"Andrea, how are you feeling?" Mr. Andrew Taylor asked in a gentle voice.

I didn't bother to look up from the overly dramatic yet boring reality show I was watching on TV or wonder what malice hid behind his smile.

I heard a second pair of footsteps that were far too loud to be my mother's. I gave into my curiosity and looked straight away into forest green eyes that would have looked attractive if I didn't have Lincoln.

At the thought of my husband, I clutched my chest. After an online search about the noble Danburys of 1807 and the deaths of the heroes who had prevented the treasonous attempt to overthrow Duke Arden, I had confirmed that everything that happened wasn't a dream.

The events did happen. Even if it didn't make sense, my emotions gave me too much truth to ignore.

The foreign man darted to my side. "Andrea, is there pain in your chest? Can I call you a doctor?"

"No," I said as firmly as I could.

He smiled at me with pity—an expression of 'love' I had come to detest in the past few weeks I had spent recuperating in the hospital. His hand touched mine. I snatched my hand and held it to my chest.

No man can touch me the way and with the intention Lincoln did.

Fiona stood, coming to my aid, ignoring my father's blazing eyes of fury. "She just wants to be alone."

The man pulled away and for a moment, I saw a vaguely familiar look flash in his eyes.

A look crazy enough to stir my fighting spirit that had been dead for months.

I could feel life seeping into my eyes, ready to fight this well-disguised villain. Surprisingly, he pulled away. "Mr. Taylor, Andrea seems a little tired now. I'll return another day."

I was sure that I would see the man again, no matter how hostile I might have been.

Tch. What a nuisance.

When the more offending presence left the room, I focused on the less offending one with the most defiance I had shown since waking up. My father fumed at the challenge in my eyes. "Must you always ruin any good thing for my family?"

"If you need money, you know I have more than enough. All you need to do is ask," I said.

I made six digits annually from my job alone. This added to my large investments in several technology companies and my healthy saving habits, made me the richest person in my nuclear family. It was one of the reasons my dad always wanted me to marry someone rich—to undermine my money.

He turned red in the face and before he could respond, I rang the bell for my nurse. She hurried in and stopped at the sight of my angry father.

Poor Stacy. She was always in the middle of our fights.

"Stacy, I would like to go on a walk. Doctor Sharon said I should," I said.

Stacy's eyes lit up. Fiona gasped. After all, this would be the first time I was leaving the hospital since my awakening.

"Of course, Andrea," Stacy said. She walked past my father to help me get off the bed. I slid my feet into my pink bunny slippers, moving my toes around in them. I stood waiting for Stacy and Fiona to run around the room and gather everything that I could possibly need in my hour-long rendezvous into the unknown.

I rolled my eyes at their theatrics and began to wheel my IV outside my hospital room. My father stood in my way, trying to intimidate me with his harsh glare. "Andrea, sit. We're not done with our conversation."

Stacy cleared her throat to get all of our attention. "I'm sorry sir but that can't be done right now. The patient is the priority and if she wants to talk a walk, I, as her nurse, have to indulge her. If you cannot leave yourself, I will have you removed by security."

I watched with a smile as my father struggled with words and then turned and stomped out of the room.

"You're the best, Stacy," Fiona said.

Stacy shrugged. "We girls have to stick together." 

I continued rolling my IV out of the room. It was when I was in the hospital's lobby that I started hearing their voices calling behind me. I stopped to wait for them because there was no way I was getting past security without a nurse.

"You can't just run off like that," Stacy squeezed out between pants.

I looked at her with a pout. "I just want to go outside real quick. My favorite park is just around the corner."

Stacy frowned. "I thought we would remain on hospital grounds but I guess you need a change of environment. Just the park, nowhere else."

I nodded, refusing to give her a verbal promise, just in case I needed to break my word later.

When we got outside the hospital's main gate, I stopped walking and stood beside the wall to breathe the 'disinfectantless' air.

Before people passing would start to look at me like a creep, especially since I was wearing a hospital uniform and connected to a drip, I started to walk slowly to the park, letting Fiona hold on to my arm.

The park I had spent so many lonely nights at came into view. It was the weekend so it was quite noisy with kids playing ball and pet parents walking their pets. Normally, it would be unbearable but that day, I welcomed the noise.

I walked deeper into the park, looking for the secluded bench near the empty pond. A man sat there, staring at a large book with furrowed eyebrows. After every few seconds, he would stop to scribble in another smaller book open beside him. I couldn't help but see Lincoln behind my eyes, sitting at his table and reading. Their manner was just so similar.

"Ma'am, do you perhaps fancy a ball denting your pretty skull?" he said, finally.

A wave of excitement slammed into me. I moved ahead of my company closer to him.

He held up a hand to stop me. "I didn't mean for you to come any closer. Move out of the children's way instead."

What was the next line again?

When I remembered, I responded, "Who do you think you are, speaking to me like an insolent child?"

He looked up and turned to me, light brown eyes filled with curiosity and something like hope. "Might I remind you that you met me here?"

I closed the gap between us with a large smile. "I can't walk where I wish, huh?"

Was it possible? Was it really him?

Tears filled his eyes. "Andrea?" My hand flew to cover my mouth. I flew into his arms and wrapped my legs around him. He caught me with one arm and held my IV stand with the other to prevent it from falling. "Be careful, my love."

I laughed through my tears. "I can't believe that you're actually here. I can't...my goodness. I missed you. I missed you so much."

"You have no idea how lost I was here without you," he said. "I'm still figuring out how to use the laptop at the office. I told them I had amnesia so they let me off work for a while."

I laughed. "I'll teach you everything you need to know." I traced his familiar features. He was tan with light brown eyes and black wavy hair. He was wearing a blue T-shirt, black trousers, and slides—a casual outfit, yet it looked rather expensive for some reason. "What's your name here?"

"Angelo–"

I immediately recognized him. "Chanler. Angelo Chanler. You're a celebrity."

Celebrity was just one word to describe him. He was more of a second son of a business mongrel/model/humanitarian/public speaker/all-round influencer type of guy.

He nodded, a wary look in his eyes. "Does that change anything?"

I kissed him. "We've braved death and gangsters. I think I can handle paparazzi."

He pulled me closer and kissed me so deeply that the world fell away. I was moved to tears at how much love was packed into one kiss. When we separated, he lowered me to the ground and hugged me. "You're never leaving me again."

"Yeah. You too."

Someone cleared their throat behind me. "Andrea, I know you're entitled to your secrets and all but don't you think that your sister should know if you're dating someone?"

From the look in her eyes, I knew she recognized Lincoln or more accurately, Angelo Chandler.

"You're Fiona?" Lincoln asked behind me.

My sister's eyes widened and she nodded in disbelief.

"Andrea has told me so much about you. Come, why don't I buy you coffee?" he said with a smile that could steal the hearts of all the women in a mile radius. The thought made me frown momentarily.

"S-Sure. I mean, yes," Fiona said, awestruck.

Lincoln placed his hand on the small of my back to move me forward. "Now, we need to walk away quickly before my bodyguard reaches us. Since my accident, security has been a chore."

As we walked, I thought of my family I left behind in the 19th century who were all dead with descendants probably roaming the European continent. My gaze strayed to Lincoln's hand in mine and felt his touch, dulling the pang of sadness that enveloped my being when I thought of them.

With him here, I had a new thing to think about—the power of our love to stand the test of time.

Literally.