Chapter Seven:
"So," Molly said with a flourish, "how are you settlin' in at Martin's cabin? Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," the young blond woman walking beside her said. A little too cheerily for Molly's liking. She didn't miss the quietly mumbled "But I still don't have my memory back." She decided to let it go. She didn't want Jenny on the defensive again. A wall seemed to go up whenever someone asked her questions about her memory. Or lack thereof.
But she worried about her. Too much, she guessed. She couldn't help it, though. She so wanted to restore the sparkle to Jenny's beautiful blue eyes. Wanted to help her remember her past. Martin reported that the nightmares still came. Actually, they had never stopped, he said. Jenny cried in her sleep.
He was worried about her, too. That's why he'd suggested Molly get her out and about for a few hours. And that's exactly what Molly had done. Even though it was only a trip to visit the children at the hospital. They needed cheering up just as much as Jenny did. Maybe they could help each other.
Later, as she watched Jenny talking and laughing with a dark-haired little charmer named Josh, she knew she had made the right decision. Josh watched her young friend's every move with adoring brown eyes. Jenny had a new admirer.
Josh wasn't Jenny's only admirer, thought Molly as she watched Dr. Taylor gazing at the graceful blond as she tickled Josh's tummy until he practically shrieked with laughter. The look in his eyes was a familiar one. It was the same look she'd seen for years now. She sighed deeply.
She loved both of these young people dearly. She didn't wish hurt or harm to either. But that's all she saw when she comtemplated the future. Jenny may not have realized it yet, but her heart was already taken. The great love of her past haunted her. And teased her. She was never quite able to grasp her memories fully, but the day would come when she would.
And that day, Nick Taylor's heart would be broken. She ached to think of the pain in store for them ahead. Because nothing could stop him. Sometime in the past three years, Dr. Nick Taylor had fallen in love with his patient. It didn't matter that he had fallen for his ideal of Jenny. He was falling in love with her for real now. Disaster loomed. Molly could feel it in her bones.
This was a complicated mess, she thought as she watched Nick comfort Jenny later when just the mere act of holding a crying toddler made her burst into tears of her own. She watched the young mother take her bawling child from Jenny's arms and back away in confusion and slight fear. The child clung to it's mother much like Jenny clung to Nick. And much like Nick stroked Jenny's soft blond hair, the mother stroked the baby's wispy blond curls. It made a striking picture. As tears flowed from two sets of gorgeous blue eyes.
A picture that made an impression on Molly's mind. It nagged and nagged at her. Jenny's reaction was so strange. So emotional to holding the blue-eyed blond child in her arms. It was almost if...
She shook the thought out of her head as she rushed to pull Jenny into her arms and away from the hospital. Take her back to Martin. Home. At least the only home she had known since her awakening. She didn't leave until Jenny was safely tucked in bed. Asleep. She kissed her forehead and said goodbye. Martin waved at her from the door as she drove away. She said a prayer for them all. That God might see to it that things would work out. For the best
"So," Molly said with a flourish, "how are you settlin' in at Martin's cabin? Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," the young blond woman walking beside her said. A little too cheerily for Molly's liking. She didn't miss the quietly mumbled "But I still don't have my memory back." She decided to let it go. She didn't want Jenny on the defensive again. A wall seemed to go up whenever someone asked her questions about her memory. Or lack thereof.
But she worried about her. Too much, she guessed. She couldn't help it, though. She so wanted to restore the sparkle to Jenny's beautiful blue eyes. Wanted to help her remember her past. Martin reported that the nightmares still came. Actually, they had never stopped, he said. Jenny cried in her sleep.
He was worried about her, too. That's why he'd suggested Molly get her out and about for a few hours. And that's exactly what Molly had done. Even though it was only a trip to visit the children at the hospital. They needed cheering up just as much as Jenny did. Maybe they could help each other.
Later, as she watched Jenny talking and laughing with a dark-haired little charmer named Josh, she knew she had made the right decision. Josh watched her young friend's every move with adoring brown eyes. Jenny had a new admirer.
Josh wasn't Jenny's only admirer, thought Molly as she watched Dr. Taylor gazing at the graceful blond as she tickled Josh's tummy until he practically shrieked with laughter. The look in his eyes was a familiar one. It was the same look she'd seen for years now. She sighed deeply.
She loved both of these young people dearly. She didn't wish hurt or harm to either. But that's all she saw when she comtemplated the future. Jenny may not have realized it yet, but her heart was already taken. The great love of her past haunted her. And teased her. She was never quite able to grasp her memories fully, but the day would come when she would.
And that day, Nick Taylor's heart would be broken. She ached to think of the pain in store for them ahead. Because nothing could stop him. Sometime in the past three years, Dr. Nick Taylor had fallen in love with his patient. It didn't matter that he had fallen for his ideal of Jenny. He was falling in love with her for real now. Disaster loomed. Molly could feel it in her bones.
This was a complicated mess, she thought as she watched Nick comfort Jenny later when just the mere act of holding a crying toddler made her burst into tears of her own. She watched the young mother take her bawling child from Jenny's arms and back away in confusion and slight fear. The child clung to it's mother much like Jenny clung to Nick. And much like Nick stroked Jenny's soft blond hair, the mother stroked the baby's wispy blond curls. It made a striking picture. As tears flowed from two sets of gorgeous blue eyes.
A picture that made an impression on Molly's mind. It nagged and nagged at her. Jenny's reaction was so strange. So emotional to holding the blue-eyed blond child in her arms. It was almost if...
She shook the thought out of her head as she rushed to pull Jenny into her arms and away from the hospital. Take her back to Martin. Home. At least the only home she had known since her awakening. She didn't leave until Jenny was safely tucked in bed. Asleep. She kissed her forehead and said goodbye. Martin waved at her from the door as she drove away. She said a prayer for them all. That God might see to it that things would work out. For the best