‘But, Kelly, we can’t just—just keep sleeping together!’ he said in exasperation.
‘Why can’t we? We’re married.’
His face darkened angrily. ‘God, I can’t talk to you when you’re in this mood.’
‘Then don’t even try.’ She stood up to begin straightening the bed. ‘Shouldn’t you be going?’ She gave him a pointed glance.
‘I’ll deal with you later,’ he told her grimly.
Kelly gave him an enticing smile. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m not sure I know you any more.’
‘I don’t think you ever knew me, Jordan. You never took the time to do that, you never had the time.’
‘Well, I’m making time now.’
‘That sounded like a threat.’
‘More a declaration of intent.’ The door closed quietly behind him as he left.
Kelly went back to her father’s bedroom, finding him lying on the bed while the doctor examined him. She smiled reassuringly as he glanced her way.
‘Well, Doctor?’ she asked as he stepped back, closing up his medical bag with a snap.
Michael Jones shrugged. ‘Slight shock, but otherwise he’s sound.’
‘How nice.’ Her father swung his legs to the floor. ‘I find out it’s five years later than I thought it was and I only have slight shock. Great!’ he groaned sarcastically.
‘You can lie back on that bed,’ the doctor told him firmly. ‘I said a slight shock, but it was enough for me to want you to have complete rest for today. A light lunch, and then a long sleep. I’ll leave you some tablets to help with the sleep.’
‘If you think I’m going to calmly lie back here and go to sleep then you’re mistaken,’ Kelly’s father scorned. ‘I’m going out, I want to catch up on the last five years of my life.’
‘I’m sorry, Mr Darrow, but you aren’t going anywhere. If you won’t rest here then I’ll have to admit you for a couple of days.’ The doctor quirked an eyebrow. ‘Which is it to be?’
Kelly watched the stubborn anger in her father’s face, expecting the explosion at any moment. To her surprise he lay back weakly against the pillows, a look of weariness on his features.
‘I’ll stay here,’ he accepted ruefully.
‘And you’ll follow instructions,’ the doctor ordered. ‘If you don’t your daughter has strict instructions to call me.’
Her father glowered at her. ‘She would too!’
Kelly and the doctor laughed as they went downstairs together. ‘I meant it about the rest,’ he told her as they reached the front door. ‘Right now your father is feeling angry, when it fully hits him that all that time is a blank then he’s going to panic. It would be better if he slept through the worst of that.’
‘Jordan and I will make sure he does as he’s told,’ she assured him.
‘That won’t be easy,’ the doctor sympathised. ‘He isn’t very good at it.’
‘You noticed!’ Kelly laughed.
‘Yes,’ he smiled. ‘If he seems any worse give me a call. But I’ll be here tomorrow in any case. Now that he knows there’s always the possibility that snatches of the past could come to him, unconnected flashes of memory that will finally make up the whole.’
And when that happened she and Jordan would no longer have a need to continue living together! But she mustn’t think that way, mustn’t be selfish. It was important that her father regain his memory, and she would do all she could to help him do just that.
‘In no way try to force the issue,’ the doctor instantly disabused her of that idea. ‘Only time will help him. Is your husband here?’
‘He had to go out. He should be back soon. Did you want to see him?’