Previously on The Legacy Files...

"Leave us alone!" she shouted. 

"I'm doing this for you, Colleen," he said. 

And suddenly, a barrier in Colleen's mind burst, like a dam breaking. Memories came rushing in like flood waters.

And now, The Past is a Present, Part 1...

Suggested soundtrack: Got Me Wrong by Alice in Chains

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Evan reaches the counter.  Barely able to see over it, he raises himself up on his tiptoes.

“Hi, Momma!”

There is his mother, sitting in a chair behind the counter, dressed in her nurses’ uniform, looking beautiful as always, smiling at him with her dark, almond-shaped eyes and porcelain skin.  No one is more beautiful than his mother.  

His father places a vase of flowers on the counter with his strong dark hands, and Evan watches his mother’s face light up.  Evan beams up at his father.  They made a good choice with the tulips.  He is rewarded with his father’s broad smile and laughing eyes.  There between the two of them, his most favorite people in the world, he feels blessed and filled to the brim with happiness…

Evan Kane shook away the memory as he leaned over that same counter and addressed the woman behind it.  She was not his mother, but her face was familiar, nonetheless.  

“Hey, Tina.  Can I go in?”

“Sure, go on ahead, honey,” the nurse waved him along.  

Evan left the reception desk and turned the corner, stopping at the first door on the right.  Room 250.  The label read HILLARY DEAN. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Colleen, freshly showered and dressed, came into the kitchen where Katherine was making breakfast.   She spied her jacket laying across the back of the couch and put it on.

“Heading out?” Katherine asked.

“Going to go see Hillary.”

“Take some toast, then.”  Katherine handed her a piece of toast she had just finished buttering.

“Heard from Robert?”

“Yeah, he said he’d be back this evening to check on you.”  Katherine poured a glass of orange juice.

“That’s nice of him, but he doesn’t have to.  I’m fine.” 

“I think he wants to.” Katherine said with a knowing look.  

“Did he tell you what we talked about last night?”

Katherine pursed her lips.  “Yeah.”

“Yeah.”  Colleen paused for a moment and Katherine was afraid she might cry.  “Things right now are just so…crazy.” 

Katherine quickly covered the frown that was creeping onto her face with an understanding smile.  “I know.  The timing is horrible, and he’s going to have to understand that.  I’ll talk to him, okay?”

Colleen’s face showed her relief.  “Thank you, Katherine.”  She grabbed her purse off the counter.  “I better go.”  She hugged her friend and headed for the door.

“I’ll make spaghetti for dinner tonight!” Katherine called after her.  

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Evan paced the floor of Hillary’s hospital room, telepathically projecting his thoughts to her as she lay unconscious in her hospital bed.

Why doesn’t she remember me, Hillary?  It’s only been five years.

I asked that she be protected.  From afar.  Daniel agreed!

From afar?  With all due respect, Hillary, you were on the floor and it was left to me to defend the both of you and I made a decision.  And I stand by it.  Despite whatever happened to her to make her forget where she came from, she needs to know who she is!  That lack of knowledge makes her vulnerable!”  He was shouting in her head.  He saw her eyelids twitch ever so slightly, but he didn’t care.  

Hillary’s voice entered his mind.  Who are you to decide that?

I’m someone who loves her, just like you.  

That gave her pause, but only briefly.  You had no right to tamper with her mind.

And neither did you!  What did you do to her?

I was only trying to protect her.  And all of us.

Well so am I!

Evan heard a sound at the door.  He turned to see Colleen standing there in the doorway, mouth open.  His concern for her caused him to step toward her, but she instantly threw out her arms and sent him flying backwards into the wall.  She still felt threatened by him.  And she was strong.  He was not prepared to have this meeting now.  This was not going to be the happy reunion he had hoped for, and he gave into his sudden desire to avoid and flee.  

He shook off the blow and projected the feelings of a presence over Colleen’s shoulder.  She turned to look, and he used that instant to dive out of the open window, employing the grappler he kept handy.  He repelled down the eight stories in record time, to the roof below him, only to have Colleen come down next to him a second later, no tools required.  

She landed on her feet in a crouch, which she came out of quickly and grabbed hold of his leather jacket, pulling him to the ground.  They wrestled and rolled for a moment, Colleen throwing punches and Evan trying to block them.  He didn’t want to fight her.  He only wanted to leave, regroup, try to figure out how to fix this situation.  But she wasn’t letting him.  

She gained the upper hand by connecting with his jaw and then held him down with her repel powers.   “What did you do to me?” she demanded dangerously.

He didn’t say anything at first.  He had no game plan.  She bounced his head against the cement.

“Last night!  Tell me what you did!”

But he would have to say something.  It may as well be the truth.  His response was quiet and slow.  “I restored some of your memories.”

She let go of him and stood up, immediately starting to pace.  He propped himself up on his elbows.

“No,” she shook her head.  “No, you’re lying.  Those aren’t my memories.”  

He began again, slowly, cautiously. “Colleen, I don’t know what’s happened to you, but…”

“Who are you?  How do you know my name?  Why did I dream about you?”

She dreamed about him?  “Why don’t you remember me?”

He drew images to the front of her mind.  

They are in a beautiful library, near a fireplace.  She is sitting across from him at a wooden table, doing school work.  He makes a face at her over the top of the book he is studying, and she throws a crumpled-up piece of paper at him.

They are roller skating with a Julia between them, holding hands.  They are so young.

Evan is holding her back as Hillary and the blonde man (Heath?) work on her mother’s prone body.  

Colleen growled and backed away, covering her head with her arms as Evan slowly climbed to his feet.  

 “No!  Stop it!  Stop messing with my head!”

“I’m trying to help you remember.”

He wanted to touch her.  He felt that if he could just touch her, she would remember him.  Remember the way it felt when he touched her.  He stepped toward her, reaching his arm out to her, but she backed further away.

“Just stay away from me!”  

“Colleen…”

“Just leave me alone!”

It was then that Evan realized just how royally he had screwed this up.  She was afraid of him.  Him, Evan, who had been her best friend.  And with total right.  She didn’t know him, didn’t know what was going on, didn’t know what would happen to Hillary, or herself, or anything.  

He stood there for a moment and stared at her, watching the way the gusts of wind ruffled her hair and clothes.  She had a desperate, wounded animal look about her.  And his heart ached.  He felt something in the pit of his stomach grow, threatening to upend his breakfast.  He took one last look at her, then turned and walked away.