"Don't joke like that, handsome. Simon had to take a lot of stitches in that hard head of yours." Doralice was still smiling as she gently chastised him.
"Let's try somethin'. . . different. Where am . . . I?"
"You should know what this place looks like by now. You're in Simon's exam room."
"Who's Simon?"
"That's enough, Bart. It isn't funny anymore," Doralice insisted, becoming mildly disturbed by his kidding around.
That's when Simon interrupted her. "Doralice, I'm not sure he's kidding." He turned his attention to the injured man. "Do you know your name?"
"Sure . . . it's . . . uh, it's . . . um . . ."
"Do you know anything else you can tell us? Where you live, where you're from, what you do for a living?"
"I . . . uh . . . just . . . I can't . . . where am I?" There was anger and frustration in the brown eyes as he pleaded for any kind of an answer to his question. He tried to roll sideways and the pain in the back of his head stopped him. He shifted his gaze from Simon back to Doralice. "What happened to me? Why do I hurt? It feels like . . . somebody bashed my head in."
She still had hold of his hand, but now there were tears standing in her eyes. "They did – or they tried to. You were hit from behind . . . twice. Simon took sixteen stitches between the two cuts. Simon is the doctor."
"Robbery or orneriness?"
"Robbery."
"Why? What did I have that somebody else wanted? WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER?"
Doralice reached up and brushed the hair from his eyes. "Shhhh. Yelling won't do you any good. I can't give you an answer."
"Then who can?" He turned his head back towards Simon. "Doctor? What happened to me? Why am I here? When am I gonna know who I am?"
"You took two good blows to the head. It's not unusual for you to be confused and not fully aware of what your name is or where you live. It should come back to you."
"Sooner or later?" The injured man asked, almost frantic.
"I've no way of knowing. It could happen in five minutes; it could be days before it comes back to you."
His eyes were hard, but his voice grew softer. Once more he turned towards the woman at his side. "And who are you?"
"Um . . . I'm Doralice."
"Just Doralice?"
She hesitated a moment before answering. "Doralice Maverick." She'd expected some kind of a reaction from him, but the only thing she got was a grim smile. She was beginning to think Simon was correct, and he really didn't know who he was. She swallowed and waited for the next question.
"And what's my name?"
"Uh . . . Bart. Your name is Bart."
"I must have a last name. What is it?"
"Maverick," she squeaked out. "Bart Maverick."
His lips were pursed in a hard line. "Sister?"
She shook her head. "Wife."
"Wife?"
"Wife."
He paused and took a breath; it sounded like he was trying to rein in his anger and frustration. "And what do I do until my memory comes back?"
Simon said nothing, and the answer he got from Doralice was not the one he was expecting. "Come home . . . with me."
XXXXXXXX
It was afternoon before Simon would release his patient. Doralice went home and explained to Lily Mae what had happened; they put their heads together and rearranged bedrooms until they had a place to put the amnesiac. Doralice had to explain to the twins and Beauregard what they were facing, and just why daddy wasn't daddy right now.
"But where did daddy go?" Maudie asked for the third time.
"He didn't go anywhere, Maudie, he's still there. It's just that he doesn't remember anything right now."
"Because he was hurt," Belle stated. She seemed to understand it better than her sister.
"That's right. A bad man hit him and stole his money, and his head got all jumbled around."
"But how could he not remember us?" Maudie just couldn't fathom what her mother was trying to explain to her. "He will when he sees us."
"You can't run to greet him like you normally do. You have to be quiet and polite, and be nice to him. Don't get mad if he doesn't remember things. And don't forget, he's still hurt. Doc Petry had to take lots of stitches in the back of his head, and it's sore. If you've got questions, come ask me or Lily Mae."
Finally, closer to suppertime than lunchtime, the sheriff and the doctor arrived, walking slowly and keeping Bart upright between them. Lily Mae made sure that the children were in the girls' bedroom, occupied with their latest game. Dave and Simon got Bart into the room the ladies had prepared for him, got him out of his clothes and into bed.
Doralice met Parker right outside the bedroom door. "He really don't remember, Doralice. He's got no clue about you or the kids or Maude's. You be real careful and send for me if you need anything. I went down to the saloon and your mother was there – I told her everything and she's gonna take over for right now. And I'll do what I can to find whoever attacked him."
"Thanks, Dave. I have the feelin' I'm gonna need all the help I can get."
The sheriff tipped his hat and left; Simon took his place. "He should sleep for a good while . . . I gave him laudanum for the pain. Here's the rest of the bottle. Make sure he takes it. Those wounds have to be painful."
"What about his loss of memory, Simon? Will it all come back to him? I need my husband back."
"I'm sure it will, Doralice. I just can't tell you when. Don't push him; it won't do anything but frustrate him when he can't meet your expectations. Did you talk to the kids?"
"I tried. I'm sure Beau doesn't understand, and Maudie believes her daddy's memory will come back as soon as he sees them. Belle just accepted it without question. I have no idea what's gonna happen, Simon."
"One step at a time, Doralice. I'll come by tomorrow night and check on the stitches. Keep him in bed through then, give those stitches a chance to take hold. He doesn't need to break them open and start the bleeding all over again." He paused and gave her a stern look. "You sure you want to do it this way?"
Doralice shook her head; unnoticed tears stood in her eyes. "What else am I gonna do, Simon? Send him to the hotel? Put him out on the street? He's still Bart Maverick, whether he remembers it or not, and he's my husband and the father of our children. I have to take care of him."
The doctor let out a long sigh. "Yes, I know you do. Still, watch your back. Whoever robbed him and did this to him is still out there."
"Let's just hope they got what they were after and won't be back."