Laura Scott - Identity Crisis

Another man? Gage stumbled, managing to catch himself even though his gut twisted painfully. Logically, he knew Alyssa’s personal life wasn’t any of his business, since she’d broken off their engagement two months ago. A spear of pain stabbed his heart. When she’d given him the ring back, Alyssa’s reasons were that he was too overprotective and that he didn’t have a close relationship with God. He couldn’t figure out what she’d meant. After all, he’d done everything she’d asked of him.

He went to church with her, hadn’t he? And he’d joined her Bible study group. It wasn’t his fault that he had to work late, missing most of the sessions. He owned his own business and couldn’t just switch shifts to get off work the way she did.

After she’d walked out, he’d wondered if maybe the basic truth was simply that Alyssa hadn’t loved him. A possibility that had hurt, more than he’d ever imagined it could.

He scowled, pushing the pain aside, and walked into the doorway of the small cubicle. His gaze rested on his ex-fiancée’s twin sister. He didn’t particularly care for Mallory. She was so completely different from Alyssa. But since she was Alyssa’s sister, he made an effort.

“Hey, Mallory,” he greeted her with forced politeness. “What happened? How are you feeling?”

She opened her eyes and turned her head toward him. A square white bandage partially covered a large abrasion on her forehead. Gage sucked in a quick breath; the physical resemblance shouldn’t have caught him off guard, but it did. Mallory’s blond hair was shoulder length and wavy, whereas Alyssa wore hers much longer and straight. Blue eyes, identical to Alyssa’s, stared suspiciously into his.

He’d subtly avoided his fiancée’s twin because he hadn’t appreciated the way Mallory had flirted with him before they’d gotten engaged. Alyssa had brushed it off as Mallory’s way of protecting her twin, making sure he would be true to Alyssa, but he didn’t buy that theory. He suspected Mallory either wanted to get rid of him, because she was jealous of his relationship with Alyssa, or that she’d wanted to steal him away for herself.

He could have saved her the trouble, because despite their broken engagement, his heart belonged to Alyssa.

Mallory was completely different from Alyssa in too many ways to count. Alyssa upheld her Christian beliefs in everything she said and did, including her stubborn dedication to her career as a trauma nurse. Mallory, on the other hand, was outgoing, known to be the life of the party and an outrageous flirt.

Both women were beautiful on the outside, but in his opinion, only Alyssa had the same beauty deep within. Mallory’s personality held a hard edge, whereas Alyssa’s was softly inviting.

He missed Alyssa. Desperately. He tried not to dwell on the past, but it wasn’t easy. Mallory wordlessly glared at him with distinct annoyance. The corner of her hospital gown slipped off to the side, providing him a distasteful glimpse of the rose and dagger tattoo she wore just below her collarbone.

He quickly averted his gaze, wishing he could just leave. But his job was to get Mallory home. Surely he could manage something so simple.

“Are you ready?” he asked with forced brightness. “I think you’re about to be released, so let’s bust out of here.” There was no sign of the nurse, Jennifer. Where had she gone? To get the discharge paperwork, he hoped. Reluctantly, he tucked his hands in the back pockets of his jeans as he slowly approached Mallory’s bedside.

She bolted upright like a shot, bringing up a hand as if to keep him at bay. “Hold it! Who are you? You don’t work here.” Her suspicious gaze sliced him. “Get out!”

Get out? Was she kidding? He ignored the tiny hairs on the back of his neck that rose in alarm. “Yeah. Very funny.”

“This isn’t one bit funny.” She tugged her gown higher over her chest but thrust her chin in the direction of the door. “I told you to get out.”

Gage held out his hands in mock surrender. “You’re upset about being stuck with me? Well, too bad. They called me because you have a concussion and can’t drive. If I leave, how are you going to get home?”

For a long moment she stared at him, as if he were an alien creature she needed to dissect with X-ray vision. “Home?”

“Yes. Home.” He sighed, desperately seeking patience. “To your fancy downtown condo. The sooner I can drop you off, the sooner you’ll be rid of me.” And then his good deed for the day would be finished.

She reached up with one hand and massaged her temple. “I can’t— Let’s try this again.” Dropping her hand, she leveled a look at him full of uncertainty. “Who are you?”

He stared at her in suspicious shock. Was this some sort of weird game? If so, he wasn’t in the mood. He’d already spent his entire evening solving problems at three of his construction sites and had gotten less than four hours of sleep. No way was he doing this.

“Fine. You don’t want me to take you home? Then I’m outta here.” He spun on his heel but Jennifer walked into the room, blocking his escape route.

“Mallory?” The nurse glanced past him but didn’t move from the door. “Dr. Anderson is writing your discharge note as we speak. Would you like to get dressed?”

“No. I want to know what’s going on.” The tone of her voice held a note of desperation. “Who is this guy? My head hurts. You’re telling me to go home, but where is home? Why can’t I remember anything?”

Dumbfounded, Gage swiveled toward her. Mallory’s confused-yet-defiant gaze met his without an ounce of recognition. Doubt assailed him. Could she honestly be telling the truth?

The nurse was taken aback by Mallory’s questions, too. “Since when can’t you remember? You didn’t say anything when Dr. Anderson examined you.”

Mallory massaged her temple again, wincing beneath the pressure of her fingers. “I can’t think straight with this headache.” She frowned, picking at one corner of the blanket covering her. “It wasn’t until this guy mentioned going home that I realized I couldn’t remember.”

Gage sighed and dropped heavily into a chair beside her bed. Thoughts of returning home for sleep anytime soon faded faster than an early-morning mist. What was going on? Was it possible Mallory really couldn’t remember anything?

Jennifer clearly thought so. “I better find Dr. Anderson.”

Unfortunately, the doctor didn’t have any more advice to give them. He examined Mallory again, asking a barrage of questions. She knew which year it was and the president of the United States, but not anything personal about herself.

“What’s your address?”

“I don’t know.” Mallory closed her eyes in frustration. Knuckles white, her fists clenched the sheets. She sucked in a loud breath. “I don’t understand. What is wrong with me? How can I forget my address?”

“Do you remember any members of your family?” the doctor persisted.

“No.” She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “But I could be an only child.”

Gage nearly laughed until he realized she was serious. An only child? Mallory and Alyssa were close, despite their completely different personalities. How could she forget her twin sister?

“Hmm.” The doctor frowned and tabbed through the computer screens, reviewing parts of Mallory’s electronic medical chart. “There aren’t many details regarding your accident. You were found lying on a concrete sidewalk by a neighbor who was coming home after work. Your purse contained some cash and an ID, so we don’t really believe this was a mugging. And certainly nothing to indicate a cause for amnesia.”

“What do you mean nothing to indicate a cause for her amnesia?” Gage straightened—his interest piqued, in spite of himself.