Remember Me

REMEMBER ME

Author:  Brenda Cheryl Gillespie

Other books by this author include:

Summer in Montana

Winter Comes to Montana

Seasons to Remember

©2016 by Brenda Cheryl Gillespie.  All rights reserved.  This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book to my dad who inspired me by the way he lived his life and the love he had for his family.   He taught me as long as I have the love of my family I can find strength for today and the courage to face tomorrow.

Table of Contents

REMEMBER ME

Table of Contents

Chapter 1    The Accident

Chapter 2    My Name is Anne

Chapter 3     A New Beginning

Chapter 4    Lori

Chapter 5    The Laurel Rest

Chapter 6    For the Love of Lori

Chapter 7    A House for Lori

Chapter 8    The Tree

Chapter 9    The Rain

Chapter 10    The Puzzle

Chapter 11    The Slide of Remembrance

Chapter 12    The Ring

Chapter 13   The Homecoming

Chapter 14    The Wedding

Chapter 1    The Accident

The windshield wipers pushed aside the heavy rain falling from the dark skies, causing the morning ride to be unpleasant.  But that was on the outside of Cheri’s SUV, while the inside was filled with laughter and excitement as the two young women were looking forward to their day together.  It was Cheri’s twenty-fifth birthday and what better way to celebrate than to ride into the city to enjoy a weekend filled with shopping and a movie.

Cheri reached across the seat to get a tissue to wipe away the mist that had gathered inside the windshield.  She turned to smile at her friend who was telling her a funny story that had happened to her last week.

Blue lights and red lights mingled together in the fog, sending out a message that something bad had happened.  The police had arrived first and had a rescue squad dispatched to the scene of the accident.

Two young women lay on the road, still with no movement, when the EMT’s arrived.  Their arms were extended toward one another as each one had tried to comfort the other before the darkness overcame them.

A white sheet was placed over Cheri’s body, sealing her silence forever on this her twenty-fifth birthday.  Her friend was placed in the back of the ambulance.  Her breathing was shallow and her vitals were very low, but she was still alive.  She had a severe head injury.

The EMT’s worked frantically trying to save the life of the young woman who had survived this terrible accident.   Her life now hung in the balance between survival and death.   The heavy rain continued while the ambulance made its way to the hospital with those inside hoping for a miracle.

Those left behind to clean up the accident now covered the body of the driver who had crossed the median that rainy and dark morning, taking, not only his own life, but that of a young woman.  It was too soon to guess the cause of such an accident as happened this morning; the answers would come only after the investigation of the crash was complete.  This morning the loss of two lives filled the thoughts of the accident responders.  It would leave two families to grieve and another family to cling to a hope that, even though fleeting, was enough to sustain them at this tragic time in their lives.

The young doctor, Dr. Candell, who was on duty at the hospital, began to examine the young woman with the head injury.  He knew immediately that her injury was too severe for a general practitioner to treat.  She needed more specialized care if she was to have any chance of survival and recovery.  He hoped that down deep she had a strong will and determination to survive, because she would need that kind of strength.  He could only try to keep her stable until they found a specialist willing to treat her.

There was no identification found at the scene, as the car in which this young woman was a passenger was totally destroyed by fire, along with all of her personal possessions.   Since the accident had just happened, he knew it might be a while before her family started searching for her and she was identified.  If she lived nearby, it would be soon, but, if she had been traveling, it may take a while to identify her.  That would be a job for the police.  Right now, he would do his job and try to keep her alive for the family who would soon receive the news about the accident and their loved one.

The specialist soon arrived at the hospital.  First, Dr. Candell gave him a complete rundown of the case.  The young doctor watched as the specialist gently, but thoroughly, made his examination of the patient.   He observed the specialist and, just for a minute, he thought the man lost his composure; but he was probably wrong since this doctor saw patients severely injured every day.  Someone so young with their whole life ahead of them depended on him. 

A team of doctors waited on the surgeon to enter the operating room.  The patient had been wheeled into the room and prepared and made ready for this serious procedure on her head.  The team looked at this young woman with her face swollen and bruised, unaware of her existence at this moment in time. It was obvious to them that, even though she was swollen and bruised, an attractive young woman lay before them fighting for her life.

Everyone was in place when Dr. Bryce Sullivan entered the room ready to begin, in hopes of reducing the swelling inside this young woman’s head.  It was obvious to the team that surrounded this patient that the surgeon was really affected by the condition of his patient.  Just like Dr. Candell noted earlier, they were surprised by his reaction; but, at the same time, it was good to see a doctor whose concern for a patient was a lesson in itself for all in the room.  To a lot of doctors, the patient was just another procedure to be taken care of, but this doctor had a genuine concern.  His hands were steady as he worked to save this young woman and give her the same quality of life that she had lived before this tragic accident in the early morning rain.

I want this patient placed in a private room.  She is to be observed around the clock for the next 72 hours.  She is to be kept in a medically induced coma until some of the swelling in her head is reduced, Dr. Sullivan told the duty nurse. 

He knew a nurse that he often asked to sit with his patients during their recovery, and she would be arriving later in the evening to watch and care for this patient.  Dr. Sullivan knew there was a possibility that this young woman would need someone to cling to when she awakened to a world that was no longer a part of the life that she once knew.  He hoped she would remember everything, but he knew the chances were slim.  The traumatic injury to her head had been so severe that it would more than likely result in loss of memory.

What name should I put on her chart? the nurse asked, knowing all of her identification was missing.

Dr. Sullivan looked down at the unconscious young patient and said softly, Let’s call her Anne for right now until she is able to tell us her real name.

The nurse carefully tucked a warm blanket around Anne’s body trying to comfort and care for her patient. The next 72 hours would be critical, and then she would awaken to face the nightmare that had been placed upon her this morning when she lost her friend and began a new journey of her own to find her way back to her former life.   She knew by experience that the journey would be hard and unpleasant but one that a strong determined young woman would be able to do.  She hoped Anne would have the strength that would be needed to find her way back.

Callie Redden packed her suitcase. Bryce had called her this morning to come to a small hospital several hours away from her home. She usually didn’t travel that far to be with a patient; but this time she would make an exception because she was really needed.

Callie and her husband, Bill, owned a successful business. They ran a snow lodge high in the mountains of Virginia. They closed down during the summer months, which freed Callie to sit with patients who might need her. She was a nurse when she met Bill and gave up being a full-time nurse to join him in this wonderful adventure of owning their own lodge. She had never regretted her decision and was happy in the life she had chosen for herself.  She had the best of two worlds; a family life she loved, and being a nurse for those who needed her.

Her son, Mike, loved the business and had become a major partner in the business. Their daughter, Lori, loved the lodge but also loved the medical field like her mother.  Lori became a fine doctor, practicing close to home.

Bill and Mike left early this morning to visit a family in town. Tragedy had befallen this family that Mike had been a part of since high school.  Bill made the trip with Mike, not only to comfort this family, but also to comfort his son during the loss of a dear friend.

Callie was pulled between her son and her patient, but Mike insisted that she was needed more at the hospital.  Callie was proud of her son and the amazing and strong man he had become, but she knew even a strong man found it hard to say goodbye to those he loved.  If you were lucky enough to become one of Mike’s friends, you knew you had a friend you could depend upon, a friend who would always be there for you.

Bryce was one of Mike’s friends, also. Bryce’s family owned the adjoining property to the Reddens.  Bryce was away at medical college when his family purchased the business next to the lodge.  When he came home, it was not long until Mike and Bryce became inseparable.  In fact, Bryce became a friend to everyone in Mike’s family.

It did not take Bryce very long to fall in love with Mike’s sister, Lori.  Lori was a lovely easy-to-love person.  She treasured life and being surrounded by people. She always encouraged her patients to laugh, not only to bring joy to those around them, but also to bring joy to their own selves.  

Bryce and Lori both loved practicing medicine, but that is not what brought them together. They knew very early after they met that their feelings were very strong for one another, and that their future was together.

Callie placed her suitcase beside the door. She had a few things to do before leaving the lodge. She checked each room of their living quarters, not knowing how long it would be before she could return home. She fixed some extra food for Bill and Mike, even though she knew they could cook as well as she could.  They hired some cooks in the winter when the lodge was in full season, but the family also helped in any way they could.  Mike often grilled fish while Lori made a large bin of salad.  They usually fed at least fifty people during the weeknights and well over a hundred on Saturday and Sunday.

Callie heard Bill and Mike come in downstairs.  They were planning to join Callie for her trip into the city and return to the lodge tomorrow evening.  They had planned to go earlier in the month to look at new ski jackets for the lodge but had postponed their trip.  They would leave after lunch. 

It was a beautiful evening for a drive. The Blue Ridge Mountains were green and lush, and the Virginia fields were full of cattle and horses enjoying