One Glance

Chapter 21

"In order to rise from its own ashes, a Phoenix first must burn." Octavia E. Butler

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Chapter Twenty – One

Luke's jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed as he looked down at Annaliese intensely. It had been a long time since he had seen his brother's wife, and the nervous expression on her face was not one that he appreciated.

"It is a miracle she is awake," Annaliese said cautiously, "but her doctor warned us all that if she woke up, it was highly likely that there could be problems."

Seeing as Annaliese was not jumping for joy at Isabella being awake, it was obvious that there was indeed a problem. Luke chose not to listen to Annaliese any further. He held Jamie tightly in his arms as he ran up the stairs. Annaliese called after him, but he did not stop.

There was a long, narrow hallway of patient rooms above stairs. As he was blind the last time that he was in Bath, he had no idea which one was Isabella's. There was one door on the far right of the hallway that was open. He decided first to try there.

"Where are we going, Papa?" asked Jamie.

Luke suddenly stopped in his tracks. Was it safe to take Jamie in to see his mother when there was obviously something wrong with Isabella? Luke placed Jamie down on the floor. "Go back to Aunt Annaliese," he instructed. "I will come and find you in a minute."

Jamie obeyed and retreated back towards the staircase.

Before he could even start towards the open door, or Jamie could fully descend down the stairs, Annaliese had hurried up after him.

"Luke!" she hissed quietly, motioning for him to come to her.

Luke reluctantly joined Annalise on the landing.

"You cannot go barging in on her. You will frighten her!" she whispered. Annaliese sighed.

"What is wrong with her? Tell me so at once or I most certainly will barge in on her. She is my wife!" Luke snapped.

Annaliese chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before saying, "Isabella woke up yesterday afternoon. I was so excited, but she was panicking. Luke, Isabella does not remember anything." Tears began to well up in Annaliese's brown eyes.

Luke furrowed his eyebrows. "She does not remember falling down the stairs?"

Annaliese shook her head. "She does not remember anything!" she clarified. "She does not even know her own name."

Luke stopped breathing as he stared at Annaliese in disbelief.

It had been a good five minutes before he spoke, in which he let out an odd sounding chuckle. "That is ridiculous. People do not just forget everything. Of course Isabella knows her name."

Annaliese shook her head adamantly. "She knows nothing, Luke. I told Isabella her name. I told her who I was and she had a meltdown of sorts. The doctor had to sedate her!"

The doctor. Luke growled. That quack of a doctor had drilled into Isabella's brain. Had that cause the memories to fall out of her head? "I want to speak to that doctor!" Luke demanded.

"Of course," Annaliese agreed. "We need to discuss what happens next ... where Isabella will live," she muttered.

"Where she will live? She will live with me. I am her husband," Luke insisted angrily.