I certainly understand your concern, and just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean I’m going to turn my back on them. I would never do that. I take responsibility seriously.”

“I know you do, Drew. Let’s look at the next picture. This one is of my mother, our daughter, Libby, and myself. You took this picture of us last fall at Thanksgiving.” she mentioned showing Drew.

Drew looked at the three towheads in astonishment. “Oh my God. If it weren’t for the age differences, you’d never be able to tell the three of you apart.”

“I know. Kind of creepy, isn’t it?” joked Lola.

Drew gave a small nod as she looked intently at Kate. “Your mother certainly has aged well, better than I have. Are we still close?”

“Yes. You’re still the closest of friends, Drew. You always have been.”

“And why did we name our daughter Libby?”

“Well, her real name is Elizabeth, but we just call her Libby, because you thought Elizabeth sounded too pretentious for a toddler. I’ll admit that she is almost exactly like me in every way. There’s one last picture here of all of us right after Emma was born.” Lola flipped to the final photo and held it up for Drew. “Don’t we have a beautiful family, Drew?”

Drew eyed the photo of Lola and her surrounded by their children. Even though she couldn’t remember any of them, she could see the happiness on all the faces. “They are all very beautiful.” Drew conceded. “I assume you gave birth to all of them.”

Bewildered at the comment, Lola said, “Yes, actually I did.”

“Then they aren’t really mine. We just tell them they belong to both of us.”

Lola felt her heart breaking at Drew’s comment. “Drew, they are as much a part of you as they are me. Just because I gave birth to them doesn’t mean they aren’t yours. We petitioned to have you become their legal guardian, but that’s still pending, because we added Emma to it. Drew, they call you Mommy, and they have your last name. Just because you aren’t related to them in blood doesn’t mean they aren’t yours. I gave you these children as gifts as a sign of our love for each other. Please don’t let such a little detail stop you from being the mother that they need.”

“Who’s the father?”

“We used a sperm donor. All three kids have the same donor, Drew.”

“Do we know him, or does he know us? How did it work?”

“We don’t know the donor or vice versa. We decided that was best for us given the potential legal problems if the father could find out. We are the only two parental influences our children have, Drew. They need both of us.”

“Could we stop talking for awhile? I’m getting tired from trying to take all this in.” Drew mentioned feeling like she was on overload.

“Sure. You rest. We have lots of time to talk.”

Lola simply sat quietly once Drew closed her eyes, wondering about their future until Drew’s father arrived a little later. “Hey. I thought you said she was awake.” he said.

“She was, but she wanted to rest a little. We’ve been talking since she awoke.”

“Oh, okay. How’s her memory and her condition? Rose didn’t tell me much, just to get over here as fast as I could.”

“Melissa says she’s physically weak, but she expects a full or near full recovery. However her mind is different. When she first awoke, she claimed to be a twenty-one year old senior at UVA. Melissa got her to understand that she is actually forty-eight and a sheriff, but she’s lost twenty-seven years worth of memories. She didn’t recognize me at first nor do I think she does now, but I think she’s accepted Melissa’s explanation that I am not only Lola, Kate’s daughter grown up, I’m also Lola, her wife. I don’t think she’s really come to understand that, though.”

“Well, it was hard enough the first time for her when she was going through it. It doesn’t seem that surprising that she would have a hard time grasping that in her condition but don’t worry, dear. It’ll come back to her.”

“I hope so.”

“Why don’t you go home for awhile and be with the kids? Rose is waiting on you to come home before coming up here. She wasn’t sure bringing the kids up on the first day would be a good idea.”

“She’s probably right. I’ll go, so she can come up here. Just so you know I showed her some pictures, so she will recognize you as her father, but it’s from the picture. I don’t know what her response will be to Rose.”

“All right. You go on home now and try to relax. This is the hardest part, and you need to be even more rested now.”

The next time Drew awoke she looked around for Lola, but she was met with two interested faces. Recognizing her father from the photo, she quietly inquired, “Dad?”

“Hey, Drew. How are you, tiger?” he asked with a relieved smile.

Looking to the woman next to her father, Drew figured it had to be her mother. “Mom, is that you?”

“Yes, honey. It’s me.” she replied taking Drew’s hand in her own.

“I’m so glad you two are here.” Drew said feeling overwhelmed with emotions. As tears began to spill out of her eyes, she whispered, “I’m so scared. I can’t remember hardly anything.”

Jackson put his hand consolingly on her shoulder as Rose stroked her arm soothingly. “We know, Drew, but you’re surrounded by people who love you regardless. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Am I really married to Lola Emerson?” she asked, knowing her parents would never lie to her.

“Yes, you are, Drew.” her mother answered.

“How? Why?”

“Only Lola can explain that but I assure you that you are deeply in love with her, Drew, even if you don’t remember.”

“I don’t feel that for her, Mom.”

“It’ll come back to you, Drew. Give it time.”

“What if I don’t want it to come back? Doesn’t Kate hate me?”

“Of course not. Why would you think that? Why wouldn’t you want to remember your love for Lola?”

“I was always meant to be with Kate. Why did I settle for Lola?”

“Honey, I know this is hard for you to comprehend, but you did not settle for Lola. You love her, and you are utterly and hopelessly in love with her. You have been for the last ten years.”

“Ten years? You mean to tell me I was in love with her when she was still in high school?” Rose nodded. “Did we date when she was in high school?”

“Yes.”

“Impossible. I never would’ve done that.”

“Well, you did. I don’t think you were a willing victim at first, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. You did fall in love with her, though. You told me so.”

“I did?”

“Yes, dear, you did.”

Drew thought it over for a moment before saying, “I just don’t feel that way now.”

Drew’s parents stayed the day with her until that afternoon when Kate arrived. The moment that she walked into the room, Drew graced her with a charming smile. “Katherine, so nice of you to come see me.” she said.

“You know who I am?” she asked in surprise given that Lola had told her Drew thought she was Kate at first.

“How could I ever forget a beautiful woman like you? Come give a hug.” Kate moved to the bed and leaned down to give Drew a light squeeze and kiss on the cheek. Unable to get her own arms completely around Kate, Drew responded with a lingering kiss on Kate’s soft cheek as well. “Sit down next to me and tell me how you are.” Drew requested tapping the bed with her hand. Kate did as asked, sliding the side rail down so that she could comfortably sit on the bed next to her best friend. Taking Drew’s hand, Kate placed it on her thigh, stroking the back of it lightly as she looked at Drew in fondness. “It feels so nice to touch you, Kate.”

Kate flushed slightly as she grinned. “Well it’s nice to see you with your eyes open, Drew. You gave us quite a scare.”

“I’m sorry to have worried you, Katie. It wasn’t my intention.”

“Katie?” Kate questioned with a smile. “You haven’t called me that in a long time. It still makes me feel young when you say it.”

“You are young, Katie, young and beautiful.”

“Well, I would say you certainly are back to your bewitching ways. I bet the women around the hospital aren’t feeling short on compliments now that you’ve come to. You’ve always had a way with ladies.”

“But have I ever had my way with this lady?” Drew flirtingly teased patting Kate’s leg.

Realizing what Drew was implying and that she didn’t actually know the answer was yes, Kate blushed badly. Turning to Drew’s parents, she inquired, “Do you think it would be possible for me to talk to Drew privately for a few minutes?”

“Sure, Katherine. We could use a little break.” Rose mentioned, taking her husband out of the room.

“Kate? What’s the embarrassment about? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s all right, Drew. I’m just embarrassed to talk about it in front of your parents, not you. To answer your question, yes, you have had your way with this lady. In fact calling me a lady after some of the things we’ve done together might be too chivalrous.”

“What? Kate, you’ll always be a lady to me. What did we do?”

“For now let’s just say I had the most adventurous sexual encounters of my life with you and leave it at that. I don’t really feel comfortable reminiscing, especially since you’re married to Lola.”

“You mean you and I made love on several occasions, and I don’t remember it? How long were we lovers?”

“Almost two years. We lived together and were planning on getting married, but I couldn’t let you go through with it.”

“Why not? That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Katherine. My whole life all I ever dreamed about was being with you and loving you the way you deserved. I wanted to marry you. Why didn’t we?”

“Because you still loved Lola, and I knew I couldn’t let you settle for me, especially since you wanted children, and I couldn’t give them to you. I didn’t want to be second best, and I didn’t want to ruin my daughter’s chance at happiness, so I stepped aside to let nature take its true course. Not long after that I met Jim, my new husband. This is the way it’s supposed to be, but I’ll always hold those years in my heart that we finally had a chance to live that one dream, at least temporarily.”

“But I love you now, Kate. I don’t love Lola like that.”

“You just think you don’t, but you do, Drew. Furthermore, I’m married again, so there’s no place in either of our lives for anything other than friendship. That’s the way it’s meant to be.”

Drew pondered the conversation for a moment before clarifying, “I really chose Lola over you?” Kate nodded.

The rest of the evening passed easily between Drew and Kate as Kate told her stories about her life to try to help her remember. When Lola came back to take the night shift, Drew insisted that she start staying at home for the sake of the kids now that she was conscious, and after much discussion Drew got her way, leaving Drew alone for the night with a promise that Lola would bring the children by for a visit the next day.

The following day Lola didn’t arrive at the hospital until after lunch that day thinking that the kids probably didn’t need to see Drew’s physical therapy session, especially since it would cause her pain. By the time she and the kids got to the room, Rose was helping Drew finish her lunch. Abandoning her food Drew gave the kids a happy smile. “Hey, crew. How are my kids? I missed you two.” she said happily.

“Mommy!” Jack and Libby screamed in unison making their way over to the bed. Rose lifted each of them up, so they could give their mother a hug and kiss. Once they were satisfied with their greetings, they settled down next to Drew in the bed.

“So, how have you two been?”

“I missed you, Mommy.” Jack said quietly.

“I missed you too, Mommy.” Libby added.

“Mommy, when can you come home?”

“I don’t know, Jack. It could be a little while.”

“I’m sorry you got hurt. I didn’t mean to be bad.” Jack tried to apologize in his five year old way.

“Jack, it’s okay. I’ll be fine, but thank you for saying you’re sorry. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you do wrong. I love the two of you so much.” she said struggling to get her arm around them for another hug.

Seeing Drew striving to find a comfortable position, Lola suggested, “All right you two. Mommy needs some space now. Why don’t you come over here and start coloring those pictures you promised to give her?” Settling the kids to their project, she looked at Drew. “Would you like help finishing your food?”

“That’s all right. Mom’s got it.” Drew replied eying her mother to continue. Rose reluctantly went back to the task, knowing that Drew was uncomfortable having Lola assist her.

When Melissa came around to do her afternoon check, Lola introduced her to the children before requesting to speak to her alone. Going out into the hall, Lola said, “I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday about couples counseling, Melissa. I think it might be a good idea to get Drew some individual counseling in addition to that. She doesn’t recognize me as her wife, and furthermore she’s avoiding me. I don’t want it to get worse.”

“All right. I’ll talk to her about it. I’ll let her know that it would be beneficial to her. She’ll probably do it.”

“Thanks.”

“Other than that, things are okay?”

“I guess. She’s being great with the kids. I’m just anxious.”

“It’s natural. I’ll get some counseling set up for you two. You just have to keep trying, Lola. I told you this would be difficult.”

Continued: Chapter 7