Chapter 17

Remember Me

"Why didn't you tell us that there could have been a possibility that something like this could happen?" Toby questioned Wren and the frown on his face and the tone of his voice meant that Toby was all business right now.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't the operating doctor, so I couldn't get all the facts because of patient confidentiality." Wren said in an apologetic tone.

The two were standing in one the hallways of the hospital. Mrs. Hastings and Melissa were coming back to visit Spencer and Toby jumped at the chance to join them. By the time they got there, the girls and the guys were already there in the room and Spencer seemed to look happy. She looked happy until her eyes landed on Toby when he came in the room. The conversation and laughter didn't flow as well when he was there and she wouldn't even attempt to talk to him. The doctors told then that Spencer had lost her short term memory and didn't remember anything that happened within the past eight months.

Toby was jealous as he watched his girl embrace with her friends and family. She virtually ignored him the whole time and that ticked him off, but he couldn't blame her. He saw Wren walking past the room so he went after him to voice his concern about Spencer and to let off a little steam.

"I know that you're sorry, Wren, but sorry isn't going to make that girl remember me. It isn't going to make her remember our first kiss or the night that we said I love you to each other."

Wren sighed heavily as he ran a hand over his face."Mate, maybe its best you let her go you've only known her for a little over two and half months. How can you be in love when you don't know her!?"

He got up in Wrens face and it took all his willpower to restrain himself as he spoke."There's no such thing as time for me. I knew Spencer was someone special the moment I laid eyes on her. It only took a few words to come out of her mouth to make me fall for her right then and there. Just think if it were Melissa sitting in that hospital bed right now instead of Spencer, claiming that she didn't remember you." Wren bowed his head down as Toby spoke and Toby knew he was starting to get to him."Would you just get out of dodge because things somehow got a little bit harder?"

"No. No, I wouldn't because Melissa means everything to me. She's been my world since the first day I met her."

"I think we have a better understanding now, Wren. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to get back to check on my girl." He nodded his head at Wren before venturing down the hall towards Spencer's room.

Toby made his way back to Spencer's room a little while later. He walked around the hospital for a while just to clear his head. He didn't know what he was gonna do and the doctors weren't sure if her memory would ever come back. He couldn't kiss her whenever he wanted, he couldn't hold her whenever he wanted, and he wouldn't know when it would the next time she told him that she loved him. He had to deal with starting all over again with her, but he'd start over and over and over if that meant that in due time he'd get to be with her.

As he was rounding the corner to the room, he heard laughter coming from out of her room. He missed that laugh so much and when he heard it his heart fluttered in his chest. The door was cracked so he peeked in the room to the girls crowded around Spencer. He assumed that his friends had went off to school and Mrs. Hastings and Melissa probably went down to the cafeteria to get some lunch. He was about to go in, but stopped when he heard his name.

"So do you know where Toby ran off to?" Emily asked Spencer and she gave a look of disinterest.

"No, but I still don't know why he comes here almost everyday. He just comes in sits to look at me. It's...creepy." Spencer said and her words made Toby feel like he was gonna be sick.

"Well, duh, he comes here everyday to see you because he loves you." Hanna stated."And you love him."

"How can I love him when I don't know him? Andrew is my boyfriend...Andrew was my boyfriend." Spencer said as she wiped away a fallen tear and Toby's blood boiled because she was crying over that monster.

Aria placed her hand over Spencer's."Spence, Andrew is not someone you needed in your life. I'm not saying I'm glad he's dead, but I'm happy that he's not hurting you anymore."

Spencer looked at her friends wide-eyed."How did you guys know what Andrew...did to me?"

"You actually told Toby first before you told us." Emily spoke and the expression on Spencer's face told that she was shocked by that.

"I did? But why would I tell him before my best friends?"

"Like, Han, had said earlier you were in love with him and you two spent a lot of time together." Aria said."Spence, you and Toby were each others world these last few months."

"Yeah, Aria's right." Hanna said."That guy went to hell and back just to be with you. You lost you're memory of him, but he's still here by your side. If that's not love, then I don't know what is."

The girls words almost brought tears to his eyes. He had no idea how much the girls admired him and their relationship. He loved Spencer to death and he knew for a fact that he wasn't going anywhere until she told him to. Some things were just worth fighting for.

He tapped lightly on the door before entering the room."Hey."

"Hey, Tobes." Everyone said, expect for Spencer.

He walked over to where the girls were sitting next to Spencer."Listen, I'm gonna get going. I have to head home to shower and eat." He turned his gaze to his girl to direct his next words directly to her."I'll be back in a little while."

She nodded her head and gave him a small smirk. It wasn't much, but it was a start. And Toby was gonna take what he could get from her right now.

Toby said he was gonna leave and go home, but he had one more place to stop before leaving. He found out what room she was staying in from the front desk. When he got to the room, he slowly turned the knob to let himself in. The room was dark and the curtains were closed, but a little light was seeping through. The first thing he saw when he entered the room was her sitting up in bed. Her eyes were covered with bandages, but you could see reddish markings around her eyes.

"Toby?" She said his name and it made his skin crawl."Toby, is that you?"

"Yeah, its me." He shut the door behind him before walking over to the end of her hospital bed.

The corners of her mouth lifted up into a smile."I was wondering when you were gonna come and visit me." She sat up straighter in bed."Tell me. Is she dead?"

"Sadly for you, no, she's not dead. She's a little banged up and she lost her short term memory."

"Well, that's not what I was hoping for, but that'll do." She laughed and it took all of Toby's willpower to stay rooted to his spot."I heard that Andrew had died. I never meant for him to get hurt, but he was just collateral damage."

"Jenna, you are a cold hearted bitch." Toby said sharply and that caused Jenna's smile to drop."Why do you do the things you do? Is it fun to ruin people's lives? Do you get a kick out of it?"

"Toby-"

"No, you're done talking. It's my turn to talk." He said in aggressive a tone that he had never used before."You ruined my life for so many years and you still are. The girl I'm in love with could have died because of you. You could have taken her away from her family. And you did take someone's son away from them. How do you think they felt having to put their child in the ground?"

"I never meant-"

"Don't! Because you knew what you were trying to do all along. You just killed the wrong person."

"I love you, Toby. That's why I did it. So we could be together." She pleaded and he knew that she was crying.

He walked over to the side of her bed and leaned down to whisper in her ear."Listen to me when I say this. You and I are never going to be together. I do not love you." He leaned away from her and headed for the door."I wish you could see because I'd love for to see me walk out this door and leave you in the past."

"Toby, don't walk away from me!" She yelled after him, but he just tuned her out. He opened up the hospital door and closed it with a loud thud as he made his exit. He let out a deep sigh of relief before readjusting his jacket and heading out of the building.

A week has past since the accident. A week since Spencer forgot about the boy she was in love with. A week since Toby's world was crushed by one event. A week since he finally got to let go it his past.

Each day, he was taking it one step at a time with Spencer. She still really wouldn't talk to him without anyone else in the room. But she started letting him in her room more often because she was warming up to him. Or maybe that's because she felt sorry that he was hanging out in a waiting room all day like a lost puppy. Yep, it was official, he was whipped.

When he wasn't at the hospital he was at school or at work. He had started back to work a few days earlier, he was glad to be back, but he wished he could be with Spencer during that time. The good thing that's happened during this week was that Jenna hasn't been around because the police had arrested her. She wasn't going anywhere cuffed to a hospital bed.

Toby hasn't had anymore trouble with Andrews family or the police. He figured that since Andrew wasn't around to win back Spencer at any costs, then they'd leave Toby alone. Still, he kept his guard up because he knew the Campbell's could be really sneaky. Mr. Hastings would drop by the house to check on his wife and Melissa and go to the hospital to see Spencer from time to time. He still wasn't allowed in the house and at this point even Toby was wondering when or if he would be able to return to the house.

It was finally Thursday and it wasn't just special to Toby because the weekend was was approaching. Spencer could finally come home today. She was walking pretty well on her own and wouldn't take any assistance from the nurses. That was his girl, headstrong and hardheaded, but that's one of the reasons why he loved her. He took it upon himself to himself to fix up her room for her so that she could be comfortable when she got back.

Mrs. Hastings had planned to throw a party for her later on. She wanted to give Spencer time to settle in and get comfortable before seeing people. No friends or family, expect for Melissa, could see her before the party that afternoon. Toby had a special privilege because he lived in the Hastings house, so he got to see her before anyone else.

He nervously tapped his foot on the carpet as he waited for Mrs. Hastings and Melissa to get back with his girl. He heard a car door slam and he felt his heart start to pound in his chest. He heard the soft mummers of voices and heels clicking along the pavement. The backdoor opened up and Toby instantly stood up while wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. Melissa was the first to walk in, but his girl was right behind her.

She had looked better these days. She was back into her regular clothes and out of that hospital gown. The cuts on her face were virtually gone, but she was still gonna be sporting the cast for another two weeks. She looked perfect to him and he was just yearning to reach out and hold her, but he knew he couldn't.

"I thought you said that I couldn't have visitors until the party?" Spencer asked her mother and Toby realized no one ever told her about the new living arrangements.

"Well, Spence, Toby isn't a guest. He lives here with us." Veronica concluded and her daughter looked at her with much surprise.

"Is it like a temporary thing?" She asked and Toby could tell that she was uncomfortable. He should have took in consideration that she might have issues with sharing a home with some strange guy.

"Well-"

"Yes." Toby interrupted Melissa before she could say anything. Everyone's eyes turned to him."I was actually just here to pack up some things."

Melissa opened her mouth to say something, but he gave her a pointed look not to. He was doing this for Spencer to make sure she felt safe and comfortable. Even if that meant he had to couch surf for the next few months until be could find a place.

"If you'll excuse me I have some packing to finish." He nodded his head at them before venturing up the steps and into his room. He grabbed the duffel bag from under the bed and started throwing his clothes in from the drawers and closet.

"Where are you gonna go?" He heard Melissa ask behind. He didn't turn around and continued to stuff more items into his bag.

"I don't know. I was thinking that tonight I can sleep on Caleb's couch." He zipped up his bag before finally turning around to Melissa standing in his doorway."That's the only plan I have for right now."

Melissa sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose."I promised that I wouldn't do this."

"Wouldn't do what?"

"Grab your stuff and come with me." She instructed before leaving the doorway. He grabbed his bag off the bed before following her out of the room.

As he was walking down the hallway, Spencer's door was open. She was sleeping on her bed with her body facing the door. He had a good view of her beautiful face and she looked so peaceful in her sleep. He quietly walked into the room and kneeled down beside her. He pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear before placing a gently kiss on her forehead. He let his eyes gaze at her face a little while longer before tearing his eyes away and standing up. He grabbed his bag off the floor and left her room without looking back. Because if he had looked back, then he'd never leave that room again.

"Why are we here?" He questioned as he looked out of the passenger side window at the Brew.

"Because I have to show you something."

He shook his head slightly."I don't think I can be here, Mel. It just brings up bad memories."

"I know and that's why we're about to turn a bad one into a good. Now get out of the car and follow me."

He grumbled out a response before opening the door and stepping out of the car. He followed Melissa inside of the Brew and to those familiar stairs in the back of the building. She pulled out the keys and he was perplexed on how or when she got the keys to his loft. She unlocked the door and stepped back before gesturing to go in first.

He flipped on the light switch and felt his throat tighten. He stepped further into the loft until he was standing in the middle and did a full 360 spin. The place wasn't a mess like he had left it the last time. No, everything was clean and tidy. There was new furniture all through out the place and it seemed that everything and been replaced and fixed.

"How did this happen?" He asked Melissa as his eyes took in everything around him again.

"There's this certain girl that used to come here almost everyday when she had time to get away. She'd come and clean and buy new furniture to put in this place." She tossed the keys to the loft over to Toby and he barely caught them because he was still in shock."She wanted it to be perfect for you. She did it because she said that she could see it in your eyes how much it killed you to let this place go."

He wiped a tear that had slipped from his eye."S-Spencer did all of this for me?"

"Yeah, she would sneak away and come fix this place up. She even got your truck repaired and it's safely tucked away at Jason's house in his garage."

"Why didn't she ever tell me about this?"

Melissa shrugged."She wanted to keep it a surprise until your birthday in a few weeks. She made me promise not to tell, but I figured with everything going on that...she wouldn't remember to tell."

He clutched the key in his head and went over to her to give her a hug."Thank you."

She pulled back from the hug and looked at him seriously as she spoke."Don't give up on her, Toby. Even when times get bad and it seems like there's no hope. Don't give up."

He gave her a silent nod of the head to let her know that he wasn't done with Spencer. They shared one last hug before she said her final goodbye and left. Toby was finally alone in his home. It just didn't feel like home without Spencer being close by.

Two days have past since Toby's moved out of the Hastings house. He was settling back into his loft, job, and school. School had to be his most favorite part of everyday. Spencer was back at school and he got to see her everyday in the halls and at lunch. There was still no real communication going on between them. She would smile at him when he'd be smiling at we as he passed by her in the hallway. That's about all he got from Spencer and it's been killing him.

It was finally the weekend and Toby was gonna use this day to his advantage. He didn't have to work and he didn't have homework to do. He was just gonna kick back and relax and maybe later on meet up with the guys to go do something.

Toby was stretched out on his new couch watching t.v. that Saturday morning. He had his cereal in his hands as he indulged in a little bit of cartoons. He was just finishing up with his breakfast when he heard a knock at his door. He thought it was odd considering that he wasn't expecting any visitors today. Still, he went over to his door and opened it, but was shocked to see her on the other side.

"Spencer?"

"Hi." She said meekly almost as if she was unsure of what to say at that exact moment."Are you busy?"

"No, no come in." He opened up the door and let her into his loft. He closed it behind them and seeing her standing in his loft like she had done a few times before made him feel at ease."How'd you get here? I didn't even think you knew that I lived here?"

"I asked Emily if she knew and she told me where. I just called a taxi and asked them to take me here."

He gestured for her to have a seat and when she did, he sat down beside her, but still have her some space."Why'd you want to see me?"

"I found something in the guest room that you were staying and I thought you might want it back." She pulled a picture frame from out of her purse and his eyes rove over the familiar picture of him and his mother when he was a young boy.

"Thank you." He said to her and she nodded her head, letting the silence engulf them for a little while.

"Was it true?" She asked and Toby looked at her confused.

"Was what true?"

"What everyone's been saying. That I was in love with you and that were in love with me."

"Am."

"Huh?"

He put the picture down on the coffee table and fully turned to her."You said that I was in love with you, but that's a lie because I still am in love with you."

She bit her bottom lip nervously."And did I love you?"

"Yeah, you did." He scooted closer to her on the couch and he was thankful that she didn't move away like she had been doing to him over that past week."The thing about our love, Spence, was that it consumed us and not in a bad way. It helped you and it helped me."

"People told me that we only knew each for a little over two months. And we fell in love that quickly?"

"Time doesn't matter. From the moment I saw you I knew you were gonna be in my life forever. I just hope that one day you'll remember me and that we can get back to the love we had."

"Hope breeds eternal misery." She stated and it caused Toby to chuckle a little.

"Not for us, babe." He leaned over, keeping his eyes locked on hers. His lips brushed against her and she closed her eyes. He moved in for the full kiss and he felt like time had stopped. It had been so long since he's kissed her and now he wanted to hold her lips hostage forever. Sadly for him the kiss ended just as quickly as it started when she pulled back.

She finally opened her eyes and looked at him."Kissing me isn't going to make me remember. It isn't going to bring my memory back."

"I know that. I was just making it clear to you about how I felt about you." His hand reached up to caress her cheek."I still feel that spark when I kiss you and I'm just hoping you felt it too."

She pulled out of his reach and stood up."I-I should go I told Hanna I would meet her downstairs for coffee."

He stood up and followed her over to the door. When she opened it, he gently grabbed her hand to turn her around."If you ever need anything, even if it's just to talk then come to me."

She gave him a small smile as an okay before turning and leaving his loft. He shut the door behind her and then leaned his forehead against the door. This girl was gonna be the death of him.