I called the nurse and left before he could see me break.
Chapter 4
REID
I spent the night in the family lounge because I could not bear the apartment and was not permitted to remain beside Noah.
Leah found me before dawn, sitting beneath a window with a paper cup cooling between my hands.
“You told him,” she said.
“He asked.”
“How did he react?”
“He didn’t believe me.”
“That makes sense.”
“I know.”
“He’s confused.”
“I know.”
“He wasn’t rejecting you.”
I looked at her.
“He moved away from me.”
Leah sat in the chair opposite mine. “Reid.”
“He looked afraid.”
“He woke up injured in a hospital six years ahead of where he thinks he belongs. Anyone who tells him something impossible is going to frighten him.”
“I’m something impossible.”
“For now.”
The distinction should have comforted me.
It didn’t.
At nine, a woman introduced herself as Dr. Lena Whitcomb, a neuropsychologist specializing in traumatic memory disorders. She wore burgundy pants, soft shoes, and no white coat.
“I’ll be working with Noah through the next phase of his recovery,” she said. “And with you, if you’re willing.”
“I’m willing.”
“Good. I’ve reviewed his imaging and spoken with the medical team. His case is complex, but there are encouraging signs.”
“What signs?”
“He retained your name overnight.”
“He was told several times.”