Chapter 11: Just Not Today

The next morning, Alex spent a long time in the bath. Every now and then John would walk past to check on her and hear the splash of water and her singing the theme tune to Happy Days. She came out only when the water was stone cold and the skin on her fingers had wrinkled. She dressed in the clothes from the night before and skipped downstairs. John was in the garden, sitting on the back step.

"Hey." Alex greeted sitting next to him. "Nice garden. What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking. Randy called before, he wants you to phone back as so
on as possible."

"I don't want to talk to him."

"You do know why he's doing all this don't you?"

"Because he's try to help blah blah. He's only worried about himself and we both know it. Wouldn't it seem terrible if his poor wife never got her memory back. How heartbreaking."

"He's doing it because he loves you."

"Like that means anything to me. Do you even see a wedding ring?"

She held her hand up, but he had known from the first time he'd seen her that there was no ring.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Really? I don't remember having a ring, so I obviously took it off before the accident, but why?"

She sounded Columbo or Ironside, she just didn't know it. She made a good point though. The wheels in his mind where beginning to turn. Maybe they'd had a fight and she'd taken it off before she left the hotel. Randy would of picked it up though. It was his way of marking Alex.

"Maybe it fell of somewhere."

"I'm not suppose to be with him."

She didn't say it, but she didn't need to or want to. They both knew what she meant, but if neither of them said it they could deny it later. John took hold of her hands.

"Alex. Don't do anything right now. You might regret it later."

"But what if I regret not doing anything now?"

"There's always tomorrow. Don't worry about you and anybody else right now, just think about you Alex because you are the most important thing in all of this."

She smiled. "I think you're the first person to say that you know. Have I been here before?"

"Yeah, but not for awhile."

"I thought so." She said. "She helped with this garden didn't she? Your ex."

"How did you know?''

"You can just tell." And that was the end of that.

Alex didn't call Randy, but he turned up at the house just after seven. She watched him get out the car and stride towards the door through the window. She made no move to answer it when he rang the bell, but rushed out behind John to see what he wanted.

"Can I please speak to Alex alone?'' He asked, addressing John as though he was a bank manager.

"Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of John." Alex replied.

Randy didn't like the idea, that much was obvious, but it didn't stop him from talking.

"Can you please come home?"

"Why?"

"Because you belong there. It's your home where you live."

Alex pursed her lips and thought about it. "No."

"What? Alex this is stupid."

She shook her head. "No Randy. I'm sorry but right now I can't be there. I need space."

"Space from your life or space from me?"

"Both!"

Randy looked away from Alex and to John. "This is your fault. You've told her haven't you?"

"Told me what?" Alex demanded and Randy quickly shut his mouth. "This was my decision and it's only for awhile, now if you could just go please."

He nodded and turned to head back to the car. John shut the door and Alex was right behind him with her hands on her hips.

"Tell me what?"

"Now isn't the best time."

He tried to move past her but Alex wasn't budging and although he could of picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder, he didn't.

"See these?'' Alex asked pointing to her scars. "This is like someone's ideas of a joke. you know smash up her face and screw with her life. Only I don't find it very fucking funny and I'm quickly losing my temper. So if you're hiding something, anything, from me I want to know now!"

"Alex....."

"Do not give me any of your I'm trying to protect you or whatever bullshit. You will tell me and you will tell me now damn it!"

This was different from all those other times he had wanted to tell her. Alex was asking. She was basically saying 'tell me that we where together'. He just couldn't though. Now wasn't the right time. John would tell her, he really would. Not today.

"Alex, listen to me, you're right, there is something you don't know. Really now isn't the right time, but it will be soon. What you need to do is go home to your husband. Not because you need him but because he needs you. He always has."

"When will you tell me?"

"Soon. Just not today."