Betrayal: Book 3 of the Guardians Saga

Ch. 11.3 Amnesia...The Way Out

It was sunset when Gabe entered the carriage house after his wandering had sufficiently eased his whirling emotions.

Cale was holding a tablet, but he had watched the bedroom door more than he had read it. He had held the tablet so that his claws, jagged from clacking, would have a break.

He looked up at his older brother. "There's something I have to tell you. We had to call Dr. Dewey over."

Gabe clenched his sword hilt in a death grip, his gaze bored into Cale, and his color flushed into a dark gold.

"Alex's had some kind of, well, he called it 'post-traumatic amnesia'. More of it, actually. She doesn't remember what happened yesterday. She doesn't remember anything that happened recently with Morgan either. She thinks she got drunk at a party and that's why she can't remember."

"I see. Alex copes by forgetting the past. It makes sense." Gabe looked at the bedroom door and both brothers' gazes tried to burn a hole in it. "I'll see her now."

"Dr. Dewey said to let her believe what she wants," Cale called after Gabe's back as his older brother entered the bedroom. One of his claws splintered a little further from digging into the tablet's case.

"Alex?" Gabe's voice was soft. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to wake up or not.

"Hmm? Oh, hi, Gabe." Alex blinked up at him. One corner of her mouth curled up in a smile.

He stood over her, posture stiff, still clenching his sword hilt, his knuckles now white against the distressed gold of his hide.

"Well, sit down." She pulled painfully into a sit and patted the edge of the bed next to her.  Her smile turned questioning at his hesitation and she took in his white knuckles. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. How do you feel?" He didn't move.

"I said if I heard that one more time, I would scream. I'm fine." She looked at him with suspicion, eyes narrowed. "Are you mad at me?"

"What?"

"I said: are you upset with me? Y'know, because I got drunk.  Or is it because those punks on the street beat me up? I'm sorry. You were right all along that I wasn't ready." Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she bowed her head.

Her apology was a thousand times more terrible than any punishment that he could have imagined and he flinched away from her.

Alex started crying. "Don't be mad at me, I'm sorry. I'll never do it again. I swear. That was the last time. I've always managed the amount I drink. I will again. I'll train more until I roam the streets again. I promise."

"Alex, I didn't mean...I'm not angry." Gabe sat down on the bed next to her. "I'm upset over what happened to you, not upset with you."

He didn't think he could feel more pain, but he was wrong.  Her crying took his misery to a whole deeper level. He put a faltering arm around her waist and she turned to sob on his shoulder.

"You were right," she said. "You were right all along. I should have listened to you.  I'm not good enough for street-fighting and I got beat up and then I was stupid enough to get drunk and now you're mad at me." Her words tumbled out between sobs.

"I'm not mad at you. Please stop saying that." It made him feel so much worse.

"You're not?" She sniffed and dragged her sleeve across her nose. "Are you sure? I had this terrible feeling that you were really angry with me."

"No, not at all." He hugged her cautiously. Anger was the last emotion he felt. For the first time in ages, his heart unclenched and he felt hope.

"Take a nap with me," Alex begged. "I'm still tired and sore."

Gabe hesitated. There wasn't a place on her that wasn't bruised or bandaged.

"Please?"

He knew she was still aching from his rejection. "I don't want to hurt you." He stopped himself from adding "any more."

"Please lie down and I'll snuggle against you."

He lay on his side and she had to arrange herself with care. Each stifled breath of pain struck Gabe's core.

But at last, her warm skin was against his hide and he loved the feel of her breath across his chest as her head lay on it. She was asleep in no time. Alex always had a knack for that.

***

Rile returned and scowled to see Gabe walking out of the bedroom. Rile pointedly avoided him to approach his middle brother. Cale clacked his broken claws when he saw this.

"How is she?" Rile asked his anxiety-laden middle brother, ignoring Gabe.

"She still doesn't remember what happened. Not only has she blanked out Morgan, but she doesn't remember the whole incident with Brockner either," Cale said over the staccato of his splintering claws.

Rile faced his oldest brother, eyeing him with disdain, his own color flushed a deep, angry red.  "How convenient for you. That eliminates a lot of problems, doesn't it, when all your mistakes are forgotten." 

Rile turned his back on him and addressed Cale, "That jerk really does have everything handed to him." Rile stomped out of the carriage house, slamming the door.

******

A/N

Did the music video fit the chapter? I was uncertain and debated several choices.

Does the extension of Alex's amnesia make sense?

Dedicated to:
Cocosghost for her unflagging help !
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