Chapter 5: An old memory

He quietly got up and shut the door behind her because he didn't want anyone to hear them and then he said, "What are you doing here Tess? I thought you were dead, answer me damn it?"

No one had spoken to her so harshly but it jarred something inside of her that scared her to death and before she could answer him, she passed out. He caught her before she hit the ground, he didn't know what was going on and he had no way to contact the others that knew Tess. The reason that no one in his office knew her was because everyone except for his new deputy was off duty for the day. While she was unconscious, some of her lost memories did resurface but not all of them. When she woke up she was in an unfamiliar place, on some old couch. She was a bit disoriented as well.

"Where am I?"

He was standing over her as she awoken.

"You're at my house; I brought you here because I didn't want anyone to know about the fact that you are alive still."

"It feels like a truck ran over my head."

The things that she did remember were mostly hazy and unclear to her. Even the name that he called her "Tess" didn't sound familiar to her. For some reason though, Kyle was crystal clear to her, she remembered him but only him. The memories were vague and out of context as well. She got up and started searching the house, for what he wasn't sure but he followed her anyways.

She went into Kyle's room and said, "Kyle are you here, where are you?"

Then she collapsed again, Jim caught her as he was right behind her.

When she woke up a second time on the couch, she heard Jim's voice saying, "Tess can you hear me? Kyle's not here and I don't know why you thought he was?"

She finally sat up as the dizziness dissipated from her head. Then she said, "What did you call me?"

Jim knew that she had to be confused, therefore he said, "I called you, your name Tess Harding. What's wrong with you?"

"I knew that I was from here but I'm sorry but I don't remember you or this town at all. I have some memories of my past that has been slowly coming back to but none of it makes sense to me. I have amnesia; I hardly remember anything with the exception of your son Kyle."

"You remember Kyle but not your own name?"

"I don't know why I remember him and the memory is not that clear either. I don't know what's wrong with me. Everything is mixed up in my head, if you can tell me anything about my past I would really like to know?"

Jim didn't know how to break the bad news about who and what she really was.

Instead he told her, "Ok, I will help you, Tess but tell me what you do remember first?"

"Ok, I remember dancing with your son Kyle at some big room. It was really beautiful and for some reason I felt safe in his arms. That's all that I remember though, please help me?"

"Ok, I don't know much but I will tell you what I do know. You told me that you didn't have a family, you were an orphan, and we took you in, no questions asked. We became your family, me and my son Kyle that is. Then less than a year later you disappeared and we both thought that you were dead. I thought that you left but you didn't leave a note or anything, it seemed strange to me but Kyle was really upset that you were gone. I could tell, you and him were really close, like siblings are. I think that this is part of the reason that he left Roswell not too long after you did. I think that it hurt him that you just left without a word. Does that clear up anything for you Tess?"

"A little bit but if what you said is true, I wasn't too nice just leaving without a word. Do you think that I could have a look around to see if anything will jog my memory?"

"Yea, sure that's no problem, besides you are not the person that you used to be and there is still time to make amends for the wrongs that you did, it's not too late Tess."

"Thank you for being so understanding."

She walked around the whole house and nothing seemed to be familiar until he showed her Kyle's room. She had this memory flash of Kyle standing over her but the look he was giving her didn't seem like brotherly love, it seemed like the look that you gave to a lover.

When she saw the picture of Kyle on the wall she grabbed it and asked, "Is this him, Kyle?"

"Yea, how'd you know that was him?"

Tess had this faraway look on her face and then she said, "How could I ever forget this face, it's weird I hardly remember my own but I'll never forget his face. When I look at this picture, I feel funny inside and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I only remember him. I should go, I don't want to get fired my first week."

She turned to leave but Jim said, "Tess wait, where are you staying, what job do you have already, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, no it's fine; I have a job cleaning rooms at the Tumble Weed Inn, which is where I am staying as well. The manager Kelli has been really nice to me; I don't know what I would've done without her help."

Jim said, "That's good, are you intending to stay here in Roswell?"

"I don't know, I guess that I haven't really given it much thought because I just want to know who I am."

"Oh, because I was wondering if you wanted to stay here like you used to stay?"

It took her a minute to answer him because she was surprised that he would offer her to stay there with him.

"Wow, that's super nice and all but I wouldn't want to put you out. I mean besides would you really want to live with a complete stranger and what would people say?"

He looked at her amused because he couldn't believe that this was the same girl.

Then he said, "One you are not a stranger, I mean you may not remember me but I know you. As far as other people, I don't care what they say. You will always be like family to me. Besides if you were living here it might help you to remember. You would also be here when and if Kyle ever comes home again, don't you want to see him again?"

She thought long and hard about his offer before she accepted. She thought this might be her only chance to get her life back and she had to take it.