brief instant, it was there.” He blinked. “Wonder what that means.”
Charlie took a deep breath. “I don’t know squat about head injuries, but my dad and I discussed your situation last night at his place, and he thinks you could fully recover your memory in time. I told him what you’d told me, and he said he’s heard of cases where one day the information just starts flowing, like a jammed fountain that’s been unclogged. Not everything at once, but in pieces.”
Seth seemed to be processing the information. It was difficult to tell from his expression what he was thinking, but his eyes held a strange sense of peace, and Charlie sincerely hoped that no matter what happened between the two of them, he’d recover fully. He had to be in hell not knowing anything about his past. Seemed like it’d make everything in the present all the more difficult to handle, from what to do, to who to trust, to whether or not he could even manage a task set before him.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask,” she said once they found their gate and took two seats facing the runways. “You phoned the doctors, right, to let them know we were coming? What did they say?”
Seth stretched his legs, crossing them at the ankles. “One doctor said no problem—he even offered to copy the records for me. The plastic surgeon, on the other hand, was a tough nut to crack. I got the feeling he was withholding information, like he was afraid I’d sue him or something. Not sure what’s up with that.” Seth shrugged. “I’m sure I’m more than a little paranoid since this happened, though, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt until we meet him.”
Charlie furrowed her brow. “Paranoid?”
He shrugged. “Always suspecting someone’s motives, never quite understanding what my relationship is to them if we’re supposed to be friends or family.”
“Has your supposed sister offered any ideas, or did you talk to her?” Charlie asked. “I would think she’d have plenty to say.”
“You’d be wrong. She and I don’t talk. One of the reasons I made sure she wasn’t on any of my personal financial accounts and why I moved out of the house last night is because I don’t trust her.”
Charlie held up a hand. “Wait. You moved—out of the mansion?”
“Into the Hyatt on Louisiana. She hasn’t said or done anything that indicates she had a bad relationship with her brother, but once we figured out I wasn’t Mason Aldridge, I realized he has to be dead.” He chuckled. “I’m not afraid of her killing me in my sleep or anything. It just creeped me out thinking that the guy I replaced had to be dead and that she must know something about it if she’s willing to perjure herself by claiming I’m her brother. And if we prove beyond doubt that I’m not Mason, this will wind up in court. She has to know this.”
“Yeah.” Charlie set her jaw. “Sam and I talked about that last night, too.”
“Sam?”
“My dad. I know it’s probably strange to hear me call him by his first name, but our relationship is weird. I didn’t get to know him very well until I graduated the academy. He and my mom fought like cats, so he was never around when I was a kid.”
“Do you know anything more about—that is…if I’m Seth…” He paused and looked at her thoughtfully. “One of the worst things about all of this is that I don’t know one way or the other.”
“I know.” She gathered courage for something else she’d meant to ask him. “Why don’t we assume…for now…that you are Seth? At least you’d have a name, and I wouldn’t be calling you John Doe or anything inane like that.”
He nodded. “That works for me. I’ve already started keeping track of every dime I’m spending of Aldridge money. Once I figure out just who I am, my former job, all of it—I intend to pay every cent back to the Aldridge Foundation. The business, Aldridge Manufacturing, is owned by the foundation as a whole.
Charlie took a deep breath. “I don’t know squat about head injuries, but my dad and I discussed your situation last night at his place, and he thinks you could fully recover your memory in time. I told him what you’d told me, and he said he’s heard of cases where one day the information just starts flowing, like a jammed fountain that’s been unclogged. Not everything at once, but in pieces.”
Seth seemed to be processing the information. It was difficult to tell from his expression what he was thinking, but his eyes held a strange sense of peace, and Charlie sincerely hoped that no matter what happened between the two of them, he’d recover fully. He had to be in hell not knowing anything about his past. Seemed like it’d make everything in the present all the more difficult to handle, from what to do, to who to trust, to whether or not he could even manage a task set before him.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask,” she said once they found their gate and took two seats facing the runways. “You phoned the doctors, right, to let them know we were coming? What did they say?”
Seth stretched his legs, crossing them at the ankles. “One doctor said no problem—he even offered to copy the records for me. The plastic surgeon, on the other hand, was a tough nut to crack. I got the feeling he was withholding information, like he was afraid I’d sue him or something. Not sure what’s up with that.” Seth shrugged. “I’m sure I’m more than a little paranoid since this happened, though, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt until we meet him.”
Charlie furrowed her brow. “Paranoid?”
He shrugged. “Always suspecting someone’s motives, never quite understanding what my relationship is to them if we’re supposed to be friends or family.”
“Has your supposed sister offered any ideas, or did you talk to her?” Charlie asked. “I would think she’d have plenty to say.”
“You’d be wrong. She and I don’t talk. One of the reasons I made sure she wasn’t on any of my personal financial accounts and why I moved out of the house last night is because I don’t trust her.”
Charlie held up a hand. “Wait. You moved—out of the mansion?”
“Into the Hyatt on Louisiana. She hasn’t said or done anything that indicates she had a bad relationship with her brother, but once we figured out I wasn’t Mason Aldridge, I realized he has to be dead.” He chuckled. “I’m not afraid of her killing me in my sleep or anything. It just creeped me out thinking that the guy I replaced had to be dead and that she must know something about it if she’s willing to perjure herself by claiming I’m her brother. And if we prove beyond doubt that I’m not Mason, this will wind up in court. She has to know this.”
“Yeah.” Charlie set her jaw. “Sam and I talked about that last night, too.”
“Sam?”
“My dad. I know it’s probably strange to hear me call him by his first name, but our relationship is weird. I didn’t get to know him very well until I graduated the academy. He and my mom fought like cats, so he was never around when I was a kid.”
“Do you know anything more about—that is…if I’m Seth…” He paused and looked at her thoughtfully. “One of the worst things about all of this is that I don’t know one way or the other.”
“I know.” She gathered courage for something else she’d meant to ask him. “Why don’t we assume…for now…that you are Seth? At least you’d have a name, and I wouldn’t be calling you John Doe or anything inane like that.”
He nodded. “That works for me. I’ve already started keeping track of every dime I’m spending of Aldridge money. Once I figure out just who I am, my former job, all of it—I intend to pay every cent back to the Aldridge Foundation. The business, Aldridge Manufacturing, is owned by the foundation as a whole.
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