Tess reached for her purse at the end of the desk. It slipped from her hand and dumped upside down. “Ugh! Just great!” She dove for her lipstick as it threatened to roll under the desk, grabbing it at the last second. The cold tile bore into her palms and seeped through the thin fabric of her scrubs. She collected the other items scattered around and shoved them back into her purse. Would this shift ever end?

 

“Tess, the unidentified male in room 204 is all yours.” Apparently not. “You okay, honey?”

 

Tess looked up. Her supervisor leaned over the tall counter of the nurses’ station. Gwen had worked the ER for so many years, she could stay up longer than anyone Tess had ever met. The woman never slept. “Yeah, Gwen, I’m fine.” She plopped her purse back on the counter and stood. “Thanks for asking, boss.”

 

“Sorry to throw this one at you so close to your quitting time, but I told Corey she could leave early. She’s got a little one sick at home.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that. No worries. What’s the patient’s background?”

 

“Came in a bit ago. Late 20’s, early 30’s. Car accident. Has no memory. Lacerations to the head and torso. He’s in observation now. He’s kind of a looker too.” She winked at Tess. “If you’re into the large, lumberjack-looking type. That beard he’s got is mighty nice.”

 

Tess smirked and left the nurses’ station. She actually did like the type, but the last “lumberjack” she had all but left her at the altar. Ben was really more of a surfer type but because of his beard, Tess used to tease him about being her mountain man. A mountain man she really needed to work harder to forget.

 

“Let’s see what we have.” She pushed open the door of room 204.

 

Propped up with pillows, the man was awake and looking out the window. His hands were limp, an IV taped to the top of his right hand.

 

He turned toward her and the soles of her Nikes made a squeak as she stopped short. His dark hair was mussed, curls at the end where it had grown out some, his beard longer than she remembered. It made his brown eyes stand out.

 

“Hello,” he said.

 

“Ben.” His name escaped her lips as a breath.

 

“Sorry? What did you say?”

 

She blinked and shook her head. How was this possible? Ben. Here. In her hospital. She avoided his eyes and ran a clammy hand down the leg of her scrubs.

 

“Um, nothing.” Moving to the other side of the bed, she checked his IV bag. It shook from her trembling.

 

“How are you feeling?” Her voice cracked. She had to hold it together.

 

“Pretty good, I guess. Sore, but okay.”

 

It was Ben. Her Ben. Still gorgeous. He hadn’t gone bald the way she’d hoped after he dumped her. Damn.

 

He rubbed his hand through his hair, brushing his elbow against her arm. A rush of heat soared through her. Her cheeks flushed. How could he be so close and have no idea who she was? She fought the urge to punch him in the nose.

 

“I just wish I could remember something—anything,” he continued.

 

She could practically feel the weight of his stare at her back as she let go of the IV bag and began typing on the computer keyboard next to his bed.

 

Just focus on your job. What you know. What you can depend upon.

 

“You don’t remember anything?” Hands shaking against the keyboard, she hoped he couldn’t hear her heart pounding out of her chest. “I don’t. The doctor said I was in a car accident, but I don’t remember anything.”

 

“What about your name?” She swallowed. Hard.

 

He laid his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. “Nope. Nothin’.”

 

Like a lost little boy, he sounded fragile. Far from the Ben she knew and loved. Well, used to love. She faced him and placed a hand on the bed railing, if only to hold herself up. “It’ll be okay. I’ll go talk to the doctor and be back to check on you soon.”

 

“Thanks.” He smiled, a dimple peeking through his beard.

 

Giving him a quick smile through gritted teeth, Tess headed for the door, praying her knees wouldn’t give way. She made it to the hallway, leaned against the wall, and put her head in her hands. A scream formed in her throat and threatened to escape, but she swallowed it down. Wailing in the tranquil hallway would be more than frowned upon by her boss.

 

“This can’t be happening. What am I gonna do?”