Cowboy Casanova

Chapter 49

FAITH POV: My head aches as I wake up. 1417.... It's the garage code Tim kept forgetting... I can't get it out of my head. I won't let it out of my head...

I sit up and try to trace back my memory. It never works. I want to remember so badly...

"Faith!" I hear Tim scream from downstairs. The sound of him running up the stairs fills the large, hollow house. He runs in the room, sounding winded. "Oh, thank god!" He says, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"You okay?" I ask. He nods.

"I had an affair." He blurts out. I'm stunned for a second.

"What?" I say, vocalizing my astonishment. He nods.

"I told you about the affair before you had the aneurysm. I completely forgot that you forgot, and my publicist is making a statement about it in like... well... now." He says pointing to the alarm clock on my nightstand. I don't know why, but I feel like he's told me this before.

"Carrie...." I say, suddenly remembering a name.

"You know her?" He asks.

"What?"

"Carrie. Do you know her?" He repeats. I scrunch up my eyebrows.

"I mean, the name just came to mind...." I say.

"That's who I had the affair with." He says, still sounding like he's begging for air. I'm not sure if running up the stairs caused it, or if he is panicking over me.

"Do I know anyone else named Carrie?" I ask, thinking for other possiblities.

"Not that I know of." He answers. "Do you think you're getting your memory back?" He asks, I smile a little.

"Maybe..."

"Just keep doing what you're doing!" He says. The phone begins to ring.

"Tim, look at the news." Tim's publicist says, before abruptly hanging up. Tim turns on the TV in our room. He sits on the bed beside me and stares at the press conference.

"Tim did infact carry on sexual relations with Ms Underwood. Of course, this was with Underwood's consent. The affair abruptly ended shortly after, due to Mr McGraw's children and wife." A spokesperson says.

"Does Faith know?" An interviewer asks.

"Yes, and they are working together to get past this. This event took place a while ago, but has been brought back into the light by Underwood's staff." I begin to feel lightheaded as I feel Tim's anxiety. The sensation of nausea passes, now leaving me feeling like I may black out at any second.

"Tim...." I say, feeling my eyes getting droopy. I feel terrified...

"You okay?" He says, catching sight of me. I fall to the side, almost falling of the bed if it weren't for Tim grabbing me. The sound of his voice begins to fade away like an echo as I freefall into darkness.

I open my eyes to see a woman is with me. She looks just like me. There's a scar on her jaw, only visable in a certain kind of angle. It reminds me of one my mother had. She said she fell off her bike as a kid, and cracked her jaw. It isn't visable unless you're shorter than her, as I always was.

She stares around the room which appears to me, to be as sterile as you could imagine. White walls and cabinets, with light grey faux leather couches. I look down to see I'm in a hospital gown. My arms look pale, with a yellow tint. I touch my head, feeling a little ache. I'm met with absolute smoothness. I catch a reflextion of myself in the glass door. I'm bald. I glide my fingers along where my scalp once was. I wince as I accidentally glide over a incision. The woman squeezes my hand tighter, as if to comfort me in this moment of confusion. She smiles kindly at me as my eyes slowly make it to her.