Dylan (The Murphy Series Book 5)

by Holly C. Webb

  “How could you have stopped me,” she whispered, her tears now flowing freely. “Warren is untouchable. He would’ve never allowed me to walk away that night.”

  “No, he’s not untouchable,” Dylan assured her. “He is not going to get away with this. You have to believe me.”

  She nodded, but right at that moment, his words offered little comfort. Warren had found her before. She knew in her heart he would, the moment she returned to San Francisco. But she had to come back; her father was sick.

  “My father!” She croaked, as she gave Dylan a worried look. She needed to know if her father was okay. He was sick. That’s why she came back. He needed her. Panic grew inside her once more.

  “We’ve looked for him,” Dylan explained, giving her a confused look. “But we found no trace of him. We thought that maybe he had passed away. We found no other relative either.”

  “He…he’s in a nursing home here in the city,” she said knowing she needed to get out of there and go check on him. She reached for the cover on her bed and tried to push them off. “He’s sick. I need to go and make sure he's okay.”

  “Brook,” Dylan said, stopping her from climbing from the bed. “Right now, the only thing you need to do is rest. But if you tell me where he is, I can check on him for you. I promised I would make sure he’s okay. Just please, you need to try to stay calm.”

  She stared at him for a moment. She wanted so much to fight him on this. Brook knew she needed to go see her father. She needed to know he was okay, but she felt so tired and so weak.

  “Please,” Dylan pleaded, his eyes never leaving her.

  She had no clue why, but she liked this man. There was something very kind and caring about him. When she looked at him, she could tell from the kindness in his eyes, that he would never hurt someone like Warren had hurt her. He would never raise his hands to a woman. He was a good man, one who would never do the things Warren had done to her.

  There was a time she believed that of Warren too. When she first met him, he was so sweet and gentle. She used to call him her real-life superhero. He was a cop after all. He chased bad guys. He was meant to be the one who loved her.

  Brook closed her eyes. She couldn’t think of the past now. She needed to focus on the here and now. She needed to keep her mind straight so she could have the doctor check on her father.

  “He is a patient at North Ridge Care Home,” Brook explained, trying desperately to keep her thoughts straight. “He has early onset Alzheimer’s. I think someone… someone called from the home. They said he was sick. I… I don’t know; I don’t remember what they said. Why can’t I remember?”

  “You will,” Dylan assured her, giving her another smile. “You just need to give yourself some time. I will call North Ridge and check on your father…”

  “You won’t find him there,” she said, knowing she sounded crazy. “I… I mean, his name is different. I needed to keep him safe.”

  “That would explain why we couldn’t find him,” Dylan replied, smiling once more. “Tell me what his name is, and I will make sure that he is okay.”

  “The name I used is Michael Wilson,” Brook explained. “Warren would never find him using that name.”

  “I will call them right now, and I will check on him,” Dylan assured her. “Now please, get some rest. Everything is going to be okay.”

  “Okay,” Brook whispered, but in her heart, she knew that nothing would be now that Warren had found her again. Still, she felt tired, and as much as she tried to fight it, exhaustion claimed her once more.

  Chapter 5

  As promised, Dylan phoned the nursing home and spoke to one of the night staff. The woman assured him that Michael Wilson was doing just fine. The strange part was, she wasn’t aware of any reason that Brook would have received that call. She promised Dylan she would have the nursing home manager ring him once she arrived in the next morning and assured him once more that Michael Wilson was okay.

  Dylan thanked her and said goodbye. Then he tapped in Liam’s number.

  “Dylan,” Liam said when he picked up after a couple of rings. “It’s the middle of the night. This had better be important, Dude, or I’m gonna…”

  “Brook’s awake,” Dylan blurted out, cutting his brother off. “She woke up a short time ago.”

  “Okay,” Liam replied, suddenly sounding more awake than a few moments before. “I’m listening.”

  “She doesn’t remember anything about what happened,” Dylan sighed as his mind seemed to be running in overdrive. “It’s like her memories are there, but they are all muddled in her head. But she is scared.”

  “Damn,” Liam groaned, and Dylan knew that her having no memory of what happened just made everything so much more difficult. “Do you think that her memory will come back?”

  “I don’t know,” Dylan replied honestly. “Trauma victims often never remember the event in which they were hurt. Sometimes they lose a huge portion of their memory. But then some remember every single detail. She could remember. As I said, her memories seemed jumbled up. Like she remembers flashes, bits, and pieces.”

  “Then we have to hope she remembers more,” Liam sighed. “We need her to if we are going to make this asshole pay. We need to find a way to help her.”

  “I know,” Dylan sighed knowing that his brother was right. “But we can’t push her either.”

  “I know,” Liam sighed once more. “I just wish it was better news.”

  “I did, however, find her father,” Dylan continued. “He's in a nursing home here in the city. She said she got a call that her father was sick. I called the nursing home, and the nurse I was talking to said there is no record of her father being unwell in any way over the last couple of weeks.”

  “So, who called her?” Liam asked the one question that Dylan had been asking himself.

  “I don’t know,” Dylan replied with a sigh. “But there is a lot more to this story. I know there is. And I don’t think she is out of danger, not yet.”

  “She is safe where she is,” Liam assured him. “We will get whoever did this to her. And if it’s him, then his days are numbered.”

  “Thank you, Liam,” Dylan said, grateful that his brother seemed so determined to do the right thing for this girl.

  “You have nothing to thank me for, Dylan; you know that,” Liam yawned. “But right now, I am going to try to get more sleep, and Dylan, I suggest you do the same. I know you’re worried about her, but working yourself into the ground is not the answer either.”

  “Yes, Mom,” Dylan replied with a chuckle before he said his goodbyes. As he slipped his phone into his pocket, he made his way back along the corridor. Liam was right; he needed to get some proper sleep, so he could help Brook get through these next few days.

  Reaching the on-call room, he rubbed his tired eyes but hesitated at the door. Brook crashed into his head. She was all alone in this world. The one person she had in her life, probably didn’t even remember her most days, and the other man who was supposed to love her almost killed her. He couldn’t even imagine how alone she must be feeling.

  But she’s not alone, He sighed to himself, glancing back down the hallway towards the glass cubicle she was in. He could just about see her in the dimly lit room. She was fast asleep. I can be here for her. I will get her through this.

  He turned back to the door, reaching for the handle, but he stopped once more.

  Glancing back down the corridor, he released a long breath, knowing there was no way he was ever going to get any sleep tonight, knowing she was just down the hallway. He didn’t want her to be all alone when she woke again. She needed a friendly face. He could be her friendly face.

  He turned, walking back down the corridor. He smiled at the nurse sitting behind the desk at the nurse’s station, then at the police officer stationed outside her door, before he pulled open the door to her cubicle once more and stepped inside.

  Dylan watched her for a moment as she slept. She looked different
without the tubing in her mouth. Instead, she was wearing a cannula in her nose, giving her just a little extra oxygen that she needed.

  He remembered her from the first night she had come into the emergency room. Even though she had a black eye and a deep contusion on her forehead, he remembered how pretty she was.

  Looking at her now, she was almost unrecognisable. The whole left-hand side of her face was black and blue, and still slightly swollen, as were her eyes. She had a cut on her lip and a bump to the other side of her head, but there was still something about her. He remembered her eyes staring up at him. He remembered the sadness he saw in them. It had almost broken his heart.

  Taking a step backward, he sat down in the chair that was next to her bed. He felt beyond tired. Resting his head back, he closed his eyes. Moments later, he was fast asleep.

  Dylan woke with a start, unsure of what has woken him. His eyes immediately searched out Brook, and he smiled the moment he saw her clear blue eyes, looking back at him. He was rewarded with a smile in return.

  “Hey,” he said as he quickly stood up, straightening down his scrubs before he checked his watch. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. I just sat down for a moment…”

  “It’s okay,” she replied in a tiny voice, giving him another smile. “It was nice not to be alone when I woke up. It’s been a long time since I had someone who cared enough to sit by my bed. Even if you are just doing your job.”

  “How are you feeling this morning?” Dylan asked with a smile, picking up her chart, checking her latest vitals check. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt a little awkward, almost like he had been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Despite her comments, Dylan knew that what he’d done had gone beyond the scope of his job.

  “Like I have been run over by a truck,” she sighed, not taking her eyes from Dylan. She smiled, giving him a hopeful look. “Did you talk to the care home? Is my dad… is he okay?”

  “He is doing just fine,” Dylan assured her, giving her a broad smile, knowing that was exactly what she wanted to hear. “They said that there had been no change in his overall health in the last few weeks. That he is actually doing really well. Brook, they didn’t call you.”

  “But… but I remember. I remember talking to the girl,” she replied, trying to push up in the bed, but she let out a sudden yelp before she crashed back down onto the pillow. She began gasping for breath, as she clutched her stomach, while the heart monitor began to beep faster and faster, indicating her heart was beating too fast.

  Dylan grabbed the oxygen mask from the back of the bed, pulling it down to Brook, slipping it over her head, over her mouth.

  “I need you to breathe for me, Brook,” Dylan pleaded, knowing that he needed to keep her as calm as possible. Her blood pressure rising could cause so many problems for her, including a re-bleed in her brain. He hit the call button behind her bed. “I know everything hurts right now, but I really need you to try to calm down. Just breathe for me. Nice slow breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth.”

  Still, she continued to gasp for air.

  The nurse that was in charge of Brooks care came into the room, and Dylan asked her to get five milligrams of diazepam, knowing if Brook didn’t calm down, he would have to give her something to calm her down. The nurse nodded before rushed back out of the room once more.

  “Brook, look at me,” Dylan said, leaning down, looking her straight in the eyes. “Please, breathe with me. Nice slow, deep breaths.”

  Dylan took some slow, deep breaths. Brook did as she was told, she matched his breathing, and slowly her heartbeat began to slow once more.

  “That’s better,” Dylan said, as he picked up her wrist, double checking that her pulse was settling back down to a more normal rate. “I know you want to remember. I know it’s all there in your head, and it will come back. But Brook, right now, the only thing that matters is you getting well. Everything else will come.”

  “But…” she breathed out as she reached up and pulled off the mask. “I remember, I was sure it happened. Somebody called. They said my dad was really sick.”

  “And maybe it did,” Dylan said, giving her a reassuring smile. “It just means that the call didn’t come from them. Maybe it came from somewhere else.”

  “I don’t… I don’t understand,” Brooks said before Dylan reached up and slipped the mask back down over her mouth, but that was not going to put her off. “If they didn’t call me, then who did? Why would someone lie to me like that? I don’t get it.”

  “Who would have a reason to bring you back to the city?” Dylan asked, knowing he shouldn’t be having this conversation with her. “Look, Liam will be here this morning. He will talk you through this, and maybe it will help you remember…”

  “Liam?” She asked, giving him a worried look, as once more she reached for the mask, but this time Dylan caught her hand.

  “Liam is the detective that is working your case,” Dylan explained. Instantly her heart started racing again, and Dylan knew that Brook was terrified to talk to any police officer. He reached out, quickly taking hold of her hand just as the nurses returned with the shot Dylan had requested. But he shook his head at the nurse, thinking he might not have to use it after all. Not if he could get her to calm down first. “I know you have every reason to be fearful of the police, but Liam is a good guy. I give you my word. He is the one you reached out to when you were hurt because something told you that you could trust him. I know you don’t know what that was, but you know you can trust me, and I promise, you can trust him too.”

  She stared at him for a moment, and Dylan knew she was considering her response.

  “Brook,” Dylan continued. “Liam is one of the good guys. I swear to you, he really is. But right now, you just need to concentrate on getting better. Your father is okay, but he needs you to be okay too.”

  “Okay,” she nodded slowly, but she held his hand so tightly. Dylan knew she was afraid, but he had no doubt once she met Liam, she would see that she could trust him too.

  “Do you ever go home?” Liam’s voice pulled Dylan from his thoughts. He was reading through some charts and was lost, deep in thought. “Please tell me you got some sleep.”

  “Yes, Detective,” Dylan chuckled as he looked up at his brother, giving him a tired smile. “I’m just finishing up here; then I am going to head home for a few hours’ sleep.”

  “You know it’s against the law to lie to a cop,” Liam said, giving him a playing slap on the back. “You look like hell. You better not let Mom see you looking like crap, or she will be all over your ass.”

  “I love you too,” Dylan said as he closed the files in front of him, before turning to face Liam. “And what Mom doesn’t know, will never hurt her.”

  “So, how is she this morning?” Liam asked, not wasting any time. He glanced down the corridor towards her room, nodding at the officer sitting outside her room.

  “She is much the same,” Dylan sighed as his eyes followed his brother’s gaze. He could see Brook fast asleep in her bed, and he smiled. “She remembers, but it’s all just so muddled up in her head. I think it will come back; I just don’t want to push her too hard. She is doing better, but she isn’t out of the woods yet. She really can’t be allowed to get too upset. Doctor Abrams is still worried about a re-bleed.”

  “Do you think it will be okay for me to talk to her?” Liam asked, giving Dylan a worried look before they both started walking slowly down the corridor. “I mean, I need to talk to her as soon as possible, but if she isn’t ready…”

  “I think if it were anyone else, I would say no,” Dylan admitted knowing in his heart that letting her talk to Liam right now was a risk. But Dylan was sure that once she spoke to Liam, Brook would know that she could trust him too, and maybe even relax a little. “But I know you won’t push her too far. It’s just…”

  “Just?” Liam asked as he stopped, turning back to look at Dylan when he didn’t finish hi
s thought.

  “She is worried about the fact you’re a cop,” Dylan admitted honestly, and Liam looked a little surprised, “And I don’t know how open she will be to you. It’s nothing personal, I promise you. I think she just assumes that you will be just like the rest of the cops she’s met along the way.”

  “I see,” Liam said, giving Dylan a worried look, before he glanced down the hallway at Brook once more and then looked at his brother once again. “But you know that if I can nail this asshole, I will. Like Dad always told us, no one is above the law. That includes this jackass. I will do whatever it takes.”

  “I know,” Dylan nodded, giving him a smile. “Now we just need to convince her of that too.”

  “Then let’s do this,” Liam sighed, smiling too.

  Dylan turned and led Liam down the rest of the hallway, then into Brook’s room. He wasn’t surprised to find her asleep once more. With the mild sedative Doctor Abrams had prescribed for her, sleeping a lot was inevitable.

  “She’s asleep,” Liam said, standing at the bottom of the bed as Dylan moved up toward the top of it. “Shouldn’t we let her sleep? I could always come back later…”

  “She is going to do a lot of sleeping,” Dylan explained to Liam. “She is on a lot of pain medication, and the neurologist has prescribed her a mild sedative. He wants her kept calm as he is worried about a re-bleed in the brain, but it’s okay to wake her now.”

  “Jesus,” Liam sighed, his eyes fixed on the girl in the bed, taking in the cuts and bruises on her face. “What the hell did that animal do to her?”

  Dylan didn’t reply. Instead, he focused on Brook. Reaching out, he softly took her head, before leaning in closer to her.

  “Brook,” He whispered softly, trying his hardest not to startle her. Still, she woke with a start, a look of panic filled her eyes, but the moment her eyes met Dylan, a look of relief filled her face, as she gave him a warm smile. “I’m sorry for waking you, but Liam’s here, I mean, Detective Murphy. He’d like to talk to you.”