Sometimes…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Chapter Eight

The following morning, Amy opened her green eyes and started to scream involuntarily. However, her scream was quickly cut off by a fast-acting, soft hand covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide and shifting, trying to figure out what was happening to her. She had just woken up, in bed of all places, with Jackson Rippner holding her close.

"Hey, hey," he soothed. "It's just me. It's just me, Amy. Relax."

Amy tried to respond through words, seeing as her head was still too sore to nod.

"If I let go, do you promise not to scream?" Jackson questioned, his blue eyes softly focused on her.

A muffled "uh-huh" seemed to do the trick because he released her.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened? Did we—?" Amy was puzzled and worried as a million questions raced through her head, along with zillions of wild answers.

"No, nothing of the sort," he replied hurriedly. "You were upset, remember? You fell asleep clinging to me and I didn't have the heart to move you."

"The scar…"

"It was in the past, Amy. The scar was in the past. You're safe now."

Amy snuggled in closer to him, relaxing more now. She was edgy and nervous for reasons beyond her reach. The only thing familiar that she had was Jackson, a kind man who cared for her. She had to reply upon him—which felt wrong and right at the same time.

"I'm so scared," she admitted, knowing that he would figure out the thoughts in her head before long. She did not feel like playing games with him today.

"About what?" he sounded surprised as he rubbed her back gently, relaxing the tense muscles.

"My past—what other horrors might it hold? What else happened to me? Without you, what did I get myself into?"

"Let's not dwell on the past, huh? 'Always look forward', Amy."

"Henrietta," Amy blurted out and Jackson's face grew confused and a spark of concern flew into his eyes. "Someone named Henrietta said that. And I told you, in an airport…"

"You're remembering again," he smiled.

"What am I remembering?" Amy frowned. This memory stuff was being to get on her nerves. She could occasionally see flashes and certain words would sound familiar, but her mind was still a jumbled mess.

"Our first meeting. We met in an airport check-in line. We were on the same flight. We shared a drink, talked, and went our separate ways."

"How did we see each other again?" Amy wanted to know. She wanted to know everything about her relationship with Jackson.

"It just so turned out that we were seated next to each other on the plane. We talked some more and exchanged numbers after we went to a Starbucks for lattés after we landed in Miami."

"Did I live in Miami?"

"Yes, you did, but we moved to Texas and that's where you vanished from."

"And you?" she asked, carefully studying his reactions. She hoped with all her heart that he had not been involved with another woman. "What did you do after I disappeared?"

"I stayed in Texas for another year, just waiting for you. Then I started traveling because of my job. I just moved back to Miami before I was hurt."

Her hand reached up to his throat, touching the red, circular scar upon it. "What happened to you?"

"A pen. Luckily, it only hit my windpipe."

"Yeah," she half-smiled. "Lucky you."

He raised his dark eyebrows. "Are you okay, Amy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just fine."

"Are you sure?"

Are you sure? Are you sure?

Those words—they were so familiar, yet Jackson was not the one who usually asked the question. It was someone else…someone close to her.

"Amy? Amy?" his voice called out.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I just dozed off."

Jackson did not seem satisfied with her answer, but thankfully he let it go. Not, that he had much choice. It was at that moment, that a doctor and two nurses saw it fit to enter their room and disturb them.

"Oh my…" remarked one of the nurses, her mouth falling upon as she stared at Jackson and Amy.

It took Amy a second to figure out what was so incredibly wrong with the picture. Then, she realized that they were in a rather, compromising position. Jackson and Amy were both crammed in Jackson's bed, covered with a blanket, their hair and clothes in extreme disarray, and Amy was pretty much on top of Jackson and they were rather tangled together. Suddenly, she got the hint.

This isn't a motel scolded a woman.

When? Where? Had this happened before? A similar situation in which people assumed that her and Jackson had well, had sex together? Of course they probably had, seeing as they were engaged. But not in well over five years.

"Um, good morning, Mr. Rippner, Miss Adams," stuttered one of the doctors despite his shocked appearance.

"Hello," said Jackson cheerfully. "So what brings you here? More tests?"

"Yes, Miss Adams, if you would…"

Amy turned to face Jackson, a pleading look in her eyes. She did not want to leave him.

"Can I walk with you?" Jackson asked the doctors, for Amy's benefit. "It's time for my morning walk, so can I accompany you to the room?"

"Um, sure thing, Mr. Rippner. We'll wait for you."

Jackson nodded and whispered to Amy, while resting his hand on her cheek, "It's going to be fine, okay? Just go sit on your bed for a moment so they can make sure I'm still alive."

"Okay," she replied and carefully got down from Jackson's bed and shuffled over to her own.

The nurse helped one of the doctors examine Jackson and check his wounds and the bandages covering them. After pronouncing him fine, Amy returned to his side, grabbing his hand. Jackson one-upped her, and slipped his arm around her trim waist, pulling her closer in a protective and possessive move. She slid her arm around his waist as well, linking them together as they followed the doctors and nurse through the busy hallways. She did not know what she would do or would have done without Jackson there.

Author's Notes:

Amy had a bit of a shock waking up. She's placing an awful lot of trust in Jackson, especially as her memories keep returning and some of them are supporting his story. Enjoy! We'll get to peek into Jackson's mind in the next chapter.