It was a good two-hour trip into the city from Bayport. Frank managed it in ninety minutes. His father didn’t say a word about the speed as they headed into Manhattan and toward St. Vincent’s Hospital. Frank pulled up in the visitor parking, armed with a recent photo of his brother. He and Fenton hurried out of the cold and into the warm hospital.

Frank walked up to the front desk and held out the picture. “Have you seen this guy?”

The older woman squinted at the picture. “No, but you might want to check with Jessica in Admitting.” She pointed down the hallway.

Frank smiled. “Thank you.”

Fenton led the way to the admittance office and walked in. A dark-haired woman was on the telephone, her back to the door. She swiveled her desk chair around and gave them a questioning look. Frank held up Joe’s picture.

“I have to go, Peter. Talk to you tonight.” She hung up the phone and took the photo. “John Robertson. What’s going on?”

Fenton took a deep breath. “His name isn’t John Robertson. It’s Joseph Hardy.”

The woman looked confused. “Dr. Robertson told me he was her husband’s cousin.”

“So he was here?” asked Frank.

“Yes. He was. When he was released, he went home with Dr. Robertson.”

Fenton nodded and took the picture back. “Thank you.” They left the office and started back down the hallway.

Frank glanced at his father. “So Dr. Robertson was telling the truth. Do we go talk to her, maybe get more information on which bus she put him on or do we head home, search for him in Bayport.”

“We go back. We may have wasted precious time coming here but I wanted to check Dr. Robertson’s story out, make sure she wasn’t just playing us.”

A tinny rendition of a popular song sounded as they left the hospital. Frank usually cringed when it played. Joe had messed with his phone settings months ago but since his brother had disappeared he hadn’t the heart to change it. He answered his cell phone. “Hello?...Callie, what’s wrong?”

Frank nearly dropped the cell phone. “The mall? He was there?...

Where is he now?...We’re in Manhattan. We’ll be home as soon as possible.” He didn’t even think to say good bye when he hung up. “Dad, Joe showed up at the mall. He...he didn’t recognize Callie.”

“What happened?”

Frank headed for the van and got in, his father right behind him. Once the doors were closed and he started the engine, Frank answered him. “Apparently, he was remembering in snatches...about Iola. Callie said he passed out. She called an ambulance and he’s headed for Bayport General.”

Fenton took a deep breath, wondering at the irony of his son showing up at the same place he’d gone missing. “Let’s go then.”

*****

Talk about deja vu. I opened my eyes and everything was white. I knew I was back in the hospital and I wondered if now I would remember. But all that came back to me was the first hospital visit, Dr. Robertson, meeting Holly and her family and meeting Callie. I tried to imagine that I did know her but there was just a blank there.

“You’re awake.”

I shifted slightly on the bed and saw Callie staring down at me with a worried look. “I guess I am.”

“I called your brother. They were in Manhattan. They’ll be here in a couple of hours.”

“They? I have more than one brother?”

Callie shook her head. “Your dad.” She took a deep breath. “You really don’t remember, do you?”

I focused on the white ceiling. “No.”

Callie let out a sigh. “I haven’t called your mom yet. Do you want me to?”

I thought about the woman I’d seen at the community center and I suddenly knew I had to see her. “Will she come?”

“Oh, Joe, of course she’ll come.” Callie pulled out her cell phone and then shook her head. She put the cell phone back in her pocket and reached for the phone by the bed. “I’ll use this one.” She dialed a number and cleared her throat. “Mrs. Hardy? It’s Callie...I don’t want to scare you or anything but could you come to the hospital?...No, Mrs. Hardy...It’s Joe. He’s home...Room 4120.”

I watched Callie put the phone down. She glanced at me. “She’s coming.”

I nodded and stared at the ceiling. Would I remember her? Would she kick-start my memory? A chill swept over me and I shivered. How long before my memory did return? Or was it gone forever?

“Joe?”

It took me awhile to realize she was talking to me. I looked over at her. “What?”

“Do you want me to call Vanessa?”

“No. I can’t handle everybody at once.” I fiddled with the buttons on the bed and raised the head of the bed until I was sitting up. My headache had receded to a dull pounding.

The door swung open and the blond woman from the center walked into the room, staring at me. I wanted to remember her. I wanted to know that this was my mother but my mind stayed a stubborn blank.

She stopped halfway to the bed, looking like she was seeing a ghost. “Joe?”

I caught the scent of roses and flashed back to being held close and rocked, the lullaby whispered in my ear...playing with a strand of blond hair... “Mom?”

She hurried forward and pulled me close. I smelled roses and closed my eyes. I’d been little and not feeling well and she’d rocked me to sleep. No images, just the intense sensation of security. I wrapped my arms around her and held on.

“Oh, Joe.”

She rested her head on my shoulder and after a moment, I felt tears. It made me want to cry as well. Instead I just held on until I heard her sigh deeply. She lifted her head to look at me. “What happened?”

“I passed out.”

She shook her head. “Joe, you’ve been missing four weeks. What happened?” she asked, settling on the edge of the bed.

It was then that I noticed Callie had slipped out of the room. I took a deep breath and told my mother what I knew. I didn’t mention that I still couldn’t remember anything beyond brief flashes.

I watched her take my hand and give it a squeeze. “Your brother’s been missing you terribly,” she said softly.

When I didn’t say anything, she searched my face. “You...don’t remember Frank?”

I shook my head. “No.”

My mother got to her feet, moved a few steps away and then came back. “I hope Fenton figures out who it was and see that they never hurt anyone again – especially my sons.”

“I’m sure I’ll remember soon.”

She gave me another hug. “I’m sure you will,” she whispered.

I held her close, not wanting to let her go. She was my only connection to who I was. After a moment though, she gently pulled free. “I need to call your aunt, let her know everything’s okay. I left in a hurry.” She reached for the phone and dialed a number. She moved off toward the window and spoke in a low tone.

I watched her move and wished that her voice, her gestures would seem more familiar. I don’t know why my mind didn’t seem to want to unlock my memories. After a moment, I saw her hang up. She touched my shoulder. “I’m going downstairs to see if the doctor’s keeping you overnight or if you can come home. It’ll be nice to have you home again,” she added softly.

She kissed my cheek and left the room. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Still nothing. Was I stuck with no memory forever?

*****

Frank pulled into the parking lot at Bayport General. He and his father got out of the van and headed inside. Frank hurried to the front desk. “Joe Hardy’s room.”

The older woman hit a few keys on her keyboard. “He’s been released. He went home.”

Fenton leaned forward. “Home?”

The woman nodded. “His mother got him.” She looked at the computer screen. “A Laura Hardy.”

Both men hurried back out to the van and got in. Frank started the engine and backed out of his spot. He took every shortcut he knew to get home in record time. He pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. He glanced at Fenton. “Dad?”

“What?”

“What if he doesn’t remember us?”

Fenton stared at the house for a moment. “He must have remembered your mother. Let’s go in.”

Frank got out of the van and followed his father into the house. The living room was dimly lit and there were no lights on upstairs. Frank could hear voices coming from the kitchen. “No surprise there,” he said softly.

His father smiled slightly and led the way to the kitchen. They found Joe seated at the kitchen table looking none the worse for wear, eating a sandwich and chips. Joe glanced at them but didn’t say a word.

Frank felt his heart drop. His own brother didn’t remember him.