He was surprised to see Marisa awake. He put his breakfast on the tray and walked to the bed.
"Hey Mari, glad to see you're awake." Zac grabbed her hand and kissed her.
Marisa pulled back as Zac tried to kiss her. He looked at her, wondering what was going on.
"Who are you?" Marisa asked.
"You don't remember?" Zac asked worried.
"No, should I?"
Zac's heart sank to the ground Marisa didn't remember him or what they had.
"I'm your boyfriend. We live together."
Marisa looked at him with a weird face.
"We live together?"
"Yes we do. I love you."
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember," Marisa spoke as he bowed her head.
Zac lifted her face. "It's okay Mari, you were in an accident. Do you remember what happened?"
"No, I'm sorry."
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"Uhm," Marisa thought hard about what she remembered. "It's been a year since I found out who my dad was." Zac sighed. "How long was that ago?"
"That's been 5 years ago since you met your father so what you remember is 4 years ago."
"I can't remember the last 4 years?" Marisa spoke worried.
"Hey, it's okay Marisa. You will remember. I'll help you. I'll be right back, I'm just gonna get the doctor."
Zac gave a soft kiss on her head and went to find the doctor. Once he was outside the room he leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Marisa didn't remember him or what they had. He felt his eyes getting a little teary. He composed himself and went to find the doctor.
"Good morning Ms. Mathews, I'm glad to see you're awake," the doctor spoke. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better. I can't remember anything from the last 4 years."
"That's perfectly common with your type of injuries."
"Will I get my memory back?"
"I don't see why not. I'm sure your family will help you with it and you can work with a therapist who's gonna help you."
"When can I get out of here?" Marisa asked, desperate to get out of the hospital.
"Miss, you were injured pretty badly. I'd say in a week maybe two and then about 6 weeks at home to recuperate."
"Great, just great. No offense doctor, I don't like hospitals."
"It's okay."
"Don't worry doctor, I'll make sure she gets her rest," Zac spoke.
"That's good. I'll be back later to check on you."
Zac said next to Marisa on the bed.
"Can I ask you something? "Marisa asked.
"Sure, anything."
"How long have we been together?"
"About 9 months."
"How did we meet?"
Zac thought about what to say to her. She didn't remember that she was raped. In a way he was glad about that.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just that we met after something terrible had happened to you. You don't remember what happened."
"What happened? What was so terrible what had happened? Please, tell me."
"You….. We met at a support group. You were raped."
"Raped? I was raped?"
"Yes you were."
"Were you raped too? I that why you were at the meeting."
"Yes I was."
"How long was it ago that I was raped?"
"About a month or 9."
"I don't remember."
"Maybe this is a good thing. It hurt you pretty bad."
"Yeah perhaps."
Callen and Sara walked into the room. Zac had told them she was awake.
"Hey Marisa," Callen spoke.
"Hey dad."
"I'm glad to see you're awake," Callen spoke as he gave her a hug.
"I'm glad to be awake."
"Hi Marisa," Sara spoke.
Marisa looked at her like she saw a ghost. "Mom? You're alive?"
"Yes I am. I had to fake my death but I'm back now."
Marisa looked at Sara's stomach. "And you're pregnant," Marisa exclaimed.
"Yes I am, with your brother or sister," Sara replied as she put her hands on her stomach.
"You and dad are back together?"
"Yes we are."
"I'm happy for you."
"Thanks." Sara walked up to her and gave her a hug. Marisa held onto her mother tight. "We're happy for you and Zac too."
"Thanks, but I can't remember."
"You will sweetie," Callen told her. "We'll help you."
"Thanks dad. I hope I will."
"I'm sure you will. And we'll remind you of stuff until you do."
"Thanks."
"We'll be back after work. Rest up," Sara spoke.
"I will mom."
Callen and Sara left. Zac had down next to Marisa again.
"You don't have to go to work today?"
"Nope, I asked for a couple days off so I could be there for you."
"That's sweet of you."
"Of course. I love you. I want to be here for you."
"Thanks. Can you maybe get something to eat for me?"
"Sure. I still have my breakfast, we can share."
"Thanks."
Zac gave her a sandwich and he ate the other one.
Later in the afternoon the doctor came back again and checked Marisa over. She was doing fine considering.
A therapist stopped by as well and helped her with her memory.
…
A week and a half later Marisa was discharged from the hospital. She had a bit of her memory back but nothing about Zac or Sara. Zac picked her up from the hospital and brought her home.
"Do you remember this house?"
"Yes I do. I already lived here. Just some furniture doesn't look familiar."
"That's because some of it came from my place."
"Ah okay."
Marisa walked around the living room and saw some pictures of her and Zac.
"We seem happy," Marisa spoke as she picked up one of the pictures.
"Yes we are. Very happy."
"I hope I remember soon."
"You will honey. You will."
Marisa noticed the picture of her adoptive parents.
"Do they know what happened to me?"
"I'm sorry to say this but they are dead. They passed away a while before we met."
Zac noticed tears appeared in Marisa's eyes.
"I'm sorry honey," Zac told her as he pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry about this."
"It's not your fault Zac."
"Still, I'm sorry you have to go through this, not remembering stuff."
"I'll do everything I can to remember again."
"I know Mari, and I'll help you."
Marisa lifted her face and looked him in the eyes. "Thank you for being here for me. I know I don't remember you but you're very sweet."
"You're welcome. I don't mind."
"Thanks."
"Shall I make you some lunch?"
"Yes, thank you."
"I'll make something nice for you." Zac gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.
Marisa sat down on the couch and looked around. Some things looked familiar but some things didn't. It frustrated her she didn't remember. Zac came out of the kitchen with a sandwich.
"Here you go Mari."
"Thanks. May I ask you something?"
"Sure, anything."
"Why do you call me Mari?"
"It's my nickname for you."
"Do I have a nickname for you?"
"No. You call me Zac or honey or baby or something."
"Ah okay. Do you know where we keep the pictures? I wanna see if some of them look familiar."
"Uhm yeah sure."
Zac stood up and retrieved a photo album. He sat next to Marisa and looked through the photo album with her. The first pictures Marisa's recognized but the later she didn't. There were pictures of her and Zac together. Marisa looked at the pictures, trying to see if she remembered anything, but she couldn't.
"We seem very happy here," Marisa spoke.
"Yes we do. I'm very happy to be with you."
"From what it seems I'm happy too."
"Yes you are. We're very happy together."
"How long have we been living together?"
"Not that long, just about a month or so. But we're very happy. I'm very glad to be with you."
"I just wished I remember."
"You will honey, you will." Zac pulled her in for a hug. "You just rest up a bit."
Zac put her down on the couch and went to get some housework done. It didn't take long before Marisa fell asleep. Zac looked at her, asleep on the couch. He hoped she would remember soon what they have. He missed his Marisa.
About an hour later Marisa woke up. She got up and found Zac in the laundry room.
"Hey Zac."
"Hey Mari, did you sleep okay?"
"Yes, I slept fine."
"Good."
They day was pretty quiet. Marisa went to bed around 10pm. Zac joined her. Marisa was fast asleep. Zac looked at her. He hoped she would have her memory back soon. A little later he fell asleep too only to be woken up by a scream an hour later. Marisa was sitting upright in the bed.
"Mari, honey, what's wrong?" Zac asked concerned.
Marisa looked his way. "Zac?"
"Yeah, it's me. It's okay. It was just a bad dream."
Marisa fell against him and starting crying. Zac moved his arms around her and pulled her down on the bed with him.
"It's okay Mari, it was just a dream. Shhh, it's okay."
"It felt so real."
"Maybe it was real at one point for you. Maybe it was just your subconscious letting you remember something."
"Perhaps. Can you please hold me tonight?"
"Sure, no problem. Just try to get some sleep. I'll be here if you need me."
Marisa snuggled against his chest and fell asleep again. Zac liked having Marisa lay like this. He had missed this. Zac gave her a soft kiss on her head and fell asleep as well.
The next morning he woke up and Marisa was still lying in his arms. He pulled her closer and enjoyed having her in his arms like this.
A little later Marisa woke up as well and she noticed she was in Zac's arms. She tried to move out of them but Zac held her back.
"Good morning honey," Zac spoke as he pulled her closer.
"Good morning Zac."
Without thinking Zac moved closer and planted a kiss on her lips. Marisa was taken by surprise and pushed him back.
"What? I can't give you a kiss?" Zac asked surprised.
"Not when I don't remember us."
"Right," Zac responded. "Sorry, I forgot."
"It's okay. I get this must be hard for you too, with me not remembering you or what we had."
"Yeah it is. But the most important thing is that you're alive and okay. And as for your memory I'll help you recover it."
"And I will do everything I can to get it back. I wanna remember you and what we have."
"You will honey, I'm sure off it."
Marisa looked him in his eyes. Zac wondered what she was looking at.
"Maybe…. Maybe we should try a kiss. Maybe it will trigger some memories of mine."
"Really? You're sure?"
"We can give it a shot. The doctor said doing things I would normally do could help."
"Yes that's right. So I can kiss you?"
"Yes you can. But just a normal one."
Zac moved forward and planted his lips on Marisa's. First it was a gentle kiss but when he noticed Marisa didn't pull back he deepened the kiss. The second lasted for a few seconds before Zac pulled back.
"And?"
"No nothing, but it did feel nice. Maybe you can do it again, maybe it will trigger something than."
Zac smiled at her as he kissed her again. Zac pulled her closer and turned her around on her back. He kissed her deeply and he felt Marisa kissing him back a bit. It was so nice to kiss her again. He had missed this. When Zac tried to use his tongue Marisa pushed him back.
"Too soon?" Zac asked.
"Yeah, sorry."
"It's okay. I just missed kissing you."
"Yes I could feel that."
"Did you feel anything else?"
"No, sorry. It was nice, very nice, but I didn't feel like it triggered something. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It was worth a try."
"What if I never get my memory back?"
"You will honey, you will."
"You can't be sure of that."
"You're right, I can't. But I believe it in and so should you."
"I do, I'm just worried it won't come back."
"It will Mari, trust me."
"I'm just gonna go wash up," Marisa spoke as she tried to get out of bed but she grabbed her ribs as she tried.
"You okay Mari?" Zac asked concerned.
"Just my damn ribs."
"Here, let me help you," Zac replied as he took her hand.
"Thanks."
Marisa was caught off guard a bit when Zac lifted her up and brought her to the bathroom.
"It's not good for you to walk on your bruised ankle."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. You need a hand with washing?"
"Uhm….."
Zac noticed she was a bit uncomfortable.
"Only if you want to. I just thought with your injuries it would be hard to wash yourself. I'd be happy to help if you're okay with it. I've seen you naked already, but if you're too uncomfortable with it I won't or you can keep you underwear on."
"Thanks, but I can do it myself. Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome. I'll be just outside if you need me."
"Thanks."
Zac left the bathroom. Marisa proceeded in taken her pajamas and underwear off. It wasn't easy with some broken ribs. Standing under the shower wasn't an option since her bandages couldn't get wet. She tried to stand up but her bruised ankle made it hard for her. She really didn't want Zac to help her. She felt too uncomfortable with it.
Zac was in the kitchen when suddenly he heard a loud bang. He rushed to the bathroom and found Marisa lying in the bathtub.
"Mari, are you okay?" Zac asked concerned as he helped her up.
"I'm fine. I just stumbled." Marisa quickly grabbed a towel to cover herself.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Come on, I'll help you."
"No, that's okay. I can do it myself."
"Marisa, I don't want you to hurt yourself. Let me help you."
Marisa looked at him. Zac caught him looking at her. She had a worried look on her face.
"It's okay Mari. I won't hurt you. You can trust me."
Zac slowly removed the towel. He turned on the water in the tub and grabbed a cloth. Carefully he washed Marisa. After a while Marisa relaxed under his touch. He was very gentle. He helped her stand up and dried her off and helped her to get dressed.
"You okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."
Zac picked her up and carried her to the couch. Marisa liked being carried by Zac, she had to admit that. He was so sweet for her.
…
A week had passed. Marisa's memory wasn't back yet. She only remembered some small things. She did feel more comfortable around Zac. She could see why she fell for him.
That morning Marisa woke up and she noticed she was in Zac's arms, just like she had been the previous days.
"Good morning Mari."
"Good morning Zac."
"Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes fine. You?"
"Me too. How are your injuries?"
"They are a bit better. Still hurt but they are getting better."
"That's good. Are you sure you're good to stay at home today?"
"Yes I'm fine. Don't worry about me. My mom is coming over today. It's her day off."
"Alright. You can call me if you need me."
"I will."
Zac gave her a soft kiss on her cheek before he went out. He got dressed and went to work. Marisa stayed in bed a little longer. It was around 9am she got out. Around lunch time Sara would stop by.
She grabbed a photo album and sat down on the couch. She remembered some of the pictures of her and the team. The later pictures had her mother too. She still couldn't believe Sara was actually alive. Just before noon there was a knock on the door. Marisa grabbed her crutches and opened the door.
"Hi mom."
"Hi Marisa. How are you?"
"I'm good, healing."
"You ready to go?"
"Yes I am."
They walked out to Sara's car and drove to a dinner to crab lunch.
"I still can't believe you're here and pregnant no less," Marisa spoke once they were seated.
"Yeah I know. It was a big shock to you and your father. I'm so happy to be in your lives again. I'm glad you got to know your father. And we're really happy to have another baby."
"Yeah, I remember when I found out about him. I knew him already I just didn't know he was my father. But yeah I'm glad I got to know him too."
"You two are really close, I can see that."
"I don't remember that much. Just the first year after I found out."
"You will remember sweetie, don't worry about it."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What are Zac and I like? I mean us together as a couple."
"You two are really sweet together. I can see that you two really love each other."
"Yeah I got that idea too. I just don't remember him."
"You will sweetie. You will."
"I hope so. This is so frustrating."
"Yeah I can imagine. But you will get your memory back. I'm sure of it."
"I hope you're right."
They finished their lunch and Sara brought her back home.
"Thank you for this mom. This was really nice."
"You're welcome. I enjoy spending time with you. Do you need anything or will you be okay until Zac comes home?"
"I'm fine. Thanks. Say hi to my dad for me."
"I will. See ya."
"See ya."
Marisa walked inside her apartment and sat down on the couch.
It was just after 5pm when Zac walked in.
"Hey Mari," Zac greeted her.
"Hey Zac. How was your day?"
"It was fine." Zac gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. "How was your day?"
"Fine, my mom took me to lunch."
"That's nice of her. Do you remember something more?"
"No, not really. Just small bits."
"You'll get there eventually."
Zac disappeared into the kitchen and started on dinner.
…..
Callen and Sara sat on the couch and started looking at wedding venues.
"When do you want to get married?" Callen asked.
"I think it's better to wait until after the baby is born."
"I don't know if I can wait that long. If it were up to me I would get married today."
"That's a bit too soon. There's so much planning to do."
"Is it possible to do in a month? If that's alright with you."
"I think a month is possible. It would be before my 30 weeks so I think I can handle it."
"We can just have a small wedding. We don't have that many guests. Just the team, Marisa and Zac."
Sara didn't have any family anymore. She was an only child and so were here parents. Her parents died a while ago.
"Yeah that's true. I think we can manage it in a month, if we can find a venue that's available. We can look at that later, right now we have to go to the doctor."
"Right, so we can check on this little baby here."
Callen moved his hand over her stomach and kissed her stomach. Sara loved it when Callen paid attention to her stomach. He would make a great father to their new baby.
Within an hour they were back home from their doctor's appointment. Everything was fine with Sara and the baby. They got another ultrasound picture. Sara grabbed the photo album they had started for the baby and put the picture in. It was nice to see the progress of her pregnancy in the ultrasound pictures.
"You can see that the baby has grown quite a bit," Callen told her as he looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah, you can."
"I can't wait to meet the little baby."
"Me neither."
Callen gave her a kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too."
…..
Marisa was in the kitchen to grab a snack for herself. Suddenly she grabbed her head and let out a scream.