About an hour after Alex left for his house in the woods, Ken Stokes took Louis and Debbie out to the park to finish filming the documentary. Christopher was sitting on the sofa in Yvonne's living room, Tom Sawyer sitting at the opposite end.
"I'm going grocery shopping!" Yvonne announced. She came into the living room and leaned over the sofa, smiling sweetly at Christopher. "Anything you want? Or need?"
Christopher shook his head. "Not that I can think of."
"Okay," said Yvonne. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Christopher. I know Alex has the house back and that's our home base, but it's been nice having you here."
"You've been a great host," said Christopher, closing the medical book he had been reading. "It's been pleasant staying here. You have a lovely home. Although I'm sure I said that last time, if there was a last time I was here."
Christopher felt his cheeks get hot as Yvonne chuckled. The sound of her laughter was enough to bring back some memories. He remembered being in a forest with Louis, running from a super soldier. He also remembered walking into the basement of Alex's house in the woods, and finding the massive amount of technology that made up the artificial intelligence program, SCOT.
"You've never been here before," she explained. "But I appreciate the effort."
Christopher hung his head, embarrassed, and Yvonne playfully tousled his hair.
More memories came back. He remembered his first day of medical school, and then his residency at Baltimore General. He smiled, remembering how nervous he had been on his first day. Christopher looked up at Yvonne, wishing he could accurately explain to her how much her presence improved his life.
"It's been a difficult time," she said sympathetically, "but I think we're breaking new ground in how to get your memories back."
With that, she left. Tom let out a long, low whistle. Christopher glared at him.
"What?" Christopher asked.
"Somebody's got a crush!" Tom teased.
"That's none of your business," Christopher snapped, although he couldn't help smiling. Yvonne was beautiful, and when she was around it was much easier to remember things. She had been the one to point out that his memories were triggered by powerful emotions, and his emotions were incredibly powerful when she was around.
Tom started talking, but Christopher couldn't make sense of the words. He mentioned something about snow, ice, and lodge fees, but none of them were quite registering in Christopher's brain.
Christopher looked at Tom, struggling to remember what they had been talking about. They had been discussing something, something kind of significant, but it slipped away from Christopher's mind.
Finally, he asked, "Tom, sorry, but what were we talking about?"
Tom stared at him, taken aback. Christopher had interrupted him.
"We were planning to go skiing," Tom explained. "Christopher, are you okay?"
Christopher felt cold. He vaguely remembered going skiing with Tom when he was younger, but were they now just talking about going skiing together again? His mind reeled as he struggled to make sense of everything.
Tom looked at him blankly. "Wow," he said. "Your amnesia is starting to progress. You can't form new memories."
"I'm very worried that you're right," Christopher said. The memories he had recovered before Yvonne left were already beginning to fade. "I'm struggling to believe anything that anyone tells me. I don't know who I'm becoming without my memory, and I don't want to find out."
Tom started to say something, but Christopher picked up his medical book and marched into the kitchen. He needed to be alone for a while, and he didn't want to be reminded of how much he was losing. Tom was not only a friend, he had been a patient who Christopher had saved. Not on his own, he had had a team there to help him, but the fact that he had forgotten weighed him down.
He sat at the kitchen table for a couple of hours, just reading his textbook and not wanting to be disturbed. Thankfully, Tom took the hint and left him to his own devices.
About an hour later, he heard the front door open, and the rustle of reusable bags. Yvonne came into the kitchen, and she seemed surprised to see him. She noticed the textbook.
"Studying?" she asked, setting the bags on the counter.
"Yeah," he said. "Trying to figure out a cure for amnesia using emotions as the treatment."
Yvonne came around and peered over his shoulder, trying to read the page he was on. He stiffened at her proximity to him. She wore a wildflower perfume which made his nose tingle. It worked on her. Floral, but a little on edge.
"I have no idea what any of these words are," she said, still looking at the textbook.
"That makes two of us!" Christopher joked.
Yvonne pulled away from the textbook and smiled at him.
"We'll get you there," she said. "I promise."
"I can't thank you enough," Christopher said, pushing the book away. "You've done so much for me already that I don't think I'll ever be able to properly thank you."
"Don't worry about it," Yvonne said, giving him a short hug. "We just need to focus on getting you better."
As she pulled away from the hug, Christopher felt that a piece of him was leaving as well. Suddenly, it felt like something was hitting him in the back of his head, and remembered sitting in Alex's living room, in his house in the woods. He remembered how terrified Yvonne had been when the radio show host had announced that fifty-three people were reported missing in Baltimore. He also remembered how upset she had been when none of them appeared to be concerned.
Christopher shuddered as the memory faded. It had been so visceral and real that he had felt like he was living through it. He turned to look at Yvonne. She was unpacking the groceries and placing them in her fridge.
Without thinking, Christopher stood up and walked toward her led by his heart. He came up behind her just as she shut the door. She paused, then turned around to face him. She looked up at him with her sweet face.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a breathy voice.
"I'm fine," he said. His mind was the clearest it had been in a long time.
"Are you sure?" she asked, pulling back a little. "You seem kind of intense."
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just, I think you're amazing."
She smiled. "That makes two of us."
He smiled in return. "I'm serious. I know I don't remember you, or my life before I lost my memory, but I can't believe I've never seen you for you. Am I making sense?"
Yvonne blushed and rested a hand on her chest. "Keep talking."
"Every time I am with you," he continued, moving a little closer, "I get a little piece of my memory back. When you're gone, it disappears. Yvonne, I think you're my cure."
She put a finger on his lips, shushing him, and they stared into each other's eyes for a long, tense moment. She removed her finger and closed her eyes, leaning in.
Christopher closed his eyes, and leaned in so close they were inches apart from one another. Yvonne wrapped her arms around his waist. She pressed herself closer, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest and inhaled deeply.
More memories came back to Christopher, all of them tied to the deep affection he felt for Yvonne. Nothing felt right without her anymore. None of his memories made sense without her. She was in almost all of them, and the ones she wasn't in just felt empty and plain, like something was missing.
Yvonne stood on her tiptoes, coming closer to Christopher. Electricity crackled between them, and Christopher made the first move. His lips touched hers, and suddenly they were kissing.
Christopher pulled away and opened his eyes. With every memory that had been restored, he had only gained more appreciation and affection for Yvonne. He didn't know how he hadn't seen her before. The rush of love he felt for her was so sudden and unexpected that his knees felt hollow. He held onto her for support, and she caught him.
He looked up at her, overcome with feeling. She was the woman who had made everything feel right again.
"Hi, Yvonne," he said. "I have my memories back."
*****
When Alex woke up properly in the morning, he came downstairs to find his parents in the kitchen, fixing breakfast. His father was at the stove, wearing a frilly pink apron. The smell of frying fish filled the air, along with onions and mushrooms. Flora was slicing up some apples, pears, and strawberries for a fruit salad.
"Fish and fruit for breakfast?" Alex asked.
Gideon smiled at him and held up the spatula he was currently using. "We had a few pieces of that trout I caught in the freezer," he said. "They were partially defrosted, but I think if we cook them enough, they'll be fine."
Alex's eyes widened. Partially defrosted trout? he thought. The fridge and freezer were turned off for almost three days! There's no way that fish is trustworthy!
"Dad," Alex said. "That's how you get food poisoning!"
Gideon brushed him off and flipped the fish. "Don't be silly," he said. "You only get food poisoning from semi-cooked or raw fish."
It was too early in the morning for Alex to argue this point. So he just said, "I'm not feeling fishy today, I'll just have coffee and fruit."
Gideon pouted. "If that's what you want," he said, grabbing a salt shaker and seasoning the trout, "I'll leave a piece of trout in the frige for you in case you want it for lunch."
Alex didn't say anything else as he went over to his coffee machine and made himself a latte with two spoonfuls of brown sugar. He immediately relaxed upon taking the first sip, and everything melted away. Then, he remembered the silhouette he had seen in the night.
"I had a crazy dream last night," Alex said. "At least, I think it was a dream."
"Oh?" Flora said as she sliced into a red delicious apple. "What was it about?"
Alex held his coffee cup between his hands and leaned back against the counter, trying to think of what to say.
"I'm not sure how to phrase this," he said carefully, "but it felt like somebody was watching me last night. I looked out the window and saw somebody standing in front of the forest."
"Sounds like a stress dream to me," Flora said. She set down the knife and looked toward her son. "Alex, honey, it's been a difficult few days for all of us. I think it's reasonable expect that your mind is coming to terms with it all in your sleep."
Alex nodded. "You're right," he said. "Good to know I'm not totally insane. Yet." He sipped his coffee, his mother laughed, and Alex began to look forward to what the future had in store.