Page 154 of Blush

Someone took my wallet.

I think I was walking. Late at night. Early in the morning. The bakeries hadn’t opened yet. No yeasty smell of the first bake…

But then everything goes dark. And I don’t know.

I’m here. Somehow, I’m here.

They don’t let me sleep for long. Someone is always squeezing my arm with that blood pressure cuff, checking my vitals, my pulse ox, and then of course the dreaded light in my eyes.

“They still look good,” someone says.

They? What arethey?

“We’re going to do a repeat CT,” another voice says. “Just to make sure you don’t have a slow bleed that we couldn’t see earlier.”

Into the tube again. MRI? CT? I’m not sure which one.

I think my name begins with a J.

“Mandy,” I say inside the tube. “Mandy.”

Back in my room. I think there might be another guy in here with me. I’m not sure.

They check me again.

“Good news, sir. No brain bleed. Just a tiny bit of swelling, which should go down on its own. Do you remember yet? Do you remember your name?”

“Mandy. I need to see Mandy.”

“Is she your wife? Do you have her number? You didn’t have any ID or phone on you when you were brought in, sir.”

“Mandy. Mandy Thomas.”

“Try to find Mandy Thomas,” the person examining me says to someone else.

“That’s a pretty common name.”

“It’s all we have to go on. Get the police involved. They’ll be able to find her.”

“Sir, who is Mandy Thomas? Is she your wife?”

“Not married.”

“Your mother? Sister? Girlfriend?”

“Everything. Mandy is everything.”

My eyes close, and I’m left in the dark.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Amanda

I hastily call Ben while my heart rages against my chest.

“Black,” he says.

“It’s Amanda—Mandy—Thomas.”