Remembering
***Willow Pond***
Jonathan and Jennifer pulled up, and Jonathan opened the gate.
"Fancy".
"We've always liked it".
He parked in front of the house, and went around and opened her door for her.
"Do you always do that?"
"Yes. I am a gentleman".
"That's nice".
He led her inside the house and Freeway came running up to her.
"He loves his mama".
She leaned down to pet him.
"Hi there. You sure are cute".
She decided she wanted a shower, so he showed her upstairs and then waited to see if she could find their bedroom on her own.
She went from room to room, and finally chose the master bedroom.
"Is this it?"
He nodded.
"Well, the shower is in here. And your stuff is here."
He got her some towels.
"Your clothes are in that closet".
She nodded at him.
He stayed in the bedroom while she showered, in case she needed him.
After the water turned off, he stood at the archway and yelled to her that he was going downstairs and that if she needed him to just yell for him.
"You don't have to leave".
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable".
"You don't. I mean, you say you are my husband, surely you have seen me after a shower before, right?"
"Hundreds of times".
He sat back down on the bed.
"Jonathan, can I ask you some questions?"
"Sure. Ask me anything".
He went in the bathroom and sat by her while she was at her vanity.
"Where is my family? I mean, my parents".
"Your mother died when you were younger, and your father lives in Maryland".
"Ok".
"Do we have a happy life? You and me together?"
"The happiest".
"Do we spend a lot of time together?"
"As much as possible."
She looked reflective.
"Was I married to someone else before you?"
"No, not that I know of. And I wasn't either".
"So, why London?"
"You love surprises. So, I decided to surprise you. It was the gift I gave you yesterday, one of them."
"What were the others?"
"A diamond and sapphire bracelet, matching earrings, a ring, and a new car. But I made you work for them".
"How?"
"I sent you on a scavenger hunt all around the house. The clues spelled out London".
She started having vague flashes of memories, but nothing concrete.
"I remember opening a present and being happy about it. But I don't remember what the present was".
"Well, that's a start. I just hope I was the one who made you happy".
She went and got dressed, and then joined him in the bedroom.
He had found some of the clues.
"Do you remember these?"
She looked them over.
"Not really".
"What about what they say? Does that ring a bell?"
She read them carefully. "Charming".
"I talked to Max while you were in the shower. The leak that was up here has been plugged and will be fixed next week. I am having updated monitors installed too, darling."
"That's a good idea".
They headed downstairs to have lunch, and then they sat on the couch.
"Darling, do you feel well enough to travel? We can go to New York tonight, if you'd like. Or we can stay here, if you don't feel up to it".
"Are you sure you want to go with me?"
"Positive. I love you, Jennifer. All my heart".
"Ok, well then, let's go".
He helped her up, and they headed upstairs and finished packing, and then Max loaded the car.
They drove to the airport, and boarded the plane.
"Our plane has 2 stories, upstairs is a bedroom and a closet and bathroom".
"Nice, very nice".
They sat down and got ready for takeoff, and then she went upstairs to lie down and rest.
He let her stay up there about an hour before he went to join her.
He found her in the bed crying.
"Jennifer, darling, what's wrong?"
"I don't know who you are, or who we are, and I may never know."
He hugged her.
"It's alright, darling. We will figure this out together".
He held her and rubbed her back till she fell asleep. He let her sleep till about 30 minutes before they landed.
He gently shook her.
"Jennifer, wake up. We are about to land".
She woke up.
"You feeling alright?"
She nodded.
He decided to not bring up the memory loss anymore. She didn't need the added pressure.
They landed and headed to their hotel. He paid the cab driver extra to take the long route so that she could look at the lights.
"I love this city!"
"Where is your apartment? Do you remember the address?"
"Soho. Sullivan Street".
They drove past it, and saw that it was no longer apartments, but rather an office building.
Jennifer looked sad.
"It's alright darling, you have lived with me a long time now. You sold your apartment before they sold the building".
She nodded.
They checked into their hotel, and went up to their room.
As they stepped onto the elevator, he turned to her.
"I only got one room. Would you be more comfortable in two?"
"No. You say we are married, so we should share a room".
He nodded and took them to their room, and let them in.
He put their bags down, and she kicked her shoes off.
"Are you hungry? We can order room service, if you want".
"That sounds fabulous".
He got the menu, and told her to write down whatever she wanted and they would order it.
After she did, she changed into her pajamas.
She was reading, while they waited for the room service.
She closed her book, and looked at him.
"Thank you".
"For what, darling?"
"For everything. For staying with me at the hospital. For bringing me here. For trying to help me remember".
He leaned over and kissed her. "You're welcome".
She looked into his eyes for about a minute.
"I may not remember falling in love with you, but I can see why I did".
He smiled at her.
There was a knock at the door, and he went and answered it. It was room service.
They wheeled it in, and he tipped the guy and locked the door behind him.
He brought her meal to her, and she sat up to eat some.
She had ordered a salad with grilled chicken, and dressing on the side.
He had ordered a steak and baked potato.
"I ordered your favorite dessert, sweetheart."
"Devil's food?"
He nodded.
She gave him a shy smile. "Thanks".
"Tell me something. Why do you love me?"
"Darling, I am hopelessly, madly, crazy in love you. And it's because of your charm, your beauty, your grace under pressure, your confidence, your brilliance, how you are an independent woman, but yet you are so dependent on me at the same time. Darling, you are the only woman that I ever loved completely, madly, deeply, and you are the only woman that I ever will love that way. You are absolutely perfect".
Her eyes welled up with tears.
"That was beautiful".
"Not half as beautiful as you, my dear". He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
She finished her dinner and took her plate over to the cart. She returned to Jonathan in bed. He finished his dinner, took the plate to the cart, and then brought back the dessert, and two forks.
They shared the dessert, and then Jonathan pushed the cart into the hall.
He came back to bed and snuggled up to Jennifer.
She let him wrap his arms around her, and she let him kiss him.
Sensing her trepidation, he didn't push for more.
"Jonathan, I am really trying to remember. I swear I am".
"I believe you. And like I told you last night, I love you and I am not going anywhere. And that's all you have to remember".
He kissed her and they fell asleep.
*****Sunday morning******
Jonathan ordered them room service for breakfast, and then they showered and got ready.
"What do you want to do today, darling? We can go see the sights in New York, if you'd like. Or we can stay here and rest, totally up to you".
"I don't know. I feel strange, but I can't place it".
"Strange how?"
"Just off, really."
"Well, darling, you did just fall down the stairs, and you are taking some strong medicines. Maybe that's part of it".
"You're probably right, Jonathan. I don't know why I didn't think of it".
"Are you sure you are up to sightseeing?"
"I guess so".
Suddenly, Jonathan had an idea.
"Why don't we go see a friend of mine, who is a neuroscientist? Get a second opinion, make sure that there isn't something we can be doing for you to get your memory back?"
"I wouldn't mind that. But you paid for the hospital, let me pay for this".
"Darling, we are married. I didn't pay for it, we paid for it. What's mine is yours, honest. And even if it wasn't, I would pay anything for you, anything at all".
She hugged him.
"Thank you".
"For what, darling?"
"For loving me like you do. I hope I love you as much as you love me, and that someday I will remember it".
He kissed her tenderly. "Don't worry, you do".
A little while later, they headed out, and saw a few sights. They had lunch at a wonderful little café downtown, and then at 3, they were meeting with the doctor. He took some CT scans, and some bloodwork. Jonathan called the hospital and asked for them to fax her records from the previous day, and even though they don't normally do that, for him they agreed.
Jonathan explained everything, the doctor looked at the records.
"There is a medicine we can try. It's a three day regimen, and it has been shown to cut memory loss significantly. Should work within 24-48 hours of the first dose. It's in pill form, and must be taken with food and at night. It makes you incredibly thirsty, but it works."
Jonathan turned to Jennifer. "Want to try it?'
"Sure".
He wrote them a prescription, and they both thanked him and headed on their way.
They headed to the pharmacy right away and got it filled.
"We have a flight tonight to London, is there anything else you need?"
"No, I don't think so".
They grabbed several water bottles, and some snacks for the room, and then checked out.
"Ok darling, there is this wonderful little Italian restaurant that we can go to for dinner, or we can go back and order pizza or room service".
"The Italian restaurant sounds yummy, but aren't we spending a fortune?"
"Where you are concerned, no amount is too much".
They headed to the Italian restaurant, and Jennifer excused herself to go to the bathroom.
While she was in there, she called the phone number that she would never forget. Her father.
"Daddy? Hi, it's Jennifer".
"Jennifer, hi darling! How are you?"
"Fine. Daddy, I hit my head and have suffered some short-term memory loss. And there is a man here who is taking care of me, and is very nice. He says we are married, and that he is madly in love with me. Do you know anything about that?"
"If his name is Jonathan Hart, yes, it's true. And you love him darling. You two are perfect for each other".
"Ok, thank you Daddy. I had a feeling I could trust him, but I just wanted to be sure".
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes, I am fine. We are going to London tonight, apparently we planned it before this happened".
"Well, have a good time, darling. And tell Jonathan to call me if you two need me".
"I will. Love you Daddy".
"Love you too, darling".
She hung up and went back to the table.
Jonathan was worried.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine".
She drank a sip of her water, and they ordered.
After a nice dinner, they headed back to the hotel. They decided to walk so that Jennifer could enjoy the lights.
"Jonathan, when I was in the bathroom, I called my father. He confirmed that you and I are in love, and that you have been telling me the truth. So, please forgive me for not believing you".
"Nothing to forgive, darling. You didn't do anything wrong at all".
"So, he says we are in love, you say we are in love, but what if I never remember? What then?"
"Then we fall in love all over again".
"You sound awfully sure of yourself".
"I did it once, I can do it again. Jennifer, there is nothing, absolutely nothing in the world that will ever change the way I feel about you".
She smiled at him.
They headed to their hotel and changed for the flight, and then packed up their suitcases and took a cab to the airport.
They boarded their plane. As soon as they were safely in the air, Jonathan and Jennifer headed upstairs to the bedroom.
They changed clothes and then got into bed.
Jennifer took the first pill of the new medicine, and Jonathan wrapped his arms around her. He wanted more than anything to make love to her, but he didn't want to push her.
She leaned up on one elbow.
"Jonathan, can I ask you a personal question?"
"Darling, you can ask me anything".
"Well, this is about you and me. Are we….active?"
"Very. Sometimes twice in a day, darling".
"Really?"
"Yes. When I tell you that I love you, and that we are very much in love, it's true. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you or with you, nothing at all".
She nodded.
"Do you believe me that I can't remember?"
"Yes, 100%".
"How do you have so much faith in me?"
"Because I know you. If you were able to remember, I would be able to see it in your eyes. And you wouldn't be able to keep your hands off me".
She laughed a little bit.
"You seem to be able to keep your hands off me".
"I am trying not to push you, darling. But say the word and I will put these hands all over you".
He kissed her, and she kissed him back.
Just as they were about to make love, she fell asleep.
***London***
They landed in London just before 10 a.m. and checked into their hotel.
"Darling, do you remember this hotel?"
"I have stayed here many times".
"This is the hotel where we met".
"Is it?"
He nodded.
They went up to the penthouse, the same one he had been staying in all those years ago.
They put their bags down, and then he hugged her.
"What's that for?"
"Because I love you, that's why".
They went downstairs to eat breakfast, and then he walked her into the bar. She ordered some water, and took her second pill.
They sat at the bar for a little bit, and then she looked at him.
"Jennifer, are you alright?"
She didn't answer. She was focused, staring off into the distance. She was getting some memories.
"You were sitting here, and I was sitting here. You had a Manhattan, and I had a martini. Double vodka, no olives, straight up. You asked me if I had a bad day. I said yes. You asked me to dinner, and I said yes. You were saying that there was a reporter who was hounding you, and you gave my name. So I told you that my name was Louise Tobin".
"Yes! Yes, darling, that's exactly right".
"And then we left, and went dancing, and drank a lot of champagne, and then we went back to your room. And then you got mad at me the next day when you found out who I was".
"Yes! All of that is correct".
"And then you had me arrested! And I almost missed my flight to New York".
"But then?"
"Then you took me to a bridge, and asked me to marry you, with banners hanging on the bridge".
He swept her into a passionate kiss, and for the first time in 3 days, she returned it.
They headed upstairs, and climbed into bed and made mad, passionate love for hours.
They fell asleep. While they slept, all her memories of them came flooding back. But all her memories of the accident left.
She rolled over and woke him up.
"Darling, when did we get here?"
"This morning. We took the overnight jet from New York".
"When did we go to New York?"
"Jennifer, do you remember anything about this weekend?"
"I remember that you sent me on a scavenger hunt, for gifts and you surprised me with a new car and a trip to London. And then we stayed at the beach house, and then we decided to fly out of NYC that night, and spend the weekend there. And I was packing, and I didn't feel well, and I went to go downstairs to get some Pepto-bismol. And then Freeway jumped at my feet, and that's it. That's the last thing I remember".
"Well, allow me to fill you in. The best that we can surmise, is that you tripped over Freeway, and fell down the stairs and hit your head. Max found you and took you to the hospital and I met you there. And you didn't remember me, or being married to me, or anything about our marriage, or even Max. You stayed in the hospital overnight, I took you home the next morning. We flew to NYC that afternoon, and spent the night. You even called your father and had him verify that we were in love and that you could trust me. We met with a doctor friend of mine, who gave you these pills you have been taking. He stated that It would significantly reduce your memory loss, which apparently it has. This morning, we went downstairs for breakfast, and then I took you to the bar, where we first met. And you remembered almost all of the details of the night we met".
"And then?"
"And then, we came up here, made love, and then fell asleep".
She was teary-eyed.
"I'm so sorry darling, I am so, so sorry that I ever forgot about you or us or our marriage".
"Darling, it's alright. You didn't do anything. You had an accident. I knew you still loved me. I just had to bring it back to the surface again".
He wiped the tears from her eyes.
"How did you reassure me?"
"I just told you that you didn't have to remember anything ever again, other than the fact that I loved you no matter what".
"Oh, darling. I love you. Thank you for helping me through this".
She kissed him several times.
They got out Jonathan's phone, and called Max.
"Max, just wanted to let you know that we landed in London safely. And there's something else. Hang on".
He handed the phone to Jennifer.
"Hi Max. Just wanted to say thanks for taking such good care of me after I fell".
"You don't have to thank me, Mrs. H. We take care of each other. How are you feeling?"
"Well, I got my memory back, so that's helped".
"That's great. Enjoy your trip, Mrs. H. Freeway and I can't wait to hear all about it".
"Thanks Max. We love you".
"Love you too".
They hung up.
"What do you want to do today, darling?"
"Spend time with you".
"Your wish is my command".
He kissed her, and then held her close.
It was weird for her to not have any memory of 72 hours, but that was better than losing the memory of 9 years. She felt so bad that she had put him through that.
She was lying on him and he was stroking her hair, and she heard him start to snore and fall asleep.
The time change always got to him.
She kissed him on the lips, and then snuggled up to him. He woke up, held her tighter, and they fell asleep together.
They slept for about 6 hours. When they woke up, Jennifer headed for the shower.
She was just about to get out, when he joined her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"It's so good to have you back, darling".
"I feel so bad, can you forgive me?"
"Darling, there is nothing to forgive. If you had cancer, would you ask me to forgive you for that?"
"No, I suppose not".
"And you don't have to ask for forgiveness for hitting your head and losing your memory, either. Darling, it happens. It happened to me, and it happened to you, and there are hundreds of people that it happens to each day".
After their shower, he helped her dry off, and they put on pajamas and ordered room service.
After they ate, she took her final pill in the regimen and then he put some soft music on. They danced around their room, just like they had danced the night they met.
He kissed her.
"I love you so much, darling".
"I love you too. And the best part is, I feel it all the way in my soul".
"I am so glad to hear you say that".
He picked her up, laid her on the bed, and they made love all night long.
***A few days later***
It was their last morning in London. They had really enjoyed this trip. They had seen the sights and they had eaten wonderful meals, and they had enjoyed lots of sex. The best part was that Jennifer remembered everything except the accident and the 72 hours afterwards. Most importantly, she remembered Jonathan, and how in love they were. Nothing else really mattered except that.
"Do we have to go home today? It's been wonderful having you all to myself, darling".
"I have enjoyed it too. But Freeway misses us. And max".
"I miss them too".
Their final meal in London was dinner. Jonathan found them a quaint little restaurant, and rented the entire place for the whole evening.
He paid a violinist to come play for them, and they had a romantic candlelight dinner, just the two of them, in the restaurant.
They shared a dance or two, and then had to head to the airport, to board the jet.
After they boarded, they sat and got comfortable. She rested her head on his shoulder. After they were safely in the air, she headed upstairs, to go to bed.
"Darling, when I was in the hospital and I couldn't remember you, was I mean to you?'
"No. You were frustrated and not feeling well."
"Was I mean to Max?"
"No. You thanked him for helping you, but you weren't as loving to him as you usually are. You said several times that he was a nice man".
"And what did I say to you?"
"Just that you couldn't remember our life, and that you were trying. You didn't want to hurt my feelings, but you didn't want to lie about it either. You didn't want me to kiss you, and you got mad at me when I kept calling you darling."
She seemed satisfied with his answers and snuggled up to him.
"Darling, if you had never remembered us, or our life together, I would have spent the rest of mine making sure that you knew how much I loved you, even if you couldn't remember that you loved me. I would pull out all the stops to get you to fall in love with me all over again. I would never leave you just because you hit your head and couldn't remember. Nothing is ever going to make me leave you".
"I do love you, Jonathan. I do. I fall more in love with you each and every day". She kissed him, and they started to make love.
"Darling, what about the pilot?"
"He can't hear us, darling."
"Good".
Jennifer fell asleep after they made love, and she and Jonathan slept all night.
They landed in Bel Air, around 8, and headed straight home.
Max came out to meet them.
"Mr. and Mrs. H, so glad you are home!"
"Hi Max!" Jonathan shook his hand and patted his arm.
He helped Jennifer out of the car. She ran to Max and gave him a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"My hero".
"Just doing my job, Mrs. H."
She went ahead into the house and found Freeway.
She let him jump up on the couch, and she gave him lots of kisses.
"Mama is sorry, baby. She didn't mean to blame you. It was an accident. I love you, and I missed you".
He was licking her face and barking.
Jonathan and Max came in with the luggage. Freeway ran to Jonathan and got a few pets.
Max went and made them breakfast and then Jennifer and Jonathan went upstairs to shower and unpack.
"Darling, can you come here?" He called her into the utility closet in their master bath.
"Yes, darling?"
"This is it. This is where it started".
"What?"
He pointed at the patch job on the wall.
"The hot water was faulty. There was a carbon monoxide leak. So, while we were in London, we got a new hot water heater, and they dug out part of the wall to fix the pipe where it was leaking. I just wanted to show it to you so that you would know it had been fixed. I promised you when I fell in love with you that I would take care of you. I couldn't prevent this, but I can damn sure fix it and keep it from happening again".
"Darling, just like you don't blame me for losing my memory, I don't blame you for it either. This wasn't your fault at all. I blamed Freeway, until I got my memory back. But it wasn't his fault. It could have just as easily happened to you, or Max, or anyone."
She hugged him.
"Can we get back to being the couple that is madly in love with each other and can't think of anything other than being in love, instead of thinking about what we did wrong?"
"Gladly".
He pulled her in a tender, passionate kiss that made her head spin, and held her close, because he was never going to let her go again.