Holding Out For A Hero (The Five Sisters Series) (8 page)

Their number one hit, “Not My Problem” was written by Lauren.  She was 26 years old, and her birthday was June 25, so she was a cancer.  The page had recently been updated about her missing status, with a plea for whoever had information to call a number and there would be a reward.  While she didn’t have a lot of memories come flooding back, she knew in her heart that she had found the person who was lost that day a couple of weeks ago. 

Taylor read all the information, then put her head in her hands and cried the tears of loss and of finding a new path but having to let the old one go.  Mike rubbed her back, letting her cry.  He was unsure of himself in this situation once she returned to the life of glamour that she was apparently so used to.

When she closed her eyes that night and started to dream, the memories started to flood back in.  She remembered being on stage and singing.  She dreamed of a concert in New York City and how they sold out the venue.  She heard herself singing the song she wrote, “Not My Problem”, and knew the words.  She heard the cheering crowds.  She saw the others in the band, and knew they were friends as well as a band.  This was not a nightmare, though, and she didn’t wakeup screaming. 

When she awoke, Mike was getting ready to go out for a jog.  “Would you like to come along, Taylor, and clear your head?  I suspect you had some good dreams last night from the thrashing around you did in the bed.”

Taylor got up and ran with Mike.  When they returned, they ate breakfast with Jeff and bid him farewell.  When Jeff asked Taylor what she was going to do, and she told him she had not made up her mind yet.  She wanted a few more days to think about it; she would go back to that world on her terms.

Taylor and Mike sat at the kitchen table, and Taylor started to tell Mike about her dreams the night before. How she was remembering more about being a singer and this Lauren Jones person. She seemed far away, but Taylor was sure she was going to get her back. They were talking for about an hour when suddenly, over the cabin, they heard the sound of a helicopter. They looked at each other and Taylor said, "Have you ever heard a helicopter around here?"

Mike shook his head, and sighed. The helicopter was getting closer and they got up to look outside and saw it land on the lawn out front. A woman and a man jumped out of the side door and ran to the front door. Taylor recognized the woman as one of the band members, but did not recognize the guy. They started banging on the door.

Taylor stood frozen in place while Mike answered the door politely, inviting them into his house.

"Oh my goodness, it really is you! Lauren, Lauren, how are you?" The woman grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

Taylor stood still and said, "I am sorry, I really don't know what's going on—where did you come from?"

The man with her spoke first, "Someone called in a tip this morning that you were here hiding out and we flew an hour from Seattle to reach you. We have not had any good information for the last week, and this person seemed so convinced you were the right person." Taylor turned and looked at Mike.

"Jeff?" Mike shook his head in disappointment.

Taylor told them to sit down in the living room, but the woman said, "We don't have time for that. You have to come with us, now, and see a doctor about your condition. He said that you had amnesia."

With that, the man grabbed Taylor and picked her up. He started marching toward the door and another man came in the house to stop Mike from doing anything. Taylor screamed, "Put me down, I am not leaving!"

Brutus came out of the kitchen barking at them, but jumped into the woman's arms when she said, "come here Pumpkin." Taylor turned to see Mike trying to stop them but he was being held back, and Taylor screamed, "Mike, I love you, I love you, I love you" but her voice was drowned out by the sound of the helicopter blades starting up.

Chapter 17
They got her and her dog on the helicopter and took off before Mike could do anything about it. Taylor looked down at Mike standing on his lawn waving to her and shouting something she could not hear. She curled up into a ball in started crying, and she cried during the entire flight back to Seattle. She did learn that the woman's name was Shea, and the man was Bryan—her ex-boyfriend, who she had dreamt about fighting with. Obviously he realized she was not available, not that it would have changed anything. She refused to talk to them anymore except to ask where they were going.

When they got to Seattle, a doctor was waiting for them. She went into the room with the doctor and relaxed a little. Here was a man who could help her. She asked him what information he was going to give to the people who kidnapped her. The doctor looked alarmed at the fact that she was claiming to be kidnapped. Taylor explained the abduction, and the doctor wrote it down. He told her nothing from their visit would be shared unless she wanted it to be, but she needed to tell him exactly what she remembered happening. She told him about her two-week adventure with Mike.

Taylor thought to herself,
Had it really only been two weeks?
And she loved him, she was sure of it. She didn't have his number but she knew his full name, Michael Becker. After she finished, the doctor was amazed at her story. He told her how lucky she was to have a trauma physician find her and save her. He also told her that she was likely well on her way to getting her memory back, but he would work with her on a daily basis in private to help her make progress.

She agreed and went back to her "captors" who promised to get her home and let her spend some time where she could look around and see her own stuff again.

Taylor got to her house, and Shea came in with her.  Bryan had dropped them off with a promise to return tomorrow to talk to her about their relationship.  Taylor had to start thinking of herself as Lauren, because that was her real name, and Taylor seemed like a private thing between her and Mike.

Shea walked her through her house and talked about what was in it.  Lauren owned a large house, even larger than Mike's, and it was elaborately decorated.  She apparently liked animal print in her former life.  Lauren really did seem like another person altogether to her.  As Shea showed her the rooms, it was hard to believe it was hers.  It was getting late, and Taylor really wanted to call Mike, but she needed to find out more about Lauren as well. 

After the tour through the kitchen, bedrooms and multiple living rooms, Taylor felt like she would collapse.  It was so much to take in, and she dreaded going to sleep that night.  She was certain that she would find out more in her dreams, as her memories seemed to return and mesh in her brain then. 

Shea said, "Lauren, please have a seat at the kitchen table, and let's talk."  Taylor was glad to sit and listen. 

Shea started, "I don't want to pry, and I know you are overwhelmed right now.  The doctors told us that you would need some time to re-acclimate yourself to your environment.  That you don't remember much from before, but that they have great hope based on what you have remembered so far that you will get your memory and old self back."

Taylor nodded her head yes, and looked at Shea.  She really was not feeling too trusting of her, especially since they had kidnapped her! 

Shea continued, "We were so frantic, and I’m sorry that we took you away like that but it was necessary.  We had no idea if he was a crazy person or holding you captive, or what?  How did you get to be there with him?"

Taylor told her, "He is my hero; he saved me from my wreck and healed me up.  He’s not crazy, he’s an angel."

Shea listened, and then said, “I heard you tell him that you love him.  I know you don't want to discuss what happened there, and I understand that you don't trust anyone right now, but you’re in a safe place now.  I am not going to overwhelm you anymore tonight, and I am going to leave a security detail here for you.  The paparazzi will find out you are back soon enough and then they will be beating down your door.  I know you don't remember how much of a pain it is to deal with them, so I want you to stay away from any press until you get a little better.  Your mom will be here in the morning; she has been worried sick and is flying in overnight from New York."

Taylor understood what Shea was saying.  She understood it in a rational way, but the way she felt right now was very emotional.  She wanted to talk to Mike. 

Shea got up to leave, and then she hugged Taylor and said, with tears in her eyes, "I am so glad you are back.  We thought we had lost you forever, and I could not stand that thought about my best friend.  It's hard to see you and know you don't remember, but you will.  I love you.  Sleep tight, and I will see you tomorrow."

"Good night," Taylor responded. 

And then she was gone.  It was like a dream that any of this was happening.  Taylor went to her room, sat on her bed, and cried some more.  She was without the man she loved, and she had been stolen away without so much as a kiss goodbye.  Suddenly, Taylor realized she had no idea about Mike's phone number or address.  How would she call or talk to him?  He would not come here, she knew, without her talking to him and letting him know it was ok.  That's just the kind of person he was.  But how would she ever let him know it was ok if she could not talk to him?

Taylor cried herself to sleep that night and her dreams were of a girl who led a band called
The Five Sisters
.  She dreamed of spectacular parties that had been held in her honor.   She woke up 4 or 5 times in the night because she was thrashing around in the bed so much.  Finally, Taylor got up and took a bath about 5 am, spending a long time just soaking in the water.  She put on her robe and walked through the upstairs bedrooms of her house looking at the pictures of herself with others.  She figured she would learn their names eventually. 

Her mom arrived at the house at 7am, and Taylor could tell she had been worried sick.  She looked pale and as if she had not eaten in days.  She perked right up when she saw her.  “Lauren, do you remember me?  Please say that you do?” 

“Mom, yes, I vaguely remember you,” she said, lying to not hurt her feelings more.  Her mom hugged her tightly and said, “I knew you would.”  Taylor hugged her back, sensing that she could trust her, and wanting desperately to have someone as a rock in this storm that she was going through.

Taylor decided that it was time to start thinking of herself as Lauren, since most of the people around her would continue to call her Lauren.  She would need to get used to that name.

Lauren’s mom regaled her with questions all day about where she had been and what happened to her.  Lauren explained as well as she could, about what she remembered from the wreck and how Mike had found her.  Her mom wanted to know more about Mike, but Lauren had to admit that she didn’t know much about his history and she didn’t want to disclose all that had happened between them.  She did tell her mom that she was in love with him, which her mother brushed off; telling her that Lauren had been in love many times and she would get over it.  That made Lauren mad, and she lashed out at her mother telling her that she would much rather be on the ranch in Montana than here. 

Later in the morning, her doctor came over and she spent a couple of hours with him going over her dream from the night before and what she had experienced that day.  Lauren was determined to fight to get her memory back and find out how to get to Mike and have him back in her life.  The doctor told her that he would continue with the daily sessions so that she could be ready for the start of her band’s world tour in two weeks.  Lauren was surprised that they expected her to perform that quickly after her accident.

Her mom promised to stay there with her for the next two weeks to make sure she was doing ok as well.  Lauren felt like they were guarding her, to keep her from escaping. 
Am I being a little paranoid?
She wondered.