Secret Identity Read online

  By the time Eve ordered her second green beer for the evening, she was feeling light hearted and was dead set on getting Carter on the dance floor.

  She loved dancing, but hadn't been to a nightclub in years, not since her friend Dana's bachelorette party last year. She knew both Carter and Mitchell hated dancing, which was one of the main reasons she'd never gone clubbing with either of them. By the time she dragged Carter to the dance floor, they were both laughing and enjoying themselves.

  Later that night as they left the bar, she leaned heavily on him, again. Déjà vu played in her head, but this time, she knew how she wanted the evening to end. He didn't have any excuses tonight. No early morning meetings they had to go to. Their flights didn't leave until later tomorrow afternoon, so that wasn't an issue either.

  “Damn!” Carter exclaimed when they were a few feet from the door. “I left my cell phone in the booth.” He pulled away. “I'll be right back.” He kissed her quickly and disappeared back into the pub while she leaned against a light pole, smiling at him.

  Carter was relieved that his phone was still there, stuck between the booth's cushions. He rushed through the growing crowd and back out the front door, expecting to see Eve leaning against the light pole or a wall, but she was nowhere to be found. Fear hit him full force, causing adrenaline to rush to every pore of his body.

  Had she gone back inside? He looked around. There were a few other people coming and going outside the pub, and he asked a few of them as they walked by if they'd seen her, but they all said no. He knew she wouldn't have taken a cab without him. He looked everywhere. Just as he was about to walk back into the building, he heard a scream.

  He rushed to the end of the street and turned down an alley that was like one of those alleys you see on all the movies: darker than the streets, lined with huge trash bins that consumed the narrow way. The scream had been like a shot in the night. He wasn't even sure which direction it had come from.

  “Hey man? What are you looking for?” There were two young men, dressed in fatigues. Each had a pretty girl on their arm.

  “Eve.” He said just her name. “She's about this tall, dark hair, wearing a dark jacket, a dark dress.”

  “We haven't seen her. But we both heard a scream.” While the two girls hung back, the three men walked cautiously into the alley. One of the marines pulled out a small flashlight as they all looked around.

  “Carrie said the scream came from down here,” the one with the light said, while he searched around the dumpsters.

  “Eve?” Carter called out over and over. “I just left her for a second. I forgot my cell phone inside.”

  “Here, over here,” the young marine without the light screamed. “Oh man.” Carter watched him step back and cover his mouth with his hand in horror.

  Carter rushed over to where the man stood over Eve. Her coat was ripped, her dark hair fanned out over her face, so he couldn't see if she was alive. When he knelt beside her, he slowly moved her wet hair away from her face with shaky fingers. Just let her be alive, he prayed.

  “I'm calling 911,” someone said behind him. Carter felt for a pulse and found a weak one. He let out a sigh and pulled Eve up into his lap gently. His hand came away from her head wet, and when he looked, it was covered with blood. The red fluid shined in the light of the flashlight.

  “She's bleeding.” This time it was one of the girls that stood behind him. “I'm a nurse. You shouldn't move her.” She bent down on Eve's other side.

  “I…I'm sorry.” He looked up into the young woman's face. “I left her for just a second.” He hadn't realized tears had fogged his vision.

  “It's okay. Here.” The woman took off her jacket and laid it on the ground. “Rest her back on this. We need to keep her still until the ambulance gets here. My name's Beth. I'm going to need you to hold this over her wound.” She held out a white handkerchief.

  “I didn't think anyone carried handkerchiefs anymore.” It was a stupid thing to say, and he realized then that he was probably in shock.

  Beth laughed and put the cloth in his hand and held his hand over a large gash on the side of Eve's head.

  “Don't be afraid to put a little pressure on it. We have to stop the bleeding. I'm going to make sure she isn't hurt anywhere else.” Beth started running her hands over Eve's unconscious body. Carter looked at Eve's face and felt a tear slide down his check. How could he have been so stupid as to leave her alone?

  “It's Bobbie's,” Beth looked at him and smiled. “The handkerchief.” She nodded towards the marine with the flashlight, who was shining the light over Eve so Beth could examine her. In the distance, Carter heard the sirens. What was taking them so long? “The handkerchief is Bobbie's.” Beth repeated and smiled up at her date. “He always tells me to be prepared for everything. Your wife doesn't have any more injuries that I can see. Just the nasty bump and cut on her head. She might have a sprained wrist.” Beth held Eve's arm up and Carter could see the bruises forming on her pale skin where her coat sleeve had ripped.

  Carter flashed from fear to anger so quickly. Someone had done this to her. Someone had attacked her, and he hadn't been there to protect her. It was all his fault.

  An hour later, at the hospital, he sat next to Eve, who was still unconscious. The doctors and nurses had come and gone. One stood over her, prepping her for a CAT scan. The police had come and were now outside the small room talking to Bobbie, Beth, Carrie, and Frank, the two marines and their dates, who had followed behind the ambulance to make sure everything was all right. So far, Carter had yet to regain his wits. Every time the police asked him a question, he would just repeat his story, and when he got to the point of leaving Eve on the curb to go back and retrieve his cell, he would choke up.

  His head hurt, his eyes were dry and scratchy, and he knew he needed rest like everyone had been telling him. At this point, he didn't give a damn. He refused to leave her side when they rolled her in to examine her. Finally, the nurses just pulled the curtain and let him stand behind it in the same room. When they started to roll Eve out to take her upstairs to get a CAT scan, he held onto her bed and followed.

  “I'm sorry, Mr. Edwards. You can't come in this room,” a short, plump nurse said. She had a friendly face, but upon hearing this news, he thought of her as evil. Then she smiled and pointed to a small glass area. “You can stay in there with the technician, though. We normally don't allow it, but for you, we'll make an exception. Just go through that door.” She pointed and he slowly let go of the bed. Then he pulled the bed to a stop as the nurse looked at him. He leaned over Eve and whispered into her ear, then kissed her gently on the lips. When he stood, the nurse was smiling at him. He turned and walked into the small glass room, watching as the nurse and technician transferred Eve's unconscious body onto the bed for the scan.

  The scan took longer than he imagined it would. By the time the machines had come to a stop, his head was drooping. When the nurse showed up to take Eve back to a private room, she had a cup of coffee in her hands. “I thought you might need this.”

  “Thank you.” He gulped the lukewarm liquid down in two swallows. He could feel the caffeine instantly shooting through his system, reviving him. They walked by a small waiting area. He could see the two couples still sitting on the benches there.

  “I'm Laura. If you need anything…” The nurse pushed Eve's bed back into the private room and locked the wheels. “We should know something soon. If you don't mind, the two couples that helped you would like to talk to you.”

  He nodded and pulled a chair closer to Eve's bed. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand. It was cool and soft, and looked very small in his. Her normally dark skin had a pale tint to it. He rubbed her hand, trying to get the color and warmth back into her fingers.

  “Hey,” Bobbie said as the four of them walked into the room. “How's she doing?”

  He shook his head. “They aren't sure.” He looked back down at Eve. A large white bandage covered most of her head. Her hai
r had been pushed aside and had been cut around the large gash. He knew she was very particular about her hair and probably wouldn't like that someone had hacked a good chunk off her head. Her face looked even paler then her hands.

  “Head wounds always seem worse than they are.” Beth walked forward and rested her hands on the bed. “A bump like that might take some time to heal. She was lucky. She didn't lose too much blood.” When he just looked at the young woman, she continued. “Head wounds bleed a lot. I think we stopped the bleeding quickly. Whoever attacked her, the scream must have scared them off.” She looked at the other three people in the room.

  “At least that's what we think.” Bobbie stepped forward and put a hand on Beth's shoulder. “We told the police everything we could. I wanted to give you my number. I'm stationed just outside of town. I'd appreciate an update on your wife. We're all very concerned.” The four of them looked at him and for the first time, he realized how kind these strangers were being. Emotions flooded him and almost overpowered him, causing tears to slip down his face for the second time that night.

  Carter stood and held out his hand towards Bobbie. “I can't thank you guys enough. I'm glad you were there to help out. I know Eve”—he looked back down at her on the bed, unmoving—“would know what to say, she would have the right words.” He choked up as Bobbie shook his hand.

  “It's okay, man. I know how you must feel. I lost several of my unit in Iraq a few years back.”

  Carter baulked. “A few years back? How old are you? You can’t be over nineteen.”

  Bobbie laughed. “I'm twenty-two. I was eighteen at the time and thought I knew and had seen it all when our Hummer was hit.” He looked at Beth. “That's when we met.” He pulled her closer as they smiled at each other.

  “You should have heard him complaining. Some shrapnel to his shoulder and he turns into a little girl,” Beth said, smiling up at Bobbie.

  “We'd all like to know how your wife does. Just give me a call anytime.” They shook his hand again as Carter nodded his head. Bobbie handed him a piece of paper with his cell number on it. Carter tucked it into his wallet.

  After the four of them left, Carter sat back for a long night. Laura and several other nurses came and went over the next few hours. Each time they came in, he would awaken in his spot in the chair next to Eve.

  When he noticed the light coming through the windows, he took out his cell phone. He had a few calls he knew he couldn't put off any longer.

  The first call was to Mitchell, who promised to have their flight and hotel taken care of. Then he told him he and Sandi would be on the next flight to Chicago themselves and to expect them after lunch.

  The next call was to Eve's parents. The colonel was not available, so he left a message with his secretary who promised to pass on the information as soon as the colonel was back in the States.

  He tried to call Eve's mother, but when he dialed the number he had for her, he was told it was disconnected. He sat back down when the nurses came in to check on her again. So far, she hadn't moved a muscle. He'd tried several times during the night to wake her by gently rubbing her hand and arm.

  Her left arm was in a large white splint. They’d told him after they took x-rays that it was just sprained. Her sexy dress had been cut off her; her coat had been ruined as well. He stood over her, not knowing what to do.

  “I brought you some breakfast,” Laura said, carrying a large tray in and setting it on the stand. “There's some coffee and orange juice. If you want anything different, just let the new nurse on staff know.” She smiled and wheeled the cart towards a chair. “Come, sit.” She motioned to the chair. He walked over and sat down so she could push the cart up to him. “I'm getting off shift now, but the day nurse will take care of you. If you're still here tonight, I'll be back around eleven.” She walked over to Eve and checked her vitals.

  “Any change?” he asked, taking a sip of the hospital coffee.

  Laura shook her head no. “But that's neither good nor bad. We'll just have to wait this out.” She smiled at him. “Have you contacted your families?”

  He nodded his head and opened the lid to his food. There was toast, eggs, bacon, and biscuits with jelly. He doubted he could eat anything, but after Laura left, he started nibbling. When he looked down again, his plate was empty. Pushing it aside, he walked back to the window and looked out. Snow had started falling and from the tenth floor, everything looked peaceful and beautiful.

  Chapter Four

  He didn't know how long he’d stood there, looking at the city, but sometime later, he heard the door open and close. Turning, he saw Mitchell and Sandi standing just inside the door. He felt relieved that his friends were there.

  The next days were a blur. He refused to leave Eve’s room and it wasn't until Mitch pulled him aside and told him he stunk that he went into the small bathroom and jumped in the shower, only to put on the same clothes he'd been wearing before. At least he was clean and felt a little more human. When he’d walked out of the bathroom, Mitch had just shaken his head at him. He knew his friend wasn't going to push him into returning to the hotel. He'd made it very clear that he wasn't leaving.

  “I can get you a change of clothes in the morning. Just give me your hotel key.” Sandi smiled at him.

  Before he could respond, he heard a moan and rushed to Eve's side just as her eyes fluttered opened.

  He could see she was confused when he looked into her unfocused eyes. Then the doctor was pushing them from the room, and Carter was following Mitch and Sandi down the hall towards the elevators.

  She was awake, Carter kept telling himself over and over as he stood in the elevator heading down to the cafeteria.

  The first night Mitch had been there, he'd sat up with Carter in Eve's room. Carter could tell that Mitch knew something was up between him and Eve. He knew his friend was dying to ask, so instead of waiting, Carter had blurted out that he loved her. Mitch's response was a huge smile.

  “Well, it's about time.” His friend had shocked him; he didn't know what to say. Then Mitch had asked. “Does she feel the same way?”

  “I…I don't know. We were just about to…” Carter had closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands.

  Now, as they sat in the cafeteria, his friend was sitting next to his fiancée and was looking so much in love. Sandi had been a blessing to Mitch. Ever since Mitch's ex had broken him, he'd been a wreck. Then Sandi had come into his life and Carter could see the changes in his friend. Mitch actually smiled more.

  Looking across the table at the small woman that had healed his friend, he noticed how opposite they were. Mitch was blond with green eyes and pale skin. Sandi, coming from the Middle East, had darker skin and rich dark eyes. She was shorter and smaller than Eve, not to mention a good ten years younger than the three of them.

  Carter knew that Sandi had gone through so much in the past few years—running from her family, her life hanging in the balance, then losing her father and cousin. He couldn't imagine the horror she'd endured last year when her cousin had almost killed her, killing her father instead. He closed his eyes as an image of Eve flashed in his mind, of her lying on the ground in the alley.

  “Hey, man?” Mitch broke into his thoughts. “Don't worry. The worst is over.” Mitch slapped him on the shoulder.

  “Yeah,” he looked across at his friend. “I know you're right.”

  “Have you thought about what you're going to do?” Sandi asked.

  “What do you mean?” He sipped the coffee Sandi set in front of him.

  Sandi looked between the two men. “Really?” She shook her head and chuckled a little. “Eve is going to need some time to recover. She'll need to stay somewhere, with someone.”

  Carter hadn't thought of that. Would Eve need some recovery time? An image of his grandparents’ house flashed in his mind. He'd been meaning to get up there and take care of some home improvement projects that needed to be done.

  “Eve? I don't think she'll want
to take much time. We know her too well. She'll probably want to get back to work tomorrow.” Mitch laughed and drank his iced tea.

  Carter thought about it and knew his friend was right. She was probably up there arguing with the doctor about leaving the hospital right now.

  When they went back upstairs, the doctor was standing outside Eve's room, talking quietly with a nurse. As they approached, he walked towards them. “I'd like to speak to you privately. We can use an office down here.” He motioned for them to follow him.

  When they were all seated in the small space, the doctor stood in front of the desk. “I'm afraid the bump to Miss Taylor’s head was a little more severe than we thought. Her CAT scans were clean and there are no signs of permanent damage.” He held up his hands, trying to assure them. “But the bump to her head has given her a case of amnesia. It's hard to say if it's temporary or long term. I've seen cases like this where the memory loss lasts only a few hours, but there are cases where something like this is permanent.”