And that was before she found her phone in the side pocket. She needed a lifeline. She needed her best friend. Sydney would be up torturing herself in the gym at this early hour. Lauren found her number and tapped the Call button.
The woman answered on the third ring with a breathless, “Hey, what’s up?” The whir of a treadmill and the rhythmic thumping of footsteps carried across the distance.
Lauren sank into the chair. “I am so glad to hear your voice. You have no idea.”
“What’s wrong?” Beeps sounded and the background noises silenced. “What happened?”
“I fell yesterday and hit my head. I’m in the hospital.”
“Lauren! Are you all right?”
“My head hurts and I can’t remember stuff, like entire months, and my thoughts are all disconnected and fuzzy.”
“Oh no. What did the doctors say? Wait, did you say you can’t remembermonths?”
“I have a concussion. But yes, I have no memory of the last—” April to September would be... She couldn’t even do basic math! “My lastmemory is in late April. I have no idea what’s happened since, and I’m not sure I even want to know.
“Jonah was here when I woke up in the ER—you know, the Landrys’ son. And he was being all nice and weird. I think he said I was his girlfriend at one point? But I was having some kind of panic attack at the time, so maybe I misheard. Please tell me I’m just confused.” She closed her eyes tightly. Her pulse throbbed in her head.
“Oh, you poor thing. Will you get them back?”
“I don’t know. They don’t know. Maybe in weeks or months. Or maybe not at all.”
“Oh, Lauren, that’s just awful. I’m so sorry. You’re gonna have to be careful. You’re supposed to limit stimulation—I got a concussion playing soccer in high school. No internet, no TV. You’re supposed to be resting. You really don’t remember anything that happened the past four months? Nothing?”
“I seriously feel like it’s springtime right now, but the leaves are already starting to turn. I missed the entire summer.”
“Well, you didn’t miss it, really. It did happen... You just don’t remember it.”
Something about her tone sent a tremor of fear through Lauren’s system. “My brain might not be working right, but I’m pretty sure you haven’t answered my question about Jonah.”
A pause ensued. Then, “You know what? I’m coming up there. My flight isn’t until tomorrow morning. I can be back in plenty of time.”
“Flight...?”September.Something teased the tattered fringes of her brain.
The wedding. Last Lauren had checked, Syd’s brother’s wedding was still months away. Now it was this weekend. “No, don’t do that. You’d no sooner get here than you’d have to turn around and head back. I’m fine. I’ll just be resting in my cabin. The Landrys will make sure I have what I need.”
“I’m your best friend. You need me.”
“Please don’t. You should be getting ready for your trip. Your brother’s big day. If you want to help me, just tell me the truth. I’m going back to the cabin in a bit, and I need to know what I’ll be facing.”
“Right. Um, have you looked at your phone, at your photos and texts and stuff?”
She hadn’t even thought of that. “My brain’s like a tangled skein of yarn right now, Syd. I’m dating him, aren’t I? He somehow charmed me like he does everyone else and I’m dating him.”
“Um... yes? Sort of?”
She flopped back in the chair, careful with her head. “Oh. My. Gosh. I’m so humiliated.”
“Humiliated?”
“I don’t even like him! I made that very clear to him and to you.”
“Honey, it’s not as bad as you think. In fact, you guys seem great together, though I don’t entirely like that—”
“How do you know we’re great together?”
“That’s right. You don’t remember. This is so weird. I came up in early August for a weekend and got to know him a bit.”
