The Memory of All That - Nancy Smith Gibson Page 0,3

them when she first arrived. Now she put on a mint green pair, warm and comforting.

“You can wear some of your fancy silk nightgowns when you’re feeling better. These will be more comfortable until your fever breaks for good,” the old woman said.

I have silk nightgowns? The thought seemed incongruous, somehow. Even now, with no memory of her past, she couldn’t even imagine herself in such a garment.

Gradually the time she was free of both fever and chills lengthened, and although she was terribly weak, she rested more comfortably. When she awoke again, she saw daylight shining around the edges of the heavy drapes.

The night is over, and I have lived through it! It surprised her to realize she had had doubts about it.

Voices in the hall alerted her to visitors before they entered the room. First through the door was the tall, handsome man who had been sitting in the chair beside the bed. His dark hair was brushed smooth, and he was dressed in a business suit and tie. His expression was still solemn, even grim. Behind him was an older man, short and balding. The black bag he carried identified him as a doctor. The maid who had helped Marnie followed the men into the bedroom, chattering away.

“She woke up throughout the night. One time she’d be burning up with the fever. Next she’d be shivering with chills. About dawn, her temperature seemed to break.”

“You’re doing a fine job of caring for her, Alice,” the doctor said.

“Are you sure she shouldn’t be in the hospital, Doctor Means?” the handsome man asked. His voice was low and smooth. Marnie wasn’t sure if the tingle that ran through her was from his voice or the chills.

“Of course she should be, but as I explained last night, every bed in the local hospital is full. We’ll keep a close eye on her, and if it seems like pneumonia is setting in, we’ll have an ambulance take her to Memorial Hospital in Centerview. I’d like to avoid that trip if I can. It would be hard on her.”

The doctor sat in the chair beside the bed and took out his stethoscope.

“So you’re awake, young lady. Let me listen to your lungs.”

When he finished his examination, he removed the stethoscope.

“Well, your lungs are clear. Alice tells me you were able to get up and go to the bathroom during the night, and you drank some water. Is that right?”

She tried to answer, but her voice squeaked with the effort.

“You were pretty much out of it when I saw you last night. Do you remember when I was here?”

She tried to remember what happened after she arrived and was put to bed, but it was no use. She had been too incoherent then to recall any details now.

“No.”

“Can you tell us where you’ve been? What’s happened to you?”

She shook her head slightly. “I don’t remember.”

The doctor sighed and put the stethoscope back in its case.

“You’re still very sick. Maybe you’ll remember when you’re better.” He stood and turned to the handsome man.

“I’ll come by again this afternoon after office hours, David.” He turned toward Alice. “I’ll call the pharmacy and have them send over some pills. Now that she’s alert enough to swallow a capsule, I won’t need to treat her by injection. See that she gets one every four hours. She’s still very sick and needs the medicine on schedule.”

The doctor picked up his bag and started toward the door, stopping in front of Alice. “If her temperature stays down, see if you can get her to eat a little broth. She needs some nourishment. And keep giving her water. If she can’t drink water, we’ll have to get her into the hospital or else set up something here. I don’t want her becoming dehydrated.”

“Marnie, I’ll see you again this afternoon,” he said as he walked out the door.

She heard his voice receding as he walked down the hall. “David, I don’t want you questioning her. . . .” She was left wondering who David was to her and why he would want to question her. She hadn’t experienced any chills or fever for several hours, but she still felt very weak. She closed her eyes and tried to sort out all she had been presented with since she made her way to this house.

The woman who came out the front door and helped her upstairs to her room was Alice. She seemed to like Marnie. She was gentle and caring toward