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"I'll do what I can. She's quiet right now. Let me take a picture with your phone so you can see."

Jerry handed her his phone and waited in the hallway with his mother, talking quietly waiting for the nurse to return.

"Here," she said, "I took five pictures. It's a nice room and she's comfortable. She had eggs, fruit and toast. She didn't want the potatoes."

"Did you eat?" asked Clara, looking at her watch.

"Yes, I did. Thank you."

"I would like you to stay with her, please."

"Certainly. I'm sure that everything will be OK, it just will take some time."

The doctor walked down the hallway toward them. "Good morning," he greeted them through his mask. "Susan slept well during the night. I appreciate the help your private nurse is giving. With the Covid we're stressed out a bit. We're going to try to jog her memory with the wedding pictures and those you took on your honeymoon and see if that helps."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I don't know. There's no set way to address amnesia, just hope for the best. We want to keep her physical situation good."

*****

A week later, Susan was discharged from the hospital, her physical condition good but her amnesia still the same. Mary, her nurse, prepared the bedroom for her but Susan spent a good amount of time in the living room talking to Jerry, seeking some connection with him.

Jerry was on the phone talking to Crystal, asking how she was doing but she was more interested in asking about Susan and was embarrassed that she hadn't called but had been very tired. The rent checks had come in and were accounted for. Jerry asked to speak to the nurse and was told how the young woman and the baby were doing.

Disconnecting, Jerry put his attention to Susan, talking about how they had met at the bank and had dinner after a few months, finally falling in love and getting married. As smart as he was, Jerry was still disappointed that there was no immediate look of recognition in her eyes. He was very frustrated, very sad, very... he didn't know what.

He knew he would have to win her over again, all over again. There was too much to lose. He really loved her, the tears falling down his face.

With everything that had happened, Jerry had hired a housekeeper-cook to take care of the house and asked for a simple but elegant dinner of pork chops in an attempt to cause a memory of their first dinner together.

It was quiet as if Susan didn't know what to say and Jerry seemed to be at a loss for words even though he knew he had to make her like him on the way to loving him.

For dessert he produced a large box of See's Candies, trying his best to recreate that first night when she had kissed him. As much as she seemed to like the chocolates, she still seemed to hide behind a wall to high to breach.

"Where's my car?" she asked.

"There was an accident and the car was totaled by the man who hurt you and made you forget me. I'm sorry. I'll get you a new car."

"You can do that?" she asked, still not aware of his financial status.

"Yes, I can," he said, not wishing to give anything away, wanting her to love him for himself. "We got the insurance check and can use that."

"I'd like that, please. I'd like to see my apartment."

"You gave up your apartment when we got married."

"I forgot. Do you think I could get another one? And, my job at the bank? What about that?"

"You work for me, now. We have a housing business. If you want to live somewhere else, I can help with that. Are you sure you want to do that? This is your home." Jerry was desperate, grasping at straws now that she had stated her wishes.

Susan was quiet for a while and then said that was what she wanted. Jerry was crushed. He had naively thought it would be easier to win her back.

"OK, if that's what you want." Jerry realized he had an open house two blocks over and could use that. "There's a house a few streets over that you can have. It's close to Crystal's place where you work."

"Thank you."

*****

Jerry arranged to have her furnishings taken from storage and brought to the empty house. He then took her to the Chevrolet dealer to buy a new car, using mostly the money from the insurance payout and he made up the difference.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to work with Crystal or not but when it wasn't possible to return to the bank, she took it. She needed Crystal to show her what to do, even though she had originally designed the computer program.

As she was becoming more comfortable with her tasks, Jerry received a letter from the courthouse indicating the date for the trial. He wondered what the penalty for sneaking in a gun would be, his life so devastated.

*****

Finally the day came.

By this time the nurses had been let go and Clara watched the small child while Susan drove Jerry, Crystal and herself to the courthouse in Torrance.

Crystal testified first, telling what she believed happened, followed by the four good Samaritans who intervened. Finally, Susan was called to speak.

"And it's your contention that you don't remember anything that occurred following the accident?" the defense lawyer asked.

"I don't remember anything from two years ago."

The lawyer couldn't change her story and gave up, turning it over to the prosecutor.

"Is it correct to say that you were married before the accident?"

"It would seem so but it is all lost. I am not living with him right now. I am not comfortable living with someone I don't remember. He is a stranger to me. I believe him when he says we are married but I can't do it. My life has been ruined."

"I'm so sorry. Your Honor, I reserve the right to recall this witness. I call Gerald Congers to the stand."

Jerry stood up and walked to the witness stand leaning on his cane and was sworn in.

"Mr. Congers, please tell us in your own words what happened."

"Objection! He wasn't there." The defense attorney was quick on his feet.

"All right. Please tell us your relationship to the two women in the accident and subsequent beating."

"Objection! Leading the witness."

"Overruled."

"I am married to Susan although we are living apart thanks to her amnesia following the accident. Crystal works for me as a clerk. Our lives have been turned upside down thanks to what has happened. The police told me about the beating."

"Objection! Hearsay..."

"Overruled. The police report is a matter of public record."

"I reserve the right to recall this witness. I call Officer John Kline to the stand."

The police officer walked to the witness stand and was sworn in.

"Please describe what happened with your arrival at the accident scene."

"My partner, James Smith, and I arrived at the accident scene to find four men restraining two men face down on the street. There were two women in the street. The one later identified as Susan Congers was bleeding from the head and face and the other, Crystal Jones, had a hurt arm and facial abrasions. I called for an ambulance and backup after learning the actions of the two men restrained by the bystanders."

"Did you hear anything being said?"

"Yes; the two men were using racial slurs and blaming the woman, Susan, for the Covid pandemic."

"Would you consider this a hate crime?"

"Objection!"

"Overruled. Please continue."

"Yes."

"Thank you."

The jury left the courtroom to deliberate and returned twenty minutes later with a finding of guilty for both men. They were given a combined sentence of ten years for the hate crime and nine years for attempted murder for everything that had happened. Then the judge amazed everyone by saying that the penalty would be life in prison with no parole.

While Jerry was glad that the trial was over, his situation with Susan was far from finished. She drove the three of them home, leaving Jerry at his home while Clara gave the baby back to Crystal.

"I don't know what to do, Mom. This is so fucked up. She doesn't remember me at all."

The house was so empty without her. He went into the bedroom and laid down, the room dark with the drapes closed. His mother was unsure what to do. She had come to love her daughter-in-law but this was something altogether different from anything she had ever dealt with before including the death of her husband. It was a great evil that had descended on them.

Jerry stayed in his room, watching the shadows move across the ceiling as time passed with no hope. After a while, he looked like a homeless man with several days beard growth. He refused to leave the room and lay on the bed, miserable that the first and only woman he had ever loved was lost.

His mother brought his pain medication to him, knocking on the door before entering and sitting on the bedside, wishing she could do something. "Jerry," she whispered, to no avail.

She left the room.

Each day that went by found him sinking further into despair as he found himself alone. Once in a while he would eat the sandwich his mother brought him, hunger driving him. The room stayed dark and silent, the radio and television off.

It was quiet, unnaturally quiet, in the room, the darkness bringing him solace in his pain as he lay there in his solitude. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, only that it wasn't good and he moved his pillow away, sodden from his tears. He felt foolish, sometimes. It was as if his life had ended and he didn't know what to do.

Days later, Jerry was served with divorce papers. Susan was asking for nothing except her job and had returned her rings. His lawyer countered with counseling but given the length of their short marriage and the fact that she didn't remember him at all, it was denied.

Jerry refused to sign the papers, determined to somehow win her back. "I need your love, I need your love, God speed your love to me," he thought.

He made a CD of Barbara Lewis songs, "Hello Stranger" and "Make me your baby", The Temptations' "My Girl" and other love songs and brought it over to her house, asking for a chance. She thanked him for the music and closed the door. He was frustrated, more so than when the doctors had told him he was going to have trouble walking. He ambled back to his car.

Susan put the CD down on her computer table and sat down on the sofa. She was crying, not knowing what to do. She had sent the divorce papers over because she really didn't know him at all... it was all lost. She tried to wipe the tears back, to no avail. Why did this have to happen to her?

Maybe she should call him and go out to dinner and try to reignite the spark that had once been there.

*****

Jerry put on a suit and then took it off, deciding to dress casually with a sports coat and slacks. He said a prayer before leaving the house and drove carefully over to Susan's house, arriving there a few minutes later. He sat in the car, looking at her home, hoping for the best. He had another huge box of chocolates, determined to relive his courtship.

He got out of his car and walked up to the porch, reaching for the bell when the door opened and she invited him, having waited for him to arrive.

Dinner was roast beef and potatoes au gratin with asparagus. He would have wanted to take her out to dinner but that was impossible. He complimented her on the meal, finding that she still was a great cook.

His cane fell from leaning against the dinner table. "Leave it," he said, as she got up to get it.

Dinner that night was a new beginning as they learned to know each other again. She once again talked about going to UCLA and working at the bank while he recounted life in the Army, leaving out the scary incidences and just mentioned the helicopter crash that hurt his back.

Before they knew it, it was eleven o'clock and he excused himself, leaving this time without a kiss, feeling things were going to be more difficult. She clearly was afraid. He had brought over copies of photos taken on their honeymoon, hoping for a response but after thanking him, she had just put them down on the coffee table. Sometimes he felt she was working against him.

*****

The next day, he brought over the Subway sandwiches that had once been their daily treat and talked to the two women about how things were going with all the houses. Crystal printed out the monthly report for him, unsure what to do with Susan but Jerry passed the printout to her as if everything was the same.

She hesitated before taking it and although she had once known everything about the housing information, she now was surprised at the extent of his holdings.

"Something wrong?" he asked as she held the papers which shook in her hands. It was just a small part of his wealth for the rest of his money was still in the bank in various accounts and yet it was an incredible amount to her.

"No, I just forgot... that's all, sorry."

"Nothing to apologize about. Everything in order?"

"Uh, yes. Who set up the program?"

"Susan, you did, before we got married. It's all yours. If you're done, sign off and Crystal will file it away."

She took a pen and holding the clipboard, signed on the last page, then realized that he had signed on the first page, upper right hand corner.

She signed again.

Crystal filed the paperwork and then went into the kitchen to get the sandwiches so they could eat lunch. Jerry had remembered her favorite and was pleased as she bit into it.

The rest of the week progressed much the same as he got lunch and then ate with the two of them, as well as spending some time holding the baby which was becoming more of a person as each day passed. Susan, somehow remembering the accident, was afraid to drive far and only went to Crystal's house and back to hers.

Jerry was upset for he didn't see much happening in their relationship. He still refused to sign the divorce papers, not wanting to give up hope and Susan had not mentioned it herself.

He was considering having the two men in prison killed for destroying his life but decided to wait, wanting to see what was going to happen.

*****

"The zoo is open again. Would you both like to go?"

Crystal quickly agreed, anxious to get out of the house but Susan was reticent sitting on the sofa, seemingly not wanting to leave the house.

"Come on," said Crystal, "it'll be fun and we'll get out of the house and get some fresh air."

Clara watched the baby and the three of them went to the zoo which surprisingly enough Susan had never been to. Jerry bought the two women tie-dye t-shirts and they walked around, fascinated by the animals who seemed to enjoy the attention.

Late that afternoon, they left and returned to Crystal's house to check if any phone messages or emails had arrived but it was quiet. The young woman fed her baby while Jerry tried to talk with Susan about nothing in particular, just wanting to make a connection with the woman who was still his wife.

"How do you like the new car?" he inquired, hoping that it would trigger some memory. He put the CD copy that he had made onto the stereo and the Everly Brothers started, "All I have to do is dream..."

"Dance with me," he said, putting his arms out to her. "I love you, Susan. All I have to do is dream, I love you so."

The Righteous Brothers were next... the two danced slowly in the living room, swaying back and forth to the music and surprisingly Susan put her head down on his shoulder. "Jerry, I want to love you but..."

"It's all right," he answered, worried that he had lost her forever. He didn't know what to do. "I'll sign the papers."

He went to the sofa and picked up his cane, said goodbye to Crystal and left with his mother, not looking back at Susan as she stood in the doorway watching him leave.

*****

"Jerry, aren't you going to get up? It's been over a week."

He lay in bed, refusing to listen to Clara. It was dark with the drapes closed. True to his word, he had signed the papers and sent them to his lawyer to handle. He left instructions to change his will, leaving Susan ten percent instead of the remainder of his estate, leaving that to his old high school. He felt like life was over, more so than when he was fighting his way across the desert leading his men to survival. He needed help; it was killing him.

*****

"Doctor Smith will see you now," said the slightly overweight receptionist holding the door open for him.

"Mr. Congers, welcome. I see from your papers that you've been through a lot and for that I'm sorry. Thank you for your service and I'm sorry that you were hurt."

"You're welcome but I'm not here about that. My divorce is killing me. I've lost the girl that I love and couldn't find a way to keep her."

"You say that she has amnesia and that's the reason for the divorce."

"Yes, everything was wonderful until the accident. I really want to kill the sons-of-bitches that did this to her."

"You know that's not really an answer to your problem. It would just open you up to another one."

Jerry and the doctor talked for two hours, trying to find resolution to what had happened.

"It seems to me that you've done everything that you could think of and sometimes there is no answer that is going to satisfy you. She doesn't want anything from you except to keep her job since the one she had at the bank is gone."

"That's right. I pay her twice what she was making at the bank, close to eighty thousand a year."

"That's a lot for basically a secretarial position."

"I know. I wanted her to have money of her own, you know. It's so messed up. We were going to start a family, since we're both in our mid-thirties."

The doctor was intrigued. He had never come across something like this in his personal practice and was somewhat at a loss as to what to say. He knew he would have to consult with his colleagues to figure this out. He could see the man was in pain.

"Would you like dinner? I'd like to talk to you about your time in the Middle East. I was there earlier."

Jerry had no one waiting for him except his mother. He called her and said he would be late and don't wait dinner for him. The two men went to an Italian eatery down the block from the doctor's office and talked about the war, the doctor having been in the Marines. Hours later, the doctor walked Jerry back to his car, expressing appreciation for the muscle car's performance as Jerry gave him a ride around the block.

"Next week?" asked the doctor.

"Yes. Same time?"

"Yes, that'll work. Goodnight."

Jerry drove home, knowing it would take a long time before he could come to grips with the loss of his wife. That was how he felt, as if she had died. It would have been easier, he thought, if he had died instead of what happened to her. Knowing she was there but untouchable.

*****

The next morning, he was awake and although he didn't want to, he got out of bed and showered and dressed. He ate breakfast with his mother and then went for a drive to the peninsula to see Catalina.

*****

"You know he's in love with you, don't you?" Crystal looked at her friend who was just learning their relationship all over again. It had been hard for the two women to reach the same level of friendship they had before the accident and both women knew there was an unspoken wall now between the two of them.

Crystal knew she was too young for Jerry and yet there was the yearning she had for him, having met him first, at least in her own mind.

Susan didn't answer, just sighed. She didn't want to quit her job. It was easy and paid incredibly well for what she did. She found out from the insurance agent that Jerry bought her a new Malibu from his pocket since her car had been ten years old and the payout was minimal. She was once again embarrassed at how she had treated him but she didn't remember the times together they had and although she had the wedding pictures she didn't remember the San Diego honeymoon at all.

"What should I do?" she asked herself. The divorce papers had been filed and she was chagrined to learn that it would take longer than her marriage had lasted, especially, according to Crystal, that he had been the best husband anyone could ask for, doting on her every wish. She had won the golden ring and now it was all gone. She couldn't live with a man she had no knowledge of.