“Is that what I call you?” I asked.
“No, you usually call me Kitten,” he said, ducking his head.
“Kitten, yes, that makes sense,” and it did for some reason. The gaps in my memory were frustrating and at times, rather terrifying, because people could tell me anything about myself and I wouldn’t know what to believe. “What would youlikeme to call you?” I asked.
“Oh, um, whatever you want,” he said, smiling shyly. Dimples too. A real looker.
“Kitten then,” I decided and he nodded, seeming pleased by it. “Where is Hudson Clarence Holt?”
He looked confused for a moment. “You mean Macon?”
“Macon? Yes, Macon.” It seemed we all had code names.
“He had to go home. He was missing Artemis. She’s your number two, also his girlfriend, though no one talks about itbecause they’re very private. I’m guessing it’s more because of Artemis than him, since he’s pretty open about most things. She’s a bit of a mystery when it comes to romance. She probably wouldn’t want me saying that.” He stopped suddenly, looking sheepish. I smiled back at him, enjoying the sound of his voice and his rambling way of speaking. It was raising memories, slowly but surely. They were faint right now, like the softest watercolors on canvas, but I was hopeful they’d become more vibrant over time.
“They redid your cast.” He motioned to my other arm.
“Did they?” I lifted it up to show him since he seemed interested.
“Did they x-ray your arm too?”
“I think so? To be honest, I was out of it for a while. I have no idea what they did to me. I still get tired easily. The first time I walked around my room, I thought I might pass out.”
“It takes time to heal,” he said as if he knew. “Are they treating you okay?” He examined me all over, clearly concerned for my well-being.
“Well, other than cutting off my leg.” I motioned to it. The look on his face was priceless.
“You’re teasing me,” he said with a note of delight.
“Yes, but when I first came to, I kinda thought they had.”
He laughed, full-bellied, head thrown back. I’d never heard a prettier sound. I couldn’t help chuckling a little myself. My funny bone was rusty.
“Seriously, though, you’re not feeling too trapped in here?” He searched my face.
“I’m okay, though I wouldn’t mind a radio.” I said it a little louder in case the good doctor was listening. “Other than the boredom, it’s not too bad. I’ve been sleeping a lot too. The doctors say it’s the best thing I can do for my body right now.”
“They’re right. You looksogood.” His eyes shined as if about to cry. Poor thing. He was an emotional one, and his face hid nothing. He was probably a bad liar too. Maybe I could trust him? I motioned to a chair. It wasn’t very comfortable, but it seemed like he might do better sitting down. Kitten dragged it over to my bedside.
“It’s because of your hair,” I told him, seeing it now. “Reminds me of a cat.”
“Yes, and when we first met you thought I was as soft and weak as a kitten,” he said, still with a playful smile on his face.
“Soft, maybe, but definitely not weak,” I corrected.
The blush rising in his cheeks did strange things to me as he stared back, the weight of his gaze a soothing balm to all the chaos and confusion I’d experienced recently. I could look at him all day, wanted to in fact. He finally broke eye contact to fish inside his pocket for a pack of playing cards. “I brought these. Macon and I learned a few new games from the soldiers here. Seems like they play a lot of cards in their downtime.”
“Macon and I get along?” I asked.
“Oh yes, like brothers.” He made a face. “Like brothers who are nice to each other. We have a lot of friends. They all miss you and want you to get better. They’d like to visit but it’s not easy to get around, especially since they took our Humvee.”
He seemed irritated by that, and I made a mental note to ask about it later. I was hung up on the idea of home. It sounded nice; I’d like to hear more about it.
“Here’s a question,” I said to him. “Why Cipher?”
He smiled again. “Well, I guess it’s because you’re so…mysterious.”
“Oh my God, is that what I tell people?” I was a little embarrassed for myself.
