His Love Shattered (Love Shattered #2) Read online

  So he hadn’t chosen to leave her, he had no choice like he had said. He was taken into witness protection I assume. He did all of that to protect Courtney and the kids.

  “Once we arrived to our location they told us we couldn’t go back home and that we would have to go into witness protection to protect ourselves until the man was caught and we could testify. Our families were to think we died in the explosion. They didn’t see any reason for us to take our families with us as they were not in danger like we were. So we got to choose if we wanted to take them or not. I chose not to. The shooter was a very wanted man and bringing him down would be the biggest arrest the town had ever seen since the precinct opened. They didn’t expect it to take long. I figured it would take a couple months tops and then I could come home to Courtney and the kids. I had no idea it would take as long as it did. The guy was caught only 5 months ago and the trial starts next week. We are to stay in protection until then. I am risking everything just being here right now but when I saw the boat out there driving away with Courtney on it from the island, I knew something terrible was going to happen. She should never have been out there in that weather.” He shakes his head and run his hand down his long beard.

  I think that is the end of his story but then he continues.

  “They had us all living on the island so we were close because not many people travel there. In my free time I have built Courtney’s dream home on that island in hopes that when I show it to her she would forgive me for being gone so long, even though I had no choice. Never in a million years did I think she would have moved on.” He looked up at me with tears in his eyes. I felt terrible for the guy and I know without a doubt that Courtney would forgive him on the spot. I just hope that when she heard his story that her love for me would still remain. I couldn’t lose her. It would kill me.

  Just as Dave finished up his story a startled gasp echoed throughout the room. We both turned to see Courtney wide awake with tears streaming down her face.

  “Dave?” Courtney asked with a rough voice. “It really is you. I thought I heard your voice but I wasn’t sure it was you. I thought I was dreaming.”

  I moved over to her side at the same time Dave moves to the other. We each take one of her hands in ours. Courtney gave Dave a watery smile then turned to me with a look of confusion on her face.

  “Who are you?” Courtney asked. In that moment my entire world came crumbling down. Shit, she didn’t remember me.

  Instead of replying to Courtney I stood abruptly and I left the room in search of a doctor. We were going to get to the bottom of this shit real quick. The doctor had said she wasn’t severely injured with that head trauma, but somehow my girl has seemed to have forgotten who the hell I am.

  Chapter Three

  Courtney

  A loud booming voice startles me awake and I crack my eyes open for a moment before they close back down again. Too heavy to remain open a moment longer. My quick glimpse tells me I am not at home but I am in what appears to be a hospital room. There are two men who I do not recognize having a heated discussion at the foot of my bed. What happened? Why am I here? I am so confused. I don’t remember getting into an accident.

  The two men continue to argue. One of their voices is familiar. It sounds like Dave. Too tired to try and get their attention I remain still and quiet and just listen to everything they are saying. The one guy keeps calling the other guy Dave but that can’t be right. Dave is dead.

  The one with a familiar voice begins telling a story of construction sites and guns and witness protection. When the fog finally clears my brain I come to the conclusion that this is really Dave and he has been alive this whole time. At first I am angry and then as he reaches the end of his story I am heartbroken.

  I gather the strength to open my eyes and when I do I see him; Dave alive and well and right in front of me. Tears are streaming down my face. I gasp and both men turn my way.

  “Dave?” I ask, “It really is you. I thought I heard your voice but I wasn’t sure it was you. I thought I was dreaming.”

  Both men rush to me instantly and each one takes one of my hands on each side of the bed and cradles it in their own. I look at Dave and smile and then I turn back to the other guy.

  Wow he is gorgeous. Shaggy dark hair and dark mysterious eyes. He has a few days worth of stubble scattered across his face. His eyes seems sad and relieved all at once but I am not sure who he is. My hand tingles in his and I get this strange feeling that I should know who he is; that he is a really important part of my life but I can’t place his face. Things are still so foggy in my brain.

  “Who are you?” I ask the man. The look of shear dread that crosses his face slices through my heart but I don’t know why.

  He stands abruptly and stalks out of the room without saying a word. I can’t help but notice this strange sense of loss once he is out of sight. It makes me feel cold and lonely. Even though I am not left alone in the room. Dave is still here holding my hand.

  I stare at the door for what seems like forever willing him to return. When he doesn’t come back through the door right away I turn my attention back to Dave.

  “I heard everything you said Dave. I am sorry that happened to you. I know you were just trying to keep us safe. If there was any other way I am sure you would have found it but thank you for protecting me and the kids. Oh gosh the kids they are going to be so excited to see your alive Dave. They have missed you so much. I can’t wait to tell them the news.” I try to sit up in the bed because I am just so excited to have him back. I can’t sit up though because I am struck with intense pain causing me to fall back into the bed.

  “Whoa there Courtney be careful you have an injury to your spine from what I have overheard.” He looks at me with tears in his eyes.

  “We can’t tell the kids yet Court. I am not even supposed to be here right now. It could put you all in danger. I can’t come back until the trial is over. I just had to know you were okay. I can’t believe you took the boat out in such terrible weather. I don’t know what you were thinking you are lucky I was there to save you” He scolds. I have no idea what he is talking about. It’s been a really long time since I took the boat out.

  “I don’t know how I am going to keep this from the kids Dave. I don’t like lying to them. They will want to know you are alive. Wait…. What are you talking about you saved me? I haven’t been out on the boat in forever.” I am so confused.

  “You had taken the boat out the other night while it was storming. I heard a knock on my door. I didn’t answer it fast enough because at first I thought it was the wind and then I heard it again, but by the time I got down stairs to the door I saw you already driving away on the My Little Lady Bug. I went around to the pier and got into my boat. I was close by when you hit a sand bar and went sailing through the air. I couldn’t get to you fast enough. You scared me to death. When I got to you, you were mumbling all kinds of crazy stuff about not letting the kids be orphans and other stuff too. I got you to the hospital as quickly as I could. That was three days ago.” I can’t believe what I am hearing I don’t remember any of this.

  Just then a memory flashes in front of my eyes.

  I am walking along the beach with my shell bag in tow. I stop to take a break and look through my shells. I am too tired to continue back to the boat just then, so I turn on my ipod and lie back. I fall asleep on the beach. I wake up feeling sad and an increasing need to get back to shore fast because it has started to storm.

  I reach the boat and notice the waves are crashing dangerously against the hull of the boat. I remember the house and head to it. Knocking with no answer I return back to the boat and the waves have calmed down a tad. I decided to make a break for it and head to the main land. I remember the crash and being carried.

  The memory fades as quick as it came into my mind.

  “I think I just had a memory. I remember being on the island. Shelling and the storm. Falling asleep and my phone dying. I remember the cras
h. Then I remember being carried. That is all I remember. I don’t remember what I was doing there or why I would have taken the boat out when it was supposed to storm.” I tell him.

  “I think I can tell you why you were on the island, but let’s let the doctor check you out first and I will tell you everything you want to know.” The gorgeous man from before has reentered the room with a doctor in tow. I can feel this man’s energy all around me.

  The doctor checks me over and while he does I keep my eyes on the mysterious man the whole time. Just having him in the room has calmed my fears. I really want to know who he is and why he is still hanging around.

  “Well Courtney it is good to finally see you awake. You have suffered from a pretty severe gash on your back which required stitches. You also have a spinal injury. We are waiting to see how serious it is when the swelling goes down. That might take a couple more days. Once the swelling has gone down we can get a better idea of how serious the injury is.” The doctor explained everything to me. I was happy to hear it all explained in normal human talk and not some sophisticated mumbo jumbo only doctors understand. I liked this guy.

  “So what is with the memory loss doc? You had said she didn’t have any brain swelling or anything that concerned you as far as her head injury went.” My mystery guy asked. Why does he know so much about my situation I wonder?

  “It could just be that she is blocking the memories out as her way of coping with the accident. I am very confident that with time her memory will come back to her. It may be bits and pieces here and there but I expect her to make a full recovery.” They were talking as if I wasn’t here or as if I was still in a coma.

  “Thanks Doctor. I have already had a glimpse of a memory so I think you may be right about that.” Once the doctor was gone Dave excused himself and left me here with this man that I had no idea who he was. On the other hand, something about him made me feel like I had known him forever. Dave claimed that we needed some time to talk so he was going to go find a coffee and he would be back later.

  It didn’t slip my notice that when Dave left I felt no sense of cold or loneliness like I had when the other guy left earlier. Hmmm strange.

  “So I assume you are going to fill me in on who you are, how you know me and why you’re here. I am sorry that I don’t remember you. I get this funny feeling like I should know who you are.” Then I add, I can’t believe anyone could forget someone who is walking sex on a stick for my own personal thought.

  I hear him let out a burst of laughter and realize I said that last part out loud as well. I need to learn how to keep my thoughts to myself.

  I look up and see his eyes are filled with amusement and some of the tension from earlier has melted away.

  “Well to begin I am Dexter. We have been dating each other for the past two and a half months. I am here because I am madly in love with you and I care about you. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. I have only left your side to run to your place and shower. I have been here the whole time worried sick about you Courtney. It is breaking my heart that you can’t remember who I am right now. But I am a patient man and I have faith that you will remember who I am with due time.” He explains.

  So his name is Dexter. That suits him. A very sexy name for a sexy guy. We are in love? I don’t recall loving anyone other than Dave my whole life. I need to talk to Lillian she will be able to help me make sense of this confusion. That thought makes me wonder where she is. It’s not like her to not be glued to my side.

  “Where is Lillian?” Does this guy even know who Lillian is?

  “Lillian is upstairs on the maternity floor. She can’t wait for you to meet her little girl Lillian Faith. They are both getting discharged tomorrow and she will be down to see you then.” He looks at me sadly like he knows finding out my sister gave birth without me there hurts my heart.

  “I missed the birth of my first niece? Who was there for her I hope mom stepped in to fill my shoes. Wait a minute it’s too early for her to be born. Why has she had the baby already she still had several weeks to go?” This not remembering anything totally sucks.

  “Lillian has been in the hospital ever since the tornado. Rob was with her when Faith was born. You don’t remember the tornado at all either?” A tornado…. What the hell is talking about?

  I get another glimpse of something that must be a memory.

  We are taking cover under a bathroom sink. The kids are here and scared. A very pregnant Lillian sits beside me looking white as a ghost. I can hear screams and the building rumbling. Then silence takes over and we emerge from the ruble all around us into the ambulances. Lillian’s water breaking. Lillian in shock. Lillian’s contractions.

  That’s all I get. Still no memories of Dexter.

  “Did you remember something?” He asks hopefully.

  “I remember the tornado and being in the bathroom and then everything up until Lillian was taken to the maternity floor. Who is Rob?” I respond.

  “Any memories of me?” He asks hopefully.

  I just barely shake my head no and he looks crushed.

  That makes my heart hurt, and in that moment I pray for a memory of him to come. Just a tiny glimpse, anything to remind me how much this man apparently means to me.

  He just nods his head and walks back out the door. I am left with the feeling of emptiness and almost call out for him to come back. I am too tired to take in any more information. I lay my head down on the crinkly uncomfortable hospital pillow and fall into a fitful sleep.

  Chapter Four

  Dexter

  I had to leave her room to get some air. I couldn’t stand the fact that the love of my life doesn’t remember me. My heart is constricting in my chest. It feels like it could explode at any moment. She is starting to remember some things so that is a good sign. What if she never gets her memories of me back?

  No, I couldn’t think like that. Have faith. Have faith. Have faith.

  I had to keep repeating it over and over to myself. Faith has gotten us a long way the past two months and I have to believe it will get us through this tough time as well.

  She would remember me and I would make sure of it.

  How would I compete with her high school love though? He is back and she remembers him. What if she takes him back? I don’t know what I would do then. It destroys me to think about that. I need to think about something else anything else. She can’t choose him over me. What we feel when we are together has to be enough to overcome her high school love. He was her husband though or still is I guess. Doubt creeps into my mind and I try to push it back. I can’t lose her that is the bottom line. I will do whatever it takes. She is mine.

  I have been out in the garden in the hospital courtyard. It is beautiful out here. I realized I have just been out here staring at the flowers lost in my own mind for almost two hours and decide now is a good time to head back inside.

  When I get to Courtney’s room she is asleep. She is very fidgety and is murmuring things in her sleep. I gently cup her cheek in my hand and place a kiss on her head and stroke my thumb across her cheek bone and she calms instantly. It seems that we still have the same connection to each other even though she can’t remember me. I take her hand in mine and rest my head on top of our joined hands.

  I stay like that until she starts to stir awake. I look up at her and she blinks a few times like she is confused as to why I am here.

  “Hey baby girl. How are you feeling?” I ask her.

  “Hey… Ugh Dexter right?” Guess she still doesn’t remember who I am. I simply nod my head yes to acknowledge her. Scared that if I speak it will come out strangled over the lump in my throat from trying not to cry.

  “I am feeling okay. My back is a little sore but other than that I am good, just groggy. I had a question for you though.” She explains.

  “Sure ask away.”

  “Well you mentioned before that you knew why I was on the island. I wanted to ask you why that was? I am hoping that if I kno
w more about what happened maybe I can start getting all of my memory back.” Ah shit of all things she asks me it had to be that.

  How am I going to explain to her the reason she was on the island in the first place is all my fault even though I still have absolutely no Idea why she ran off like she did. Hopefully she gets her memory back and can fill me in on that tid bit of information.

  “Ugh… Well I am not sure of the exact reason. All I know is that we had decided to take our relationship to the next level… Ya know sexually. I wanted to make it special for you so I made reservations at a hotel to make it really romantic. Only we never made it to the sex part because when I surprised you with a hotel filled with rose petals and candles you bolted on me. You never gave me an explanation as to why it all upset you so much. You said you needed some time to think, that you loved me and you would talk when you got back to your house. You never made it back home that night and well here we are.”

  “So you let me take my boat out in the middle of the storm? Are you crazy? You should have stopped me.” Anger laces her voice. I shake my head.