August Unknown Read Online Free PDF Page A

want to show up with
hospital gift-shop flowers.
    Now he felt ridiculous. How could he be such a fool? He
glanced to the door, wondering if an angry husband would come bursting through,
eyes blazing, clawed hands reaching for Geoffrey’s throat.
    “Actually, I did get you something.” He set the toothbrush on
the food tray jutting over the bed.
    “You know just what a girl wants.” Her expression grew somber.
“This is all very nice, but you really shouldn’t go to so much trouble.”
    He moved closer and placed his hand on the dull beige railing.
“You’ve been crying again.”
    She glanced away. Those summer-sky blue eyes paled as they
caught the sunlight flooding the room. They held such sadness he felt himself
shriveling up inside.
    “I’m frustrated,” she said. “Frustrated that I can’t remember
a thing. Frustrated that I can’t use my left arm. Frustrated that I have to lie
here in this bed, not knowing what happened to me, or why.” August made a fist
with her right hand and hit it against the mattress. She winced in pain and
closed her eyes.
    “Do you want me to get the doctor to give you something?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t like what they gave me. It makes
me feel dopey.”
    “I can talk to him about something different—”
    “No. The pain makes me feel more alive.” She sighed and
relaxed the scowl in her brow. “I’m sorry. I’m having a hard time dealing with
the fact I can’t remember my own name.”
    He nodded and glanced down, fighting for something to say to
help ease her grief. He couldn’t think of a single thing. There was nothing
that could lessen what he’d done.
    “What’s this you’re writing?”
    She turned the paper toward him. “They sent a psychologist up
to see me. She suggested I write letters and numbers to see if they go
anywhere, like a phone number or zip code.”
    “The police can run a sequence of numbers to see if they match
a street address,” he told her. “The sheriff is my brother-in-law. I’ll ask him
to give your case special attention.”
    He looked up to find her watching him. “Do these look like
anything you use here?” she asked.
    Geoffrey didn’t have the heart to crush the hopeful look in
her eyes. Newport’s zip codes started with a nine, and most of the area codes
started with a five. The woman in the next bed moaned in her sleep, sparing
him.
    “I spoke to Dr. Carlson about moving you to a private room,”
he told her. “I’ll take care of the costs.”
    “It’s not necessary. They’re letting me go in two days. They’d
let me go tomorrow if I could remember where I live.”
    “I thought you’d be more comfortable in a private room.” In
his heart he knew it was irrational—she was only being polite—but he felt as
though he’d just been rejected.
    “I need to stay with people,” she explained. “Mrs. Thornton
and I were talking after you left this morning, and I remembered little things.
Nothing I could put my finger on, but crumbs were there.”
    She gave that pitiable smile he’d seen too many times before.
The I just like you as a friend look.
    The guilt that had been growing in him felt like steadily
rising water. Now it felt like it was about to go over his head. “I can’t begin
to imagine what you’re going through. I want to do whatever I can to help you.
This is all my fault—”
    “Stop saying that.” She placed her hand over his where he held
the rail. He looked down to see her slender fingers curling around the knuckles
of his hand. When he looked up and met her eyes, she drew it away. A cold spot
was left where she’d touched him.
    Her eyes clouded over with something dark. “I’m not so sure
it’s true. What was I doing there in the first place?”
    He didn’t know what to say to that.
    “You said it happened near vacant fisheries,” she pressed.
“What was I doing out on a dark road in the middle of nowhere, after ten
o’clock at night, in a storm?”
    “Are you saying you