His Badge, Her Baby...Their Family?. Stella Bagwell

with that moniker.”

      “I wouldn’t like it either. So let’s call you something else. Like Alice,” the nurse suggested.

      “Alice? Why that name?”

      Chuckling, she dropped the clipboard back into its holder at the foot of the bed. “Well, I have an idea that right about now you’re feeling like you’re in wonderland. Do you recall the story Alice in Wonderland?”

      In spite of her anxious situation, she managed to chuckle along with the nurse. “Guess there are some things in my brain that haven’t left. I do remember the childhood story,” she said, then smiled. “Okay, Alice it will be.”

      With an encouraging pat on her shoulder, the nurse reached for the blood pressure cuff hanging behind the head of the bed. “All right, Alice, let’s take your vitals and then I’ll let you get some rest. But promise me one thing. Do not get out of bed unless you press your call button and ask for help. We don’t want anything to happen to you or your baby.”

      “I may not know who I am or where I came from, but I know I want my baby very much. I promise not to get out of bed again unless someone is here to help me.”

      “Good girl. Now you’re making sense.”

      While Marcella took her vitals, Alice managed to keep her emotions together, but once the woman left the quiet room, tears began to stream from the corners of her eyes.

      Naturally, the nurse was concerned about her and her baby’s welfare. It was her job to see that her patient recovered. But why weren’t any of her family or loved ones walking through the door? Was she that far from home? Had she been lost?

      Suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion, she closed her eyes and tried to remember even the smallest glimmer from her past. But her memories were like a blackboard that had been swiped with a felt eraser. Faint white marks were still evident, but none of them were clear enough to make sense.

      The only distinct image she possessed was that of Detective Vincent Parcell. Even in her clouded confusion, she’d noticed his thick brown hair and strong, tanned features. His warm brown eyes had studied her in a way that had made her want to pull the sheet all the way up beneath her chin. He’d not said much, but when he had spoken to her, his voice had been a low, rich baritone that had rumbled through her like a familiar melody.

      The detective with him had been an attractive man, and nice to boot. But meeting him hadn’t affected her in the same way as Vincent Parcell. Somehow, someway she’d felt certain their paths had crossed before tonight.

      But that was a ridiculous notion, she thought. He was merely a man who was trying to help her get out of this strange wonderland she’d fallen into. And no matter how he’d looked or sounded, she was going to have to trust him to lead her back to the real world.

       Chapter Two

      Early the next morning, Vince left Evan at the office diligently searching through a nationwide database for any type of link to Geena, while he headed to the hospital to attempt to have a word with her doctor.

      Luckily, Vince spotted the middle-aged man striding toward the elevator doors located a few feet away from Geena’s room.

      “Dr. Merrick,” he called to him. “Can you spare a minute?”

      The red-bearded physician paused, and once Vince reached his side, he flashed his badge to identify himself. “Vince Parcell. Remember? You looked in on me a couple of times for Dr. Whitehorse. I had gunshot wounds.”

      Recognition flashed in the doctor’s eyes, and he quickly thrust out his hand. “Yes, I remember now. Good to see you looking so well, Detective Parcell. Is there something I can help you with? I hope you’re not having issues with your old injuries.”

      As a group of people approached the elevator door, the doctor stepped aside to clear the path and Vince followed him.

      “Thanks, Doctor. I’m fine. I’m here regarding a patient of yours. She was involved in a car accident last evening. Blond. Expecting a baby.”

      “Oh, yes. I’ve already looked in on her this morning. She and the baby are coming along nicely. A miracle, considering the severity of the wreck.”

      “The car was incinerated. Along with her identification,” Vince explained. “That’s why I need to talk with you about her condition.”

      “Sorry, Detective, but I can’t divulge details about her condition. That’s reserved for family. And unfortunately it’s impossible for her to locate them just now.”

      A spurt of hope rushed through Vince. “You mean she remembers her family?”

      Frowning, the doctor slipped a pair of black-framed glasses from his nose and stuffed them in a pocket on his white lab coat. “You know about the amnesia?”

      Nodding, Vince said, “My partner and I questioned her last night. We’re trying to come up with her identity.”

      “Well, I hope you do, and soon. From what I can gauge, she’s probably going to deliver her baby in the next two weeks or somewhere about. I don’t have to tell you she needs to be in the care of her personal physician. Not to mention the support of her family.”

      Two weeks. That could feel like an eternity or the blink of an eye, Vince thought.

      “Does that mean you don’t expect her memory to return before then?”

      The doctor considered his question for a moment before he finally answered, “That’s impossible to predict. Her memory could return at any moment. Or it could be weeks, even months from now.”

      It was all Vince could do to keep from cursing with frustration. “Then I need your medical advice.”

      “About Jane Doe?”

      “Dr. Merrick, she isn’t Jane Doe. Not exactly. Her name is Geena.”

      Relief passed over the doctor’s face. “Oh, so you’ve found out that much already.”

      Vince grimaced. “I already knew that much. You see, Geena was my wife for five years.”

      “Was.” The shocked doctor repeated the key word. “Obviously that was some time ago.”

      “Before last night I’d not seen her since we parted six years ago. When I questioned her, she looked at me like she’d never seen me before! Am I supposed to share this information with her? What will it do to her if I tell her she used to be Geena Parcell? Or should I not reveal anything about this until later?”

      The other man thoughtfully stroked his beard, then glanced pointedly at his wristwatch. “Give me a few minutes to consult with Dr. Dunlevy and I’ll get back to you.”

      “I’ll wait down in the cafeteria,” Vince told him.

      * * *

      A half hour later, Vince walked into Geena’s hospital room and found her sitting up on the side of the bed, eating from a breakfast tray. Her gold-blond hair had been brushed loose around her shoulders and a soft pink color had returned to her cheeks. As he moved farther into the room, he realized the years had only added to her natural beauty.

      Laying her fork aside, she looked at him hopefully. “Good morning, Detective. I hope you’re here to tell me who I am.”

      The doctors had concurred that Geena was emotionally and physically sound enough to handle the revelation. As Dr. Merrick had reasoned, no matter the circumstances, she would have to confront her past at some point in her recovery. Yet the vulnerable look in her green eyes made him want to turn tail and run. It would be so much easier to let Evan, or someone else from the sheriff’s department, deal with her.

      But this woman had once been his wife. She’d loved him. Wanted him. And tried to give him everything he’d needed. She deserved to hear the truth from him