4. Ghost

I hadn't leftthe hospital in four days, and Allison still remained unresponsive. She was still in intensive care, surrounded by so many wires. Each moment was filled with worry that she wouldn't wake up; her body would sporadically jerk, leaving me on edge. In the middle of the night, I would crawl in next to her, and her movements would gradually subside.

My love for her grew stronger every day, and I couldn't believe I had let this go on for six years; we should be married and have a couple of kids by now. When she opened her eyes, I would tell her how much I loved her.

Curling up next to her, I embraced her, calming her tremors. Her response surprised me when she snuggled her head into my shoulder, considering her prior lack of movement. I wondered if she was waking up.

"Sweetheart, can you hear me?" I inquired softly.

"Yes, but I'm sleepy," she murmured.

"Ally, I love you," I waited for her anger.

"I love you too, but I don't feel good. I think I'm sick," Allison replied.

I was so surprised when she said she loved me. "You're in the hospital," I reminded her.

"Why? Did I get sick?" she queried.

"I'll call the doctor now that you're awake," I assured her.

"No, lay here with me for a little longer. How did I get sick?" she implored.

"You were shot," I said, not ready to share all of it with her.

"What? How did that happen?" she demanded.

"Let's wait until the doctor arrives, and then we'll explain everything. Guess who your doctor is?" I said, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Who?"

"Gordon Cantrell," I replied.

"That's crazy he's still in college, the same as me," she said with a chuckle in her voice.

"Sweetheart, you graduated six years ago, the same day as Gordon," I clarified, slipping out of bed. I had already pressed the nurse's call button. Sammy entered the room, flashing a smile.

"I'm so happy you are awake. I'll summon the doctor. How are you feeling?" Sammy inquired.

"Samantha Mae, are you working here? You're a nurse, I'm so proud of you. James said I was shot. Can you tell me what happened? I think I'm going to get sick," Allison stated, with barely a moment to grab the garbage can before she started vomiting.

Clutching her chest in agony, she cried out, prompting me to ease her pain. I took a pillow and pushed it against her chest to help with the pain that the vomiting was causing. As she reclined, I adjusted her pillow.

"Thank you for staying with me, James. I wish I could remember what happened to me," she drifted off to sleep once more.

Sammy looked at me. "Does she not remember you two being apart?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps she doesn't remember that she dislikes me. Please don't mention it if she's forgotten," I pleaded.

"She will eventually remember everything, I'm sure, maybe when she wakes up again. But I won't say anything. This could be your opportunity to remind Allison how much you love her," Sammy suggested.

"Perhaps," I conceded, turning as Gordon entered the room.

"She woke up, but then she vomited and went back to sleep. She appears to be missing some memories," Sammy relayed. Gordon turned on the soft bedside light, and I remained silent. Gordon examined her while I wandered to the window when I heard a chuckle.

"This is weird. It's like a college student is checking me out," Allison chuckled.

"I did check you out when I was in college. So what's the last thing you remember?" Gordon asked.

"I was preparing to graduate from medical school, and so were you. How did I end up here, and who shot me?" Allison asked. I walked back over to her, not knowing if she would talk to me or tell me to leave. She smiled.

"There you are. I thought my vomiting might have scared you off," Allison said, holding her hand out.

I took her hand in mine, "Nothing you could do would scare me away. I love you forever and always," I said.

Sammy looked over at me and smiled. What was I going to do? We would have been married by now. Do I keep quiet and just see how everything goes?

"Who's going to tell me how I got shot?"

"I will," I said as I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You called and told us the Russian Mafia was here and shooting people," I explained everything about what happened that day on the third floor.

"Are you saying the Russian Mafia shot me four times? This is crazy; why am I working at the hospital? If I'm a doctor, why am I not caring for the people on the mountain? That's always been my plan," Allison said, frowning.

"You wanted to work here for a year to see how you liked it," I said. That's when Viper and Ryan walked into the room.

When Allison saw Viper, she held her hand over her mouth. "You're alive. They said you died in Iran," she cried.

"Sweetheart, I've been home for four years. Don't you remember?" Both Ryan and Viper hugged her.

"Allison's last memory is when she was preparing to graduate medical school," I said, trying to tell them not to say anything about her hating me.

"So you don't remember me getting married and Ryan getting married?"

"What? No, I don't remember," She took my hand. "Are we married?"

"We were waiting for your year at the hospital to end, so we'll set a date for when you get out of the hospital," I said, daring her brothers to say something.

"That's not a good time for us," Ryan said, as he stepped up next to his sister.

"Why not?" Allison asked.

"Because our baby will be here any day, I don't want Carly to go into labor while your ceremony is going on."

"Carly, I thought Carly married Jim Harlow," Allison said, rubbing her forehead.

"That's enough talking for today; Allison needs her rest," I said, walking over to where she lay against the pillows.

"It's just that I don't understand why we aren't married yet. We were supposed to get married when I graduated. Did something happen to keep us apart? Did you fall out of love with me?"

"Sweetheart, no, I would never fall out of love with you," I replied, kissing her.

"And I know I would never fall out of love with you. So let's get married right now. Call the hospital chaplain, and he can marry us right now. I'm scared that something happened, and I know if something did, that we still love each other."

I nodded. "Sammy, can you find the chaplain for us?"

"I'm not sure about this," Ryan said, then he turned toward his brother Viper, who was also in the Delta Force Guardians.

"Why not? I want my sister to be happy; she deserves to be happier than anyone I know. Let's have a wedding," Viper pronounced.

I frowned not sure this was such a good idea. But Gordon said not to fill her head with things she forgot. At least we would be married. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring I bought for Allison. It was strange that I had put it in my pocket last week and kept it with me. I don't know why I did; maybe I thought one day she would take it back.

"I'll get the chaplain. Can I tell anyone?" Sammy asked, looking at each of us.

"Sure, why not," Allison said, smiling. "This is so exciting. I think I'll rest for a bit before the wedding." She looked at me; I know I seemed worried, and I was. What was she going to do when her memory came back?

"Are you okay with this," she asked me with concern.

"I am so okay with this; I love you more than anything. You are the only woman I have ever loved."

"Good, me too," Allison closed her eyes and slept. I looked at her brothers and motioned for them to follow me into the hallway. "What will we do when she comes out of this and finds herself married to me," I asked as we stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Allison can be happy for as long as she doesn't remember what happened. We all know you did nothing wrong. Let her be happy for one week or one year," Viper said. And by then she'll figure out that you didn't know where the hell that naked woman came from."

"Okay, I hope I can keep from opening my mouth and telling her what happened," I said. "I have never lied to Allison and don't want to start now."

"Just bite your tongue," Viper said. "You aren't lying to her; you're just not telling her something she already knows."