Vanessa could hardly breathe from the excitement of seeing Rex. At the police station, she dashed from her mother’s car, with Holly and Chelsea close behind and raced through the front door.
‘Where is he?’
The officer on duty was about to reply, but Vanessa didn’t wait. She bowled straight through the back hallway.’
‘Hey, you can’t just go through...’
Vanessa didn’t hear the rest. She searched each open door, came to one with a glass window and peered through to see Rex sitting there alone, with a cup of coffee, his head bandaged, but otherwise fine.
She swung open the door and raced in, causing Rex to jerk his head up with a start.
‘Rex!’
She didn’t even give him a chance to stand up and threw her arms around him while he still sat there, almost knocking his coffee off the table. ‘I’m so glad you’re ok. I’m so glad!’
She pulled back and froze when she saw the blank look on his face.
‘Do I know you?’ he asked.
It was then that the fact really did sink in that he had lost his memory and as such probably had no recollection of her. This pained her, as she had hoped that on seeing her, the feelings he had for her would surface and he would remember her. ‘You don’t remember me? It’s Nessie.’
Rex shook his head slowly. He smiled. ‘I really wish I did, Nessie, I really do, but it’s certainly nice to have a gorgeous stranger like you all over me.’
He still had his charm, that was something, but it pained her greatly that she hadn’t been able to trigger some memories. ‘Do you remember this?’ She bent down and delivered him a long slow kiss to his lips.
When she drew back for air, she was met by a stunned look from him. ‘Wow! You are an amazing kisser.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Phew!’
At least she could still blow him away. That was a good sign too.
Rex paused as a police officer stepped through the door with Holly and Chelsea behind them. Then his face immediately lit up. ‘Wait! I know you.’ He rose to his feet and trotted over to Holly. His brow furrowed and he placed his hand on her cheek. She froze, but made no effort to back away.
Vanessa watched on and an uneasy feeling came upon her. Rex recognised Holly, but not her? She tried to tell herself it didn’t mean anything. Amnesia had unusual effects and there was no telling what they would remember first.
‘Holly...’ Rex said slowly. ‘You’re, Holly.’
‘Yes...’ she whispered.
Rex’s face broke into a smile. Then his smile vanished. He turned back to Vanessa. ‘But... I don’t get it.’ He turned back to Holly once more. ‘You and I... we... Aren’t we together?’
Holly opened her mouth, her big brown eyes glazed over. She couldn’t speak.
‘I remember us together. In a bedroom...’ He stopped talking. It was as if maybe he realised he had remembered something he shouldn’t have. Vanessa knew what the memory was. He had told her all about it… an incident that happened a year ago at his fifteenth birthday party.
Holly finally found the words. ‘Yes. We...’
Rex took her and planted a long kiss on her mouth. Chelsea’s mouth was agape while Vanessa could only stare dumbfounded. When he withdrew, Holly stood paralysed, her eyes transfixed on him.
Rex stepped back and looked uncertain again. ‘I feel like we have some kind of a connection.’ His brow furrowing. ‘We do, right?’
‘I...’ Holly said. She let out a breath. ‘What do I say?’ She turned her eyes from Vanessa, to Chelsea and to the officer on duty. ‘We had a thing. Right from the beginning. And that thing is still there, it’s still there. At least for me.’
Chelsea stepped forward and touched Rex’s arm. ‘Rex, what about us? We had a thing too, we had something special once. Do you remember?’
Rex rubbed his temples with his hand. ‘I’m confused. Just who am I supposed to be having a thing with?’
The officer sighed. ‘I can understand the confusion. Three girls all claiming to be somehow romantically linked with you. This is nuts. Just which one of you is he having a thing with now?’
Both Chelsea and Holly turned their eyes to Vanessa.
Rex stepped across to her and studied her carefully. She wanted to hold him again. Maybe, just maybe if she could hold him long enough, he may start to remember.
‘You are so incredibly gorgeous,’ he said. ‘Like a goddess. Flawless. Perfect. But I just can’t recall anything about you at all. You are like a complete stranger to me.’ He turned his head to glance around at the others. ‘You say she and I are together. Well that’s fantastic. I mean, I’ve got to be one hell of lucky guy, but…’ He turned back to Holly. ‘All I can see in my memories is your face and being with you. Touching you, holding you.’ He stepped closer to her. Holly’s eyes widened and she gazed at him like a long lost lover.
Vanessa could see the longing in her eyes and could only imagine the tug of war she had going on in her mind, between her loyalty to Mav and her desire for Rex. Vanessa knew their past and she knew how much Rex cared about Holly. He had told her once, that if hadn’t been for Mav, she and her probably would have become a couple. For Holly it must have been a dream come true to have the man of her dreams remember only her, while being unable to remember Chelsea or Vanessa.
‘What am I supposed to do?’ Rex returned to Vanessa and touched her cheek, sending a warm shiver down her side. ‘Do I go with the dark haired goddess?’ He turned and advanced towards Chelsea. ‘Or do I go with the stunning blonde?’ He turned to Holly. ‘Or the vision of beauty that I see in my head that is just so clear and so real?’
It pained Vanessa to see him looking so longingly at Holly. Nevertheless, she had to remind herself that recovery from amnesia was very random. Recollection of memories had nothing to do with who the victim cared about the most. Vanessa knew where she stood with Rex. The only real concern was whether, if ever he would regain his memories of her. If they never returned could she ever hope to retain the position in his life that she had seemingly lost?
The officer on duty sighed. ‘Ok, well I think we can’t accomplish anything more here tonight. The doctor will be returning shortly to examine him again and make a decision on what should happen next. I think you girls should head on home.’
‘No!’ Vanessa said. ‘I can’t go. I can’t leave him here like this.’
‘Neither can I,’ Chelsea said. ‘He needs us.’
‘I’m sorry, but there is no choice in the matter. His parents are on their way and they will take him home later. He will have all the medical care he needs.’
No amount of longing or begging made a difference. Vanessa had to leave. She rang the Cassidy house and left a message on the answer machine requesting that Mr or Mrs Cassidy please ring her as soon as they got back. She badly needed to know all the details that the police would not divulge, like how he came to be wandering the streets and what the doctor had said about the case.
It wasn’t until about 10:30 pm when Mrs Cassidy phoned.
‘Thank you so much for ringing, Mrs Cassidy. I’m so worried. Has he regained any more of his memories?’
‘I’m afraid not. He doesn’t recognise us at all. The only person he seems to be able to remember is Holly Robinson. I’m so sorry, Vanessa, it must be so hard for you.’
‘It is. But Holly is special to him too, I realise that. Not only that, but he will have more recent memories of her than me, but what’s going to happen to him? Is he going to be kept in a hospital or something?’
‘No. The doctor has said that physically he is fine, although they have discovered high traces of a special type of drug in his system. A mind altering substance, known as Dymacol.’
‘What? But Rex doesn’t do drugs.’
‘The police believe that his captives injected him with it, but they don’t understand exactly why. It has been said that the drug leaves a person susceptible to hypnosis, but that hasn’t been proven. It’s not a particularly d
angerous drug, but it does affect memory.’
‘So is it that which caused the amnesia?’
‘It may be a combination of both that and the concussion. The doctor has even suggested that it may have been an attempt to bring on amnesia. That would of course suggest that his abductors wanted him to forget. Why, nobody could say for sure.’
‘Did they torture him? Did he have any other injuries?’
‘The only injuries are a few cuts and bruises to the face, which may have occurred during the fight. He’s as right as rain otherwise. We don’t know how he came to be out on the streets though. The police guess he either managed to escape or he was released. The drug would have had a hallucinogenic affect, so he would not remember what took place during that period. The good news is, though, the doctor has recommended that we try to keep him in his usual routines in hope that they may trigger memories. He still has his wits about him and his intellectual facilities are fine, so there is no reason why he can’t go to school. He seems quite happy about this even though he cannot remember anything about the school.’
Vanessa felt a great relief, knowing that she would see Rex again tomorrow. ‘I’m so glad he’s coming to school. I hope that it works and he starts to remember. I couldn’t bear the thought of him never remembering what he and I have had.’
‘Well I’m sure, knowing how much he’s come to adore you, that he will quickly develop those same feelings for you again, no matter what, but we will do everything we can to help him restore his memory, you can guarantee that.’
Vanessa slept a lot better that night, especially after the lack of sleep she’d had the night before. Nevertheless, she still couldn’t help but worry about Rex’s memory loss and the fact that he remembered Holly but not her. What were the chances that he may pursue Holly, due to her being the only person from his memory? She would surely be the only one he could feel he could truly trust. And what if his feelings for her became stronger? It could have far-reaching ramifications.
Mr Cassidy drove Rex to school that day and came by to pickup Vanessa first so that she could be there to escort him into the school and explain to their friends the situation. She was pleased to have that responsibility and hoped it would give her the opportunity to re-establish their relationship a lot sooner.
She climbed into the back seat with Rex and moved in real close to him. She intended to use all her feminine wiles if necessary to win his love and his trust back. Fortunately, he showed no signs of being uncomfortable with her forwardness. In fact, he smiled. ‘Vanessa, right?’
‘Yes and if I have my way, it will be the name you think about all day long during classes and then at night it will be the name you dream about.’
She leaned forward to kiss him, but he moved his head back. ‘Whoa.’ He smiled. ‘I am very, very tempted and you are so incredibly hot, but this just doesn’t seem right to me. It may be that you and I are a couple, but my mind just keeps going back to Holly. What we shared... what I remember we shared can’t just be ignored.’
Vanessa kept her composure. She wanted to tell him that Holly was not an option, that she had a boyfriend and that what he and she shared was a one off thing that shouldn’t have happened, but she didn’t want to sound desperate. She wanted Rex to come to her because he wanted her, not because he felt some kind of obligation to her. ‘Well then,’ she said. ‘I guess I’m just going to have to prove to you that I am the one you really want. Right?’
‘I guess so.’
She constantly kept her eyes transfixed on his throughout the entire journey. There eyes met regularly and during those times she would not allow herself to look away. Occasionally she would smile, other times she would simply deliver him a look of desire. She played games like this with him all the time, especially in class. It wiled away the time quite pleasantly when the lessons were particularly dull and they weren’t sitting together. Usually the looks became quite suggestive, but she chose to tone them down this time. The last thing she wanted him to think was that she was cheap.
He returned the smiles and for long periods would retain eye contact, but often he would turn his eyes away, the smile still on his face, but he could never look away for long and soon their eyes would meet again and the game would resume.
At school students came swarming up to see Rex, full of questions about what had happened to him. On reaching the rest of their friends, Rex was once again bombarded with questions as well as kisses from many of the girls.
‘I wish I could remember you guys, I really do. But I only remember Holly. Is she around?’
‘No,’ Mav said. ‘She’s not here yet.’
Vanessa motioned Rex aside. ‘See that guy there. That’s Holly’s boyfriend. If I were you I wouldn’t make too much of a big deal about her being the one you remember. You see, he was her boyfriend when you two had your little illicit rendezvous.’
‘Ok. I’ll remember that. Man, I can’t believe how popular I am around here. Do the girls around here always do a lot of kissing like this?’
‘Only when it comes to you.’
‘Why?’ Rex chuckled. ‘What’s so special about me?’
‘Dollbaby, you’re the hottest guy in the entire school and every girl here is totally head over heels in love with you, including me!’
‘That’s nuts. I’m just a guy.’
‘Nuh ah. You are way more than just a guy.’
Holly arrived and joined the group. Rex walked over to her and she greeted him with one of her gorgeous smiles. Rex without warning took her in his arms and dealt her a long kiss on the mouth. Jaws dropped and eyes widened; Mav’s most of all. No one made a sound and no one moved. Holly stood there dumbfounded and her soft kissable cheeks began to turn red.
‘Rex!’ Mav finally spoke. ‘What the hell are you doing?’
Vanessa rushed forward to intervene. ‘Mav, he doesn’t realise what he’s doing. She’s the only memory he has and he’s confused.’
‘No,’ said Rex. ‘I’m not. Holly, you know you and I are meant to be together. You’ve known that since the first moment we laid eyes on each other. I can remember what we shared together once and it was something really special. There has to have been other times too, times that I can’t remember. Tell me you don’t feel the same way about me.’
Holly, for several seconds just stared at Rex, but then noticed all the other eyes upon her. ‘I… I don’t know…’
‘Holly, what the hell are you saying?’ Mav asked.
‘Maybe he’s right. Maybe it is supposed to be me and him.’ She stepped over to Mav. ‘And you… you never wanted me. It was always Samantha Drysdale you wanted. And you’ve been seeing her again, I know you have.’
‘That’s crazy! Sam and I have barely talked to each other in months. Sometimes we say “hi’ to each other and “how’s things going”, but that’s it.’
‘No, I don’t believe you. That card, it belonged to you. It was meant for her, wasn’t it?’
‘No! I told you, that wasn’t my card.’ Mav turned to Rex. ‘What are you doing, Rex? Get real; it’s you and Vanessa that should be together. You two are made for each other.’
‘It’s Holly I love,’ Rex said.
Vanessa felt her heart tear. Even knowing that it was simply the amnesia messing with his mind, didn’t help this time. She had to say something now. ‘Rex, don’t do this. Mav’s one of your best friends. You had so much trouble forgiving yourself over what happened between you and Holly last time. Don’t put yourself in that situation again. When you get your memory back, you’ll hate yourself for it. Holly, please, try to talk some sense into him.’
‘I don’t know what to say,’ Holly muttered.
‘Look,’ Rex said. ‘I may never get my memory back and right now, I look at you guys and I don’t recognise any of you. Sure, some of you might be sweltering hot…’ His eyes met Vanessa’s. ‘But Holly is the only thing that makes sense to me and if I don’t grab a hold of that, then I may find mys
elf with absolutely nothing of my previous life. So how about it, Hol. Let’s go for a walk.
Holly flinched and once again checked out each of her friends as if looking for something to help her make a decision. Her eyes stopped at Mav and they softened. She turned back to Rex. ‘I’m sorry Rex. But what happened between us was a big mistake. You knew then that you and I could never be. I love Rick.’
‘But he’s cheating on you, you just said so.’
She peered over at Mav again who sadly shook his head. ‘I want to believe him. I have to believe him. It’s about trust. I have to be able to trust him and he has to be able to trust me.’
Rex sighed. ‘Ok. Please yourself, babe.’ He turned and began to walk away from the group.
Vanessa’s first instinct was to go after him, but Chelsea grabbed her arm. ‘No, Nessa. Just leave him alone for a bit. I think that’s what he wants.’
CHAPTER 12:
Going Too Far