Dylan (The Murphy Series Book 5)

by Holly C. Webb

  Brook knew she had a very small window to make her plan work. So, she took the train to Sacramento, then hired a car to drive San Francisco, choosing not to fly because she knew the first thing Warren would do, would check the airports and train stations for her. Then she headed for the nursing home, where she sat and watched, and waited.

  Her father was brought out to the garden of the home every day for some fresh air. She knew the nurse would sit with him, but sometimes he would be left alone for a few moments.

  Finally, he was alone, and Brook knew that this was her chance. She climbed from her car, and hurried into the garden, taking the side entrance inside.

  She stopped at the gate, her heart hammered in her chest, as she made sure the coast was clear.

  “Hey, Daddy,” Brook said, as she made her way up to her father. She wanted to hug him and kiss him, but she knew there was no time for that.

  “Brookie!” David exclaimed the moment he saw her, giving her a bright smile. But then his smile faded a little. “Brook, I can’t find Alice.”

  “I know where Mom is,” Brooked replied, hating that she was lying to her father. She held out her hand to him. “Take my hand, and I will take you to her.”

  Without hesitating, David took her hand, and Brook led him back through the side gate, leaving it open, so it might look like her father had just wandered off. They were free.

  The plan had worked perfectly. At least she thought it had.

  Now she was sitting in a hospital bed, looking at two of the sweetest guys she had ever met, wondering how the hell she’d gotten things so wrong.

  But looking at Liam and Dylan, for the first time she really believed that just maybe, things might go her way.

  “It was really lovely to meet you, Brook,” Liam said, as he slowly walked towards the door to the cubicle. “Try not to worry, okay. Just do what ever wonder boy here says and leave everything else to me.”

  “I’ll try,” she replied, giving him a broad smile. She wondered if she should have told him about what happened with her dad. She knew that there was a chance she could still be in trouble for taking him without Warren’s permission. She decided not to mention it, but if he asked, she would tell him the truth.

  “Dylan,” Liam said, turning his attention to his brother. “Can I have a word?”

  “Sure,” Dylan replied, with a smile, before he looked at Brook. “I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded and smiled. When they had both left the cubicle, and she was alone, Brook rested her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes.

  She suddenly felt drained. She was just going to rest her eyes till Dylan returned, but soon exhaustion took her, and she was fast asleep.

  Chapter 7

  Dylan closed the door to Brook’s room behind him, and followed Liam down the corridor, away from the nurse’s station, and also, the officer on duty.

  When they were far enough away so no one could hear them, Liam turned to Dylan, giving him a worried look.

  “What’s wrong?” Dylan asked, giving him a questioning look.

  “You tell me,” Liam said, looking at Dylan closely.

  “Liam, I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Dylan replied, but he knew that wasn’t strictly true. If he had to guess, he knew what was going through his brother’s mind; he just wasn’t going to admit it.

  “Should I be worried about you and your patient?” Liam asked, looking at Dylan expectantly. “I get it, Dylan, I really do. She is scared and vulnerable, but you’re her doctor. Not to mention, she is a victim to a horrible attack, one that was most likely carried out by a member of the San Francisco Police Department.”

  “Liam, I think I’m already aware of who did this to her, and exactly what that means,” Dylan sighed impatiently. “There is nothing going on between Brook and I. Give me some credit. I’m simply being a good doctor and a friend, because she has no one else.”

  “Are you sure about that,” Liam asked, giving Dylan a questioning look. “Because from where I was standing, there’s a lot more to it than a doctor and patient. That girl is developing feelings for you. She’s alone, and scared, with no one in the world, and you are the handsome doctor that has come and rescued her. She is confused and mistaking you caring about her for something more. Do you really not see it?”

  “She is scared and hurt, Liam,” Dylan sighed once more. “And I’m her doctor. What is it you want me to do?”

  “I want you to be careful,” Liam replied, his voice now a little less angry. “You have spent every waking moment beside her bed since she got here. I know you’re worried about her, but you need to see the line, and stop stepping over it.”

  “I haven’t crossed the line,” Dylan insisted, but in his heart, he knew his brother wasn’t wrong. There had been no real reason for him to spend his nights at the hospital, most of them next to Brook’s bed. He had told himself that he was just concerned about her condition, but deep inside he knew it was more than that.

  If he was honest, it was so much more than that. He knew he had let her down the night he met her in the emergency room. She had needed him to advocate for her; she was just scared.

  Dylan knew that he should have tried harder, maybe he could have called a social worker, or even the police. That’s what he would have done for anyone else. But he didn’t that night. He was worried about Emmy and Finn, and he wanted to get back up to check on them as soon as he could. That was why he hadn’t pushed her harder to stay; that was why he let her leave with her husband that night.

  He thought that giving her the number had somehow made it a little better, but the night he realised who was actually lying in the bed, broken and almost beaten to death; he knew that it was just as much his fault as the man who had hurt her.

  “All I’m saying is,” Liam said, with a sigh that said Liam knew he wasn’t going to reason with him. “Just take care of you. This is a fucked-up situation, and I don’t want to see my brother getting dragged into something serious.”

  “I’ll be okay,” Dylan assured his brother, then smiled at him. “Trust me.”

  “Okay,” Liam sighed. “And promise me that you’ll go home tonight and get some proper sleep.”

  “I promise,” Dylan replied with a smile. “I give you my word.”

  “Good,” Liam said before he turned and began down the corridor. He took a few steps before he stopped and turned back to look at Dylan. “You know, now we officially know who she is; there is a good chance Pearse might stop by.”

  “Well, as her doctor, I am leaving clear instructions that there are no visitors allowed,” Dylan replied.

  “If I know Pearse like I think I do,” Liam sighed. “He wouldn’t be put off that easy. He may even use his badge to get past the door.”

  “So, what do I do,” Dylan asked, giving him a questioning look.

  “You act as you would with any other patient’s family member,” Liam explained. “But the police officer is outside, and if you’re worried at all, you call me. If Brook refuses to see him, you can have security escort him from the premises.”

  “Okay,” Dylan nodded, then smiled. “Got it, Detective.”

  “Good,” Liam replied before he turned and set off down the corridor, calling back over his shoulder. “Now go home and get some sleep.”

  “Okay, Mom!” Dylan called after him with a laugh as he watched his brother walking down the corridor towards the exit.

  Releasing a deep breath, Dylan turned and made his way back to the nurse’s station.

  “Can I have Jane Doe’s chart please,” Dylan asked the nurse that was sitting behind the desk. The nurse smiled, then quickly handed the chart to Dylan.

  “She is no longer a Jane Doe,” Dylan continued as he wrote in the chart. “Her name is Brook McKay. Can you change her chart to show her proper name, please? Also, until further notice, she is not to have any visitors, no matter who they claim to be. Notify security if you have any trouble.”

  “No problem, D
ylan,” the nurse replied, giving him another smile. Returning her smile, Dylan turned and took a few steps towards Brook’s room, but something stopped him. As he watched her sleep through the glass doors, Liam’s voice crashed into his mind. Was he confusing Brook?

  Dylan was sure that Liam was wrong, but still, his words bothered him. He cared about her, but it was nothing more than a doctor caring for his patient.

  Still, a tiny voice in his head told him that now she was awake, it was time for him to step back. He slowly turned and walked back to the nurse station.

  “Monica,” Dylan said to the nurse sitting behind the desk, and she instantly looked up at him, smiling once more. “I am heading down to the E.R. If you need me for anything, just page me.”

  Dylan turned, heading for the elevator at the end of the corridor. As he waited for the doors to open, he closed his eyes and released a long, tired breath. He thought about Brook waking up alone, and a wave of guilt washed over him.

  He knew he was being ridiculous. She was his patient, nothing more, but still, he couldn’t help but feel like he was somehow letting her down. He told her he would be right back, but now he was just walking away.

  The doors of the elevator opened, and Dylan quickly stepped inside. He didn’t look back up the corridor as the doors to the elevator once more.

  “SHIT!” He yelled as he pushed his hands through his hair. “You’re such an idiot.”

  How had he fucked this up so badly?

  Dylan had spent the day trying his hardest to keep himself busy. He made every excuse he could think of, not to go back up to the ICU. He knew it was the coward’s way out, but he just needed some time to clear his mind.

  Dylan knew that he shouldn’t have let Liam get into his head, but he had. He had done nothing wrong, other than support his patient through a difficult time.

  Still, he couldn’t face going back up to face her. He just didn’t know why.

  Checking his watch, he saw it was almost seven o’clock. It had been almost nine hours since he was last up with Brook.

  He sighed as he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes.

  “Hey Dylan,” Sian said as Dylan walked over to the desk in the emergency room. “You know there is nothing in the rules that said you must spend every waking hour here.”

  “I’m going home now,” Dylan laughed. “I promise.”

  “How is your Jane Doe,” Sian asked as she looked up from the computer screen, giving him a bright smile.

  “Her name is Brook, and she’s doing much better,” Dylan replied, returning her smile. “How was the date with the gyney God?”

  “It went well,” Sian said, blushing a little. “We’ve got another date tomorrow night.”

  “Wow,” Dylan replied with a grin. “I’m impressed. The gyney God is a fast mover.”

  “We’ll see,” Sian replied with a shy smile, as she watched Liam closely. “So… what’s going on with you?”

  “What do you mean?” Dylan asked, giving her a questioning look.

  “Nothing,” she shrugged, looking a little unsure if she should say whatever was on her mind or not. “It’s just… I was up in the ICU earlier, and I had to check on Jane… um. I mean Brook. She was asking where you were.”

  “I guess she is just used to me,” Dylan replied, feeling his face flushing a little with embarrassment. “But the ER got slammed today, and I was needed down here.”

  “I see,” Sian said, but Dylan could tell from the look on her face that she wasn’t fully convinced.

  “So…um…” Dylan began, trying to seem as casual as he possibly could. “How was she?”

  “Her tempt was up a little,” Sian replied, her eyes holding his. “She seemed a little quiet, though that could just be how she always is. She has a lot going on, and I guess it’s hard for her because she’s all alone.”

  “Yeah,” Dylan nodded, giving her an awkward smile. “I guess it must be.”

  “You know,” Sian said, standing up, moving around to the front of the desk. “I think she could really use a friend right about now.”

  “Sian, I…” Dylan said, but he stopped the moment she gave him a knowing look.

  “Dylan, I know you,” Sian sighed, giving him a broad smile. “I know you have a big heart. Since she came in, you have been by her side, and it was more than just as her doctor, for some reason, I think you felt responsible for her.”

  “I was just doing my job,” Dylan insisted, but he knew that Sian wasn’t buying it.

  “Okay,” Sian replied with a smile and a nod. “I will leave it alone.”

  “Thank you,” Dylan said, relieved she wasn’t pushing it further.

  “Hey, was that Liam I saw in the hospital today?” Sian asked as she returned to her seat behind the desk, then glanced up at Dylan, giving him a knowing grin.

  “Yeah,” Dylan said, pretty sure he knew where she was going with her comment. “He is working Brook’s case.”

  “I see,” Sian said but didn’t say anything else.

  “Look, I know where you’re going with this,” Dylan said, unable to hold back any longer. “I know that Liam can seem like a hard ass…”

  “I didn’t say a word,” Sian replied, with a smile, as she returned her focus to the computer.

  Dylan stared at her for a moment, then released a long sigh before he turned to walk away.

  “It’s just…” Sian said suddenly, stopping Dylan in his tracks. “Liam’s job is very different from ours. He deals with a lot of bad guys, and we…well we deal with people who are usually at their most vulnerable. I don’t know what he said to you, but I know you. Dylan, you’re an amazing doctor, but you’re also a very sweet guy. You were her only friend.”

  Dylan stared at her for a moment, before releasing a long, tired breath.

  “I just can’t make things harder for her,” he said, finally, giving Sian a sad smile.

  “By being her friend?” She asked, giving him a questioning look before she returned her focus back to the computer screen in front of her.

  Dylan knew she was right, and it sucked. He walked down the corridor to the elevator, heading straight for the resident's locker room.

  Dylan wasted no time getting changed, the whole time the things that Sian, mixed with the things that Liam said swirled around his head. Liam had been right in the things he’s said. He knew it in his heart that Brook saw him as more than just his doctor. But he also knew that Sian was right too. Brook needed a friend.

  Once he was changed, he was heading back down the corridor for the elevators once more. As he stepped inside, he was determined he was just going to head home. He was tired and needed a proper night’s sleep. Still, as he reached for the button, he found himself pressing the button for the fourth floor instead of the ground floor.

  When the elevator came to a stop, Dylan took a deep breath before he stepped off the elevator, making his way down the corridor. Each step he was closer to her room, the more nervous he felt.

  He knew that he was probably being ridiculous, but still, when he reached the door to her room, he suddenly felt like a bold child going to the principal’s office.

  Suddenly Brook looked up, and her eyes met Dylan’s. She stared at him for a moment, then she turned over in the bed and closed her eyes.

  “Shit,” he muttered under his breath before he glanced at the officer sitting outside her room. The cop smiled at him, before he returned his attention to the game he was playing on his phone.

  Taking a deep breath, Dylan reached for the door, pulling it opened slowly, then stepping inside.

  Moving closer to the bed, Dylan coughed to clear his throat, but still, Brook didn’t turn to look at him.

  “Hey,” he said as he stopped next to the bed, his eyes searching what he could see of her face, having no clue what to say now. “How are you feeling this evening?”

  “I’m okay,” she replied, without looking at him, and Dylan was surprised to hear the tiniest quiver in her voice.

  �
��Brook,” Dylan said as sat down on the edge of the bed. “Talk to me.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Have I upset you?” He asked, but he already knew the answers. “If I have…”

  “I’m fine!” She replied, without turning to look at Dylan. “It’s been a long day, and I’m tired.”

  “Are you sure that’s all it is?” Dylan reached out to touch her arm, but something stopped him. He sighed before he continued. “Brook, about today...”

  “As I said,” she cut him off, still without looking at him. “It’s been a long day, and I’m tired. Good Night, Doctor Murphy.”

  Dylan stared at her for a moment, having no clue what he should say next.

  Finally, he pushed up from the bed, knowing that the right thing to do right at that moment was just to walk away.

  “Goodnight, Brook,” he said as he reluctantly walked towards the door once more.

  He didn’t know how, but somehow, he had managed to fuck everything up, epically.

  Without wasting any more time, he hurried down the corridor, heading for home.

  Chapter 8

  Brook

  Brook held her breath, until she heard the door of her little glass cubicle close, maybe even for a few moments after that. She had no clue why she was so upset, but she was.

  She knew it was beyond insane that she felt the way she did. She had known this guy for all of twenty-four hours. He was her doctor, and to him, she was just another patient. Still, he had been sweet and had acted as he cared for her. Brook couldn’t remember the last time anyone really cared for her and it had felt nice.

  Since she went to live in New York, she had tried her hardest to keep a safe distance between her and the people that were in her life.

  She’d worked as a substitute teacher, constantly moving from job to job. She felt it was the safest way to make sure that Warren would never find her. Letting someone get too close, meant dropping her guard, and it was something she just didn’t do. She needed to protect herself. She needed to remain invisible.

  At least that’s how it was. But she’d dropped her guard a little for Dylan. She knew that lying to him was not going to help her now. Brook knew in her heart that it was Warren who hurt her. She just wished she could remember something; anything that would help Dylan’s brother catch him. She didn’t know why, but there was something about Liam that made her feel like she could trust him. Just like she believed she could trust Dylan.