Disclaimer: JE's Characters—My Version
Author's Note: Okay I know I said "Until The End" would be the next one I updated—BUT I am so stuck on this story. So you'll just have to hang in there a little longer for it : ) Anyways—this chapter may be a bit intense/emotional. So while I don't think there will be any big teary moments I am still issuing a tissue warning—to be safe. As always I hope you enjoy and review : )
Chapter Three:
"Baby?" Tyler's voice prodded me awake. My eyes fluttered open to see sun streaming in and Ty dressed and ready for work. He leaned over me his lips brushing the top of my head.
"Hmm?" Was all I managed to get out.
"I have to go into the office today with Vinny on vacation, are you going to be alright?" I know he was referring to last night and I honestly didn't know if I was going to be or not. But I had plans for the day that didn't involve my boyfriend around for it.
"Oh yeah, I'll be fine. You go in and I'll see you when you get home."
"Why don't we grab some take out and watch a couple movies tonight?" I gave him a smile and nodded.
"That sounds great."
"Good, I love you." He gave me a kiss on my lips before leaving.
I laid in bed a few minutes before starting my day. I threw on a pair of jeans and a fitted T-shirt before straightening my hair that regained its curl from the shower last night. Then I opened my laptop and did a search in the area of popular hotels. On a notepad I made a list of the 5 top ones I found and proceeded to all one after the other. The question I asked was the same each time and so was the answer.
"Do you have a Joseph Morelli staying there?"
"No ma'am, I'm sorry—no one by that name."
My hope was dwindling with every rejection I received. The last place I dialed I crossed my fingers.
"Hyatt Regency resort and spa, this is Cammie, how may I help you?"
"Yes hello Cammie, I'm calling to see if you have a Joseph Morelli staying with you."
"It is company policy to ask who is calling before transferring the call. May I please have your name?"
"Oh yes I understand. This is his wife he's there on business and left a note where he was staying but clumsy me I spilt my coffee on it and the name smudged."
"Of course Mrs. Morelli, hold on one moment let me check our guest records." Mrs. Morelli—the name sat with me and although it was the name I took as my own hearing it together with his felt—personal. What was more bizarre was the way I felt my own personal glow at the thought.
"He is staying with us Mrs. Morelli if you just will hold one more second I will try to patch you through to his room."
"Fantastic." My heart was pounding; what was I even going to say to the man that knew me better than I knew myself?
"There was no answer in the room; would you like to leave a message?" I felt my hopes sink again.
"Oh that's fine I'll just try him again later. Thank you very much, Cammie."
"Not a problem."
I threw my phone down on the couch with the irritation I felt. It took everything in me not to grab my keys and go searching the town for this man. I found myself wondering why this was so crucial to find him. The answer though was obvious; there were questions I needed answered, questions I've wondered since my eyes opened—and this man had the answers.
In the kitchen I grabbed out a bottle of water and walked to my favorite spot at the windows. My head rested against the glass; I felt defeated in my search and knew I'd have to fight all restraints not to call the Hyatt every hour on the hour until he returned.
Knock, knock, knock…
My head whipped around towards the front door—I wasn't expecting anyone and Ty always told me if I needed to expect someone to stop by for the cable or whatever. The knocking came again; louder and more persistent than the first round.
"Coming!" I called out and ran to the door. I threw it open and my mouth dropped. Standing there in a black shirt his leather jacket in place and another pair of nice fitting jeans was Joseph Morelli. The bags under his eyes made me wonder if this man ever slept. He ran his hand through his tousled hair; I found myself mesmerized by his every movement.
"Please don't kick me out. I need to talk to you and if you don't want to talk in your home that's fine. But I'm not leaving until you hear me out."
"You can come in; I have something I'd like to show you." I thought of telling him how I was searching for him and wanted nothing more than to be near him but I held my tongue.
"Thank you." I stepped aside for him to answer. His eyes spread wide with amazement at the view as he took in the rest of Tyler's apartment.
"It's beautiful, huh?" I asked; I needed to know what he was thinking. I craved the knowledge of what was going through his mom. Joe turned to face me; his eyes softened.
"It can't compete when you're standing next to it. I like the hair by the way, although I loved your curls." My face screwed up into revulsion.
"How could you love those—they're awful!" The fact that he knew about my curly hair didn't strike me as odd.
Joe shrugged; a hint of a smile touched his lips. "It's the way I've always known you, Steph. I never would have changed a thing about you—even when you were getting under my skin like no one else." He let out a soft laugh at the memory.
A knot settled in my throat. All these memories he has with me and I can't remember a single one. I cleared my throat to speak up.
"Why don't you take a seat while I grab something. Can I grab you something to drink?"
"No, I'm alright. Nice place by the way."
"Oh thanks, it's my bo…Tyler. It's Tyler's place."
"Is that the guy that pulled you away from me last night?" There was a deeper meaning behind the obvious that I didn't fail to catch.
"Yes." I said; he nodded, saying nothing in response. My eyes watched as he moved to sit on the couch. I could have stared at him all day but I forced myself away from him.
In Ty's office was a file cabinet loaded with numerous different files. Stuff about the apartment, insurance, his business but the one I was looking for was in a separate drawer—my medical records. I pulled it out and scanned over Dr. Gillen's notes on the first page explaining my situation and the immediate effects. Joe deserved to know why I didn't share his same enthusiasm for our chance meeting.
He was still sitting on the couch when I returned but his jacket was off and the sight of his muscles on his arms made my heart rate accelerate. Be still my heart.
"Uh… by the way, how'd you find me?"
Joe shrugged as if the answer should be expected. "I'm a cop, Steph, I know the area you're staying in and the name you're losing—it didn't take long after that."
"Looks like it took all night." I said; referring to the lack of sleep he seemed to have gotten last night.
"Nope, the rough night wasn't from trying to find your address."
"Oh." Obviously this gorgeous man would have taken someone to his hotel from the bar. Joe quickly shook his head with a disgusted look on his face, as if reading my thoughts.
I watched him stand and cross the room towards me; his hands gently grabbed hold of my shoulders.
"Stephanie, I thought you were dead. I see you again for the first time after accepting the facts. My mind was racing with thoughts of you, sleep wasn't about to happen." My skin tingled with his touch. My breath faltered. Change the subject! Change the subject, Steph!
"Um, here." I held up my thick manila envelope between us. His eyes searched mine looking for an answer before taking it.
"What do we have here?" Joe walked back to the couch and I followed; sitting in a chair across the room.
"Those are my medical records." He studied me with the smoky brown eyes that I saw all night in my dreams.
Joe's strong hands flipped back the folder and his eyes carefully scanned the first page. The one indicating my severe head trauma and 6-month long coma followed by waking up with no memory what-so-ever. He read that page and paused before flipping to the next. Each page tracked my progress during my coma including Dr. Gillen's personal notes throughout the coma. Followed by multiple brain x-rays and many other things that I haven't been able to look at since I first left the hospital.
My eyes remained locked on Joe's face and for every page he turned the whites of his eyes became redder. But he didn't stop. We sat in silence until he finished reading the very last page. He carefully closed the folder and set it on the couch next to him. His elbows rested on his knees while he placed a palm over each eye. I caught sight of his trembling jaw and couldn't stop myself. In a second I was crouched in front of him with my hands resting against his forearms.
"Joe?"
He moved his palms away from his eyes to look at me. The moisture building in his eyes.
"Please tell me this is some kind of sick joke, Steph. Please, I won't even be mad."
"It isn't." I whispered. Joe's head dropped down.
"You don't remember anything about your life, your family, your memories…me?" He didn't look up as he asked.
"Nothing." My voice trembled.
"Can I please hug you?" Joe looked up at me; pleading with me but he didn't have to. I was about to lose it and for some unknown reason—I needed his arms around me. I nodded and in a second he stood from the couch and pulled me with him.
Our arms wrapped around each other, his face buried into my hair. Together our bodies shook as we sobbed simultaneously. Time seemed to stand still as I was wrapped in Joe's arms. My heart throbbed and my mind ached with trying to find a single memory with him. Nothing came back to me and it made me hurt worse.
"You must have been so scared, Steph. To wake up alone with no one there for you. I'm sorry—I'm so sorry." My throat strongly resembled the desert and I needed water. The urge to stay in his arms was overwhelming and I knew if I didn't find an excuse to leave his grasp now—I didn't know if I ever would.
"I need something to drink." I untangled myself from him and wiped my eyes as I headed for the kitchen.
"How did you get Stephanie Morelli as your name though? If you didn't remember anything?" I downed half a bottle of water and fumbled in my back pocket for the note I knew was still safely in them. It was habit in the beginning to change the note from one outfit to the next the way a man changes his wallet. When I started dating Tyler I stopped doing that but recently I've felt compelled to have it near me increasingly.
When I walked back to the couch where he sat again I handed it to him.
"They found that in my pocket with some money when they pulled me from the scene of the accident. It was all I had to go on; no one found a purse, ID or cell phone. Just that." Joe's face told me he knew what it was before opening it. That didn't stop him from reading it through as if he wasn't the one who wrote the words imprinted in my brain.
"You know when I wrote this I almost tore it up. Can you imagine if I wouldn't have left this out for you?"
"No, because that little piece of paper has meant more to me than anything else in this world." My words seemed to strike his heart as his eyes looked up to mine.
"Is this why you took Morelli as your last name?" I nodded as he sighed. "You know I used to dream about the day you took my last name. I just never would have thought this would have been the reason."
"Yeah—it's not exactly ideal, I'll give you that much." He continued to look at me as if he was seeing me for the first time.
"I have something to show you too."
"Okay?" He reached into the inside pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a picture. Joe walked over to where I was standing and held the picture out to me.
"This is my favorite and I bring it with me everywhere I go."
I immediately recognized Joe but instead of the distraught expression I've seen there was a large grin. His arms were wrapped from behind around a pretty brunette with wild curly hair. A double take made me see what I originally missed—it was me. Our faces were next to each other, our grins stretched across our faces—I was truly happy. What drew me in was the smile covering Joe's face. His eyes lit up and he looked happier than any man before.
"You really loved her, didn't you?" The question felt strange but I didn't feel right using myself in this situation.
Joe's fingers took my chin in his soft grip as he pulled my face up to see his. "I've always loved you, Stephanie."
His fingers traced a line down the side of my face my skin igniting at his touch. My eyes closed at how good it felt. I couldn't keep them closed though, not when there was a man like Joseph Morelli standing in front of me. Next he let his hands push back a strand of my hair, his fingers running through the silky strands of my now straight hair. I saw his eyes spot the incision along the side of my head from the accident. His fingers gently reached out to it.
"Does it hurt?"
"Not usually anymore."
"I can't believe you're really here, standing in front of me." I bit my lip as the air surrounding us changed. The proximity his lips were from mine seemed to suddenly hit me, as it did him. His eyes held mine as he leaned in closer. Pull away, stop this, Stephanie. You don't want to kiss him. You don't want to feel his warm soft lips pressed against mine.
The phone rang louder than it ever has before and the two of us jumped apart. I ran to grab it, breathless from the feelings I almost gave in to.
"Hello?"
"Hi Baby! My last appointment called in today so I'm just about to leave the office. What should I pick up to eat?"
"Uh…Chinese."
"The usual okay?"
"Just fine."
"Alright sweetie, I love you and I'll see you in about half hour."
"Sounds good, love you too." Joe's jaw clenched at the words as I hung up the phone.
"That was my…"
"Tyler." He finished and I nodded.
"Yeah, Tyler, he's uh—on his way home."
"Here." Joe clarified and I nodded again.
"Well I'll get out of your way."
"Here, don't forget this." I held out his picture but he shook his head.
"Hold onto it, but I'll be back for it." I smiled and watched as he folded up my note and carefully slid it back into the front pocket of my jeans.
"Thank you." He slid his arms into his jacket again and I walked him to the door. Before he stepped all the way through he turned to face me.
"I'm staying at the Hyatt if you want to call me."
I smiled. "I know." He cocked an eyebrow.
"If the receptionist tells you that your wife called, don't act all surprised or else they might not patch my call through next time."
His face lit up. "My wife can call anytime she wants." Joe reached out and pulled me in for another hug before I had the chance to stop it. I breathed in the scent of his cologne mixed with the leather of his jacket, mixed in with what I was sure was the smell that was special to him. Whatever it was—I had never smelt anything like it. It was intoxicating.
"I'll see you around."
I watched back into the living room and held onto the picture mesmerizing it. My arms suddenly felt cold and this apartment felt very lonely with Joseph Morelli else standing here with me.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Joe's POV (later that evening)
"Chief, it's Morelli."
"How's the conference going?"
"Fine, but listen I need to take some vacation time—effective immediately."
"What are you talking about, Morelli? You're expecting to be on a flight back to Trenton tomorrow."
"I'm going to tell you something that you need to keep to yourself."
"Okay?" He said; hesitating at the disclaimer I gave.
"I found Stephanie—she's been living here."
"What the hell? How'd you find her down there?"
"It's a long story that I don't want to get into right now. But now that I've found her I'm not leaving her again."
"You sure about this, Morelli? It's been almost three years man."
"It's Stephanie—I'd do anything for her and I can't lose her again. I'm not leaving until she send me away."
I hung up the phone and flopped back onto the too-hard hotel bed. Seeing her again after all these years ignited the flame that has been dormant since she left. I love that woman more than anything else in this world. She may not remember me but I'm not going anywhere until she knows I'd rather die than live out the rest of my days with anyone else.