His cheekbone already glowed red and his eye puffed up. I’d hit him hard. I stopped fighting. “Make them stop, please.” Surrendering took some of the pressure off my head and I collapsed back into the bed.
Remy went to the doctor, helping her off the floor. “I’m sorry, Dr. Parsons. Shara’s not a violent person, really.”
The young doctor’s face turned pink as Remy gushed over her, no doubt batting his eyelashes at her, however innocently. “No, no, I’m more to blame. Disoriented patients sometimes lash out.”
Still gripping his arm for support, she came back to stand beside me, transferring her grip to the rails. “You can’t remove the headgear. The CIR is hardwired into your brain. Tearing it off will cause permanent brain damage.”
I listened to Dr. Parsons, but watched as Remy picked up the restraint I’d ripped my arm out of. He held it open, staring at me hard. No attempt to seduce me into compliance.
She sighed in relief as I laid my arm back into the restraint and let him close it tight, shortening the lead. “I promise, when we get this resolved, I’ll take the CIR off.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“I’ve been hit harder. It’s a hazard in the ED.” Her smile faded. “Now, back to what triggered this. I asked if something happened on TDY and you said no, but the readings indicate otherwise. Think of the CIR as a type of lie detector.”
She saw me tense and held her hand up between us. “I’m not calling you a liar; I’m saying something happened you can’t remember. Our scans don’t indicate any recent injuries, but something was traumatic enough to cause this.”
She looked up at Remy. “Have you gotten hold of her commander yet?”
“I left several messages, but I’ll try again.”
He started to pull his hand from mine, but I clutched it tighter. “Don’t leave me.”
Dr. Parsons leaned closer. “I have to run more tests. Since your friend’s story triggered this maybe she can help.” She glanced to where Lizzy stood on the other side of the window. “I want to map the extent of memory loss.”
Now Remy switched on his seduction side, giving me his ‘you want to do what I want’ smile. “She knows things I don’t, like ASU.” He waved Lizzy into the room.
This was a sucky way to spend my leave. Remy went off with his phone, while Lizzy went with me to the Neurology Lab.
Hooked up to an even bigger scanner and more drugs, I listened to Lizzy tell stories of our childhood exploits. My job was to tap the sensor under my hand if the story deviated from what I remembered.
Lizzy was a great story teller. She made a fortune at it, but it wasn’t long before my whole arm trembled from tapping at the sensor. Last night I’d asked why she changed the story, but now I knew I’d forgotten more than one detail. I’d forgotten pieces of us, of me.
I turned my head to the glass-enclosed room Dr. Parsons sat inside. She looked as unhappy as I felt. “Thank you, Lizzy.” She forced another fake smile. “I wasn’t aware you were Dizzi Lizzi. My daughter loves your books. So Shara, I guess you’re Darin’ Sharan.”
“You’re not sounding much the fan.” Lizzy smiled slyly.
“I want my daughter free-spirited, but I’d also like her to make it to high school.” Dr. Parsons’ smile remained fixed. “Plus, she’d freak out if she found out either of you were here, particularly you, Mrs. Batista. She wants to be you. No offense… Lizzy.”
“De nada. I hear it all the time.” Her wicked smile only got bigger. “I wouldn’t count on the adventures getting any better by high school.”
“Gee, thanks.” Dr. Parsons looked down at her control panels. “Well, Mrs. Batista. I’m sure you’re ready to move on, so let’s get back to questions. She barely paused to take a breath or let me focus. “You’re not really just a biologist, are you?”
“Of course I…am.” My finger pressed the sensor.
“What happened on your last mission?”
“Nothi…ng!” My fingers twitched on the sensor. I tried to jerk my hand away, but the restraints limited my reflexes. “Nothing happened!” My head thumped along with my hand.
“Okay, clearly something did, something major. Not knowing the real facts, we’ll see what your husband comes back with. Then we’ll see what’s…”
“Shara… Doctor, get in here, now! Shara, don’t…” Lizzy stood over me, her voice lost as again something violently ripped my head apart. I couldn’t even scream this time.
CHAPTER THREE
“Venden zapatos para los angelitos. Que andan descalzos. Duermete nino, Duermete nino…” I knew it was Lizzy. She couldn’t sing. The song was bittersweet. Lizzy’s mom sang it to me often after my mother died, again after my father joined her. “Duermete nino, Arru…” She stopped singing and called out for Remy, but then I heard a muffled mumbling.
I managed to open my eyes, expecting Dr. Parsons or the nurses, or Remy, but instead I was surrounded by strangers. Beyond them a man held Lizzy, one hand over her mouth.
“No! Let her go!” I squirmed in my bed, but restraints still held me down.
“Sir, she’s awake!”
A man leaned over me. “Great, but keep her restrained.” His eyes followed mine. Lizzy went limp in the soldier’s arms. “We won’t hurt your friend.”
That second Remy walked in, tapping at his comm. “Lizzy, it works better if you answer.” He looked up to see men around me and Lizzy crumpled like a ragdoll. “What the hell…?” Remy was grabbed and gagged, before he could put up a fight.
The man over me waved his arms. “Can anyone lock a damned door?” He rolled his eyes before focusing on me again. “Colonel Kazan!”
Why was he calling me colonel… or by my maiden name?
“We’ll figure this out, Kazan.” Maybe he read my confusion. He glanced at Remy out of the corner of his eye. “Right now
