Noah shoved both hands, palms out, into the back pockets of his jeans. 'I'm sure she'll cooperate once she's feeling better.' At least he was hopeful she'd share more information than she had earlier.
Forty minutes later, a doctor in green scrubs came out of the double doors separating the waiting room from the staff.
'Who here is a relative of Ms. Hastings?' he asked, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose as he glanced around at the people in the area.
Noah automatically stepped forward. 'I am.'
The lie slipped out with ease. He didn't know if she had any family in the area, and hadn't found anything in her purse to indicate so. He needed to know her status, wanted to make sure whatever threat she'd seen didn't make its way any closer to her. And the only way he could assure her safety was to appoint himself as her full-time bodyguard until this mess was straightened out. Which meant lying when necessary.
He shook the other man's hand. 'I'm her fiance,' he added, just for an extended measure of believability. He caught Melodie's big, rounded eyes and Cole's raised brow from behind the doctor, and ignored them both. 'How is Natalie?'
'She's in stable condition right now,' the other man said, clasping his hands in front of him. 'She has no life- threatening injuries but did suffer a concussion when her head hit the ground. She's regained consciousness a few times, so that's a good sign.'
A huge blanket of worry lifted from Noah's shoulders. 'So she's going to be okay?'
'Physically, she'll be sore and bruised for a few days, but she'll recover just fine,' the doctor reassured him. 'Emotionally and mentally, though, we're a bit concerned. We ran tests and X rays and did an MRI just to be sure we ruled out anything serious, but it does appear that she's suffering some memory loss. She only remembers bits and pieces leading up to the accident, and it's apparent that part of her memory is blocked.'
'Are you saying she has amnesia?' he asked incredulously.
'The technical term is 'retrograde amnesia,'' the doctor clarified. 'It's quite common with people who have sustained head injuries, or have suffered from something traumatic leading up to an accident.'
That certainly qualified in Natalie's case. Noah glanced in disbelief at the trio listening in on the conversation, then back to the calm, patient doctor standing in front of him. 'So, how long does this amnesia last?'
'It can last anywhere from hours, to days, to weeks. The amnesia in this case is very selective, and there is usually a full recovery in time. We'll be keeping her overnight for further observation, but I do suggest that once she's discharged from the hospital she isn't left alone until she's feeling confident about her surroundings and the people in her life.'
'That's not a problem,' Noah said abruptly, and wove another lie to keep her safe from potential harm. 'We live together.'
'Very good, then.' The doctor smiled pleasantly. 'When you see her, don't pressure her to remember things, because that can cause her more stress and can possibly suppress her memories deeper. Just let her remember things as they come to her, and in her own time.'
'Can I see her?' he asked hopefully.
'She's resting right now-'
'I swear I won't bother her,' he interrupted quickly, desperately. 'I just need to see for myself that she's okay.'
The older man glanced around the waiting room, his gaze briefly settling on Bobby, Cole and Melodie. 'Are there any other family members here?'
'No, her family doesn't live in the area.' The fibs kept getting easier and easier to fabricate, and he was grateful that nobody interfered.
The doctor hesitated a moment, then gave a succinct nod of his head. 'That's fine. In fact, I can have one of the nurses bring in a cot to her room for you if you'd like to stay the night. That way, she can wake up to a familiar face.'
'That would be great.' He shook the other man's hand again, appreciating the opportunity to be close to her. 'Thank you.'
After issuing goodbyes to his brother, Melodie and Bobby, and promising to let them all know what he found out when he was able to question Natalie, he followed a nurse to Natalie's private room.
'I'll be back with a cot and extra blankets for you,' the nurse said, then left him alone with Natalie.
He stepped inside the small hospital room, his eyes instantly drawn to the sleeping form on the bed. A lightweight blanket covered her up to her chest, and she was still hooked to an IV. The soft blip of a unit monitoring her heart and breathing told him that she was, indeed, stabilized. The color was back in her face, and a butterfly bandage covered the cut on her cheek, which hadn't required stitches, thank goodness.
The awful tightness he'd been experiencing in his chest since the accident finally eased. Pulling a chair close to her bedside, he sat down, leaned forward and placed his hand over Natalie's, just to have some kind of connection to her.
His fingers felt the pulse in her wrist, and he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest and the fluttering of her eyelids as she dreamed. Her lips were parted slightly, and remembering their kiss, he was determined that their next one would be much softer, much sweeter, with nothing but desire and mutual hunger between them.
His cot was delivered, along with some water for him to drink. Nurses periodically came into the room to check on her, and he made it clear that he wasn't going to leave Natalie's side until she awakened.
And as the minutes ticked by, one concern preyed heavily on his mind. Would she even remember him when she woke up?
Her throat felt parched and she was so thirsty.
Natalie pulled herself from her deep, dreamless sleep and pried her eyes open. She blinked, focusing on her surroundings, recalling with a startling jolt that she'd been in an accident and was in the hospital. She shivered as she caught sight of the equipment and wires hooked up to her sore, aching body, and inhaled an antiseptic scent that tickled her nose. The back of her skull hurt, too, and she had a headache to match.
She glanced at the clock on the wall in front of her and saw it was six-thirty-in the morning, she assumed.
She closed her eyes again, this time trying to recall any small detail of being hit by a car, but all she remembered was gaining consciousness in the hospital after the fact and wondering what the heck was going on. Last night she'd felt so bewildered and confused, and her head had felt as though something had stampeded through her brain. Exhaustion had finally claimed her, which had been a blessed relief since she hadn't been able to make sense of anything.
It seemed a good night's rest hadn't made any difference, and she couldn't stop the niggling sense of unease that trickled through her. Before her anxiety could spring into full-blown panic, she calmed herself with the knowledge that she'd been through a traumatic accident and the certainty that things would become clearer as the day progressed.
A soft, snoring sound pulled her from her disturbing thoughts. With a frown, she turned her head, glanced down and found a man slumped forward in a chair at the side of her bed, his dark head and brawny arms resting on the mattress near her hip.
Another snuffling sound escaped him, and she smiled, recognizing that tousled sable hair and the strong, gorgeous profile as Noah's. It appeared he'd fallen asleep while watching over her, and the caring gesture warmed her deep inside.
A brief recollection flashed inside her head, of Noah's lips on hers and a wild, deep kiss unlike anything she'd ever indulged in. She
Stretching her arm out, she gently threaded her fingers through his hair, the thick strands cool and silky to the touch. She caressed her hand along the dark, bristly whiskers on his cheek and jaw, trying to recall if she'd ever been abraded by that sexy morning stubble. His lips were parted and looked so warm and soft. So inviting. She couldn't resist testing the feel of them for herself, and she wasn't disappointed in the silky, seductive texture her fingertips encountered.
His lashes drifted open as he gradually awakened, his dark blue eyes at first unfocused. God, he was so sinfully
