Chapter 1

It was the faint drone of a fly that woke her. Lazily, she waved her hand towards her ear, attempting to discourage the annoying insect that had forced her to leave the comforting cocoon of sleep. Her mind foggy, she kept her eyes closed, inhaling the slightly musty scent of the soil on which she lay and enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. She was tired and it felt so good to be resting. Smiling, she wiggled slightly trying to find a more comfortable position. The ground beneath her was a bit lumpy and she frowned at the pressure of a pebble against her shoulder. It seemed to be prodding her to move, to do something...

With a sigh, she opened her eyes and gazed up at a clear blue sky, framed by branches from the nearby trees. No sign of the dark clouds that had been there earlier in the day... or was it yesterday? She furrowed her brow as she tried to solve that puzzle but her thoughts seemed to slide away in her mind, not letting her grasp on to them. What day was it? Hmm...It was simple question. She was sure she knew the answer but right now it escaped her. Oh well. Did it really matter anyway?

Time didn't seem to have any meaning in this place. It was so peaceful and relaxing. She gave a little stretch and winced as her body protested the movement. Aches and pains seemed to come at her from all sides, impinging on her mellow mood. She laid still for a few moments and let the discomfort fade.

A sparrow flew over head and landed on a nearby branch. It hopped up and down the limb, eyes darting from side to side as it chirped earnestly. In the distance, an answering twitter could be heard and, with a flick of its tail, the bird flew off in the direction of the call, as if on some urgent mission. An urgent mission...a vague thought drifted by but disappeared before it could come into focus. There was something...something she had to do...a rendezvous with...? An appointment...? It was all sort of fuzzy and made her head hurt. Once again, she abandoned her line of thought. It would come to her eventually.

Instead, she rolled her head to the side and observed the wrecked helicopter crumpled against the trees at the edge of the clearing. Her eyes scanned further and saw the man, still lying on the ground just where he had been last time she had been awake.

She could see that he was injured. His pant leg was bloodied and a bandage could be seen peeking out through the ripped fabric. One arm was partially visible under his half buttoned shirt and appeared to be strapped to his chest. Was there a cut on his forehead as well? It was hard to tell as his face was turned away from her. She didn't think he had moved since the last time she'd been awake but her memory of that was vague. Something inside of her was urging her to get up and go to him. She thought she recalled trying to stand up and reach him earlier but the world had been spinning...Had she fallen? Possibly. An image of the ground rushing towards her seemed quite clear.

Well, she'd better try again. With a sigh, she rolled over in preparation for standing and gasped as pain shot down her side. She put her hand down to brace herself and bit back a cry as that also hurt. Forcing herself to breath and stay calm, she blinked back her tears and managed to sit up. A quick inventory revealed that the palm of her hand was cut. Fresh blood was seeping through the bandage. No doubt she'd pulled it open when she put her hand down to the ground.

Experimentally she shifted her legs and found they seemed to be fine. She could move her arms as well but her side was quite sore. Pulling up her shirt, she saw bruises along her ribs and stomach area. Finally she touched her forehead and winced as her hand made contact with a lump. The area was tender and slightly sticky with a mixture of blood and some slippery substance. Maybe an antibiotic cream?

She looked towards the man again. He was so still, she could barely make out his chest rising and falling as he breathed. She really did need to check on him. Gathering her legs beneath her, she stood and then swayed as the world started to go dark. She froze, arms slightly extended for balance and waited. After a moment, the darkness faded, her vision cleared and she began to feel steadier. Tentatively she moved towards the man and was pleased that her equilibrium seemed to be re-establishing itself.

Stopping beside the man, she stared at his face and was surprised by the feeling of happiness that invaded her heart and soul. She felt a smile break out on her face. Who he was, she didn't know, but the very sight of him seemed to be enough to make everything right in the world.

Looking around at the beauty of nature surrounding her, she felt strangely relaxed and at peace. She was injured. He was injured and yet... it really didn't seem to worry her because they were here—together. They would be able to share this little corner of paradise, just the two of them. It was everything she could ever dream of...

Water, faintly tinkling over stones could just be distinguished in the distance. Birds were twittering in the background and she could see a chipmunk scuttling along the ground. The sun was warm and the sweet scent of drying grass was carried by on a gentle breeze. She speculated that it was late summer or early fall judging by the warmth of the air, the faintly tired look of the leaves and the slight browning of the grass. It seemed to be a perfect location for a little vacation...

She brought her attention back to the man and gingerly knelt beside him, cradling her injured hand against her so as to not accidentally open the cut even farther. Her other hand reached out and brushed the hair from his brow. Yes, she'd been right. There was a head wound, a small lump and a graze just at his hairline as if something hard had struck him. His hair was still slightly matted with blood, though it was obvious that someone had tried to clean some of it from his face. Under her hand, his skin was warm to the touch and a fission of worry stirred within her. A fever might mean an infection. Her hand gently caressed his thick, sandy hair and he stirred in his sleep. His head turned towards her and he muttered, 'Manda?

She sat back on her heels in surprise. Who was Manda? Was that her name? Up to this point she hadn't even realized that she didn't know her own name. It wasn't something a person went around thinking about after all, she reassured herself. No one could fault her for not realizing this fact right away, could they? Hmm...Who was she? Now that was a silly question wasn't it? Of course she knew her own name. She was... It was just on the tip of her tongue—she just had to concentrate a bit harder. Her name was...Well, it was...Manda ...maybe... She said it to herself and it felt right but... She'd have to ask the man when he woke up.

Searching her mind for other facts about herself, she found that there was nothing there. No last name. No address. No phone number. No job. No idea of how she had come to be in a helicopter... This wasn't good. She had amnesia. She gave a rueful chuckle. The only thing she knew about herself was that she didn't know anything! Nervously she twisted her fingers and, feeling something hard, glanced down to see a wedding ring. Well, that was something—she was married. Just that little fact made her feel better. The calm began to invade her again. Pleased with her discovery, she resumed her inspection of the man.

Moving the torn material of his pant leg aside, she carefully pulled away the bandage to look at the injury on his upper thigh. It was a long thin cut and for some reason it stirred a memory...She searched her mind for clues, staring unseeing into the distance...

"Run! Get in the chopper. Go, go! Don't wait for me!" A man's voice yelled.

Startled, she looked around but no one was there. Her stomach knotted and little black dots started to dance before her eyes as a fresh wave of panic washed over her. She felt dizzy, like she might pass out again. Clenching her fists, she fought against the encroaching darkness and forced herself to breathe slowly. As the voice faded away, the feeling of calm returned and her tense muscles relaxed.

The man beside her moved again and she cupped his cheek with her good hand. He had a beautiful face. A straight nose, long lashes and a kissable mouth. She traced his nose and then his lips with her finger tip. She loved him. Whoever he was, she knew she loved him. The feeling swelled within her as she gazed upon his sleeping face. Did he love her? She searched her mind and could find no answer but surely, a love this deep couldn't be one sided. She glanced at the wedding band on her left ring finger. This man must be her husband—who else could he be? Why else would she be in the middle of the wilderness with him, if he wasn't? Daringly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, only to gasp, partially in pain as her sore muscles protested the movement, but mostly from the jolt of electricity that had coursed through her when their lips had touched.

She slowly brought her hand to her mouth and touched her trembling lips. If that was what happened with just a little peck, she could only imagine what a full blown kiss was like! Yes, she decided, giving a secret smile, this man must be her husband. Somehow she knew that she wouldn't feel that kind of a response to anyone she wasn't bound to both heart and soul.

A fleeting image of the man placing a ring on her finger came to her. He lifted a veil from her face and bent to kiss her...the image faded and was replaced with a scene from a living room. People coming in the front door, carrying food, welcoming them to the neighbourhood. Then she was arguing with the man in a kitchen ... The memory faded again but she smiled. Yes, they were married— a typical couple! Her eyes refocused and she suddenly realized that hazel ones were staring up at her.