the memory of us [drake x camille AU] [part two]
@sophxwithers
@katedrakeohd
@saivilo
@burnsoslow
@jovialyouthmusic
@gardeningourmet
@kingliam2019
***************
Camille stared at the man standing before her. He was tall, around six foot four, and his body was broad and muscled; he looked strong. His dark hair was tousled and he had deep brown eyes.
Eyes that were filled with pain and horror at this very moment.
‘Camille..’ he whispered, his voice breaking. ‘Wha-’
‘How do you know my name?’ Camille asked. She gripped hold of the duvet cover. ‘Where am I?’
‘You’re in the hospital.’
A lady dressed in a doctors uniform stepped forward. Her hands were clasped in front of her and she looked extremely concerned.
‘You were involved in a car accident,’ the doctor went on, ‘and you suffered a head injury.’
Camille blinked. ‘I don’t remember the car accident..’
‘What do you remember?’ the doctor asked softly.
Camille looked at the man who was watching her. He was physically trembling, his hands clenched into tights fists by his side.
‘I… I remember working a shift last night?’ Camille said hesitantly. ‘I work as a waitress-’
She broke off when the man let out a choked sob. He turned and stumbled into the corner of the room, his head in his hands. He leaned against the wall; his shoulders started to shake as he quietly cried.
Camille felt confusion and guilt. Who was this man and why was he so broken up about this? About her? Was he a witness to the car accident? She didn’t know him from anywhere.
The doctor sat down on the edge of the bed. Her lips were pressed together. This didn’t look good.
‘Camille.. I think you’ve suffered some memory loss-’
‘SOME MEMORY LOSS?’ the man burst out, pushing himself away from the wall. ‘Doctor, she thinks she’s still a fucking waitress! She doesn’t know who I am!’
Camille’s eyes darted between the doctor, who was trying to calm him down, and the man who was shouting.
‘I’m sorry…’ Camille said quietly.
The man made his way back to the bed and crouched down on the floor in front of Camille. She looked down into his distraught eyes. Without a word, he took out his phone and showed her the screen.
The screensaver showed a picture of Camille cuddling a little girl and a baby.
‘I’m your husband,’ he told her, his voice sounding detached. ‘And these are your daughters.’
*******************
Panic surged up in Camille. ‘What?!’ she cried. ‘No no no.. I’m sorry, that has to be photoshop and you’re a stalker or something - I’m not married! I don’t have kids! I’m just Camille Montespan from New York!’
Every word she said seemed to break the man apart even more. Eventually, she stopped speaking all together when she realised how upset he was.
‘Your Grace..’ the doctor murmured to the man.
Camille pointed at her. ‘Why is she calling you that? WHO ARE YOU?’
The man sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands before fixing her with a steady stare. ‘I’m Drake,’ he said bluntly. ‘I’m the Duke of Valtoria. In case you don’t know, Valtoria is a duchy in the European country of Cordonia. Cordonia is tiny and our delicacy is an apple-’
‘Your Grace..’ the doctor cut in, her voice like a warning. But Drake kept talking, his voice monotone, as if he was reading from a script.
‘We have been married for five years,’ Drake said. ‘We met at a suitor competition in which you were competing to marry the prince of Cordonia- now the King- who is called Liam. He is my best friend. We caught feelings for each other though and that made everything with Liam very awkward, can’t say that was surprising. Anyway, he proposed to you but you said no -’
‘Your Grace..’ the doctor cut in again, her voice like ice. ‘Stop it-’
‘So I proposed to you instead and you said yes. I was so happy-’
Drake DID NOT sound happy in this moment.
‘So we got married and became the Duke of Duchess of Valtoria. If it was up to us, we would live in Texas, where I’m actually from, as we actually hate the nobility and rules that dictate our life. But we get on with it and you are actually an incredible Duchess. The people love you. They tolerate me. We have two daughters. Lily is five and Luna is ten months old-’
He broke off there. Thinking about the two girls seemed to have caught Drake off guard. Camille swallowed, watching him warily.
‘I can’t do this..’ Drake croaked, looking at the doctor now. She looked furious. Turning, Drake strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The doctor looked at Camille, bowed quickly, and rushed out of the room after him.
Camille flopped down against the pillows. Her heart was racing. This had to be dream. There was no way this was real. A Duchess. In Europe. Married. Two kids.
She saw Drake’s phone lying on the duvet. Quickly, she reached out and pressed the button. The screensaver of her and the two girls came up again.
Camille studied the photo. She was cuddling the girls; the older one was laughing while the baby was looking up at Camille with wide eyes. Camille herself looked happy.
It wasn’t photoshop; the older girl looked like an exact copy of Camille. Genetics were strong.
Camille let out a sob and dropped the phone. If Drake was telling the truth - and the doctor was right-, this was her life. She felt so guilty that she couldn’t remember any of it. She couldn’t remember the two little girls who looked so in love with her.
*************************
‘Your Grace-’
‘Just call me Drake, please.’
‘Fine. Drake.’
The doctor had found Drake down the corridor. He was sitting on the corridor floor, trying to calm himself down. The doctor sat down beside him.
‘You can’t shout at her about everything she can’t remember, it’s too much,’ Doctor Santiago said. ‘It’s not her fault.’
Drake closed his eyes. ‘I know it’s not,’ he replied. ‘I just.. I feel helpless. I got too emotional. I just can’t believe that she doesn’t remember who I am.. Who our daughters are. This morning, she was getting Lily ready for school and kissing me, and now she looks at me like I’m a total stranger. It’s terrifying.’
Doctor Santiago nodded. ‘I know,’ she said gently. ‘This might not be permanent. Her memory could come back, it’s happened before.’
Drake looked at her. ‘What if it doesn’t?’
The doctor looked down at her hands. ‘I will be honest, I’ve not had this sort of case before,’ she admitted. ‘But all I can suggest is you take Camille home. Get her into her normal routine and that might help kickstart some memories. Nothing too big to begin with. And with time, she might start to remember.’
Drake nodded slowly. ‘How do I deal with my daughters?’
The doctor winced. ‘For now, I would tell them that Camille has had an accident and may not be very good at remembering things. Kids know, Drake. They’re intuitive.’
The two of them stood up and looked back towards Camille’s door. ‘I’ll keep her in for a few nights for observation,’ Doctor Santiago told him. ‘And in six weeks, she will have another brain scan.’
The doctor went to file Camille’s documents, leaving Drake alone in the corridor. He looked at Camille’s door and prepared himself to go back inside.
*****************************
Camille looked up as the door opened. She wiped her eyes furiously, trying to appear normal. As normal as the situation would allow, anyway.
Drake awkwardly came into the room. He gave her a slight nod and sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘I’ve got to go home and see Lily.’
Camille had a feeling he meant the older daughter.
‘Lily..’ she said, sounding out the name. It was pretty.
‘What about.. The other one?’
Drake swallowed. Camille felt guilty, knowing every question was a knife in his heart.
‘Luna is also there,’ Drake told her. ‘The girls are being watched by their Uncle Leo and Aunt Olivia,’ Drake explained. ‘They’re our best friends. Surprising considering me and Liv used to hate each other..’
He looked down and shook his head. ‘That’s not important. Anyway, Leo picked up Lily from school as soon as the news broke about your accident and Liv is looking after Luna. I need to tell them what’s going on and try and explain to Lily about the situation. You’re being kept here for a few nights for observation.’
There was a long stretch of silence between them until Camille broke it.
‘Can I meet them?’
Drake blinked in surprise. ‘Who?’
‘Lily and Luna,’ she said. ‘My.. our daughters.’
Drake smiled softly. ‘Of course. I’ll bring them to you tomorrow morning.’
Camille looked anxious about this but also like she desperately wanted to please him. ‘Um.. what does Lily like? I’ll need to talk to her so would be good to have some pointers.’
Drake studied his hands, which were still shaking.
‘She loves Disney, particularly the film Tangled,’ he said, ‘and her favourite character is Flynn Rider, she’s obsessed with him. She’s very girly so if you mention how much you like her outfit, that’ll get you brownie points.’
Camille smiled. ‘What about Luna?’
‘She’s ten months old, very quiet,’ Drake explained. ‘Always watching everyone around her.’
Camille nodded, making mental notes. Drake sighed and got up from the bed. ‘I should go,’ he told her.
For a long moment, they stared at each other. He looked like he didn’t know how to say goodbye. Clearing his throat, he reached out and gently took her left hand. He kissed it; the silver ring on her wedding ring finger glimmered in the light.
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