|
|
I shook my head and smiled, wondering if I would ever get used to him. I looked around the room, taking in the details, the fireplace with the pictures of the beautiful little blond headed girls on the mantle, the beautiful wood in the tables and the high shine of the hardwood floors. I wondered who the girls were, but figured he tell me if he wanted me to know, so I left it alone. I was curious who had decorated for him, and it occurred to me for the very first time, that he might not live here alone.
"Steve, you have a beautiful home, does anyone else live here?"
He sat down on the couch next to me and smiled, "Thanks, I really like it, and yes there is someone else that lives here."
Oddly enough, my heart sank a little when he said that. There was no real reason, at least none that I was willing to explore to explain that, but nonetheless I felt a slight tinge of disappointment.
"My housekeeper, Janice, lives in a small apartment that I had built off the kitchen. She takes care of the house and cooks for me when I'm home."
Even more odd than the disappointment I had previously felt, was the sense of relief when I discovered that the "other person" was his housekeeper, not his wife or girlfriend.
"Well, would you like the ten cent tour?"
I smiled and nodded and after he had helped me up off the couch, we wandered, very slowly, around the main floor of the house. He showed me each of the rooms, and then told me about the weight room he had in the basement. We made our way up the stairs to the second floor, and he showed me the numerous bedrooms. I was stunned that someone who lived alone had so much extra space and so many extra bed rooms. He pointed out his bed room, and I caught a quick glimpse of the very masculine furnishings and décor, before we headed down the hall to the next room. When he opened the door, I saw a room that took my breath away.
It was beautiful, all done in blues and greens, with two great big windows and a four poster bed. The pillows and floral pattern on the bedspread picked up the colors from the walls and the rug on the floor. There was a dresser and a wardrobe, as well as a closet and another door that lead into a bathroom.
"Well, do you like it?"
I looked at Steve, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "Huh? Well, yeah, it's beautiful. Why?"
"Good, I'm glad you like it, cause its yours for as long as you need or want it. If there's anything you want to change, just let me know."
"Oh, no, its beautiful just the way it is. I'm stunned, really, I was expecting to be sleeping on the couch, I never thought you would go this far."
He chuckled, "Well, if you would rather sleep on the couch, you're welcome to it, but I'm sure that the bed will be more comfortable. I'm going to get cleaned up and see what Janice is planning for dinner, so if you want to get cleaned up and changed, feel free."
I looked at him a little odd, "Changed? Steve I don't have anything to change into."
He shook his head and smiled. "Check the closets and the dressers…I had a couple of my friends wives get you some clothes and whatever else they thought you might need. They took the sized from the clothes you had on when we found you."
I was stunned at his generosity, and stood there for a moment speechless. "Wow, Steve, I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you for all this, but I will, I promise. It means a lot to know that you thought of all this."
"Don't worry about repaying me, I did it because I wanted to. Now get yourself settled, and if you need anything at all, just holler." He headed out of the room and shut the door behind him. I explored the clothing in the wardrobe, closet and dresser and was stunned at the array of clothes. I knew that with the cast, I was not likely going to be able to wear much for awhile, so I pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and headed to the bathroom. That was when I realized I had a problem. There was no way I could wash my hair. I couldn't get into the bathtub, because of my ribs, and I couldn't stand in the shower because of my cast on my leg. I took a "cat bath" with a washcloth, soap and the sink, and pulled my hair up as best as I could and headed down the stairs. I was moving very slow and had only gone down about two stairs when I heard the door bell.
Steve headed to the door, not noticing me coming down the stairs, and he smiled broadly at whoever was there. I froze, mid step when I saw the two giant men coming through the door. I nearly fell the rest of the way down and would have if I hadn't grabbed the railing.
"Holy Hell!" I didn't realize I had spoken until both of the giants looked up at me. Steve turned around and saw me, gripping the railing, white knuckled and raced up the stairs to help me down.
"Lashana, these are some of my friends. This is Mark Callaway, and his wife Kanike. And this is Glen Jacobs and his wife Storm. Y'all, this is Lashana."
I hadn't noticed the women, as they had been standing behind the giants, but when I looked, I noticed that they were stunningly beautiful, and both had very kind eyes. The giants, when I worked up the nerve to look at their faces were also very kind looking me, and they both smiled at me.
"Hey, Lashana lets get you into the living room so you can sit down, ok.?" I nodded at Steve and he helped me into the living room.
Storm and Kanike sat with me in the Living Room while the guys went downstairs to check out some new piece of equipment that Steve had had delivered.
I realized that I had yet to speak since they walked in the door, and I shook myself out of my trance and smiled at the two.
"Hi, I'm sorry I've been so rude, but I was just a little stunned to see those two come walking in the door. I though Steve was big, but those two are just plain HUGE!"
They both laughed and I felt immediately relaxed with them.
Storm was the first to speak, "So, did you get a chance to see the room and you're clothes yet? Kanike and I did all of the shopping. I thought you could use something bright and cheerful while you were resting up, but if you don't like it we can change it.'
I was a little surprised, because I had not realized that they had decorated the room. "You mean that room doesn't always look like that?"
Kanike smiled, "Nope, actually, it used to be a fairly dreary room, but when Steve told us you were going to be staying with him to heal up, we decided that it needed to be brightened up."
"Well, its beautiful. Thank you both for everything you've done."
We sat for a while longer and talked, until the guys came back up from the basement. Steve said that Janice was making enough dinner for everyone, and that they should stay and eat with us. They agreed and we sat together in the living room while dinner was cooking.
Glen looked at me and cocked his head to one side, a movement which triggered some sort of familiarity with me, but not something I could put my finger on. "So, Lashana, how are you feeling?"
"Well, I'm a little sore, and it's a bit awkward to do some things, but I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Do you remember anything?" Mark had posed that question, which earned him a swat from Kanike. "Mark, don't bring that up, I'm sure she's had enough to deal with today."
I smiled at Kanike and shook my head, "No, Kanike, its ok. I don't really mind talking about it, because, to be honest, I really don't remember anything. It is a bit stressful to realize that you don't remember anything at all about your life, but the doctors tell me that if I get enough rest and heal up it should all come back to me eventually."
Storm looked at me, "So you don't remember ANYTHING about your past?"
"Nope, nothing, not even my last name. The police are looking through the missing persons records, and they promise to let me know if anything turns up, but since they don't really know where I came from, they can't really promise any quick results."
"Wow, I can't even imagine what that must be like. If there is anything we can do to help you while you're here, please don't hesitate to ask." Storm smiled when she said that and I was debating whether or not I really wanted to ask for help with what I really did need at the moment. Kanike looked at me and smiled, "What is it Lashana, you look like you want to say something."
"I feel kind of stupid bringing this up, but I guess I don't really have much choice in the matter. I have a little problem that I'm hoping you might be able to help me solve." I looked at the guys in the room, kind of uncomfortable and back at the women. Steve noticed the look and stood up, "Guys I think that is our cue to depart and leave the women to themselves." He winked at me and smiled and they other two got up and left the room.
Storm waited till they were gone, leaned forward and smiled, "Out with it girl…what's up?"
"Well, I've discovered that I have a bit of a problem…I can't take a shower because of my cast, and I can't sit in the tub because of my ribs, which means I can't wash my hair. They did it for me in the hospital, but I'm going to have to figure something out."
Kanike and Storm both chuckled, "That is a bit of a problem isn't it. Well, How about we do this. We'll get you one of those chairs that they put in the tub, and one of those hand held shower heads, and you'll be all set. You just keep your cast on the outside of the tub and shower curtain, and there won't be a problem"
I shook my head and smiled, "My brain must not be working properly, because that never occurred to me, it's a great idea." Storm smiled, "well, no problem, until we get that taken care of, how about we help you wash your hair after dinner tonight. I always sleep better when my hair is clean and dry."
"Oh, I couldn't ask you all to do that. Really I'll be fine until we can get a chair tomorrow."
Kanike smiled, "You're not asking, we're offering, so don't argue…"
"Don't argue about what?" We all jumped when Steve wandered into the room.
"Steve. Tomorrow, you, Mark and Glen are going to get Lashana a shower chair and a hand held shower head in that bathroom upstairs so she can wash her hair. Storm and I are going to wash her hair tonight, since she can't do it herself." Kanike made that statement, and I felt the blush run its way up my neck and face.
"Lashana, why didn't you tell me you needed help? We'll take care of it first thing in the morning." I looked at Steve and shook my head, marveling at the generous nature of this man. We sat down to dinner and had a lovely evening, visiting and chatting. After dinner the Storm, Kanike and myself headed upstairs to wash my hair, and we gossiped and visited some more in the process. I was really enjoying their company, and was sorry to see them go. Steve checked in on me once before he went to bed, and asked if I needed anything.
I smiled, and shook my head, "No, I'm fine."
He started to leave the room, but I stopped him , "Steve…..?"
He turned around and looked at me, "Yeah?"
"I just …. Well… Thank you, for everything. I'm not really sure where I would be right now if it weren't for you. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it."
He smiled, turned out the light and closed the door. I lay there, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like forever, before I finally fell asleep.
~It was dark and cold, and I was all alone. I was huddled in the corner, trying to be quiet, hoping that they would go away. I could hear the voices of the men coming down the hall, and I felt the fear welling up inside of me.
The door opened, and I saw the outline of them, standing there in the doorway. I shut my eyes tight, hoping that they would just leave me be, that they wouldn't hurt me again.
I felt their hands on my shoulders, and I was begging them to let me be, promising that I would be good, that I wouldn't cause anymore trouble. My wrists were tied to the top of the bed, and I felt their hands starting to touch me, I cried and begged, pleading with them to leave me alone. I felt the material being ripped from my body and I started screaming for help….~
"LASHANA!" The door to my room burst open and Steve was shaking me gently waking me from the nightmare. I was trembling and crying, and when I opened my eyes and saw him, I broke down in tears.
He held me against him, and let me cry, until my muffled sobs turned to sniffles and I was once again calm. "Lashana, its ok, you're safe now. It was just a bad dream, a night mare. Shhh, you're all right." Steve kept repeating this over and over, calming me and stroking my hair. When I had completely calmed down, he lay me back down on the bed and brushed the hair out of my face. He dried my tears with his thumb and sat there watching me.
"Are you OK? Do you remember any of it?"
I had images in my head, but they faded so quickly, leaving behind only the fear and the cold. I looked at Steve and shook my head, "Yeah, I think I'm ok now, but no, I don't really remember what it was about, just the feeling. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
He gave me a half smile, "Hey, its ok, you don't have anything to be sorry for. Whatever you were dreaming about obviously scared the living hell out of you, from the way you were screaming, I wasn't sure you were alone in here."
"Well, I feel better now, but could you do me a favor? When you go back to bed, could you turn the bathroom light on. I don't think I want to be in complete darkness right now."
"Are you sure you are ok? I don't mind sitting with you for a little longer…if you need me to."
"No, I'm not going to keep you from sleeping because of a silly nightmare, I'll be fine. Thank you for being here for me."
Steve smiled. "Lashana, you have got to stop thanking me for every little thing I do for you." He leaned down and kissed my forehead and smiled at me. He flipped on the light in the bathroom and left the door to the hallway open just a tiny bit, letting the light from the hall into the room also.
"Good night, Lashana. Remember, you're safe here. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."
"Good night, Steve."
The next six weeks were a blur for me, I spent most of my days, sitting on the couch in the living room reading, or going to the doctor for check ups. Storm and Kanike came to visit often, and Mark and Glenn came when they could. Steve and I were very comfortable with each other, and would sit in the evenings, when he wasn't gone to work and talk, mostly about nothing.
The nights were different. I had taken to sleeping with the bathroom light on and the door wide open to the hallway. And still it was nightly sometimes more often that I would wake Steve up screaming from the same nightmare. Yet, when I would wake up, the images were gone and all that remained was the fear and the chills. I felt bad for waking Steve so often, and on the nights he was gone, because he had to work out of town, Janice would sleep upstairs, at Steve's request, to wake me out of the nightmare.
I still had no idea what Steve did for a living, all I knew was that it took him out of town quite often, and that he had very few days off. I knew he worried about me when he was gone, and I felt bad for causing him stress. We talked about it when we had time, and he assured me that it was not an imposition, that he wanted me there.
At the end of six weeks, I went back to the doctor and he cut my cast off and took the tape off my ribs. The new mobility I had was liberating, and with most of my bruises healed and faded, I felt like a new woman. The only problem, my memory had not returned at all.
The first night out of my cast, Steve was home. It had been about a week since he'd been there, and he decided to take me out to dinner to celebrate my healing. I took my first real shower, standing under the water, letting it pound on my entire body for at least 20 minutes, then got dressed in a really pretty burgundy dress that I had found in the closet. I put my hair up in a clip, leaving small tendril to frame my face. I felt pretty for the first time in a long time and I headed down stairs to find Steve.
I found him, sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, talking on the phone.
"Yeah, things are going well…I think so! Thanks…." He looked up and saw me walk into the kitchen, and stared, stunned at the change in my appearance. "I…uh….yeah…look, I have to go, an Angel just walked into my kitchen and I'm getting ready to take her to dinner. Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye."
He hung up the phone, and I just stood there smiling at him. He stood up and walked over to where I was standing. "Wow! You are stunning." I smiled at the compliment, feeling better about myself and this situation than I had in several weeks.
"Thank you…I wasn't sure I'd remember how to do all this stuff, but I guess some things are just second nature."
He chuckled, "Lashana, you are so amazing to me. You laugh at your problems and smile through your pain, when most people would find a corner somewhere to curl up in and die." He kissed my cheek, and smiled at me. "Are you ready for dinner?"
I ignored the fluttering of my heart from his kiss and smiled, "Yes, I think I am. Its going to be nice to go out for a while." He took my hand and led me out the door, then helped boost me into the truck. Once I was settled, he walked around and climbed into the drivers seat and we headed to town for dinner.
We were seated almost immediately at a very crowded restaurant and I noticed that people seemed to recognize Steve. He however paid very little attention to the people around us. His attention was focused on me, and it was a feeling that I enjoyed.
"Steve, why is it that I get the feeling everyone here knows something about you that I don't?"
