Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles (14 page)

“The water is warm. We’ll swim later if you’d like to,” said her mother. “We can wrap your cast. Jennifer and Caroline leave clothes here. I’m sure there is a bathing suit that will fit you.”

“I think I’d like that.” The water did look inviting.

“I’d like to show you something, Elsie.” Her mother took her hand and led her back to the entryway where the elevator was.

Aldous followed, closing two large, carved, wooden doors. They had been open when she arrived, and Elsie hadn’t paid them much heed.

Aldous ran his hand lovingly over the carved surface. “I had these doors commissioned years ago. In fact, every home we own has front doors like these. No two are exactly the same, but they all have several things in common.”

Now that they were closed, Elsie realized that the two halves came together to make a beautiful tree with roots that spread out as broadly at the bottom of the tree as the branches did above.

“This is called a tree of life,” said her mother. “Your father had certain important symbols carved into the tree.”

“Some are obvious.” He pointed to the base of the tree where the roots began to branch out. “Here is the trinity knot, a Celtic symbol of the Holy Trinity. Our family is rooted there. And here, in the middle of the trunk is a knot. If you look carefully, you can see sixty tick marks around the edge.”

“The pocket watch?”

He smiled and nodded. “Exactly. The pocket watch. Half of it is on the left door and the other half on the right.” He pointed to one of the upper branches on the right door, “Carved into the grain of the wood here is the motto of Clan Sinclair:
Commit thy work to God
. But if you look carefully in the roots of the tree on the left door, you can see a Latin word,
fortitudine
, which means:
With fortitude
, the motto of Clan Macrae.”

Her mother squeezed her hand. “You see, sweetling, the left door represents our roots, our beginnings. The right door represents our present and future.” She pointed to four birds in flight at the top of the right door. These birds symbolize our children: Caroline, Jennifer, Xavier, and David. But there is one more little bird that often goes unnoticed. See there, perched on the nest in the branches on the left? That bird was our way of remembering you, the little one we left behind.”

“We have remembered you and prayed for you every day of our lives,” said her father.

Elsie was speechless. She reached out and touched the carving of the bird on the nest. The wood was smooth, as if it had been touched often.

“The rest of the family understood the Celtic knot, the motto of Clan Sinclair, and the four birds in flight were fairly obvious,” said Jo.

“Only a few people ever questioned
fortitudine
. It isn’t very obvious, and it seems like a good place to be rooted, so it was easily explained,” said her father. “And no one knows about the pocket watch except for Gerald Rose, but he didn’t even notice it at first.”

Her mother smiled. “However, the little bird on the nest has been the source of speculation for years. Some people think it represents me with an empty nest.”

Her father laughed. “That rather leaves me out of the picture, but it’s understandable.”

“When the children were still young, they thought we hoped for another child. Other friends and family members have believed this over the years too, or they believed that I had miscarried a child at some point.”

Aldous nodded. “We simply allowed people to speculate. Only Gerald, your mother, and I knew how very real the little bird in the nest was and how very much we missed her.”

Tears filled Elsie’s eyes as her fingers caressed the symbol of her parents’ love for her. Dear God, she didn’t want to leave. There was nothing for her in the past. Her parents were here. The man she loved was here.
Nay, Elsie, the man Elizabeth loves is here. Someone does wait for ye
.

Gabe always loved his first day off after working seven in a row. He usually slept in and did nothing except catch up on laundry. But today he awoke with the woman he loved in his arms and the sure knowledge that the day would not be spent doing nothing.

Although he had joked with her about her social calendar at the beginning of the week, it turned out that her days had been filled while he worked. Her mother had taken the whole day off to spend with her on Wednesday. He didn’t think anything about it until that evening when he’d asked her about the day.

“It was very good. We had a lovely lunch and then went shopping.”

“Sounds like a typical mother-daughter day.”

“Does it? My mother said we’d never done that.”

“Really? That’s hard to believe.”

“It’s what she said. I’m not sure why it surprises you. You said you didn’t think we were close.”

“I know I did, but lunch and shopping—or pedicures—with mom is my sister’s favorite thing to do. Hands down.”

“Pedicures? What’s a pedicure?”

He smiled. Frankly, he wondered if Elizabeth had ever taken time for a pedicure. “A pedicure is a foot treatment. You soak your feet in warm water for a while and then someone rubs the dry skin off, trims the nails, massages your feet and lower legs and finishes by putting polish on your toenails.”

Elizabeth had looked incredulous. “Really? And women like this?”

“In my experience, they do.”

“Maybe I should get my mother to go with me for a pedicure.”

“It would probably do you both good.”

Elizabeth had spent Thursday and Friday with Mrs. Sinclair, who had taken her to see a variety of attractions in the city. Elizabeth’s favorite had been the Central Park Zoo.

“There were so many animals I’d never seen before.”

“You probably have seen them, you just don’t remember.”

“Right…that’s what I meant. But I loved it. Mrs. Sinclair says that the Bronx Zoo is even bigger. She’s going to take me there the next week you work nights.”

“If you thought the Central Park Zoo had a lot of animals, wait until you see the Bronx Zoo. It’s the largest zoo in the United States.”

Her eyes lit with a youthful exuberance that was both charming and insanely attractive. It made him want to be the one to take her there. Still, there were plenty of new experiences to share with her.
Not if she gets her memory back
. He tamped that little voice down.
If all of her memories returned today, it would be a blessing
. But even as he had that thought, a small part of him was falling in love with this version of Elizabeth. He had to admit, if only to himself, that he wasn’t anxious for things to change.

Today, however, he had her to himself for most of the day, and he’d planned a few things that he was sure would please her.

He rose up on one elbow, brushed the hair from her face, and gave her a gentle kiss.

She blinked her eyes, looking confused for a moment before her face split into a wide grin. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, sweetheart. It’s time to get up.”

She glanced toward the window. “The sun’s barely up, and you don’t have to work today. Let’s go back to sleep.” She closed her eyes and snuggled into her pillow.

He kissed her again. “Ah, but we have things to do.”

“If those things include more kisses, we can do that right here.”

The comment followed by a suggestive smile ignited his desire. How he would love to spend the day in bed kissing her…making love to her. “As hard as it is to turn down that delightful offer—and I assure you, it’s hard,” he grinned at his rude pun, “your ribs are still healing. We should give it a little more time.”

She smiled up at him. “Do you have any idea how attractive it is when you become the protective doctor?

His brows drew together. “What?”

“When you do little things to take care of me, when you think about my wellbeing before my wants or even your own, I feel cherished. I like it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that.”

“Really?”

She blushed and nodded. Then her face split into a salacious grin. “Of course, when I feel cherished, I want to stay in bed with you even more.”

“Well, you can’t.” He gave her a quick kiss. “But someday, we will.” He kissed her again a bit more languidly.

When he pulled away from her lips, the sweet smile on her face delighted him. “Now you do have to get up. I promise you’ll enjoy what I have planned.”

When they were dressed, she started into the kitchen. “I’ll make coffee.”

He stopped her. “Not this morning. Grab your coat.”

“Gabe, surely you don’t mean to leave the house before I’ve had a cup of coffee. I love coffee.”

“I know you do, but we’re going to have breakfast at a great diner where there will be lots of coffee. Then I have something to show you.”

“A diner?”

“It is a kind of restaurant that serves all kinds of food, and they usually have particularly good breakfasts.”

“Okay.”

It wasn’t far, so they walked to the diner. It was still early enough that the restaurant wasn’t too busy.

Elizabeth smiled when she saw the menu.

“Do you see something you like?”

“Yes. Pictures.”

He laughed. “Pictures are good, but you’re reading improves every day.”

She beamed at his praise.

“So do you see something you’d like?”

“I like eggs.” She pointed to another picture. “But these look like strawberries.”

“They
are
strawberries. That’s a waffle.”

“How can there be strawberries on it? It’s the middle of winter.”

He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to the odd holes in her memory. “They are grown in warmer places and brought here.”

When the time came to order, she was still having trouble deciding, so he said, “Bring us the big breakfast platter.” It came with three eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, and biscuits. “And we’ll also have a Belgian waffle with strawberries and a side of scrapple.” He smiled at Elizabeth. “We’ll split it, and you can try a bit of everything.”

“What is scrapple?”

“It’s a little hard to explain. It doesn’t sound very appetizing, but it is really good and I know you used to like it.”

“But what is it?”

“It’s a mixture of cooked pork scraps and organ meat that have been ground up and mixed with cornmeal and spices.”

She smiled. “That sounds like…well, I don’t know what it is called, but I think I do like it.”

She did like it. She liked it all. The strawberries, in particular, delighted her.
Note to self, buy some
.

Once fortified with breakfast and several cups of coffee, they headed toward the destination he had planned over a week ago: the wholesale flower markets.

There were literally thousands of flowers from all over the world. It was an impressive sight, and Elizabeth stared in awe. “They’re beautiful—but it’s winter. Is this like the strawberries?”

“Yes, exactly like the strawberries. Flowers are brought here from all around the world.”

As they wandered through the markets, she appeared enraptured. At one point, she stopped in front of buckets of blue irises. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful before.” She reached a hand toward them, touching one tentatively.

“What do they mean?”

Gabe’s brows drew together. “I’m not sure what you’re asking. They don’t mean anything.”

“You’re wrong there, young man,” said an older woman who appeared to be working there.

“Pardon me?”

“The young lady is right. Flowers speak a language of their own. They all mean something.”

Elizabeth turned toward her. “What are these? What do they mean?”

“They’re blue irises, and they represent faith and hope.”

“They’re beautiful,” she said, her eyes shining.

“I think that’s your cue, young man.”

Gabe laughed. “Yes. We’ll take some.”

“Be sure to pick stems that have some unopened buds. They will bloom over the next few days.”

This seemed to thrill Elizabeth. He selected a dozen stems, all with buds in varying stages of flowering, and had them wrapped.

They continued to walk through the flower district, Elizabeth simply captivated by the beauty around them. “Well, it’s settled. I’ll take you to the Macy’s flower show. These flowers are just in bins, but they’re transformed into artwork at the flower show.”

“You’ve seen it?”

He smiled sheepishly. “I’ve seen pictures. I would love to see it with you, though.” The truth was, he’d probably spend more time watching her passionate responses to the show than the flowers.

“I’d love to go. Is it soon?”

“It’s in April.”

Her face fell. “April? That long?”

“It’s only a little more than a month away.”

“I expect I’ll have my memory back by then, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

He had trouble imagining the Elizabeth he knew from medical school spending hours wandering through flower markets or a formal flower show.

Eventually, she began to show signs of tiring, so he lured her away with the promise of a stop at the bookstore to buy some more workbooks and a fancy coffee shop for a mocha. They also stopped at a shop where he could buy an inexpensive vase for the irises.

Once home, he tried to talk her into resting. “We’re going out again later to meet Nick.”

“I’m not as fragile as you think I am, Gabe.”

“I don’t think you’re fragile, but I know you have broken ribs that still cause you pain.”

“Just a tiny bit. Curling up next to you and working in one of my new books while you watch the last day of the Olympics is not going to hurt anything.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. “Now that you mention it, I can think of no better way to spend the rest of the afternoon.”

In spite of her assurances that she didn’t need a nap, she dozed off after a few minutes, her head slipping into his lap.
I could get used to this.

Eventually, he had to wake her. “Elizabeth, wake up, sweetheart. We need to leave soon.”

She stirred and yawned, resembling a drowsy kitten. “Leave?”

“Yes, leave. We’re meeting Nick for dinner, remember?”

She became fully awake. “Oh, right. I need to get dressed.”

“What you’re wearing is fine.”

She frowned. “I don’t want to be wearing trousers to meet your brother.”

She disappeared into the bedroom, appearing again in a few minutes wearing the skirt and blouse he had bought for her.

“You look beautiful.”

She beamed. “Thank you. This is my favorite outfit.”

~ * ~

They took a cab
uptown
to meet Gabe’s brother at a small Italian restaurant. Nick was waiting for them outside.

Gabe paid the cab driver, then gave Nick a hug.

“Since when do you take cabs? There’s a subway station on the corner.”

“Elizabeth has broken ribs. She doesn’t need to be jostled in a subway car.” He turned to Elizabeth. “Elizabeth, this is my brother, Dominic. Everyone calls him Nick.”

She took his hand, as Jo Sinclair had told her to, and said, “It’s lovely to meet you.”

Nick leaned in and kissed her cheek. “It’s nice to meet you too, Elizabeth. Although technically, I have met you before.”

Although his words were polite, she sensed a coolness in his greeting that made her uncomfortable. “I-I suppose we have. I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”

“That’s what I hear.”

Looking at Gabe, he said, “Shall we go in? Our table should be ready.”

Once they were seated, they were given menus. Elizabeth looked at hers, but there were there no pictures, and she couldn’t recognize any letters.

“See anything you like, Elizabeth?” asked Nick. “No, I don’t suppose you do. After all, you’ve forgotten how to read.”

Elizabeth felt herself blush profusely.

“Why are you being an ass, Nick?”

“I’m sorry, Gabe, I just
forgot
.”

Gabe hit his brother’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “
Stunata
, what the hell’s the matter with you?”

Tears prickled behind her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to keep them from spilling. She wasn’t sure what was happening or how to handle it. She would have left, but there was no place to go.

“Lighten up, brother, I was just joking.”

“It’s not funny.”

“You don’t think so? The little girl genius that walked out of your life, stomping on your heart as she left, is in a little accident and can’t even remember how to read? I think it’s very funny and highly unlikely, but somehow she’s managed to suck you back in.”