Chapter 169 Chapter 169
“So she will be fine?” Maxwell asked.
“Yes. It’s hard to say for how long it will last, whether it will be a few hours, a week, or longer, but I’m confident that she will remember soon,” he said. “Does she live alone?”
“No, she lives with me,” Maxwell replied. “I’m her boyfriend.”
“I see, then we ought to talk about the treatment she should receive from now on. There are different ways to go about it. How about we talk in my office?”
Maxwell agreed, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. While he followed the doctor, Thorne and Hope opted to stay with Valerie instead. They reentered the hospital room and found her sitting on her bed, staring down at her hands with a frown on her face.
“Valerie,” Hope said to get her attention. She and Thorne came to stand next to the bed, smiling at her.
“Oh, you’re back,” Valerie said, tentatively mirroring their smiles.
“How are you feeling? The doctor told us you don’t remember what happened in the past months,” Hope said cautiously, waiting for her reaction.
“That’s what he told me, too. It’s weird, though. I don’t feel like anything is missing… The last date I can recall is… sometime in May?” she mumbled, unsurely.
“I see… it’s November now,” Hope said. Valerie thought she looked worried, and so did Thorne. It bothered her that she didn’t see the full picture. She got the impression that she had forgotten crucial details about her life.
“I don’t remember where those injuries come from either. Can you tell me?” she asked.
“You… you had an accident,” Thorne said slowly. Valerie knew in a second that this wasn’t the whole truth. She had known him for years, and it was rare to hear him speak with hesitation.
“What kind of accident?” she prodded.
Hope and Thorne sighed in unison. “You slipped and fell down a stair,” Hope explained, but she was omitting something. Valerie saw through her easily.
“You’re acting strangely,” Valerie muttered, feeling upset that they were keeping secrets from her now. Weren’t they close friends? Shouldn’t she be able to trust them? Everything that had happened since she had woken up had been peculiar, to say the least. What bothered her most was that white-haired guy who had been in her room earlier.
“Who is that man from before, by the way?” she asked. “Why would you let a stranger in here?”
Thorne and Hope exchanged a long glance before any of them answered her. “He’s far from a stranger,” Thorne said. “You forgot about him. All memories you share with him were made in the time span you can’t recall.”
“You should ask him about the details later, okay?” Hope smiled. “You can trust him. That’s what you should keep in mind for now.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, unconvincedly. If she had learned anything in her life, then it was that she shouldn’t put blind trust in men she didn’t know.
“Yes,” Thorne added. “He is living with you… And you are very close.”
“Living…. With me?” Valerie stuttered. Astonishment flickered over her face. What in the world had happened these past months? It sounded like she had become a completely different person.
Their conversation came to a halt when the door opened, and the man returned, holding a few documents in his hands. He closed the door behind him and approached the group, looking tense.
“You’re back,” Thorne said. From his behavior towards the other man, Valerie could deduce that they knew each other well, perhaps they were even friends. Still, she wasn’t sure what to think of him. The first impression she got of him was that he was a standoffish person with a strange style of dress. She had never seen anyone with his hairstyle, and that silver chain he wore in the middle of his face was intriguing. Something about him was different, but she couldn’t place her finger on what it was.
“Yeah. The doctor told me how to proceed from here on,” the white-haired man said. “He also said it’s better if she is home where she feels comfortable.”
“Good, that means you can go home soon, Valerie,” Hope grinned.
“Yes,” Valerie mumbled, feeling overwhelmed. Her eyes moved from her friend to the stranger who avoided her eyes. He held the documents from the doctor in a tense grip, wrinkling the paper.
“What’s your name?” she asked. The simple question was followed by an awkward silence. His head snapped around, and his eyes finally met hers. She swore she saw a flash of red in them, but she blamed it on her imagination.
“It’s Maxwell,” he said in a hollow tone. He sounded tired, and she got the sudden urge to comfort him.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to remember you,” she continued, crinkling the blanket under her shaky hands. “Please don’t be upset. I’m sure it’s only temporary.” At least, that was what she hoped.
“Don’t worry about it,” he sighed. “It’s not your fault.” The pained expression that briefly crossed his face made her heart ache for some reason.
—
Valerie was somewhat put off when she reached her front door, and he knew her door code. He just punched it in like it was the most ordinary thing to do and opened the door for them. She didn’t mention her unease to him, but she was sure that he noticed it anyway. Sending her an odd glance, he let her walk in first and followed her, closing the door. Now she was alone with a stranger, and it made her very nervous. Maybe she should have taken Thorne up on his offer to stay with him for now…
First, she walked into the kitchen, where she looked around. Everything was as she remembered, thankfully. None of the furniture was out of place.
“Are you hungry?” Maxwell asked, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms.
“A little,” she answered. It was late afternoon by now, and the last time she had eaten had been in the hospital around noon.
“Sit down, and I’ll make something for you,” he said, and didn’t wait for an answer before he got to work. She watched him open the fridge and rummage through its contents before he fetched a pan from the cupboard.