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“Two months, Luce. That’s all you’re getting. And I want you to know I do not agree with this decision.” Mom stands outside her Uber in the parking lot of the SunBay Inn, her bags already in the trunk. “Mandi wouldn’t take my card to pay for you, so clean up after yourself. Don’t make them cater to you.”
“I won’t.”
She nods a few times, still looking put out. I can’t let her get on a plane and go back to Idaho with us like this.
“Mom,” I say, stopping her before she climbs into the back seat. “I’m not trying to upset you.”
She sighs. “I wanted to spare you from this, but I see now I can’t. It’s your life. You made that clear to me a long time ago.”
I rush into her arms and squeeze her tightly, hoping the friction that was there before I left Adam will evaporate this time around. I want a different outcome if I decide Sunrise Bay is where I want to be.
“I love you,” I say, meaning every word.
“Just be careful, sweetie.” She runs her hand down my back and releases me sooner than I would have.
I step back and she slides into the car, waving one last time before the Uber pulls out of the parking lot.
My phone dings with a reminder. I forgot that my neurologist wanted to get on a video call to talk to me now that I’ve been here a few days. I’m still caked in dry mud and there’s no time for a shower.
I head into the inn, thankful I’m staying in town. Climbing the stairs, I go into my room and see that my mom made her bed before she left. I grab my computer and sit on my bed, positioning it on top of a pillow.
After I dial Dr. Lipstein, his bald head pops up on the screen.
“Lucy,” he says, positioning his computer straighter.
“Hi, Dr. Lipstein,” I say.
“How is Alaska?” He leans back in his chair.
One thing I love about Dr. Lipstein is the fact that he’s laid back. He never makes me feel as though there’s something wrong with me. From day one, he’s made it clear that hopefully my memories will come back, but they may not and that’s okay too. My first appointment after I was discharged from the hospital was with a support group he suggested where some people have regained all their memories and others who haven’t regained any. Seeing those people thriving made me think I could too. But it also spurred me to want to come here to Alaska.
“It’s okay.” I shrug.
“Just okay?”
“My mom left to go back to Idaho and I’m going to stay here.”
A small smile creases his lips.
“What?”
He chuckles. “I had a feeling things wouldn’t go how you predicted up there.”
“What does that mean?”
His head tips right and left as though he’s unsure how to say whatever it is he wants to say. “I’ve been doing this job a long time. Something about your mom’s position on you returning there just flagged me. That’s all. When someone loses their memory, unfortunately, it can sometimes bring people back into their life in a way they weren’t a part of it before. You’d returned to your family after you left Sunrise Bay, but I think there’s a lot to uncover while you’re there. A large part of who you used to be.”
“I’m married,” I blurt.
His eyes widen. “Your parents didn’t tell you?”
I nod, still annoyed that my mom tried to erase this part of my life. “I guess I left him about a year ago. I don’t remember why, and I really want to.”
“Did he approach you when you got to town or did someone tell you?”
I shake my head with a proud smile.
“You remembered?”
