Chapter 1

Larry Newman sat at his desk in his home office around seven in the evening when his phone rang. He looked at the clock then picked up the phone. "Hello?" He answered.

"May I speak with Lawrence Newman?"

"This is him."

"Hello. My name is Dr. Kevin Rogers at County Hospital. A woman came into the ER this evening and the only thing she had with her was your business card. I was wondering if you could come down here and attempt to identify her."

"I give out my business cards to a lot of people. Most of them I don't even know their name."

"I know it might be a long shot, but if you could try, I would appreciate it," Kevin said. “She had no other identification on her and the police said that her fingerprints aren't in the system."

"All right. I will be there in about thirty minutes."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Larry said then hung up. He exited the computer program he had been working on and got up. He turned and put on his shoes then walked out.

Kevin walked off the elevator and walked to the front waiting area. The nurse at the desk pointed to Larry. Kevin walked over to him. "Lawrence Newman?" He asked.

Larry stood up. "Yes, please, call me Larry."

Kevin extended his hand. "Dr. Kevin Rogers." Larry shook his hand. "Thank you for coming down."

"You're welcome," Larry said. He started to follow Kevin. "How bad is this woman?"

"She's in a medical induced coma. She had internal injuries that we repaired and a severe concussion." He said as they stopped at the elevator. I appreciate your time."

"It's not a problem," Larry said. They got on the elevator. Kevin pushed the button to the third floor. Larry watched the numbers. The doors opened and they got off the elevator. They walked down the hall to a room.

Kevin grabbed the chart and walked into the room. A police officer was sitting in the corner. "Officer Bearman, have you heard anything about her?"

"No not yet."

"This is Larry Newman," Kevin said. “Do you recognize her, Mr. Newman?"

Larry moved around to the side of the bed. "Her name is Rebecca. I don't know her last name."

"How do you know her?" Officer Bearman asked.

"I met her this morning at the City Diner. She was looking in her bag for her wallet but she couldn't find it. I paid for her breakfast and gave her my card. I didn't think I would see her again."

"Her fingerprints aren't in the database."

"I was just being a nice person. She seemed frightened every time the bell on the door rang."

"Maybe she was running from someone."

"Maybe, we didn't talk much. When I noticed she couldn't pay, I took her bill and paid it. I gave her my card and introduced myself. She thanked me and hurried out the door. She practically ran down the street."

"She was found in a dumpster about four blocks from there. She was dumped inside after someone did a number on her."

"I wish I would have followed her."

"Don't blame yourself Mr. Newman," Officer Bearman said. "She was probably scared and didn't trust anyone."

"Is she going to be all right?"

"Her vitals are strong and stable," Kevin said. "She should make a good recovery."

"Dr. Rogers, give me a call when she wakes up."

"I will, Officer Bearman." Kevin said then shook his hand. Officer Bearman left the room.

"Does the press know?"

"All they know is that a body was found. It was assumed that she was a prostitute."

"She really didn't dress like one. I don't think she was one."

"I don't think so either. I appreciate you coming to give us the information."

"You're welcome. Would it be possible for me to visit and to know about her condition?"

"I can't see why not. At least until we find next of kin." Kevin said.

"Thank you."

"I will let you visit if you wish. I have other patients to check on."

"Thank you," Larry said. He shook his hand. Kevin walked out the door. Larry pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. He watched her and grasped her hand.

Larry walked into Rebecca's room the following afternoon. He looked at her monitors then sat down next to the bed. "Hi, Rebecca. It's Larry again. It looks like you are doing good. There's no news that I could find out. I read an article about people in your condition that they can hear or sense people. Just in case you don't remember, my name is Larry Newman. We met at the diner. I paid for your breakfast. I wish we could have talked more so maybe you wouldn't be in this situation." Larry took her hand in his. "I know it is hard to trust somebody that you just met," Larry said. "I brought a book. It's one that a friend recommended. I thought I would read it to you."

The door opened and Kevin walked in. "Mr. Newman, I didn't expect to see you here."

"You said I could visit."

"It's fine. I just didn't think you would, that's all," Kevin said. “I thought you were just being polite."

"I understand. How is she doing today?"

"Her vitals are good. Her brain is swollen, but we didn't detect any clots."

"That's good."

"Yes, it is. We will run the scan tomorrow to compare them."

"All right," Larry said. "Is there any word from the police?"

"I haven't heard anything." Kevin said as he noted her vitals. He checked her incision. "I really think she will regain consciousness in the next day or two after we reduce her sedatives," Kevin said. "Do you still feel like you should have done something?"

"There wasn't anything for me to do. I helped her as much as I could at that time. If she felt alone and scared then, I hope with me being here, she can sense that she isn't alone."

"I'm sure she does," Kevin said. "If you need anything just ask."

"Thanks," Larry said. Kevin left the room. Larry opened the book and started reading.

Larry came back and read the book for the next couple of nights. One afternoon while he was in a meeting in a conference room, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the display. He put it back in his pocket and listened to what was being said in the meeting. His phone vibrated again. He pulled it out and looked at it again.

"Lawrence, is everything all right?" An older man asked.

"I apologize. I should take this."

"Why don't we take a break?"

"Thank you." Larry said then hurried out of the room. He dialed back the number.

"Hello, Mr. Newman?"

"Yes."

"It's Dr. Rogers. Rebecca came out of her coma."

"That's great news."

"Yes, but she has amnesia. She has no knowledge of what happened to her."

"Is it temporary?"

"I believe so."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Maybe if she saw you since she met you, it might trigger something."

"I'm in the middle of something, but I will be there when I get done."

"That's fine. I just wanted to let you know."

"I appreciate it, Dr. Rogers."

"No problem. Bye."

Larry hung up. He smiled and walked back into the conference room. "I apologize, Dad. It was about a friend in the hospital."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope they get well soon."

"Thanks."