Thank you everyone who reviewed this story, I'm having a lot of fun writing it.
"So all it took was him saying a single word and it all came back?" Mary's doctor asked for the fifth time. Marshall could hear the skepticism and could see Mary's growing frustration at the repetition. After Mary's memory had returned, Jinx had burst into the room, delighted that her daughter was better and kissing Mary's head several times while clutching her hand. If that hadn't left Mary shell-shocked, the fact that Jinx went up to Raphael and slapped him was enough to stun the entire room.
Marshall had put himself immediately between the drunk Dominican and the women not liking the rage he saw sparking. Jinx had been impressive and, not that he would tell his partner, he finally saw some of Mary's fierceness in her mother. Raphael's anger had turned toward Marshall and he'd begun yelling in Spanish at the top of his lungs, fully alerting the hospital staff to his presence. He'd taken a swing and missed, Marshall only having to lean back to avoid the poorly aimed punch. He used the man's stumbling momentum to twist his arms behind his back and pin him to the wall while they waited for security.
Raphael Ramirez was now enjoying the hospitality of the ABQ jail and Marshall couldn't think of a better place for him. What kind of an idiot cheated on a woman like Mary not once, but twice? And those were the one's Mary knew about. Women like Mary were rare and should be treated with nothing but the deepest respect. You might lose a limb otherwise.
Mary had rapidly fallen asleep again after the adrenaline quit her system and Marshall resumed his dozing vigil in the chair next to her, their fingers intertwined. Too few hours later, the doctor decided to put Mary through very repetitive inquisition. One that Mary had just declared over with the mulish expression on her face.
"For the last time, yes. He used that damned endearment, which he only uses when he's horny, and the memories were just there. Should I describe how not fun it is to go from disoriented to seriously pissed off in less than two seconds? How about how the most prominent thing I remembered was watching a man who swears that he loves me screwing someone else in the pool that I paid for?" Mary snapped at the doctor. Marshall could see the rage coming off her in waves and knew that the anger wasn't good for her. Part of him was tickled that she was more upset about the fact that it had happened on her property than that it had happened. Hey, he wasn't a saint and the less actual heartbreak she was suffering over Raphael was the happier he could be about the demise of the engagement. He was still riding the slight high from her saying he was the only person she could think of when she was told she had a fiancé. He'd give her a few weeks before he pushed, but he would definitely push.
"And you remember everything about him now?" the doctor moved on and Marshall finally gave in to his own annoyance. Anything to end this for Mary.
"You don't question people a lot, do you?" he asked as he took a step forward to remind the doctor of his presence.
"I ask people questions all day," the doctor snorted.
"But do you actually listen to their responses? Do you study their faces, their body language? Do you do anything but look at the piece of paper in front of you as you make your patients feel like a statistic?" Marshall growled. "If you looked at Mary once, or hell, the machines monitoring her, you would notice that you have managed to elevate her blood pressure by your repetition. Even I know that isn't a good thing."
"I'm… I'm sorry officer but the singular nature of Miss…" the doctor began.
"Marshal," Marshall corrected. "I'm not officer Mann. I'm Marshal Mann and she is Marshal Shannon."
"Of course Marshal," the doctor said and Marshall took satisfaction in watching the color drain from the man's face. "I was trying to explain that the singular nature of Marshal Shannon's amnesia is highly improbable."
"I disagree," Marshall said, casting a glance at Mary and taking note that her blood pressure was going down as he took the doctor to task. Maybe he could convince her to be hooked up to one of those all the time. It would be a nifty way to tell when she was about to blow her top. It would get in the way of pursuits though. "I think that Marshal Shannon had an emotional trauma that she was unable to deal with before being subjected to severe physical trauma. I believe that her subconscious suppressed the emotional trauma to allow her to recover from the physical."
"But Miss… I mean Marshal Shannon had no difficulty recalling the precise circumstances of the physical trauma," the doctor reminded Marshall. As if Marshall needed to be reminded that his partner had been shot. That he hadn't been there to back her up. That he had failed to protect her.
"Marshal Shannon," Mary growled from the bed. "Is a highly trained law enforcement officer who is used to having to recall minute details that occur during volatile situations. Nitwit."
The doctor stuttered a few platitudes, checked Mary's vitals and got out of the room as fast as he could. Mary noticed her partner's serious expression and decided he needed a laugh. If he got too far into his head, he'd find a way to make the entire situation his fault and get mired in his guilt. "Did you notice that brilliant yellow streak?" she asked, leaning back into the pillows as she began to feel sleepy.
"Should I get the doctor back?" Marshall asked, immediately concerned that her vision had been affected somehow.
"Why? Did you want to examine that streak on his back up close?" Marshall chuckled as her joke clicked. "Seriously, you would think he wanted me to admit that I had faked not remembering winky-dick," she added with a yawn.
Marshall threw his head back and laughed. He wasn't going to be able to look at Raphael without hearing her say 'winky-dink' ever again. He knew what Mary's game was and was grateful. It may seem like he took care of Mary but she had her ways of ensuring he was taken care of too. He settled back into his chair as Mary's eyes fluttered closed again. Her hand edged toward the side of the bed and his was immediately there to hold it.
I look forward to your thoughts.