Mia's Heart (The Paradise Diaries) by Courtney Cole Read Free Book Online

who
you are… it is very hard to sleep.
    But
I’m going to give it the old college try. 
    And
then I realize that I have no idea where that saying came from.  Somewhere
from the back recesses of my mind, probably.
    I
can tell already that this getting my memory back thing is going to be a long
process. 
    Sigh.
     

 
    Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    Days
pass in a blur of strange faces and visitors.
    Apparently,
all of my friends from school come to see me, all of the ones who weren’t also
injured in the earthquake.  And I don’t recognize any of them.
    The
strange thing is that I know what everything around me is.  I know the
television, the bed, the bathroom, my slippers.  I recognize how those
things work.  It’s like my memory has holes in it.  I remember some
things but everything else just dropped out of existence, like I never knew it
at all.  It’s frustrating.
    Also,
apparently, I like red jello.  It’s pretty much all I want to eat right
now.  The meat on my tray makes me want to gag.
    My
mother sighs.
    “Mia,
you’re not a vegetarian.  You’ve never been a vegetarian.  Just eat
your food, alright?  You need the strength and you’re not going to get it
from jello alone.”
    I
stare at her. 
    “Maybe
I should have been a vegetarian,” I announce, laying my spoon down and putting
the cover back over my tray.  I don’t even want to look at the greenish
tinted hospital chicken.  (Who in their right mind would eat that??) “And
maybe I’ll become one now.”
    “Mia,”
my mother sighs again.  “What has gotten into you today?  You’re not
normally like this…. so obstinate.”
    I
stare at her again.  I’m not?  So, I don’t usually have
opinions?  I must have been a very boring person.  I’m prevented from
responding by another visitor.
    “Mia’s
being obstinate?  How out of character,” a dark-haired guy says
wryly.  He steps into the room and I wrack my brain.  I was introduced
to him a few days ago.  Gavin.  His name is Gavin.  And we were- are -
good friends. 
    Apparently.
    “Hi
Gavin,” I tell him.  I smile politely.  It’s hard to pretend to be
good friends with someone that I don’t remember.  They all tell me that
they understand, but there’s no way that they can.  I just hope that I
don’t accidentally hurt someone’s feelings by forgetting them.
    “Hey,”
Gavin tells me.  He pulls up a chair next to me and I examine him. 
Dark hair, dark brown eyes, mischievous smile.  Crisp white button-down
shirt, open at the top, fancy blue jeans, flip-flops.  He’s
gorgeous.  My tummy gets a little fluttery when he picks up my hand as if
he knows me.
    Then
I remember, he does know me. 
    I
just don’t know him.   
    “How
do you feel today?” he asks.  “Are you driving the nurses crazy?”
    “No,
she is not,” My mother says firmly, even though clearly the question was meant
for me.  “She’s being polite and courteous, as she should be.”
    Gavin
looks at me.  There is confusion and a bit of amusement in his dark eyes,
but he quickly masks it.  He’s good at this, at smoothing things
over.  I make a note of that. 
    “How
are you feeling?” he asks again.  He’s still holding my hand and his
fingers are warm. I like it.  I may not know him, but I like his hand.
 “Have they let you outdoors yet for a walk?”
    “Not
yet,” I tell him.  “I feel good enough though.”
    “Then
you shall go,” he tells me valiantly.  He picks up the call button and a
moment later a nurse appears. 
    “Yes?”
she asks pleasantly.  Gavin smiles at her, with a knee-weakening grin.
    “Miss
Giannis would love to go for a walk in the sunshine,” he says.  “Would
that be possible?  I’ll walk with her.”
    My
gaze meets his and his eyes are sparkling.  It’s no wonder he and I were
good friends.  He’s very likeable. 
    The
nurse smiles at him.  No one is impervious to his charms,
apparently. 
    “She
has already been cleared for a