Page 37 of Completely Captivated
“What did you do, Aaron?”Logan’s tone held both concern and a hint of warning.“I know your brother and how ruthless he is.What did the two of you do to Christa?”
“Lance drew up the divorce settlement papers to buy her off while I played it cool.Told her we had to go by the office first thing, but I didn’t tell her why.We presented her with an offer to take money and just walk away.Not push for a bigger settlement.”
Logan dragged his hands over his face and blew out a disgusted huff.“You blindsided her and turned Lance loose on her?Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“I feel like I have.What happened?Did anything odd happen to me?Why can’t I remember anything?”
“Give me a second to catch up here, man.Christa didn’t drug you.She didn’t force you into marriage.She didn’t trick you into it.Youwere the one who wanted to get married.Youkept pushing it—she tried to get you to wait, to include your brother, not to make rash moves that would further strain your relationship.She married you because she loved you.”
Logan pushed up off the couch and began pacing across the room.“You were pissed off about the two weeks in San Diego deal.You told us on the plane how you didn’t want to be an agent anymore.You wanted to sell your part of the company and start something new.Man, Aaron, I’ve never seen you as happy as you were with Christa last weekend.”
“Think, Logan.Did anything at all happen?Anything?”
“No.Noth—wait.Yes.We were wearing the slick-bottom tuxedo shoes and messing around.While we waited for the girls to come out, we ran and slid up and down the hall.Your feet went completely out from under you one time, and you fell, hit your head on the concrete floor.It took you a few seconds to get up, but you were laughing and rubbing the back of your head.You said you were fine.”
“Maybe I wasn’t.I need to get in to see my doctor right away.”
“What did Christa say about the divorce settlement?”
“She gave the wedding rings back to me and refused to take anything from me.”
“Christa gave you the wedding rings back?I don’t believe it.”
“She said I told her if she ever gave them back, it meant she was giving back my love.Then she said she wasn’t giving them back, but I was taking them away from her.I watched it on the DVD before you got here.I don’t remember a word of it, Logan.”
“You were adamant about that when you took her to Bellasara’s, Aaron.Those rings were the bonds between you two, and once the bond was broken, it couldn’t be remade.You said there would be hard days ahead, but she had to hold on to the promise you made her that night.”
“Logan, you have no idea how bad this fucking sucks.Not to remember any of it.To know I’ve fucked things up so badly I may not be able to fix it.Ever.First I have to figure out what’s wrong with me.Why I can’t remember any of it.If hitting my head had anything to do with it.”
“Yeah, you do.Then you’d better figure out a way to get your wife back.”
Aaron satin the waiting room of his doctor’s office, filling out forms and impatiently anticipating speaking with the doctor.His leg jumped with nervous energy, and his eyes darted around the room, searching for something to hold his attention.When he heard voices outside the door, his senses went on high alert.The doorknob turned, and the doctor stopped midway through the door to speak to someone in the hall.Aaron briefly considered jerking the doctor into the room and slamming the door shut.
He needed answers.Immediately.
“So, what’s going on with you today?”The doctor was cordial and professional, so Aaron tempered the aggravation consuming him while he explained his issue, what had happened over the weekend, and how he needed to know what he could be facing.
“Do you remember anything about hitting your head?Did you lose consciousness at all?”
“I really don’t know about losing consciousness because I don’t remember any of it.”
“Okay.We need to get some pictures of your head first.We can rule out a few conditions first and let it point us in the right direction.”
An hour later, Aaron was lying on the CT table while the machine circled around his head.Although he was concerned about his health, the dread settling in his gut over Christa felt like a lead weight.
Have I just made the worst mistake of my life?
When the scan finished, the technician told him to wait in the room until the doctor reviewed the results.A few minutes later, the technician brought the phone to him.
“Aaron, don’t be overly alarmed.You’re not dying.But I need you to come back to my office and let’s talk about the results and next steps.”
“Okay.I’m on my way.”
When he walked back into the medical building, the nurse escorted him directly back to the doctor’s private office.
“Have a seat.Dr.Batton will be with you in a few minutes.”
No sooner had the nurse left than Dr.Batton walked in.“Aaron, I just spoke with the radiologist about your scans.I’m piecing together what you’ve told me with what he saw on the CT, but it seems you had a slight concussion after hitting your head.I believe you had a post-traumatic seizure at some point over the weekend that impaired your memory.The amount of alcohol you consumed on top of that most likely dulled any effects you would’ve felt.”
