Page 98 of The Way Home

“I’ll be here for you,” Caleb said quietly, drinking in Jamie’s meek expression. “As many times as you need to come back. Okay?”

“Okay.” Jamie smiled.

Thankfully, the doctor entered soon after, sparing Caleb from saying anything else. Words were hard to muster in this wretched place, so he retreated to the corner, answering Doctor Wilson’s greeting with a curt nod. She had the bedside manner of a brick wall, and he wanted out of this room as quickly as possible.

As she asked Jamie questions about occupational and physical therapy, Caleb pulled out his notebook and began jotting things down. He’d always been a note-taker. His own memory wasn’t great, and anything relating to Jamie was too important to trust to chance.

It seemed like forever ago that he’d called this stupid hospital and asked for Jamie’s appointments to be extended. Forever ago that Jamie found out and got upset. This place had a way of making time lose all meaning.

“And have you recovered any memories that you’re aware of?” Doctor Wilson asked Jamie. The paper crinkled again beneath his shifting weight, making Caleb flinch.

“Erm… no.” Jamie sounded defeated, and it made Caleb irrationally angry with the doctor for asking.

Doctor Wilson’s typing filled the room. “Any significant return of muscle memory? Additional symptoms?”

Jamie twisted his hands in his lap. “I’m not sure. It’s hard to tell, uh, sometimes. My body kind of just does things.”

“Can you be more specific?”

Jamie scratched the back of his neck, growing flustered. “Uh… I don’t—I’m not sure.”

Caleb hopped to his feet. “I’ve noticed muscle memory improvement.” He held up the notebook. Doctor Wilson lifted one eyebrow, silently inviting him to continue.

Flipping back a few pages, Caleb read from his notes. “Two weeks ago, you navigated to the tea shop without your phone. We hadn’t been there since before the accident. And you remembered Noah’s name, Smithy’s son, even though you hadn’t seen him in over a year…”

He kept going, listing every small detail he’d tracked, including a tracker of every headache and migraine Jamie had mentioned.Maybe it was excessive, but the more information the doctor had, the better.

When he finished, he tucked the notebook back into his pocket and looked up. Doctor Wilson’s fingers flew rapidly across her keyboard, face tight with concentration.

“You took notes?” Jamie stared at him, stunned. “On my memories?”

He leaned against the wall, crossing one ankle over the other. “Of course I did. It’s easy to miss progress day to day if you don’t track it. I’ve learned that at work.”

“Thank you, Mr. Reed,” Doctor Wilson said to her computer screen. “That is very helpful.” Her expression softened as she addressed Jamie. “Mr. Collins, I think you’re ready to be cleared for physical activity.”

Jamie sat up straighter. “Like biking?” he asked, barely containing his excitement.

The doctor allowed herself a small smile. “Yes. Like biking.” She handed him a form to sign.

“Brilliant!” Jamie’s entire face lit up as he scribbled his name and hopped off the table. “Caleb, maybe when we go back to Bucks for my birthday, we can see if Mum will let me bring her bike back with us. She never uses it anyway.”

“Of course, love,” Caleb replied easily, watching the joy radiate off him. His heart felt lighter when Jamie was smiling.

Doctor Wilson stood and closed her laptop. “I assume I don’t need to remind you of the importance of bike safety. After everything that happened.”

Jamie’s smile faltered, hands fisting in his robe. “No, of course not. I—I’ll be really careful this time…”

A flash of annoyance tore through Caleb, and he spun on Doctor Wilson. “Jamie wasn’t at fault for what happened,” he snapped. “If you recall, he was hit by abusthat blew a red light.”

Doctor Wilson lifted a hand calmly.

“I apologize if that sounded accusatory,” she said evenly, British accent crisp and curt. “That was not my intention. I only meant to emphasize caution.”

Caleb glared at her. The first time Jamie wasn’t miserable after a doctor’s appointment, and this old bitch had to go and ruin that. Without looking away, he said, “J, I’ll be in the lobby.”

He grabbed his coat and left before he made a scene in the hospital.

Jamie stood awkwardlybehind Doctor Wilson as the door slammed shut. She stared at the closed door for another moment before turning to him. “I apologize, Jamie. I hope I did not offend you.” Her tone was gentle now, noticeably softer than the one she’d used with Caleb.