"To me?" she whispered, crinkling her nose. "You married me?"
He hesitated a moment, searching her eyes for any hint of recollection. "Yes, you and I are married."
"But I don't...I mean, why can't I..." Her voice trailed off in frustration. "You...and...me...married?" Her expression was troubled as she tried to concentrate, tried to remember. "When?" She asked, her eyes flying back to his. "You said I didn't remember anybody? Not even you?" At his nod, she continued, "Then how did we end up married?"
Jack stood and settled on the edge of her bed, trying to calm her with his presence. It had worked for the past five years, but did little to help now. "We were married about six months after you were shot, in a small, private ceremony in a judge's chamber."
Sue gave him a curious look, "We were married in a judge's chamber?"
He shrugged, his eyes shadowing a bit, "It seemed the right thing to do at the time. You, um, didn't really want a big wedding."
"Oh," she said simply, as if she understood, when in reality her mind was reeling. "I, uh, don't even know what to ask," she sighed, rubbing her head. "I feel like I'm going to wake up in a minute and be asleep in my bed, in my apartment, Levi curled at my feet." She watched him closely, noticing the lines of strain pulling at his eyes and mouth. "Where is Levi? Does Lucy have him?"
"Um, no, Lucy doesn't have him. He's, uh, he..." Jack stopped and turned as the doctor returned.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, we have your test results back," he said, nodding toward Sue. "Everything looks normal, but we'd like you to stay here overnight and let us observe you." At Jack's nod, he continued, "I've talked to your regular physician and he concurs with me, that the trauma of your memory returning rendered you temporarily unconscious. You should have no more ill effects, physically that is. I'm sure you might find it quite overwhelming trying to catch back up with your life, but that's to be expected."
Making sure that Sue could see him, Jack asked, "Will her memory stay, do you think? Or is there the possibility of it retreating again? And will she remember any of the years in between?"
Dr. Marcus rubbed his chin, considering his answer carefully. "We have no reason to believe she'll suffer more memory loss. As for the years in between, that I can't say." He turned to address Sue fully, "You may remember it all, bits and pieces, or none. The brain is such a complicated organ. We just don't know nearly all of what we'd like to know. At any rate, you should be able to go home tomorrow morning."
Sue watched him leave before turning back to Jack. "Home," she said. "Where is home?"
"Clarksburg," he answered, naming a familiar suburb. "We live in a great neighborhood, with lots of kids."
"Kids," Sue breathed, her heart racing. "The doctor said earlier that I, we, had a daughter? I don't remember her."
"Yes," he nodded, his eyes misting at her obvious distress. "She's beautiful, precocious, and absolutely adorable."
Sue noticed the way his entire demeanor lightened at the thought of his daughter. He was obviously smitten with fatherhood. Her own eyes watering, wondering how she could forget such an occasion, she pleaded, "Can I meet her, tonight?"
"Of course," Jack replied. "Let me call Crash and get him to bring her here," he said, reaching for his phone.
"No, Jack," she interrupted, "You go get her. You need to explain some things to her. I'll be okay here by myself," she assured him.
Her unaccustomed independence startled him momentarily until he remembered that this was Sue, not Susan. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips across her cheek, gently, noting the light color that suffused the area. His eyes threatened to overflow at the sight, his heart at odds with his mind. Clearing his throat, he sat up and told her, "I'll be back as soon as I can." He was almost to the door when she stopped him,
"Jack, what's her name?"
"Emily. Emily Claire Hudson."
