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Patrick kept his one open eye on the doctor. “20…24.”
Dr. Navarro gestured toward me. “Do you know who he is?”
I held my breath as Patrick turned his head to look at me. He hadn’t used my name yet, and he looked at me quizzically again.
“He’s my…” I could see the apprehension in his eyes. Did he remember what we were to each other?
“He’s my best friend.”
My heart sunk in my chest as I tried not to read too much into what he said.
“Do you know his name?” Navarro asked.
“Of course. That’s Cole. He’s an angel.”
I smiled and nodded, even though something in my gut told me something was off.
“Do you remember what happened?”
Patrick closed his eyes and shook his head no.
“Okay, I think that’s enough questions for now. I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.”
Patrick pulled up one side of his mouth into a faint smile. “I’ll look forward to it.”
I couldn’t tell if he was being a smartass or flirting with the doctor. Either way, it wasn’t like Patrick to act that way, and it caused all kinds of alarm bells to go off in my head.
Dr. Navarro cut his eyes over to me. I assessed him with new eyes because I hadn’t paid him one bit of attention before. He was in his late thirties, with sandy-blond hair and blue eyes. His jaw was sharp, and two dimples popped on his stubbled face when he smiled.
“Patrick,” I said. “Do you still want water?”
He didn’t open his eyes, but nodded.
I looked at the doctor. “Is that okay?”
“Yes, let’s stick to small sips of fluids for a while. If you have any nausea, you need to tell the nurse immediately. I’ll order a liquid diet until he’s fully awake.”
Dr. Navarro took one more appraising look at Patrick, then motioned toward the hallway. I followed and stood in the doorway with my arms over my chest. I refused to be away from him, so I stood like some sentinel guarding his room.
“I can see something’s on your mind, Cole. What can I answer for you?”
I had a lot of questions, but I’d wait to ask Simon. “Nothing.”
He stuck his hands in the pockets of his white coat.
“Okay. Then I’ll tell you what I saw. His memory seems to be okay for the moment. I’m encouraged by his answers. Keep in mind, there are a whole host of complications with TBIs, and it’s not uncommon for people to experience temporary mood or personality changes. It can happen at any time, sometimes even weeks afterward. He might become agitated easily. So if you’re alarmed by what he said, don’t be.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What you saw in there was not Patrick. Why shouldn’t that alarm me?”
“Because it’s temporary, Cole. What I didn’t notice was movement of his lower extremities.”
I looked back over my shoulder at him. He hadn’t moved a muscle. Maybe I was overreacting about what I thought I saw. I was tired as fuck, but I knew how people looked at him, and it bothered me as much as my fans bothered him.
“Is that uncommon?”
“No, he just needs to be given more time. When I come back in a few hours, hopefully he’ll be more awake. He’s going to remember what you mean to him. Just give him some time.”
I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t know what you mean.”
