Justin didn’t know what to do. He stared at the doctor who was asking Josh further questions. How was this possible? Why was Josh believing it was 2018? 

Josh was very concerned about his own condition. He felt lost and helpless when the doctor explained that he was obviously having amnesia. The doctor tried to calm him down. 

„Mr. Chasez, look. For coma patients it’s not uncommon to have trouble remembering things after waking up. In my opinion there is no reason to worry at this point. Your brain is under deep stress right now. Give yourself some time. We’ll make a MRT tomorrow to make sure your amnesia is just temporary. I know it’s sounds weird, but I suggest you try to relax and catch some sleep now.“ 

Josh nodded. The doctor gave him a calm smile. 

„I’m very glad to have you back, Mr. Chasez. Honestly, we didn’t expect this would happen. But your wife insisted not letting you go. She’s the reason why you’re still with us. I understand your struggle, as you can’t remember her right now. But please, do me a favor and be kind. She went through a lot in the past months.“ 

Josh just looked at the doctor, without responding. He left the room in the next moment, wishing everybody a good night. 

Josh gave his attention to Justin now. 

„So it is really true… I’m married…“ He stammered. 

Justin nodded, glancing at Jake. 

„And you’re a dad.“

Josh didn’t know how to reply. Suddenly being a father was something he just couldn’t handle right now. 

„How on earth did all of this happen, T?“

Justin smirked. 

„You want me to explain how you made the baby?“

„No… I mean… that woman… my wife… it makes no sense to me…“ 

„Dude… you and her… this is something real big. You’ve been crazy for her from the day you first met.“ 

„I just can’t believe all of this… I mean… she’s so…“ 

Josh didn’t finish his sentence. 

„So what?“ Justin asked. 

„Different.“

Justin frowned. 

„What do you mean?“

„I mean… look at her… she’s… she’s not… Jen…“ 

Justin suddenly turned uneasy. 

„C, listen to me. Jen is history, okay? Things didn’t work out.“ 

„Why not?“

„You realized at some point, that she wasn’t the one.“

Josh grabbed his face and sighed. 

„It make no sense to me… why should I got married at all? It just makes no sense…“

„You love Eve. Believe me when I say, that she’s everything to you.“ 

„Come on, T. Please be honest. Is this marriage just the result of an unexpected pregnancy?“ 

„No, it’s not. You proposed because you’ve been madly in love with her. And you were the one who wished for having a baby.“

Josh stared at Jake now, who was still asleep. 

„But he doesn’t even look like me…“ 

In the next moment Eve and Monica returned from the bathroom. Josh looked at Eve, feeling sorry that he made her cry. But he didn’t know how to behave. She looked back at him, trying very hard to pull herself together. 

Monica explained to her, that Josh’s amnesia wasn’t something uncommon. She tried to convince Eve, that he would surely get his memory back in the next couple of days and asked her to be patient and understanding. 

„I’m sorry that I overwhelmed you… I just… all of this is a lot for me, too… you know. I… I didn’t want to scare you… or make you feel uncomfortable…“ Eve apologized. 

„It’s okay. Don’t worry.“ Josh replied. 

„The doctor said C needs to rest.“ Justin said calmly. 

Eve looked at him and forced a smile. 

„Of course.“

She gave her attention to Jake and took his baby-seat.

„We’ll be back tomorrow. Good night, Josh.“

„Good night.“

Justin hugged his best friend, before leaving with Eve. 

„I can’t thank the universe enough for bringing you back to us. I love you, man.“ 

„Same here. Thank you, T.“ 

As Eve and Justin were gone, Monica came few steps closer, smiling calmly. 

„Come on, let me lay you down again. But don’t forget waking up in the morning.“

Eve hurried to Justin’s car without saying anything. He knew exactly what was going on in her mind. She was in survival mode. Instead of asking her how she felt, he decided it would be better bringing her and Jake home first. 

They didn’t talk a single word on their way back to the Hills. Eve knew Justin kept quiet to keep her from breaking down. 

As they arrived home, Eve brought Jake back into bed. When she left his nursery and closed the door, she finally lost control. Tears of pure desperation were running down her cheeks. As she couldn’t hold herself on her feet anymore, she leaned against the door and slid slowly down to the floor. She was used to heartache in the meanwhile. But this pain was different. It felt so bad, that she hardly was able to breath. 

Justin was in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tap water. His world was upside down. He didn’t know what to think or what to feel first. 

As Eve didn’t return downstairs, he decided looking for her. He found her at the floor in the hall leaning against the door and staring into space. 

Being terribly worried, he knelt down in front of her and grabbed her face carefully. She looked at him with the saddest eyes he’ve ever seen. Then he pulled into his arms and held her close. 

„I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, my love…“ He whispered. 

Eve hugged him back. It took her a while until she slowly returned back to reality. Then she released him and looked into his eyes again. 

„Why…? I want to understand…“

„I know this was brutal. But the doctor said this isn’t unusual. He will be okay, Eve. Just give him some time.“ Justin explained. 

Eve listened to what he said. Then she thought about what happened between them just before the doctor called. 

„I’m a cheater… I don’t deserve any better…“ She said with thin voice.

„Please don’t say that, Eve. You don’t deserve any of this…“ 

She suddenly cupped his face with both hands. 

„I’m so sorry, Justin.“

„For what?“ 

„For hurting you.“

„You didn’t hurt me, Eve.“

„But I will…“ 

Justin understood what she was talking about. Josh was back in her life. And no matter, if he remembered her or not, she was his. She never stopped being his.

Josh woke up in the next morning and needed a moment to sort his mind. His head was aching. Obviously it wasn’t just a weird dream. He was still in the hospital, hardly being able moving his body on his own. He thought about what happened with Eve. It was completely surreal that he was married to a stranger and having a kid. At the same time he thought about his life, which he still remembered. How was it possible that Jen wasn’t with him anymore? Things between them just became serious. He remembered how excited she was, as he agreed moving together. It made him feel completely miserable thinking about the fact, that he lost her. His frustration about the whole situation couldn’t get any bigger. 

Josh needed his whole strength to push the bottom to call for a nurse. One minute later Monica entered his room.

„You’re still here?“ He wondered. 

„Ya, double shift.“ Monica explained, coming closer. „How do you feel?“ 

„Unchanged. I still can’t remember…“ Josh answered.

„Don’t stress yourself. I bet you’re hungry, hm? Let me bring you some breakfast.“ 

„Sounds good, but I need another favor.“ Josh replied. 

„Which favor?“

„I need my phone.“ 

„Oh, ya. It must be somewhere. We found it in your pocket, when you arrived in the hospital.“ 

Monica opened his cupboard and found his cell in a drawer. 

„Here you go. I’ll look for a charger. We should have one somewhere.“ 

Eve woke up in her bed, still being dressed. She felt Justin’s arm around her waist and his warm breath in her neck. He was holding her tightly from behind, also wearing his clothes from the prior day. She remembered that he carried her into bed. Then she asked him to stay, as she didn’t want to be alone after all what happened. 

„Eve… what did you do? He shouldn’t be here with you…“ She blamed herself in her thoughts. 

Carefully she turned around into Justin’s direction. He was still sleeping peacefully. She raised her hand and caressed his cheek softy. 

„He doesn’t deserve being hurt. He was so good to you. You just can’t break his heart…“

Justin opened his eyes. 

„It feels nice when you wake me like this…“ He whispered. 

She looked at him with sad eyes. 

„I feel torn, Justin…“ 

„It’s my fault. I brought you into this unbearable situation. I should have kept my promise…“

„Which promise?“ 

„C said to me, no matter what would ever happen, I couldn’t have you. And I agreed…“ 

„But we believed he wouldn’t coming back…“ 

„He said, no matter what…“

„This makes no sense, Justin.“ 

„I shouldn’t let all of this happen…“ 

„Please don’t say that.“ 

Justin raised his upper body, still looking at her.

„You belong to him. I would never expect from you choosing me. I don’t want you worrying about me or my feelings, because I knew with what I was dealing. I always knew it was him who you wanted. Still I tried to make you mine. It’s not you to blame for what happened. This is all on me. Do you understand?“ 

Eve looked at him for a moment, processing what he just said. 

„It’s not that easy, Justin. You’re right when you say, that I belong to him. He’s my husband and I love him with all of my heart. Losing him was something I just couldn’t accept. But I needed to live my life without him for a very long time. And just because of you I managed not falling apart. You gave me and Jake all your love and support, without asking for anything in return. That’s why I fell in love with you. I can’t switch off my feelings now and pretend nothing ever happened between us.“ 

Justin stared at her, not knowing how to reply. He wished just to kiss her and tell her how much it meant to him what she just said. But he also knew this would make things even more complicated as they already were. 

„There is no choice, Eve. You are his. The rest doesn’t matter anymore.“ He finally said.

„How can you say that?“ She replied, feeling hurt. 

„That’s how things are. Now let me bring you to the hospital.“ 

On their way to the clinic Eve made several calls. She talked to Karen first, who was barely able processing the good news. Her and Roy announced to book a flight to Los Angeles straight away. Eve also informed Josh’s siblings, Eric, Lance, Chris, Lucy and Mateo. All of them reacted the same way. First they needed some time to realize this was really happening. Then they freaked out and announced coming to see Josh as soon as possible. As she finished her last call, Justin just stopped his car at the main entrance. 

„Why you stop here?“ Eve asked irritated. 

„I think you should have some time with him alone.“ Justin answered. 

„But I’m sure he wanna see you, as well.“ 

„I’ll organize some breakfast and coffee and join you later.“ 

There was a coldness in his voice which Eve never noticed before. Deep in her heart she knew, this was his way to protect himself from getting more hurt than he already was. But still it was making her feel miserable that he was acting this way. 

„Okay.“ She finally replied and exited his car. 

Then she opened the backseat door and took Jake’s baby-seat outside. She also packed a bag for Josh with some clothes and toiletries. 

„See you later, Justin.“

„Ya, see you later.“