Dylan (The Murphy Series Book 5)

by Holly C. Webb

“All better,” Sian said with a smile, as she softly pressed the dressing onto Dylan’s forehead. He’d gotten four stitches, and some pain killers for the headache from hell he now had. “I know you love this place, but injuring yourself on your day off, just to get back here, is a new level of crazy. Even for you.”

  “Nice,” Dylan said, giving her a grateful smile. “And thanks for patching me up.”

  “Was my pleasure,” Sian said, giving him a smile before she turned to Nell and her smile widened. “It was lovely to see you again, Nell. Try to keep this guy out of trouble.”

  “I’ll try.” Nell replied with a laugh, but before anyone could say another word. Liam came rushing into the treatment room, looking like he was ready to kill someone.

  “Why the hell didn’t you call me?” He asked, giving Dylan a worried look.

  “I didn’t call because I knew Dad was calling you,” Dylan sighed, smiling at his brother. “I’m okay. It’s just a couple of stitches.”

  “I want the names of the assholes that did this,” Liam insisted, as he began to pace up and down. Dylan smiled, thinking just how alike their father and Liam was. “By the time I’m finished with those assholes, they won’t be able to get a job as a meter maid.”

  “They didn’t give me their names,” Dylan explained. “But I got their shield numbers, and the number from the patrol car.”

  “Good,” Liam said, finally stopping to draw a breath. “I told you that messing with Pearse was a bad idea.”

  “I know,” Dylan sighed, giving Liam a look that said he didn’t want to do this in front of his mother, but Liam was on a roll.

  “This asshole is walking around like he is untouchable,” Liam continued to rant. “And he sees you as the one that is standing in his way. I’m not happy about this.”

  “Well, as it happens, Liam,” Dylan sighed, his headache now banging. “I’m not thrilled about this myself. The only thing I’ve done here is my job. If this lunatic has a problem with that, I don’t see what I can do about it.”

  “I know,” Liam sighed. “But I think this thing with Landen and the other officers isn’t helping. In that asshole’s mind, you’re the one pushing her to do this. For him, you’re the one that is the biggest threat.”

  “And what would you suggest Liam?” Dylan retorted, feeling more than a little pissed off. “I get Brook to drop the investigation with Landen? Because that’s not going to happen.”

  “No!” Liam replied, clearly sensing Dylan was angry. “Not at all. I’m just saying I need you to promise me that you take no chances. When you are coming and going from the hospital, stay vigilant. No more trips up the coast, at least not until this is all done and dusted.”

  “Okay,” Dylan groaned, hating that this asshole was affecting his life now.

  “I mean it,” Liam said, determined that Dylan took him seriously.

  “Okay,” Dylan sighed once more, knowing that Liam meant business.

  “Good,” Liam replied, giving him a grateful smile. “Now, if you’re ready to go, I’ll follow you back to the house.”

  “Actually,” Dylan said, knowing the next sentence out of his mouth was going to piss his brother off once more. “I want to check in on Brook.”

  “I can do that for you, Dylan,” Sian, who had been standing there, taking everything in, said, “If you want to go home that is.”

  “Thanks, Sian,” Dylan said, giving her a grateful smile. “But I promised I would drop by. I won’t be long.”

  “Do you want me to wait for you?” Nell asked, giving him a worried look.

  “No, Mom,” Dylan said, giving her a grin. “You go ahead with Liam. I will be okay.”

  “But I don’t want you leaving here alone,” Nell said the worry on her face almost too much for Dylan to process. “If anything happened to you…”

  “Nothing’s going to happen, Mom,” Liam replied before Dylan could even say a word. “Because I’m going to make sure you get home okay. Then I’m coming back here, and I’m not leaving here till Dylan leaves with me. Even if that means I have to stay here all night.”

  “There really is no need,” Dylan sighed, but he knew Liam well enough to know he would not back down.

  “I will be back in an hour or so,” Liam told him matter-of-factly. “And I’ll be here, ready to go when you are.”

  “Fine, Dylan sighed, then he kissed his mother on the cheek, before he turned and headed for the door, then down to the elevator. When the doors opened, he stepped inside. As the doors closed, he leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, releasing a long, tired breath.

  He didn’t know how his life had suddenly become such a drama, but he wished more than anything that this mess was over and done with.

  Chapter 13

  Dylan softly tapped on the door to Brook’s room before he pushed it open. He didn’t know why, but the mood he was in moments earlier lifted. Even his headache didn’t seem as bad anymore either.

  He smiled when he saw her asleep, looking so peaceful.

  For the first couple of days after the whole seizure and Warren showing up episode, Brook was very anxious. Every time the door opened, a look of dread would settle on her face, and Dylan knew she was expecting to see Warren each time it happened. Even when she slept, she never fully relaxed. The slightest sound woke her, and her eyes would always go straight to the door.

  But as the days passed, along with Dylan and Landen’s repeated assurance that he would not come back, Brook had begun to relax a little more.

  Picking up her chart from the holder by the door, Dylan made his way back to the chair next to the bed, sitting down next to a sleeping Brook.

  He opened her file, flicking through the pages until he came to the latest result from her tests, and her latest vitals check. She was doing really well. Everything was healing beautifully now, including the bruising that was on her face. The bump on her forehead was all but gone, and the bruising around her eyes and her jaw, was now a pale yellow, and fading by the day.

  Finally, Dylan could see the girl he remembered from the emergency room, three years earlier.

  He glanced up from the chart to find her now familiar blue eyes staring back at him, and instantly he was rewarded with a breath-taking smile.

  “Hey,” he said closing the chart, and quickly set it down. “You’re awake.

  “How was surfing?” She yawned before she glanced up at the dressing on his head, and instantly her smile faded. “What happened to your head?”

  She struggled to push herself up in the bed, and instantly Dylan went to help her, but she quickly stopped him.

  “No! I can do it,” she gasped breathlessly as she continued to push herself up in bed before she looked at Dylan once more. “Now tell me, what happened.”

  “It was nothing,” he lied, deciding it served no purpose to worry her any more than she already was. “A stupid accident as I was loading my surfboard onto my dad’s truck. It slipped and hit me in the head because I’m that clumsy. And to answer your first question; surfing was amazing. The sea was perfect, the waves were big ones, and there were so many.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked, still focused on the dressing that was on his head. “How bad is it?”

  “Four stitches,” Dylan replied, then laughed. “You should see the other guy, I taught that surfboard some good manners, and it won’t be happening again, any time soon.”

  Brook smiled, but still, she looked worried.

  Releasing a sigh, Dylan pushed up from the chair, moving closer to Brook, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her.

  “What’s that look for?” He asked, reaching out, taking hold of her hand.

  “There was no look,” Brook replied, her face flushing ever so slightly with embarrassment.

  “There was a look,” Dylan chuckled as he reached up and brushed back a loose strand of her hair from her face, but the moment he touched her, she froze, her breath catching abruptly in her chest, almost like she was afraid
of him. This surprised Dylan, making his heart hurt a little more for this beautiful, broken girl. “Brook, I… I would never hurt you.”

  “I know,” she replied suddenly unable to look at him anymore, her face now a deep shade of pink with embarrassment. “It’s just… I… this is all very new to me.”

  “Having someone touch you?” Dylan asked, surprised by her response.

  “It’s hard to explain…” she shook her head, still unable to meet Dylan’s gaze.

  Instinctively, he reached for her chin, gently taking hold of it, tilting her face up to look at his.

  “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Brook,” he whispered, giving her a reassuring smile, his eyes holding hers. “You never have to explain.”

  Suddenly Dylan wondered what it would be like to kiss her as his gaze fell to her lips. To feel her soft, tender lips pressed firmly against his. He held his breath for a moment, confused by the feelings that were now racing through his mind. Maybe kissing her wasn’t such a bad idea. Maybe kissing her would be everything.

  “Dylan,” Brook finally whispered, pulling him back from his thoughts. He realised what he was doing, and quickly pulled his hand back from her, probably a little more abruptly than he had meant to.

  Standing up from the bed, he quickly took a couple of steps back, putting some distance between him and Brook. His heart was now racing as a million thoughts thundered through his mind.

  “I’m sorry, Brook,” Dylan said, knowing he needed to say something. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. That was stupid of me.”

  “You didn’t,” she replied, but Dylan knew she was just being polite. He could see it written all over her face.

  “I did,” he insisted, giving her a nervous smile, suddenly having no clue what to say next.

  Brook sat in the bed, watching him, waiting for him to speak.

  Say something, you idiot! He scolded himself in his mind. Say anything. Just make this right.

  Dylan opened his mouth to speak, having no idea what he was going to say, but before he got a word out, the door to Brook’s room opened, and the nurse on duty came into the room.

  “Hi, Dylan,” Victoria, the nurse Dylan had known since his first day as an intern, said, giving him a broad smile. “I thought today was your day off.”

  “It is,” Dylan replied, almost grateful for the interruption. “I was just downstairs in the emergency room, and I thought I would just check in on Brook.”

  “Ouch,” she said, looking up at the dressing on Dylan’s head. “What did you do to yourself?”

  “I hit it off the door of my dad’s truck,” Dylan said without even thinking.

  Brook gave him a questioning look, and Dylan realised he’d just fucked up. He had told her that his surfboard had hit him in the head, but he just told the nurse a different story. Now Brook knew he had lied, she just didn’t know what the lie was, and why he had told it.

  “Ouch,” Victoria said, giving him a smile before she turned and looked at Brook. “Hey, Sweetie, how are you doing this afternoon?”

  “Good,” Brook replied, forcing a smile on her face, but Dylan could tell by her eyes that she was far from good. She looked like she was about to burst into tears, and he knew it was all his fault, once again.

  Right at that moment, he knew the right thing to do was just to leave and give Brook a little bit of space.

  “I should really be going now,” Dylan said, giving Brook a look that said, he was so sorry. “I have this thing…”

  “Okay,” she replied, but the look on her face was completely unreadable.

  “I’ll be back in the morning,” he said, trying to sound brighter than he actually felt. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he had just messed up everything. Like he had just lost something that wasn’t even his, to begin with.

  “Okay,” was all she said once again, but this time, she didn’t even smile.

  Dylan stared at her for a moment, before he nodded, and turned then headed out the door. He didn’t stop when he stepped outside the door; he didn’t even bother stopping when he reached the elevator. Instead, he walked past it, heading straight for the stairs. He kept walking when he stepped out into the night air and didn’t stop until he reached his front door fifteen minutes later.

  The whole time he was walking, the only thought he had in his head was, how the hell he could have been so fucking stupid. He had actually considered kissing her. Like they were on some kind of weird, messed up date. But they weren’t. He was her doctor, and she was his patient. He had crossed a line.

  Walking into the kitchen of his small, three-story townhouse, he reached for the door of the fridge, pulling it open, then grabbing a bottle of beer.

  Dylan twisted off the cap, before bringing it to his mouth. But as he drank it, a wave of anger washed over him, almost consuming him. In a moment of pure and simple anger, Dylan hurled the bottle of beer in his hand at the wall, smashing it, along with the framed picture that was hanging on the wall, sending them both crashing to the ground with a deafening smash.

  “FUCK!” He yelled in sheer frustration. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  Dylan couldn’t believe that he’d just walked out of the hospital as he did. He had no clue what he was thinking. As he stood there in the room, staring at Brook, he thought right at that moment, the right thing to do was to leave and not make things worse. But standing there, her face in his head, he knew he had fucked up epically. He knew he should have stayed and made this right.

  “You fucking idiot!” He groaned to himself, as he leaned back against the counter, pushing his hands through his hair. “How could you have been so stupid?”

  Deciding that he couldn’t leave things as they were, he ignored the mess he had just created and headed back towards the door. Grabbing his keys from the table in the hallway, wishing he hadn’t left his bike at his parents’ house. Now he would have to walk back to the hospital once more.

  Pulling opened the door, his heart almost stopped with fright when he found a furious looking Liam standing on his front step.

  “Jesus Christ, Liam!” He exclaimed, stepping backward, his heart now hammering in his chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  “Good, because you should be scared,” Liam hissed, as he stepped into the hallway, slamming the door behind him. “Dylan, what the hell were you thinking just leaving the hospital like that?”

  “I wasn’t thinking, Liam,” Dylan sighed, giving his brother a frustrated sigh. “Seems I’ve been doing very little thinking today.”

  “You’re making no sense,” Liam said, giving Dylan a questioning look. “But then nothing you have done today makes any sense.”

  “Liam, if you’ve just come by here to give me a hard time,” Dylan replied, reaching for the handle of the door. “Right now is not the best time.”

  “Now is not the best time?” Liam exclaimed, pressing his hand against the door, slamming it shut once more. “What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t you get you could be walking around out there with a bullseye on your stupid head?”

  “You don’t know that!” Dylan retorted giving Liam an impatient sigh. “So, I got pulled over by two asshole cops. Maybe they… they were looking for one last bust before they finished for the day, and they just came across me. You don’t know that it was Pearse. You don’t know anything right now…”

  “Only I do,” Liam said cutting him off mid-rant, giving him a knowing look. “I talked to one of those cops that stopped you. He was told you were fucking an officer’s wife, and that you were to be given a hard time. When they saw Dad’s name on the registration for the truck, they realised they were in over their head, so they backed off.”

  “They pulled me over on purpose?” Dylan asked, a sickening feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. “That asshole pushed me against the van because some scumbag told lies about me?”

  “I’m sorry, Dylan,” Liam said, giving him a sad smile. “I know this is the last
thing you wanted to hear, and I promise I will make this stop. But until I get this sorted out, I need you to promise me that you’ll be more careful.”

  “Until you sort this out?” Dylan asked, giving him a questioning look.

  “Yes,” Liam sighed, knowing this was the last thing Dylan wanted to hear.

  “I mean, I know you said…” Dylan continued, as he walked to the stairs, sitting down on the bottom step. “But I guess I thought that you were you. Overprotective like you always are.”

  “I wish that were all it was, Dylan,” Liam said with a sigh before he leaned back against the wall, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. “But Warren Pearse has a serious screw loose. In his head, Brook is still his property and you are the only thing standing in his way. He is not the kind of guy who is going to take that without fighting back. But he is clever. He covers his tracks and uses others to get the job done. But I promise, he is too cocky, and I know he’s made mistakes. Some where there is proof, and I am going to find it.”

  “So, what do I do now?” Dylan asked, giving his brother a questioning look. “Because I don’t have a clue. I was doing my job, nothing more. How did everything get so messed up?”

  “If it’s any consolation,” Liam sighed, giving his brother a sad smile. “I think any doctor worth their salt would have done the same. I also think anyone that helped that girl would have been treated the same way too. This guy is nuts. This is not on you.”

  “Trouble is,” Dylan sighed, giving Liam a knowing look. “He isn’t completely wrong now, is he?”

  “I… I don’t know what you mean,” Liam said, giving Dylan a questioning look. “What’s happened?”

  “I think I fucked up,” Dylan breathed out in a frustrated breath.

  “How?” Liam asked, still watching his brother closely.

  “I almost kissed Brook,” Dylan admitted with another sigh. “I mean, I wanted to. We were talking, and we had this… this moment. Well, I had a moment. She looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.”

  “Damn,” Liam said, giving Dylan a sad smile.