Considering what a lousy place the couch was to sleep, Aidan was not happy when he was woken up by a loud pounding. He pulled the pillow over his ears and rolled against the back of the couch, trying to tune out the noise. There was the sound of someone scrambling around the apartment and finally reaching the source of the pounding to make it stop. Aidan sighed in relief, but as it turned out, he wasn't going to have the opportunity to sleep.
"Take these," said a familiar, frantic male voice. "I need you to watch him today. I've got a business meeting."
"Me!?" a female voice. "I can't, I'm busy!"
Aidan sat up, groaning. "George, what are you doing here?"
"Bringing you your damn clothes," George shot back. "Forget that too?"
"Sorry," Aidan muttered, winding a blanket around his hips and standing up. "Sorry...I just feel kinda...disoriented."
Well, that was the truth. It had been incredibly odd trying to sleep in a place that wasn't his home, on a couch that was definitely not his comfortable bed. And being woken up by George pounding on the door didn't help his mood any. Well, I agreed to this plan, Aidan thought, taking the duffle bags from George. So I have to deal with it. A glance at Leda revealed that she certainly didn't look happy about it.
"What am I supposed to do with him?" Leda asked desperately as George turned away. "I have to be at the hospice!"
George didn't respond. He left the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Leda scrambled for the door and pulled it open, but he was already gone. Aidan set his bags down on the couch and began rummaging through them. He wasn't really comfortable wearing only a blanket. He was in good shape and usually he didn't care who saw him naked, but for some reason he felt awkward with Leda in the room.
"Great," Leda muttered. "Just great. I'm gonna go take a shower."
Aidan waited until she had disappeared into the bathroom, then began to pull on some clothes. George had brought mostly plain jeans and t-shirts, since he'd have no need for suits for awhile. Good to see that she does get cranky, he thought, as he pulled on a shirt. I was beginning to think she was inhuman. Aidan was just beginning to poke around the kitchen, looking for something to eat, when she emerged from the bathroom.
"Looking for something?" Leda asked.
He turned around to look at her and almost choked. Sure, the towel she was wearing was a large one, but it was still just a towel. Leda stared at him curiously for a moment, then realized what he was looking at. Her cheeks turned red and she disappeared into her room. Aidan chuckled softly to himself. Damn, I shouldn't be so attracted to her, he thought, leaning against the counter. That's gonna lead to some serious trouble if I'm not careful.
"Sorry about that," Leda said, as she came back out of her room. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Coffee," Aidan grumbled.
Leda laughed. "Yeah, I hear that. All right, I'll make some coffee. And something to eat."
*****
Aidan didn't know what to expect when he went with Leda to the hospice that morning. He really didn't want to go, but that appeared to be what she did with her time. How does she get the money to live without working? he wondered, glancing over at her. She was helping some of the children out of bed, to get dressed and then go downstairs for breakfast. Aidan hung back, uncertain and feeling a little queasy. He'd never dealt with healthy kids, never mind kids who were terminally ill.
"What's for dinner, Leda?" a small, blue-eyed girl asked, staring up at Leda adoringly.
"Breakfast, sweetheart," Leda corrected gently, lifting the girl out of bed. "Martha's making French toast this morning."
"Yay!" the girl cheered.
Aidan watched until all the children had been bundled up and sent downstairs. When she was finished Leda straightened and turned to look at him. The gentle smile she gave him surprised him.
"That's Mary," Leda said quietly. "Would you lend me a hand? I need to change the sheets."
He considered refusing, but he realized that wouldn't be in keeping with his new personality. Or non-personality, since he wasn't supposed to remember who he was. So Aidan helped her with the sheets, or tried. He'd never made a bed before and he didn't really understand. Leda was trying not to laugh, he could tell.
"Let's try this differently," Leda said, walking over to him and grasping one end of the sheet. "Hold onto that end and do what I do, okay?"
Aidan gripped the end of the sheet and watched her. She lifted it up and he had to scramble to keep up with her. The sheet puffed out, making it much easier to spread it and settle it on the mattress. Oh, he thought, frowning. Well, this is easy. He and Leda moved onto the next bed, then the next. It was kind of fun, actually. Aidan watched the way her hair swung with the sudden upward movement of her arms and found himself smiling slightly.
"Okay," Leda said, grinning as she dropped the sheets into a basket. "Laundry time! Grab that and follow me."
Aidan stared at her for a moment, then picked up the laundry basket. So I get amnesia, move in, and now I'm her slave? he wondered, as he followed her down the stairs. I'm beginning to think I got the short end of the stick here. But if he complained she'd realize that he was just faking. Aidan had always thought she was intelligent, so he was surprised that Leda had questioned him much yet. Or maybe I'm being paranoid, he thought, sighing.
It was an interesting morning, to say the least. Aidan had never done laundry before and so Leda had to help him with that, too. She was amazingly patient, showing him how much laundry detergent to put in and how long to put the washing machine on for without so much as a word of criticism. And her voice was steady and calm, without even a hint of the condescending tone Aidan was used to from his father's business partners.
By lunch time he was feeling very confused. He had thought that spending the day in the hospice would be dreary and depressing. But neither the kids nor the staff showed any hint of sadness. They laughed and listened to music as they covered picture frames and shoeboxes in macaroni and paint. They tended to the plants on the second floor with a caring and responsibility that was astounding in small children. Aidan was impressed, but he didn't want to admit it, even to himself.
He and Leda were sitting upstairs on the floor, with their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and their plastic cups full of Koolaid. It was definitely not the sort of lunch he was used to, that was for sure.
"I wonder what George will tell your father..." Leda mused, sipping her Koolaid.
Aidan glanced at her, deciding it would be best to play stupid. "Hmm?"
"Oh, right," Leda said, smiling sheepishly. "Well, your father is Earl Kirkland...he's a big businessman. Corporate. And he's not going to be happy that you're not there..."
"I imagine George can come up with something," Aidan said carefully. "He seemed like the type...you know..."
"To be good at lying?" Leda asked, her eyebrows lifting. "Yeah. Still, I'm gonna check with him tomorrow and find out what he came up with."
I didn't even think of that, Aidan thought, biting his lip. I suppose George will say I'm working hard, studying which place will be best for the mall. That would be enough to satisfy his father for a short while at least. He certainly had spent a fair amount of days away while doing research before. Aidan only hoped that his father would accept the excuse for a long enough period of time.
"What about you?" he inquired. "Do you work?"
Leda shook her head. "I um...I get money. Life insurance money...from when my parents died. Although not for too much longer, I'm afraid..."
"Oh," Aidan said softly. "I'm sorry."
"They uh...they died in a car accident," Leda said, staring down at the floor. "When I was fifteen. It was just me and my little brother..."
Aidan glanced at her. The look on her face surprised him; she was always so cheerful, so that sorrow seemed out of place. You're not supposed to feel sorry for her, idiot, he scolded himself, you're supposed to be reeling her in so you can get her back for humiliating you! Aidan shifted his position, moving his hand a little closer to hers, and telling himself it was just another part of his ruse.
"I didn't meet your brother," Aidan said. "Where is he?"
Leda's smile was wan. "He um...he died. He was terminally ill. Martha adopted him after my parents died...brought him here. And uh...she became my legal guardian, too, when I put up a fuss about being separated from him. But a couple years ago...well...the chemotherapy stopped working..."
And she still comes here everyday? Aidan thought, studying her. If it were me, I'd despise this place. It was already a thorn in his side, because his father wanted so badly to have the mall here. Although he'd suggested other places, so far his father had refused. It was so hard to please his father that Aidan had decided, when he'd gotten this assignment, that he would make sure he got it completed. To his father's satisfaction.
*****
Leda was exhausted by the time the day was over. Although it had started out as a calm day, one of the children had gotten sick. A fever and vomiting, which meant work for the whole staff. They'd had to get the child into one of the sick rooms to be quarantined. Then they'd had to scrub the hospice until it sparkled and make sure that all the children got cleaned, too. Sheets, clothes, and dishes had been washed and many things had been sterilized.
"Can't...move..." Aidan groaned, dropping onto the couch. "I...may not be able...to remember who I am...but...I'd remember if...I'd ever done that...before..."
Leda chuckled wearily as she dropped down beside him. "Yeah. We really have to scramble when they get sick. We don't have the facilities for it, really. If he gets worse, we'll have to take him to the hospital."
"Why not?" Aidan asked. "I mean, why don't you have the facilities?"
"No money," Leda explained, sighing. "Martha and her husband do the best they can, but we don't have state funding. And there's rent on the building and all the things we need for the children...there is never an extra penny. Money for crafts and games comes from the pockets of the staff."
Leda glanced at Aidan and was surprised by the look on his face. He looks a little confused, she thought, frowning. I don't understand... The expression faded quickly and she gave herself a mental shake. It had to be her imagination. Oh, she had considered that his moments of odd behavior could be his memory coming back...or the memory that never left. Leda knew it was naïve to trust him so easily, but so far she'd seen very little sign that this was all a sham. The Aidan she knew never would have rolled up his sleeves and cleaned all afternoon.
"You said my father is a big businessman, right?" Aidan asked.
"Yeah," Leda answered. "Why?"
"I um...I don't understand what he has to do with the hospice," Aidan explained. "Or myself, for that matter."
Leda sighed. "He wants to buy the land the hospice is on. Tear it down to build a mall."
She could feel her anger rising as she spoke. Usually Leda was a calm, non-confrontational person, but when she thought of what the Kirklands wanted to do to the hospice, it made her furious. And I'm sitting on the couch in my apartment with the enemy, she thought, scowling. What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I such a damn bleeding heart?
"That seems to make you unhappy," Aidan said quietly.
"A mall, Aidan!" Leda exclaimed, turning to face him. "A mall! A stupid mall! They're going to destroy the only home these children have ever known for a place where idiot teenage girls can spend money and chatter 'til their hearts' content! How can a mall be more important than a home for children who don't have one?"
Aidan stared at her, looking very much like she'd backed him into a corner. Leda felt immediately guilty for her outburst. She slumped down on the couch, feeling tears slide down her cheeks. The hopelessness of her situation was starting to catch up to her. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder, lightly, as though he wasn't sure exactly what he was doing. Leda glanced at him, and Aidan gave her an attempt at an encouraging smile.
"You have a lot of passion about this," Aidan said quietly.
"I won't give up without a fight," Leda told him.
Aidan looked away. "Who knows...you might change some minds..." he murmured. Leda glanced at him, her brows furrowed. But he didn't look back at her for a long time. Finally she rose from the couch and stumbled to the counter to uncover a phone book.
"I'm going to order pizza," Leda told him. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes," Aidan answered, stretching out on the couch. "Unfortunately I think I might be too tired to eat."
Leda chuckled. "Well, why don't you got take a shower while we wait for it to get here. It might perk you up."
Aidan grumbled an answer, then stood up and trudged to the bathroom. When he was gone Leda dropped onto the couch herself. It would be a struggle to stay awake while waiting for the pizza, and then eating it. And she really, really needed a shower. Maybe I'll take one in the morning, Leda thought, folding her arms beneath her head. I can barely move... And she had a feeling it was going to be a long week.
*****
Despite the fact that he'd worked his ass off and was absolutely exhausted, Aidan couldn't sleep. He found he couldn't stop thinking about what Leda had said, and the expression on her face when she'd said it. There was no way she could save the hospice from his father, but she was determined to try anyway. Anyone with some sense would just give up, Aidan thought, frowning. So why doesn't she?
Because she wasn't the type of person who gave up. There was no one pushing her, but she still worked hard. There was no real reward for what she did, but Leda seemed to feel that there was. Aidan had never done anything for someone if there wasn't a benefit to him; he'd never seen a reason to. All his life he'd followed his father's example: hard, cruel, and completely indifferent. It was what was expected of him.
He heard a soft thump and realized that Leda was awake as well. Aidan opened his eyes just enough to spot her moving silently through the apartment, into the kitchen. He watched her as she poured a glass of water and drank it in one gulp, then started back towards her room. She must have changed her mind, because she turned and started heading towards the couch. Aidan quickly closed his eyes.
"Poor Aidan..." Leda murmured. He felt her fingertips brush his forehead. "I really am sorry I knocked that flowerpot on your head. Even if it was an accident."
Is she high? Aidan wondered, trying not to move. Her fingers slid through his hair in a gentle caress that made him shiver. She hesitated at the movement of his body and he had to force himself to lay still. Why on earth was she being so kind to him? There was really no reason. Deep down she must feel as though this was all a farce, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself.
"I wonder if this side of you existed before," Leda mused, her voice barely above a whisper. "I hope so. I don't want this part of you to disappear when you remember who you are."
She wanted him to stay like this? Even...liked him like this? Aidan was used to seeing nothing but contempt from Leda Harper. Even when they were younger, her eyes had always been full of anger and annoyance. She'd always made him feel like he could never, ever be good enough. But she likes me like this, Aidan thought. As a nobody, with nothing to my name, not even a memory, she likes me. Was that cruel irony or poetic justice?
Leda sighed. "I dunno why I'm bothering...you're out cold." He felt her fingers brush his hair aside again. Then she bent down over the back of the couch and kissed his forehead. A sudden wild urge to grab her and drag her close seized him and he had to stomp down on it hard. "Good night, Aidan," Leda murmured, finally turning and heading back into her room. He was surprised by just how alone he felt when she was gone.
