Can't Take the Heat Read Free Page A

telling the patient the truth,” she said slowly.
    “But not in this one.”
    She took a deep breath then leaned forward. “May I ask you a rather personal question, Mr. Barrows?”
    “Wes.” The correction was a reflex. Mr. Barrows was definitely not him. “And yeah, go ahead.”
    “Why did you and Ms. Monroe end your relationship? Was it her idea, yours, or a mutual decision?”
    Oh yeah, that was personal, all right. “What difference does that make?”
    “Well, it’s just that I’ve looked at her brain scans, and I can’t see anything to suggest her memory loss is organic. She doesn’t have any damage to the regions of the brain associated with long-term memory, and while I’d expect her to have trouble recalling the accident itself, that’s more a psychological mechanism than a physical one. We generally don’t like to relive a trauma, so our brains protect us by making it possible for us to forget what happened.”
    “And the reason we broke up is relevant because…?”
    Dr. Fernandez turned her palms up and shrugged, as if to admit she was in uncertain territory. “The only explanation I can come up with for her long-term memory loss is that her subconscious is trying to protect her from something she finds painful, even traumatic. Since her memory seems to be intact up to your engagement but not beyond, I have to believe the breakup itself was traumatic for her and she wants to forget that it happened. Her desire to forget isn’t conscious, of course, and she hasn’t lost her memory on purpose, because that’s impossible, but the brain is very powerful and can do things like this without our knowledge or consent.”
    Wes considered this then shook his head slowly. “Well, I don’t know about the traumatic part. Our breakup was Delaney’s idea, not mine.” Not that he hadn’t played a role in leading her to that decision.
    “Be that as it may,” the doctor said, a slight smile curving her lips, “I have to think the fact that she still lists you as her next of kin means she hasn’t completely moved on.”
    He frowned. “I think that has more to do with the fact that she doesn’t have any family than anything else.”
    She could have chosen Chelsea, though, a treasonous, hopeful voice in the back of his mind pointed out. Or Jett. They’d been best friends since kindergarten. Or even someone she worked with at the firehouse. Why had she chosen him instead of one of them?
    “Which brings me to the other…concern I have to consider when it comes to Ms. Monroe’s condition and recovery.”
    Wes knew when he was being softened up to have a major problem dropped in his lap. His father was a master at it. The only difference was that Sam called it delegation.
    “And that is?”
    “I can’t keep her in the hospital for more than another day or two.” Dr. Fernandez leveled her gaze on him. “After that, I’ll have to release her, no matter what the state of her memory is. The problem is, I’m not comfortable with the idea of sending her home alone, especially when she’s emotionally and psychologically living nearly three years in the past.”
    His stomach lurched, because he could already see where this was going. “You want me to take her home.”
    It was a terrible idea. The worst ever.
    And he liked it. Way too much.
    “Only if it’s possible. Obviously, if it’s not, we’ll have to make other arrangements. An assisted care facility, perhaps.”
    “Assisted care?” The only idea worse than sending her home with him was putting her in some kind of nursing facility. Delaney wouldn’t just hate it. She wouldn’t allow it. “I’ll find a way to make it work.”
    He knew he was making it sound as though having her in his home would be a hardship. Nothing could be further from the truth. But the doctor didn’t need to know that.
    “Good. I’m relieved to hear that.” She started to get up.
    “Wait.”
    She paused.
    “You haven’t answered my