CH 4

Saga sat on her hospital bed on Monday afternoon, dressed in her new cardigan and jeans, when Henrik entered. She waved the release paper in her left hand.
"I'm free, we can leave."
"You're wearing glasses!"
"They gave me a temporary pair because my right eye is a little blurred."
Henrik noticed the basic black frame and the earcups a little too long for Saga's ears.
"We'll buy a proper pair at home."
"I've packed up my things."
She pointed at her small brown travel bag.
Henrik draped the green coat over her shoulder - too narrow the sleeve for the cast – took the bag and lead Saga outside the building to his car.
"Can we go see my car?"
"Yes, if you don't mind staying in my hotel tonight, I prefer not to drive in the dark."
The mechanic who had collected the Porsche from the motorway was sad for the 911S.
"A real pity. It was a great car . And you've been lucky to be quite unscathed."
He lead Saga and Henrik to the back area where the carcasses were stored.
Henrik felt sick when he saw the remains of the hunter green car, unrecognizable. The photos were nothing compared to the reality in front of his eyes.
The hood was reduced to a unformed piece of metal, the cockpit still visible, all glasses gone.
Saga stared in silent at her old beloved car, she took off her phone and scrolled to the selfie she took with it outside the Porsche museum.
A click. The last photo of her car.
"The insurance company has already called here and we have sent them the photos and our report. I need to know what do you want to do with it."
Saga knew when a car was too damaged to be saved.
Demolition, she whispered, then she turned to Henrik to prompt him to leave.
The mechanic gave Saga a large plastic bag with the books he was able to get from the car.
"Some were too greasy to be saved. This other bag was behind your seat. It's quite intact."
In Henrik's car, Saga took off the gift boxes from the Wien chocolate shop bag, one by one.
"I bought chocolate and I wrote names. You, Astrid and Lillian. If I hadn't, now I'd never know for whom they are. John is related to work according to my phone. Two lost the tag."
She hold the smallest packet in her hand like she was weighting it.
"Want one?"
"Yes, thanks."
She freed the chocolate from the cover and ordered Henrik to open his mouth.
He turned to see what she was offering him.
"Mozart's balls. Look at the road!"
"What?"
"The traditional Austrian bonbon. It's big, don't choke, chew it."
He savoured the taste of marzipan, chocolate and nougat, she ate hers, feed him again and soon the box was empty.
"Is there a restaurant in the hotel?
"Are you hungry?"
"Hospital food was horrible. Three bonbons each are a starter."
"I ate in the hotel restaurant, I was too tired to go out. It opens in around two hours, you can rest before dinner."
Henrik had a double room, the hotel was in partial renovation and the single rooms available were claustrophobic, so the hotel manager upgraded him for free. Saga looked at the large bed.
"Do you want a single room?"
"No, we sleep together at home and there is no need to change it. And I don't want to be alone tonight for my arm."
The hotel furniture were in 80 style, the room modest but clean, a choice for business travellers with low budget and truckers, according to the huge parking area dedicated to them.
Saga sat on the right side of the bed and Henrik looked at her with curiosity.
"What's wrong?"
"I use the left side."
"I know."
"You remembered it?" She shook her head.
"It was a fifty fifty, but I was sure."
"Maybe it's a beginning of recollection."
The restaurant served abundant portions of typical German food, Saga went for wurstel and potatoes, Henrik choose a trout with vegetables.
They retired for the night early, Henrik set the alarm clock at 6 in the morning when Saga called him from the bathroom, asking help to take off the shirt.
"The nurse helped me this morning. I want to freshen me up."
"A shower?"
"The cast is no water proof, I can take a bath keeping it out of water."
"Leave the door open and call me for help."
"To stand up. And you pass me the towel."
Saga relaxed in the tub, the hotel bath soap had a cheap smell and she took Henrik's from his bag on the shelf. Pine, his scent. She closed her eyes. Sandal, his after shave. A flash. A bathroom cabinet full of toeletries she liked to try.
Taste and smell, her main allies in trying to remember things.
Henrik answered her call with a warm towel he had placed on the bathroom heater, the sensation was pleasant and Saga wrapped it around her torso. Her man was a caring person.
Henrik noticed she hadn't hide her nakedness while he supported her body in leaving the tub, keeping his hands under her armpits for leverage. This was an aspect of the old Saga he remembered well.
She entered the bed still with the towel on.
"Are you going to sleep with that?"
Saga stopped and looked perplexed. Was uncommon to wear a towel in bed?
"I don't have a clean t shirt for the cast."
"One of mine is still clean. It's larger."
The soft cotton was better than the towel and the sensation to be surrounded by his scent felt like a protection.
Henrik went to the bathroom and when he was back Saga was sleeping; he carefully slide into the bed, pulling the covers over Saga and turning on his right side to protect her sleep.
At breakfast Henrik had to talk about the domestic arrangements.
Saga already knew she had given up her apartment.
Her wounds, the cast, the impossibility to drive for a few weeks were elements a supporting her staying at his house until her health would improve.
He poured two glasses of orange juice and sat at their table.
"Would you stay with me and Astrid? You can't drive for now."
"It's a good idea. Astrid will accept me? Does she know I've got amnesia?"
She was afraid, Henrik read her facial expressions and felt better for having asked. He thought it was implicit, but with the old Saga he had learned at a very high price the necessity to explain things and feelings in detail.
"I'm sure she will. She wants to meet you and I talked with her about your problem."

On the way home Henrik and Saga stopped at his parents' to collect Astrid.
A few days in the countryside did Astrid good, she made walks with her grandfather, young cousins and dogs, keeping a pace she could maintain. Her father learned from grandma his kitchen skills and Astrid was offered the best selection of food Margrethe Sabroe could cook. She was outside the house with her art pad when the Peugeot approached the entrance path.
Saga saw the girl of the photos waving her hand and shouting at them.
"I'm nervous." she whispered leaving the car.
"Don't worry, you barely know each other. And you never met my parents, so there's nothing to remember this time."
Astrid throw herself in her father's arms and asked if he had a gift. He laughed, of course he had thought about her.
He added Saga had also presents, yummy presents for everyone.
"I can walk better, look! I went out with grandpa every day. Grandma, dad is here, come out!"
Astrid moved around the yard and Henrik smiled approving.
Saga observed a tall man with grey hair and a woman with a blue apron walking down the front stairs.
Astrid stopped in front of Saga.
"Hallo, I'm Astrid."
"Saga Noren." She answered.
"You're the one who shoot, aren't you? He hadn't time to see the bullet."
"Astrid please, not now."
"Dad, I just wanted to ask Saga about her precision."
"You'll have all the time you want to talk with Saga and at 18 you two can go to the polygon together. Saga left hospital yesterday, let her breathe."
"Sorry, Saga. How's your arm?"
"Better."
The old Sabroes and Saga shook hands.
Henrik's mother had prepared hot drinks and snacks, after a long travel it was good to eat and sit on a soft couch. Saga offered the other chocolate box without name on it, it was pointless to keep it if she had no idea who the receiver had to be. Henrik's mother - call me Margrethe, please – tried to make them stay for the night, but Henrik looked at Saga and politely refused. They had still an hour of driving and he wanted to help Saga making herself at ease, plus Astrid had to see the therapist the following afternoon.
Saga read disappointment in the old woman face and took note to discuss with Henrik a future visit to his parents.

Astrid was happy to be back home, she put her travel bag on a chair, took of her colours and drawings and called her old friend Kristin from the school, now living a few blocks away.
Saga scanned the house and headed for the main bedroom, Henrik wanted to see if she recognized something. He passed twice along the corridor with the excuse to set new towels in the bathroom..
Her bag was on the bed and she was storing the few clothes in the same drawer she used after prison. It was nothing, all top drawers were empty, since he stored away Alice's things, so it was a pure chance she used the same. Probably is was handy for her.
Henrik picked up her books from the various places in the living room, offered them to Saga who looked at every title and piled them in order on the small table in front of the television.
She asked Henrik if it was a correct statement she liked to read a lot.
He nodded, adding the books he had at home were only a small part of her belongings.
Henrik busied himself with a two course meal, heating a bowl of fresh vegetable soup his mother gave him and cooking fried pork slices, easy to prepare; he had time to see what was happening around him.
Saga approached him tentatively and asked if she could do something. The table setting, if she liked, Henrik proposed. She started randomly opening cupboards and drawers looking for cutlery and glasses; Henrik sighed, but he had to admit she never before offered him help in the kitchen and when he cooked she was often reading.
Saga leaned on the fire island and observed Astrid doing stretching exercises; she has noticed her limping.
"What happened to her leg?"
"She was shot."
"And?"
"Do you want to know? I've stopped her at my parents' when she talked about it."
"Yes."
Henrik prompted Saga to move closer to the sink, where Astrid couldn't see them and in a low and tense voice started explaining the day the suspect, Kevin – Brian, sorry – rang his bell pretending friendship and ten minutes later had Henrik tied up and Astrid bound to a chair.
Without the courage to make questions, Saga leaned into the sink to support her weight, slowly getting closer to Henrik.
Her eyes were full open in disbelief and she nervously took a lip between her teeth.
Henrik paused, checked her reaction, he could stop any time, she wanted him to go on.
When Brian shoot Astrid in the leg, Henrik felt his own leg took the bullet, so strong was the anguish he felt.
His voice became a whisper, he'd decided if Brian killed his daughter he'd killed Brian or die in the attempt. Life wasn't worth living without his only surviving child.
"After Anna, it would be too much."
"Who's Anna?"
"My younger daughter. They were abducted for a long time by a man who let Anna die of untreated appendicitis."
"The older survived, the younger died. Like me."
Henrik nodded, too absorbed in the recollection to realize Saga quoted her own past.
He concluded with her perfect shot that pierced Brian's head.
"All happened here?"
"In this room, I've cleaned it, for days traces of blood made the water cloth pink."
"I've killed a man. What if I wanted to forget that or other things?"
"You killed a man on duty to save my daughter. I think you need to call your Malmo therapist, the one you consulted before leaving for your journey."