Free Universal Alien by Gini Koch Page B

me.
    Chuckie kissed the back of my hand. “This is the set I got you on our fifth anniversary, Kitty. When we went back to Vegas to celebrate.”
    â€œThis is all wrong,” I said quietly.
    â€œBecause you’re not our mommy,” Max said conversationally.
    â€œStop it,” Chuckie said sternly. “You’re not helping things, Maxwell.”
    â€œMommy never left us to change clothes,” Max said with more patience than I’d have had in his place. “She’s in different clothes. Explain that.”
    â€œWell . . .” Charlie said slowly, “Mommy forgot our music and went back into the house before we left, remember? She was gone a few minutes. Maybe she changed clothes then and we didn’t notice.”
    â€œWhy doesn’t she remember? Why didn’t Uncle Peter notice?” Max asked.
    â€œI didn’t ask Uncle Peter about Mommy’s clothes,” Chuckie said. “And Mommy’s head is hurt—she’s not remembering us, so her not remembering changing clothes isn’t hard to believe. So, Charlie’s explanation makes sense. We’re going to take that as being gospel for right now, until proven otherwise, okay?”
    â€œOkay,” Charlie and Jamie said. Max didn’t say anything.
    â€œMaxwell Solomon . . .” Chuckie said in a warning tone.
    â€œOkay,” Max said with a sigh.
    â€œDon’t be too hard on him. I can’t blame him for thinking I’m not his mother. I don’t think I’m his mother, after all.”
    Chuckie took my hand again. “You are, but it’s okay. We’ll get you treated and your memory fixed up, Kitty. I promise.”
    I wanted to say something else, but the motion of the car was relaxing and I started to slip off into sleep.
    â€œDon’t fall asleep, baby,” Chuckie said. “Stay with me, Kitty. Stay with me.”

CHAPTER 12
    â€œS TAY WITH ME, KITTY. Stay with me, baby.”
    I woke up in a man’s arms. “I need my wife admitted, immediately.” The voice was nice—deep, masculine, and commanding—but it wasn’t familiar.
    â€œWe need to put her in a wheelchair—” whoever he was talking to said. Sounded like a woman, but I wasn’t sure.
    â€œNo,” the man holding me said flatly. “I’m not letting her out of my arms, or my sight, until we’re in a hospital room. Now, take us to one immediately.” His voice radiated angry authority.
    â€œThis way, sir,” someone who was definitely a woman said. “We’ll get you into a room right away. Your staff can do the paperwork once they arrive.”
    â€œThank you.” The man holding me sounded relieved and far less angry. The authority was still there, though.
    I opened my eyes as we hurried along. My head hurt, but I could say he was absolutely the handsomest man I’d ever seen in my life. He had broad features, light brown eyes, and dark wavy hair. Based on the arms holding me and what little I could take in, he was big and brawny, too. He also wasn’t my husband.
    â€œWho are you? Where is my husband? Where are my children?”
    The man looked at me with concern. “Hang in there, baby. You hit your head. It’ll be okay.” Now, talking to me, he sounded just this side of freaked out.
    Medical personnel were racing about alongside us and they ushered us into a very nice, large hospital room. It looked familiar—I was fairly sure we were in Walter Reed.
    â€œWe’ll get her taken care of immediately, Mister Martini,” a nurse said, very respectfully. “Doctor Hernandez is on his way.”
    â€œSeriously, my children were in the same car as me. Where are they? Two boys and a girl.” Tried not to panic, but I didn’t hear any of the kids’ voices.
    â€œJamie’s at home,” the man holding me, who I assumed was named Martini, said. “What car? And