Mind Waves

by Amanda Uhl

  So went the pattern for the next few days. Grace would spend a few minutes with David Jenkins every day, trying to get him to wake and talk to her. Sometimes he stirred, opened his eyes or gripped her hands. Mostly, he was silent. When David did finally speak, even though Grace was not with him, it came as a bit of a shock.

  It was only 9:00 p.m. but she lay awake in her bed, afraid to fall asleep lest she get caught in the nightmare and be unable to escape. The Chief had explained the evil mind reader, as Grace privately called him, needed time to recover, too. Plus, he needed to be physically close by to enter her dreams and wreak havoc as he had been doing. Still, she had trouble believing she was safe. Grace vividly recalled the way the madman had looked at her and the punishing way he went after the men who tried to help her. Something told her he wouldn’t leave her alone.

  He’ll be back.

  She shivered, a warm rush of tears flooding her eyes. Grace was trying to be brave and strong, displaying a courageous front, but inside, she was frightened. Her mother had come to visit her every day but that was no comfort, since Grace couldn’t tell her the truth. Her mother believed Grace had been physically attacked, and they had moved her to this hospital to keep her safe from her attacker, since he was still at large. Lying alone like this late at night, it was difficult to hang onto the illusion he could not find her here. She longed to feel safe. She lay in bed, crying softly, when she heard a male voice.

  Don’t cry. Please.

  The voice was so clear. Was someone in her room? When Grace opened her eyes, she was alone. “Is someone there?” How silly to be talking to the empty room. Maybe this is the relapse they are all worried about setting off in me.

  I’m deeply sorry for the pain you’re enduring. It’s my fault.

  “Where are you?” Grace asked, looking carefully around the room.

  In my bed.

  “So how can I hear you so clearly…?”

  She gasped as the knowledge hit her. It’s him. David Jenkins. That means it’s true. Everything they told me. Until now, Grace hadn’t believed the fantastic tale. Her heart beat hard in her chest. “This is David? You’re able to read minds? That’s how you’re talking to me?”

  Yes. But only yours right now. I am not…strong.

  “Are you awake in your room?” If anyone would walk in and see her talking aloud with no one in the room, they’d believe Grace had finally snapped.

  I can’t wake up right now. My body is paralyzed. But I don’t need my body to visit this way.

  “This is so weird. Is it true, what they told me? You and I…weʼre…?” She couldn’t bring herself to say the word, lovers. But she had forgotten he was in her mind and knew what she was thinking, so she didn’t have to. Part of Grace felt violated, and the other part was glad she didn’t need to voice her thoughts aloud.

  We are. Satisfaction thrummed in the two words. When I can get out of this bed, I will show you.

  Although she knew he could not possibly see her, her face grew hot. “Yes, well, about that.” It was amazing how fast she had adjusted to his mind-reading banter.

  Hush, don’t worry. Now he was reading her emotions. Tomorrow or the day after, you will understand more than you do right now. Now I need you to fall asleep so I can get my rest. You are safe. Peter will not let anyone harm you. Although you’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

  “Do you think you’ll be able to open your eyes and speak to me tomorrow?”

  I’m gaining strength every day. Peter has been cutting back on the drugs they are giving me. That is part of the normal process.

  “Peter? Oh, the Chief.”

  Go to sleep, my love. Come find me in the morning.

  And like that, he was gone, and she was once again alone in her mind.

  The next morning Grace would almost have believed she had dreamt the whole thing until a nurse told her the friend in the next room was awake and asking to see her. She hurriedly got out of bed, dressed herself, and went to visit. David was sitting and eating breakfast. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had lain in his bed barely breathing a few days earlier.

  “Good morning, sunshine. Pull up a chair. Have you eaten? I ordered something for you.” He pointed to the tray on the table near his bed. “I hope that’s okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Have a seat.” He gestured to the chair near his bed. She pulled it out and sat.

  “Does the Chief…Peter know you are awake?”

  “He does. He’s already been in to see me.” He studied her intently, reaching out to smooth a stray curl away from her eyes. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Better.” She was shy, remembering how he had talked to her in her mind last night. Was he reading her mind right now?

  “Good.” He grinned. “You’ve nothing to be anxious about.”

  “Not easy knowing you can hear my every thought.”

  He held his palm out, asking her without words to place her hand in his. She hesitated momentarily and followed suit. It would help him heal if she played along. Gently, he rubbed his thumb back and forth across her palm.

  “Relax, Grace. I don’t know every thought. It’s not possible for me to stay in your mind all the time.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” He smiled. “And especially after I’ve awakened from a coma. It’s hard for me to focus on anything. Besides, you can share my thoughts, too.”

  “Peter mentioned that. Have we done that? Shared thoughts?”

  “We have.” He smiled.

  “You mean, I read your mind in the past? How is that even possible?”

  “It is, and I’ll show you. But not today. I know I look a lot better than I did yesterday, but I’m still not well.” He tapped his forehead with a grin. “The brain takes time to heal.”

  A noise at the door alerted them to another’s presence. “Sorry to interrupt, but you have visitors.” The Chief stood there, a large presence in the doorway. “Your family’s here. I couldn’t keep them away, although for your sake I tried. Once they heard you were awake, they insisted on seeing you. Geneva’s here as well.”

  Get ready. David’s warning was so clear, but it was only in her mind as the Chief did not seem to hear. Although she was getting used to his voice making comments or sounding out warnings, it was still unsettling.

  Within seconds, it seemed like a large crowd gathered around his bed. David, who still held firmly to her hand, squeezed it gently. The small pressure was reassuring, which is what she knew he intended.

  “Grace, let me introduce you to my family. These are my parents. Mom, Dad, meet Grace.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins were younger than she expected and greeted her warmly. “Grace, we’re so sorry for everything you have been through. You’re a brave young lady.” His mother leaned over to give her a quick hug. “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you remember my daughter, Sophia?” She motioned to a pretty, dark-haired lady next to her.

  “No, I don’t believe we’ve met. Nice to meet you.”

  Sophia and her mother exchanged a look, before Sophia offered a tentative smile. “My husband, Brian, would have liked to have been here, but he’s with our kids today, so I could visit with David.”

  Grace nodded her understanding. “How many children do you have?”

  “Two.” Sophia smiled. “A son, Alex, and daughter, Georgie.”

  “How are the rug-rats?” David asked with some affection.

  Sophia turned her attention to her brother. “They’re worried about you, as we all are. They wanted to come along. It’s good to see you sitting and talking, rather than comatose. Welcome to the land of the living. You gave us all a scare. Geneva, especially.”

  She gestured to a young girl with long, blond hair. Geneva proceeded to sit on the side of the bed, smoothing a hand intimately across David’s forehead. David still held fast to Grace’s hand all the while, but he did not seem to mind
the younger girl’s attention.

  Jealousy rose, sharp and swift, catching Grace off guard. She pressed her nails into her palms. Geneva was rubbing David’s head far too intimately. Grace didn’t know why it should bother her. It wasn’t like she had any strong feelings for David. Did she?

  “Is Geneva part of the family?” Grace asked Sophia in a low voice.

  “Not by blood.” Sophia replied, studying Grace carefully. “She’s a close family friend.” If she and David were an item, why had David made no effort to put Geneva in her place?

  She’s my trainer. David spoke in her mind, and she could feel his concern before she saw it on his face. Peter did explain about that, right?

  She looked at him, and he gave her a quick smile to let her know only she could hear. She admitted getting information like this was useful, but it was also a bit creepy to know he could come and go in her thoughts whenever he pleased and know her feelings before she had even thought them through. Was it possible to block him out? Grace would have to ask Peter.

  You can make it harder for me, but it’s not possible to block all your thoughts from me with a portal in place. We call it a mind-meld. That’s why they are generally only in use between lovers. He said the last carefully, but David could not disguise the sense of satisfaction from Grace.

  There was that word again. Lovers. They had been lovers. Looking at him now, Grace could almost believe it. His recent illness could not disguise the handsome lines of his face.

  He smiled slowly at her. Clearly, he liked the way her thoughts were headed and could not resist teasing her. We were and if I have my way, we will be again.

  She blushed and wondered suddenly if the others were reading her mind. She remembered Peter telling her the talent for mind-reading ran in families. As Geneva finished whatever she had been about, she gave Grace a tight smile and stepped back. She turned to the Chief and murmured something Grace was too far away to hear. Whatever it was, the Chief seemed intensely interested, pulling her aside for a quiet conversation.

  Geneva is giving him an update on my condition. As my trainer, she’s the best one to evaluate my mind’s ability to heal itself.

  Several of David’s cousins stepped forward, and David made sure to introduce each of them to her. The dark-haired man, who looked a lot like David, only shorter, was Roland. The blond, blue-eyed giant was Kevin. Percy was tall and wore glasses. And Rolf was drop-dead gorgeous with brown hair and deep, blue eyes that seemed to look right through her. They were all constrained in their response to Grace, although Rolf politely asked how she was feeling.

  David held her hand the entire visit. When she would have tried to move away, he wouldn’t let her. Rather than make a scene, she stayed where she was. Eventually, the Chief called a halt to the visit, telling them all David needed his rest. But when Grace tried to leave the room, David wouldn’t let her.

  “Stay a while.”

  She looked to the Chief, and he nodded his approval. Now that David was feeling better, she didn’t want to be responsible for a backward slip. Grace did as he asked.

  They talked about current events, read a few articles in a magazine together and tried to play cards, until Grace quit out of frustration, sure David was using his mind powers to reveal her hand. She supposed she couldn’t blame him. If she could read minds, she wouldn’t hesitate to use it to cheat at cards.

  He insisted he wasn’t cheating, but winked and proceeded to call out every card in her hand.

  “I’m so going to smother you with this pillow.”

  He laughed, a happy sound. David was on the mend.

  At some point, they ordered and ate lunch. Grace saw David was growing weary and insisted he get some rest. It was a measure of his tiredness that he finally agreed to let her leave. David Jenkins, she was learning, was a bit possessive of her.

  Grace’s feelings were mixed. On the one hand, David made her feel important—like her opinions and attention mattered. Grace didn’t suppose anyone had ever felt that way about her. Her ex hadn’t. On the other, David seemed to know her thoughts and feelings before she did. And he took it upon himself to interpret and tell her what to do, which was annoying. She knew it was all a strange fantasy anyway. Grace couldn’t stay with David forever. Once they caught the scary man, she would go home where she belonged.

  Grace returned to her room in time to greet her mother. “Where’ve you been?” Her mother questioned, where she stood in the doorway.

  “I was visiting the room next door.”

  “The man in the coma? Has he come to finally?”

  “Yes, this morning. They say he will make a full recovery.”

  “Is he as handsome awake as he is asleep?

  “You saw him?”

  “Yes, the first night when you came here. The detective mentioned that man fought off your intruder and saved your life. I’m grateful to him. But what was he doing at your place to begin with?”

  Her mother was studying her carefully, a slight gleam in her eye. Grace went on full mom alert. “Um, well, yeah that. He’s a friend of mine. He had stopped by to say hello.”

  “That’s not what the detective told me.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Well, he said you two had recently met and had been dating. Is that true?

  “Yes, well, I mean no. I mean you can hardly call a few nights out dating.”

  “So is this the online guy your sister says you’ve been talking to?”

  “No, Mom. He’s not.”

  “Well, he obviously cares about you to have risked his life.”

  Grace opened her mouth to reply but her mother was on a roll.

  “I think you should give him a chance, Gracie. He’s cute. I know Greg hurt you, but you need to let that go. Look at your sister. You know how afraid she is to tie the knot, and yet, she’s giving it a shot.”

  “She’s not married, yet.ˮ

  Her mother gave her The Look. The one that said if Grace hadn’t nearly lost her life, her mother would be all over her case.

  “Speaking of Claire, how is she?”

  “Fine. There was something she specifically wanted me to tell you. Let me see. Oh, that’s right. She said to tell you she’s feeling much better. I didn’t even know she was sick. It’s terrible how you girls don’t tell me how you’re doing.”

  “That’s because we don’t want you to worry, Mom.”

  Her mother turned her attention to the plant by her bedside, feeling the dirt and grabbing Grace’s water glass and dumping it on the soil. “Yes, well, I did want to chat with you about the wedding. Claire is concerned about you. I am, too. Maybe we should delay the wedding until you’re out of the woods? I know you’re feeling much better, but that—man who attacked you—is still out there and could come back. The detective tells me they are keeping you here for your own safety. I’m not so sure you should be flying to California right now. Especially by yourself.”

  “Mom, Claire needs to walk down the aisle. I don’t want her using me as an excuse. I’m coming to the wedding. I have my plane ticket, and I’m going to use it. Besides, I won’t be by myself. You and Glenn will be with me. What could possibly happen?”

  “Maybe we should have someone else along…for protection.”

  Grace should have seen this coming. Her mother was always paying matchmaker. This whole worry about her safety was more worry about Grace not having a date for the wedding. “I’m going to talk to the detective and see what he suggests. We also need to see about your release. You can’t stay here forever. Maybe the detective has a few leads on the criminal who attacked you. I’m going to call him after we have supper.”

  They had dinner in the hospital cafeteria, and true to her word, her mother called Peter. They talked for a few minutes with Grace listening closely to what she could hear of the conversation. From the sounds of it, her mother was winning the battle to have her released to go to the wedding and to have special protection along for the trip.

  “Are y
ou sure? Yes, yes. I’m sure Grace would appreciate that, and it would make all of us feel safer. Any leads? Hmm. Uh-huh. I can’t thank you enough for all you are doing for us. You and your officers are doing a fabulous job. We’re all so lucky to have you on the case. All right. Thank you. Goodbye.”

  “That Chief Brooks is such a good detective. He told me he wouldn’t want you to miss the wedding either. And he plans to have one of his best officers accompany us. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  “Did he say it was safe for me to travel?”

  “He said you would be safer with his officer along.” Her mother was a master at evasion when she wanted to be. “He hasn’t caught the criminal yet, but he’s confident they will. He thinks you can be released in a few more days as long as that’s what you want.”

  Was that what she wanted? Grace wasn’t sure. She felt responsible for David’s recovery and was loath to leave him while he was still vulnerable. But maybe in a few days, he would be back to normal. Would he still be interested in her?

  Her mother was looking at her strangely. “Grace, you do want to go home, don’t you? I would think you would be more excited.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Happy Place

  David came to consciousness suddenly. He knew he needed to sleep as much as possible so his mind could fully recover from the attack, but it was hard to relax with the hacker on the loose. As he recovered, he found himself growing restless. Somewhere out there, an enemy still lurked who wanted Grace. He remained a target, as the enemy sought to eliminate the portal in her mind.

  He grabbed a drink from the glass of water by his bedside. The drugs they had given him had kept the hacker from entering his mind and destroying his sanity. But now that they had stopped the drug infusion, their adversary would be back to test his defenses. Geneva had done what she could to repair the damage. His defenses had been weakened but not destroyed. Geneva said his mind was strong enough to withstand the onslaught when it occurred. David hoped she was right. He had never felt so beaten in all his years of service.

  The attack on him had been swift and intense, and he had almost cracked under the pressure of the energy stream. The only thing that had saved them was Grace’s own unwillingness to yield the portal, and his desire to protect her at all costs, which had resulted in his hanging on despite the thrashing he had endured. Thankfully, his father and Brian had been spared the intensity of the attack. Neither one would have recovered from the force of the madman’s lethal energy waves.