Every Waking Dream

by Lauren Eason

  “Check their bodies. They may have the keys to your handcuffs,” I ordered as I scooted over to Gabrielle. Slowly, turning her on her side, I saw a pool of crimson on the ground where she lay. I pulled her into my lap, cradling her small body against mine. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

  “You’re going to be okay,” I choked out, running my eyes over the wound in her stomach. “I’m going to get you out of here. I promise.”

  “Aislin...” Her voice was barely above that of a whisper. “Tell Jess...it wasn’t her fault.”

  I turned my head over my shoulder as Raven stood over me. “We need to get her out of here! Grab Jo’s phone and help me get her to the top of the ladder.”

  Standing up, I carried Gabrielle down the dark hallway. My shoulder was throbbing from the pain, but we managed to haul her up the ladder as she clung to my body. Raven exited the shaft right behind us as she dialed the police and Denise.

  “I’m going back down for the others,” Raven said as I stayed with Gabrielle. Her breathing was shallow.

  Before long, I heard the sound of running footsteps as officers called out for us. Officer Fleming and Denise were the first to arrive on the scene. I knew they were speaking to me, but I couldn’t hear them as I stayed rooted to the spot. Even when the paramedics pried Gabrielle from my arms, I felt Officer Fleming’s hand on my shoulder as she peered around to look at my face.

  I watched as her lips moved before hearing someone say something about going into shock. A paramedic rushed over to me and blinded me with a penlight before strong hands reached under my arms, lifting me into the air on top of a gurney. My vision blurred as an oxygen mask was fitted over my mouth and nose. The last thing I remember was floating into oblivion.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “You saved me,” Gabrielle said from beside my hospital bed. Her hand rested on top of mine as I adjusted to an upright position.

  The machines were silent as they monitored my vitals. The glow from a bedside lamp illuminated the area around us. I rubbed my eyes as Gabrielle studied me with a soft smile upon her lips.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked, slightly disoriented. “Shouldn’t they be here?”

  Gabrielle’s smile vanished as she leaned closer in her chair. “You’re dreaming, Aislin.”

  “What?” I glanced down at my hands, trying to decipher what was happening. “How? Are you...?”

  “I’ll be okay.” She nodded over her shoulder at the door to my room. An elderly couple stood there, holding each other as they waited patiently for Gabrielle. “I’m not afraid anymore.”

  Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m so sorry...”

  Gabrielle stood from her chair, squeezing my hand before turning towards the others. They welcomed her with open arms as their images disintegrated. I waited for the dream to end like it usually did, but this time, I merely sat inside the room staring at the walls. Settling back into the bed, I closed my eyes, hoping that I would awaken.

  “Aislin?” a voice whispered.

  My eyes fluttered open as I saw Jess and my parents surrounding me. The beeps from the machines rang throughout the room as my mother leaned in to hug me.

  “Oh, thank God!” she exclaimed. “We were worried sick!”

  “Give her some time to breathe,” my father said, gently tugging my mother away. “Aislin, what were you thinking?”

  “Dad, I—”

  He bent down, scooping me into his arms as he sat on the edge of my bed. “I thought I had lost my baby girl.”

  Wrapping my arms around him, I felt his chest rise and fall with each heaving breath as tears soaked my shoulder. Jess joined in as my father took her into his arms as well, kissing both of us. My cheeks were wet from tears as I pulled away, wiping them off with the sleeve of my gown.

  Denise and Officer Fleming rounded the corner in the doorway and knocked on the frame. My parents escorted Jess out of the room as they allowed them some privacy. Denise was the first to approach.

  “Aislin, I’m so sorry what happened to you and Raven,” she began.

  “Where is she? Is she okay?” I rushed to ask.

  “Yes, she’s fine,” Denise assured. “I’m sure you have some questions you want to ask us.”

  “Not really,” I replied.

  Denise raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “Do you have any questions for me?” I challenged. People were dead because of her and the police. Kids had been missing for weeks. Families were destroyed. And no amount of therapy was ever going to make those wrongs right.

  Officer Fleming cleared her throat. “We’ve been investigating Detective Highwater for the past two weeks at the department after a tip came in.”

  “A tip?” I asked, swinging my feet off the bed. “From who?”

  “My mother told me about his involvement with her husband’s murder—”

  “Susan? Have you arrested her?”

  Denise and Fleming shared an impressed look with one another. I glanced between the two of them, with Denise the first to speak. “I suppose you were more involved in the case than we gave you credit for. Are you ready to hear the parts you don’t know?”

  I nodded, stroking the sling around my arm.

  “Susan was easy to reconnect with when I came back to town after being trained by the FBI. She was my mother, after all, but you already knew that,” Denise said with a smile.

  “So, you knew about Raven’s sleuthing?” I questioned.

  Denise nodded, chuckling under her breath. “My expertise is in surveillance. Susan was always the main target of the operation. She ran the books for all the contacts and arranged the payments and deals for the victims.”

  “That’s what she was doing on Fridays...” I mused.

  “Exactly,” Denise confirmed. “Carnations for children and tulips for teens. Hunter owns property all over the area, creating the perfect housing for the victims while his partner Samuel—my half-brother—followed in his father’s footsteps. Samuel went into the family business with Susan a long time ago and arranged to distribute the product to her contacts. Harlan and Jo were tasked with keeping tabs on the victims under the rehab center.”

  “What about Detective Highwater? I know he had a connection to Susan through her husband, but what was his role?” I asked.

  “He got a piece of the pie,” Officer Fleming chimed in. “Highwater was assigned to missing persons. We might have found out about this racket sooner if it wasn’t for him mudding up the paperwork and evidence.”

  “How could you promote him to Detective?” I questioned.

  Fleming rubbed the back of her neck. “It was an oversight by the department.”

  Before I could open my mouth, Denise held up a hand. “Steven gave us enough to go on for a deal.”

  “You got all this from him? When?”

  “It took us a while to coax him. Besides, we had to make sure we had a deal for him on the table before he talked,” Denise replied. “He was a scout at the youth outreach program. They double-crossed him when Gabrielle was taken because they were about to cut ties, pinning everything on him. They were worried he was about to sing—and they had every right to be.”

  “Sheridan was another loose end,” Officer Fleming said. “She wanted more money, but Susan decided against it. Harlan was hired for the job—another frame job for Steven.”

  My mind spun with the news. Scratching my head, I stood up from my bed. Denise and Fleming reached out to assist as I brushed them off. The IV line held me back as I tried to move across the room. Ripping it out of my arm, I made my way over to the doorway to glance down the hall.

  A nurse rushed over, trying to push me back inside as I watched a couple crying in the hallway. Jess was consoling them as she turned toward me, her face red and puffy. I stopped struggling as the nurse let go of me. Denise and Fleming stood behind me as a warm tear slid down my cheek.

  My breath caught in my throat as Jess walked over to me. The knot in my stomach was painful as a sob
wracked through my body. Jess pulled me into a tight embrace as I clung to her, trying to steady the world around me.

  “I tried...”

  “I know,” Jess whispered.

  Gabrielle was gone.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  I sat in my car by the graveside as I watched Gabrielle’s friends and family gather around, huddled underneath a tree. Spanish moss drifted on the breeze, hovering over the tombstone and the flowers stacked on top of an oak coffin. Jess was among them, with our parents close behind, trying to show support for their grieving daughter.

  As much as I wanted to be there with them, I had chosen to stay behind until I could find the strength to drag myself to this hour of mourning. I felt Raven’s presence before I saw her through the mist. The light tap on my window sounded like an explosion in my sea of silence.

  I rolled it down while Raven cocked her head to the side, her hands on her hips. “We’re all waiting on you.”

  “I know.” I blew out a sigh. “You don’t have to.”

  “Ais, you did everything you could.” Raven placed a hand on top of mine. Melissa came up behind Raven, putting an arm around her waist.

  I took another deep breath, gulping it down as I opened the car door. Raven stood aside as I tugged on my black coat against the coldness of autumn. Had a week really passed since my stay at the hospital?

  “Here. Let me help you.” Raven held the jacket out for me as I put one of my arms through. She draped the rest of the material over my shoulder and the sling I was still sporting. It didn’t hurt as much as it once had—just a painful reminder of what we did to get out of that prison.

  Raven guided me over the dewy grass towards the others. My heart pounded in my chest as I saw Jason and several others from school, including Abby and Zahara. Jess broke away from the ceremony and took my free hand in hers.

  Taking a seat in a wooden chair, I glanced around at Gabrielle’s family and their tear-stricken faces. This funeral could’ve easily been for me—that could’ve been my family all around. It could’ve been for Raven, for Jason, for anyone who fit the bill for those monsters.

  We sat in silence as the priest spoke over Gabrielle’s grave about all the things she had done in her life. About how she was the next prodigy in music and in her studies. About how she wanted to be a doctor. About all the things she was going to do before her life was cut short.

  Her parents rose from their seats and approached the coffin. Her mother laid a hand over it, sobbing into a handkerchief while being consoled by her husband. I closed my eyes, a single tear traveling down my cheek as I heard the soft cries all around me.

  A firm hand landed on my shoulder as I felt a soft kiss on the top of my head. My eyes fluttered open to see Jason above me, supporting me in every way he knew how. Jess straightened in her chair beside me, tapping me on the leg as I turned my attention back to Gabrielle’s parents.

  They came over to me in my row, standing over me. I stood from my chair, unsure of what I could say. Gabrielle’s mother pulled me into a tight hug, sobbing into my shoulder. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her, giving her comfort.

  “Thank you,” she whispered into my ear before pulling away. She wiped her eyes. “Thank you for bringing her back to us.”

  My heart ached. A warm flush of color tinted my face as I tried to choke back my feelings. “But...I...”

  She kissed me on the cheek as her husband took her place. “You did more for this community and us than anyone could’ve asked for. You not only brought our daughter home, but you rescued the children of others. She’s with her grandparents now, my mother and father. They’ll take care of her for us until we’re reunited again.”

  He bowed to me before attending to his wife. I sat back down with the help of Jess and Jason as the funeral continued. As it ended, I shuffled over to the coffin to place a white rose as it was lowered into the grave.

  “I’ll be over later tonight,” Jason assured me as my parents came up behind him. He gave them some space to speak with me privately.

  “Is there anything we can do for you, Aislin? For you and for Jess?” my mother asked, brushing her hand up my arm.

  “Gabrielle’s parents already said what I needed to hear,” I replied. And they had. Their words were more impactful than I thought. I had been beating myself up for so long over the guilt I felt for Gabrielle and for Emily—and even for Maria. They could never be hurt again, and neither would the many others that would’ve disappeared.

  My parents nodded. “Are you okay to drive?”

  “I’ll ride with her.” Raven popped up beside me. “Melissa can take my car. Jess can come with us too.”

  “Thank you, Raven,” my mother said. “Honey, can you give me a moment with them? I’ll be at the car with you soon.”

  My father left as my mother watched him. She turned back to us. “Raven, I—”

  “I know what happened,” Raven interrupted. “Denise sat down with my father and me several nights ago. They’re working things out like I know you are as well. People like who they like, and sometimes things happen.”

  Raven pulled Melissa close to her with a smile. Maybe Melissa was good for Raven after all. My mother gave her a small hug before leaving us alone.

  Raven turned to me. “Ready to go?”

  “I think I need a little more time, and then I’ll be ready to get back to life,” I answered.

  “Want me to stay?” Jess asked.

  “I’ve got it from here,” I said, giving her a weak smile. They headed back towards my parked car, where Jason and Ben were hanging around. Turning back towards the grave, I sighed.

  “Thank you, Gabrielle. If it wasn’t for you and your dreams, I would’ve never found you. You saved this town. Take care of Emily and Maria for me.”

  “Aislin?”

  I turned to the soft voice. Dr. Clayborn stepped around the chairs towards me, her daughter by her side.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I wanted to show my support and solidarity with the families at this time. I had no idea it was right under our nose.” She brushed her daughter’s hair away from her face. “This is my little one, Emilia. We talked about her once before.”

  “Hi,” she said in a shy voice.

  I bent down to get on her level. “Your mommy loves you very much. She has a picture of you in her office.”

  The little girl giggled. “I know.”

  “I wanted you to meet her because if not for you, this...this could’ve been...”

  “I know,” I said. “Is Highwater gone?”

  Dr. Clayborn nodded, unable to say the words because of the tears threatening to spill. She held Emilia’s hand tightly. “Thank you, Aislin. Your gift—it saved a lot of people.”

  “Like I said before, no one can ever understand what I see.” I bowed my head to the ground.

  Dr. Clayborn held out a prescription in her hand. “This is for you. If you want it. I’ll always be here for you.”

  Taking it, I gave her a hug as she picked Emilia up in her arms and walked back to her vehicle. Unfolding the prescription, I read over it. It was for my sleeping medication and had a small note tucked inside. It read: For whatever you choose.

  I glanced back at my friends waiting for me by the car as I placed the script in my jacket pocket. As I headed over to their smiling faces, I thought back to the beginning of my journey in this new town. I had never felt like I belonged, but all it took was my next words to clarify my decision as Jason opened my passenger door and the others piled in.

  “Let’s go home.”

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