The doctor asked," Do you remember how you came to be here in the hospital, Mr. Norland? "
Richard swallowed hard. He looked at Nigel instinctively as though he expected the answer to be on his handsome scarred face. Maybe it should be, he thought. He felt like he knew this man but he couldn't remember him. Except for brief memory flashes through his mind of this man, this young unusual man before him , laughing merrily at something. He said they were married. He couldn't remember it but oddly he didn't feel being married to this man would be so bad. He , Nigel, looked kind. And sweet in a rough almost world weary way.
His eyes drifted to the boy. His.... son ? He had children? Three children? He...
" I ..... I don't..... think so..... An accident? Was I in an accident? I remember Spencer being there. He's in a wheelchair. Who is he though?"
Nigel looked at the doctor and then back at Richard.
The doctor explained gently," You were shot. In the head. Which I believe has triggered a bout of amnesia. Not unusual with physical or emotional trauma. I say you should possibly have your memory back in twenty four hours. "
Nigel sank back into the chair next to the bed. His legs suddenly felt unsteady. He also remembered he had forgotten his medicine time. He didn't care about medicine right now though. " Spencer, your brother, is fine. You were shot. So were two other men. One is fine. Mostly."
Richard felt cold and with the hand not still holding Nigel's pulled up the thin cotton blanket covering himself. Then his hand went up to his bandaged head. He was shot? He was a lawyer but he was shot ?
( " Stay away from my brother ! ")
" What about the other one? The other one shot ? Isn't he fine as well? ," he asked.
He saw a flash in his head of a shorter slim man falling into his arms, a surprised look on his handsome lined face, blood on his head.
Nigel sighed. " He's not. He's dead. Relatively anyway. "
Richard's breath caught briefly in his throat. "I'm sorry to hear that. "
Nigel kissed his hand and a warmth seemed to fill Richard's body at the mere touch. " I'm not. "
YOU ARE READING
ODDS OF LOVE : SEASON ELEVEN
General FictionThe ongoing soap opera about the trials and tribulations of disabled math professor and genius Spencer Norland - Lane , his doctor husband DuBuis Lane and their family and friends in the Washington DC area.
