Pia Saves the Day (Elder Races #6.6)(30)

“I’ve got to get those memories back,” he growled. “All of them.”

“I’m sorry.” Kathryn frowned. “There’s no easy way to say this. You did sustain brain damage. It’s real and discernible, and I could sense it as a shadowed area when I scanned you. It’s very possible the only reason why you’ve made as much progress as you have is because Pia is the one who healed you. I’ve seen the kind of miracle that can come from her healing.”

He lowered his hands and gave Pia a grim look. She whispered, “We’re lucky you’re alive, and you remember as much as you do.”

Lucky.

Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he leaned his forehead against hers.

Early that morning, in the first blush of dawn, he had speared into her body as she cried out his name, and he had been incredulous at the newness, the raw magnificence of it.

Yes, he was so damned lucky. More lucky than he ever deserved.

After a moment, Kathryn said, “There’s another important aspect of memory—emotion. The most vivid memories tend to be tied to emotion, so it’s possible those might come back the easiest. Imagery can also be used to stimulate further recall.”

As Dragos turned his attention back to the doctor, his eyes narrowed. “Pia told me about Graydon, but I didn’t remember him until I saw him.”

“That’s a great example,” Kathryn replied. “I suggest you go through all the photo albums you own. I can also put together some exercises that might help. Just remember, having someone remind you of an event—like killing the Dark Fae King—won’t stimulate true recall. But, now that you’ve started to remember some things, I think you can hope for more periods of spontaneous recovery.”

“Yet there’s no guarantee I’ll get it all back,” Dragos said.

Kathryn smiled. “No, but life doesn’t come with any guarantees, does it? Your recovery has already been pretty astonishing. Try to be patient and give your brain time to reroute new pathways. You never know what you might be able to achieve.”

There was truth in that. He had a mate and a son.

And he remembered a time when he never thought he would have either.

He met Pia’s gaze.

She mouthed at him, “Lucky.”

His lips tightened, but then he smiled and nodded.

After staying for another half an hour or so, Kathryn left, with a promise to return for a follow-up exam the following week.

Graydon sent for the rest of the sentinels, and afterward, the two men went out to the patio area, while Pia wandered off to make another phone call.

Graydon carried two bottles of cold beer from the kitchen. They had begun to sweat in the heat of the day. He handed one to Dragos, who inspected the label.

Oh, yes. He liked this beer.

He took a long pull, while Graydon sat forward and leaned his elbows on his knees. “They’ll be here in a few,” Graydon said. “They were hanging out at a dive bar in town.”

Dragos tested out a few words. “Who… got the short straw?”

Graydon’s head came up, a smile lightening his craggy features. “Grym stayed in New York.”

Grym.

Scowling, Dragos tried and failed to recall what that sentinel looked like.

Graydon promised, “Maybe you have to see him, like you did with me. We’ll Skype with him later.”

His jaw tightened. “Kathryn said I might not get everything back. That means you and the others need to be extra vigilant, because the gods only know what I won’t recall.”

Straightening, the other man took a long, deep breath. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll handle it. We’ll teach you everything we know.”

“And we need to keep this quiet,” Dragos said. “The last thing we need is for this to leak out.”

Graydon rubbed the back of his neck. “A lot of people were at the construction site, and news of the accident has already gotten out to the public. But the only ones who know you lost your memory are the sentinels, and the doc.” His frowning gray gaze met Dragos’s. “It might take some fancy tap dancing, but we can keep this under wraps.”

Pia came into sight, and both men paused to look at her. She had her head bowed, as she concentrated on the person on the other end of the phone.

Graydon said in a quiet, telepathic voice, When you disappeared, she handled things like a boss. She got a plan in place that covered everything—she coordinated the search for you and even drew up a will. Just in case. Then she climbed up that mountain and healed your ass. It was a good thing she was around to save the day.

As she glanced toward them, Dragos smiled at her.

He said aloud, “Pia saves me every day.”

“Amen to that,” said Graydon.

They clinked bottles.

Pia hung up and walked over to them. She looked both excited and worried at once.

Dragos stood. “What is it?”

“Liam’s going to be here in a few minutes.” She bit her lip. “They’re driving in with the sentinels. Eva said to be braced.”

“What does that mean?”

Her worried expression deepened as she lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know! All she would say is that he went through another growth spurt.”

Together, they both turned to stare at Graydon, who winced at them apologetically. “Nothing’s wrong.” He held up both hands. “Liam is fine. So we decided it was best to not disturb you, until you had the capacity to deal with it.”