"Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"The plane ditched into the sea but the fuselage gave way. The plane separated into two sections. I was in the cockpit and you were in the living area with Sebastian. I found you floating face down in the water. I barely made it to shore with you."
She shook her head, thinking he could have been inventing the whole thing.
"How about this Sebastian guy?"
"I couldn't find him... there was no trace."
"Who was he?"
Alex fought strong emotions as he looked down into the sand. When he looked up again he had recovered himself.
"Don't worry about him. There's nothing we can do for him now. What's the last thing you remember before waking up on the beach?"
Her sense of panic hadn't subsided. She was trembling as she tried to draw the shredded strands of her memories together.
"I'm a flight attendant." She said. The man nodded. "I was... I was in bed with Mitch."
"Who's Mitch?" Alex said.
Melanie hesitated. The guy in front of her seemed angry, jealous if she didn't know better.
"My boyfriend. Mitch McGovern. I went back to his place after my last flight from Columbus to LA."
"Since when?"
"Not long; about six months." She put her hands to her mouth in shock.
"What is it Melanie? What's wrong?"
"No! No, no, no, no. Shit."
Alex moved closer to her again but she pulled away. The memories were coming back: the underwear under the bed, the baseball bat.
"That bastard." She said.
"Did he do something to you?" Alex was a ball of rage, full of protective concern. Melanie couldn't hold back. She buried her head in her knees and began to shudder as the sobs came out. She felt Alex's big, protective arm wrap around her and this time she didn't pull away.
"Don't worry, baby." He whispered to her. "I'll make everything good. I promise you."
"Get away from me. I don't even know who you are." She didn't move though. The strong arm around her felt too good. She hadn't cried about breaking up with Mitch -- at least she couldn't remember having cried and she needed to now.
"It's okay Alex whispered. You just tell me what he did to you and I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him."
She lifted her head, fought back the tears, and pushed the stranger's arm away.
"It's okay. He already did. I don't need you to fight my battles for me… whoever you are."
The big man appeared torn by her words.
"You mean you don't remember anything about us?"
Melanie froze, searched her head for anything that would give her a clue.