His brain couldn't process anything at the moment. His mind was swirling
with crazy thoughts. Stephanie, HIS Stephanie was standing right in front
of him. She wasn't dead! He wanted to cry tears of joy, but he was
absolutely frozen in place. The shock was overwhelming, and he just stood
there staring at her.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about," she said to him her brow furrowed in confusion.
Chris still couldn't speak, it was as if his vocal chords were paralyzed, and he couldn't make a sound. The love of his life, the woman he had been mourning for the past two years, was right here. Someone had given her back to him.
"Are you ok?" she asked again, her cheeks reddening slightly as his eyes bored into hers.
He wanted to say something, say anything, but he couldn't. What could he possibly say to her to make her understand just who she really was? How did he tell her that he was her husband, and that he was holding their child in his arms?
"I'm just...shocked," he managed to sputter out.
"Why? Is there something wrong?"
"No, suddenly everything just became very right."
"Who's Stephanie?" she asked her eyes wide in question.
Chris didn't know how to answer that. He wanted so badly to just grab her and kiss her, and hold her in his arms until all the pain and anguish he had suffered over the past two years went away. But she didn't know any of that, and he didn't want to scare her away.
"Stephanie was my wife," he told her, silently willing her to suddenly get her memory back.
"Do I remind you of her or something?" she asked smiling.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but you ARE Stephanie," he told her.
Her eyes grew wide, and she took a step back. Chris knew that she was shocked by this revelation. She blinked her eyes a few times in disbelief. Then she turned to look at the water, then back to him.
"But-but you said your wife was dead."
"I thought sh-you were," he said correcting himself.
"Then I can't be her, you must just think I look like her. Your wife is dead."
"No, you're right here, you don't just look like her, you're Stephanie."
"I can't be, I wasn't ever in a plane crash," she said taking a few steps backwards.
This was just as overwhelming for her. This man she had just met was claiming to be her husband. She didn't even recognize him. She looked around, trying to think of a way to escape this confrontation.
"When were you attacked, what day was it?"
"Why?" she asked more confused than ever.
"Please, just answer the question," he pleaded with her.
"It was November 6," she told him after thinking about it for a moment, "That's what they told me at the hospital."
Chris gasped. It was all becoming clear to him now. The whole situation was being sorted out in his brain. This woman wasn't a Stephanie look-a- like, no matter how many times she said it. This was his wife.
"November 6 is when the plane crashed." She stood silently for a moment.
"It could be a coincidence," she said quietly.
"No it can't be, it all makes sense, the beating, the plane, everything."
"I don't understand."
"Let me explain," he said looking at her, "The plane, you were never on it. You never made it to the airport. You were attacked, and then left for dead. They never found your body when the plane crashed, only your identification. The people who attacked you were probably on the plane. But you can't remember anything, so no one ever contacted us."
"Us?"
"You're family. You have a family Stephanie, they've all missed you terribly. You're father, mother and brother."
"My name is Emma, not Stephanie, and I still don't believe you," she said weakly. This was becoming too much for her. What if she really was this man's wife? What happened then?
"What's it gonna take for you to believe me?"
"I don't know, but I really want to leave," she said turning to walk away.
Chris couldn't let her leave. He had to get through to her, at any cost. He had to make her see who she really was. He couldn't lose her a second time, he refused to lose her again.
"You said you were drawn here today," he called out to her, hoping that she would stay.
"So?" she said with her back to him.
"Why do you think that is?"
"I'm drawn here a lot, the atmosphere is so peaceful, I come here when I'm under a lot of stress, it means nothing."
"But today, of all days, why?"
"I don't know ok! Stop asking me all these questions," she said frustrated.
"I think you were drawn here, because I was here, and because Regan was here."
"No, that's not it at all," she said shaking her head, "Stop trying to put these crazy ideas in my head."
Chris looked at her walking away, and noticed the ring that she was wearing on her right hand. He thought of something quickly, something that he hoped would get her to stay, and at the very least listen to him.
"The ring," he called out desperately. This time she turned around.
"What ring?"
"The ring you're wearing," he told her.
She looked down at the gold band that she wore on her right hand. It was the only piece of jewelry she had had after her attack. She didn't know where it had come from, but she really cherished it. It was like a silent link to the past she couldn't remember.
"What about it?"
"Look inside," he urged her.
She hesitantly took the ring off of her finger. Then she turned it so she could get a better look at the inside.
"Yeah? So?"
"CJ & SM- Match Made in Heaven," he told her. She looked down at the ring, and gasped.
"That's what it says," she said almost inaudibly. For some reason or another, she had never really looked inside the ring.
"I know, because I had them specially engraved," he told her, moving himself around to show her his ring that he still had on his finger, while still holding the sleeping girl.
Stephanie slowly looked up at him. Confusion in her eyes still, but mixed with a bit of acceptance. There was no denying it now, she really was who he claimed her to be. She was his wife.
"So I'm Stephanie...your wife, and that little girl's mother?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, yes you are."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about," she said to him her brow furrowed in confusion.
Chris still couldn't speak, it was as if his vocal chords were paralyzed, and he couldn't make a sound. The love of his life, the woman he had been mourning for the past two years, was right here. Someone had given her back to him.
"Are you ok?" she asked again, her cheeks reddening slightly as his eyes bored into hers.
He wanted to say something, say anything, but he couldn't. What could he possibly say to her to make her understand just who she really was? How did he tell her that he was her husband, and that he was holding their child in his arms?
"I'm just...shocked," he managed to sputter out.
"Why? Is there something wrong?"
"No, suddenly everything just became very right."
"Who's Stephanie?" she asked her eyes wide in question.
Chris didn't know how to answer that. He wanted so badly to just grab her and kiss her, and hold her in his arms until all the pain and anguish he had suffered over the past two years went away. But she didn't know any of that, and he didn't want to scare her away.
"Stephanie was my wife," he told her, silently willing her to suddenly get her memory back.
"Do I remind you of her or something?" she asked smiling.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but you ARE Stephanie," he told her.
Her eyes grew wide, and she took a step back. Chris knew that she was shocked by this revelation. She blinked her eyes a few times in disbelief. Then she turned to look at the water, then back to him.
"But-but you said your wife was dead."
"I thought sh-you were," he said correcting himself.
"Then I can't be her, you must just think I look like her. Your wife is dead."
"No, you're right here, you don't just look like her, you're Stephanie."
"I can't be, I wasn't ever in a plane crash," she said taking a few steps backwards.
This was just as overwhelming for her. This man she had just met was claiming to be her husband. She didn't even recognize him. She looked around, trying to think of a way to escape this confrontation.
"When were you attacked, what day was it?"
"Why?" she asked more confused than ever.
"Please, just answer the question," he pleaded with her.
"It was November 6," she told him after thinking about it for a moment, "That's what they told me at the hospital."
Chris gasped. It was all becoming clear to him now. The whole situation was being sorted out in his brain. This woman wasn't a Stephanie look-a- like, no matter how many times she said it. This was his wife.
"November 6 is when the plane crashed." She stood silently for a moment.
"It could be a coincidence," she said quietly.
"No it can't be, it all makes sense, the beating, the plane, everything."
"I don't understand."
"Let me explain," he said looking at her, "The plane, you were never on it. You never made it to the airport. You were attacked, and then left for dead. They never found your body when the plane crashed, only your identification. The people who attacked you were probably on the plane. But you can't remember anything, so no one ever contacted us."
"Us?"
"You're family. You have a family Stephanie, they've all missed you terribly. You're father, mother and brother."
"My name is Emma, not Stephanie, and I still don't believe you," she said weakly. This was becoming too much for her. What if she really was this man's wife? What happened then?
"What's it gonna take for you to believe me?"
"I don't know, but I really want to leave," she said turning to walk away.
Chris couldn't let her leave. He had to get through to her, at any cost. He had to make her see who she really was. He couldn't lose her a second time, he refused to lose her again.
"You said you were drawn here today," he called out to her, hoping that she would stay.
"So?" she said with her back to him.
"Why do you think that is?"
"I'm drawn here a lot, the atmosphere is so peaceful, I come here when I'm under a lot of stress, it means nothing."
"But today, of all days, why?"
"I don't know ok! Stop asking me all these questions," she said frustrated.
"I think you were drawn here, because I was here, and because Regan was here."
"No, that's not it at all," she said shaking her head, "Stop trying to put these crazy ideas in my head."
Chris looked at her walking away, and noticed the ring that she was wearing on her right hand. He thought of something quickly, something that he hoped would get her to stay, and at the very least listen to him.
"The ring," he called out desperately. This time she turned around.
"What ring?"
"The ring you're wearing," he told her.
She looked down at the gold band that she wore on her right hand. It was the only piece of jewelry she had had after her attack. She didn't know where it had come from, but she really cherished it. It was like a silent link to the past she couldn't remember.
"What about it?"
"Look inside," he urged her.
She hesitantly took the ring off of her finger. Then she turned it so she could get a better look at the inside.
"Yeah? So?"
"CJ & SM- Match Made in Heaven," he told her. She looked down at the ring, and gasped.
"That's what it says," she said almost inaudibly. For some reason or another, she had never really looked inside the ring.
"I know, because I had them specially engraved," he told her, moving himself around to show her his ring that he still had on his finger, while still holding the sleeping girl.
Stephanie slowly looked up at him. Confusion in her eyes still, but mixed with a bit of acceptance. There was no denying it now, she really was who he claimed her to be. She was his wife.
"So I'm Stephanie...your wife, and that little girl's mother?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, yes you are."