Sweet Nightmares (The Damned Series Book 1)

by Zizi Cole

  “While we were performing the surgery, I noticed there was, indeed, damage to his heart. It also looked like he had scar tissue on it, but his records didn’t indicate that there was previous damage to his heart. The scar tissue made repairing the damage to his heart more difficult, but we believe that we were successful.”

  Jennifer frowned at the doctor thoughtfully, “What you’re tellin’ us is, everything went fine? What you aren’t tellin’ us is why you look like you sucked on a lemon. Why don’t ya just tell us what the bad news is, so I can go see my baby boy?”

  “Of course, ma’am. My apologies. He’s currently in a coma. We’ve done blood transfusions to replenish the blood he lost from his injuries. I’ve also been made aware that he may have quit breathing for a short time so, I cannot be positive that there’s no brain damage. At this point, he’s in critical condition and there is a chance he won’t wake up,” he explained. “I’m sorry I’m not able to give you better news, but I feel like the odds are in his favor. If the knife would have gone any deeper into his chest, it would have completely penetrated his heart and he would have died in moments.”

  We all nodded. I closed my eyes. He had no idea how much damage that knife had done to his heart. I could still see the way Jake was, lying there dying in my arms with the knife embedded hilt deep into his chest. I shuddered.

  “So when can we see him?” Mark asked.

  “We’re going to keep him in recovery for a little while longer to keep an eye on him, but he’ll be able to have visitors in probably another hour or two. But I’ll be restricting visitors to immediate family only. So, Mr. and Mrs. Morris, if you could let me know who all is immediate family, that would be great.” Dr. Phillips looked around the room at us.

  Jennifer looked around the room. “Those two over there are his brother and sister, Mia and Cole. This here is his wife Alexandrea. And of course, we’re his parents. Everyone in this room is immediate family.”

  “Okay, thank you, ma’am,” Dr. Phillips said as he turned to walk away. He stopped and looked back. “I or a nurse will let you know as soon as you’re able to visit him.”

  A couple of hours later, the doctor returned to let us know that we would be able to visit, but he only wanted two people in the room with Jake at a time. He explained that Jake was in the critical care unit, so they wanted to limit the number of visitors at a time to try to keep the exposure of germs to a minimum. Jake’s mom insisted I go with her into the room first. I followed her to the room, my mind racing.

  What if I hadn’t saved him? What if I had prolonged his pain by making him stay here? I couldn’t bear him leaving me, but I didn’t want him hurting. These thoughts were running through my mind as we walked into his hospital room. Even with all the what-if’s, I couldn’t make myself feel sorry that I saved him. Well, brought him back. If I had to do it again, I would.

  I was looking everywhere but the bed. I didn’t want to see Jake weak like that. The room was small. The walls on the sides were cement and the wall facing the hallway was glass. There was a window overlooking the parking lot. I looked at the monitors that were connected to him. I didn’t know what they said, but I did know one thing. Those machines were showing that he was alive.

  I studied the heart monitor. His heart beat seemed to be a little slow, but steady. That was a good thing. Maybe I hadn’t done any major damage when I forced his heart to start beating again. I watched his heart monitor, lost in my thoughts. I didn’t hear Jennifer come up behind me. She put her hand on my shoulder.

  “Honey, it’s okay. You can look at him,” she said softly. She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

  I reached up and put my hand on top of hers. I squeezed lightly. “It’s so hard. He’s like this because he felt like he had some stupid obligation to protect me.”

  “Alexandrea, he has never thought of you as an obligation.” She turned me around and hugged me tightly. Then she whispered in my ear, “I know you saved him.”

  I pulled out of the embrace and stared at her wide-eyed. She slightly nodded. “I know what you are. I also know that you play a very important role in Jake’s life. Alexandrea, I know where your destiny is going to lead you.”

  “How?” I whispered.

  “Now, honey, that’s a story for another time. Just remember, everything happens for a reason. You were meant to help him, save him. Don’t feel guilty for that. Don’t question it. Just go with it.” She caressed my cheek. “Be strong, sweet child. Now go hold my son’s hand and be the supportive wife I told the doctor you are.”

  I turned and looked at Jake. He was lying still and motionless in the bed. If it wasn’t for the monitors beeping and the gentle rise and fall of his chest, he would look dead. I walked over to the bed and touched his hand with my own shaking hand. I gripped him tightly. I sat in the chair next to his bed and just stared at him.

  Jennifer sat at the other side of his bed chattering away to him like he was awake. She would pause randomly like she was listening to his response, then would pick up where she left off. After about an hour of chatter like that, she decided to go down to the cafeteria.

  “Do ya need anything, sweetie?” she asked at the doorway.

  I shook my head no. I really didn’t have an appetite and I wasn’t thirsty either. She nodded and slipped from the room. I watched her walk out of the room and looked back at Jake.

  “Your mama is really something,” I said quietly. He didn’t respond or flinch. “She seems to know a lot about what’s going on, and I’m going to have to talk to her about it sometime. Oh, Jake, I am so sorry. I’m sorry that we’re in this situation. I’m sorry if you’re in pain still. I’m sorry if I caused any of it. However, just because I’m sorry for causing you pain, I am not sorry that I didn’t let you leave me. You still aren’t leaving me. I won’t let you. If I have to stay by your side every day for the rest of eternity, then I will. You’re stuck with me forever.”

  I felt him squeeze my hand slightly. Maybe he was actually aware of what was going on! I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring that he’d kept in his jeans. I turned his hand over and placed the ring in the center of his palm. I closed his fingers around it.

  “I found this on the ground after they put you on the stretcher. I thought you might want it back. I know how important this ring is to you. I can’t believe you never told me about it, or that you meant to propose. If I had known, I may not have left. But there’s no point in wondering about the what-if’s or worrying about the past.” I kept my hand on his.

  I brushed my fingers across his face. I leaned over the bedrail and whispered in his ear. “Please come back to me. Please.”

  I settled into the chair to wait.

  26

  I wasn’t sure how long I had been sitting in the chair by his bed. I watched people come and go. I knew that I had been there for days, but everything seemed to blur together. I would only leave the room when I was going to the bathroom.

  I was sitting there watching him when Mia and Cole walked in. I looked at them and gave them a weak smile. Mia smiled and held up the bag that she had in her hand. “I come bearing gifts.”

  “What kind of gifts?” I asked.

  With a flourish, she pulled out a tube of toothpaste, toothbrush, dry shampoo, and a hair brush. With a big smile, she tossed me some deodorant. “I also brought baby wipes and a couple of changes of clothes. Girl, I gotta be honest, you’re starting to reek. Go brush those teeth and we’ll sit here with him. If you can, try to catch a shower in the room at the end of the hall. I’m sure the nurses would appreciate it.”

  “Do I stink that bad?” I asked, sniffing at myself. Yeah, I kind of did. I got up and kissed her on the cheek as I took the items and went down the hall to shower.

  I showered as quickly as I could, and on my way back to the room, the nurses smiled at me. Maybe Mia was right and I needed the shower. I walked up to the nurses’ station and smiled at the nurse sitting there.

  “Hi, Nancy,�
�� I started. “Can you tell me if there have been any changes to Jake’s condition?”

  Nancy smiled at me as she turned to look at the computer. She started typing and read the information on the screen. She looked at me with a fake smile in place. I recognized that smile because I had seen it every day for the past week. “No, honey, there haven’t been any changes. According to his vitals, he’s comfortable and not in any pain, which is good. There’s a note in the file that says the doctor is going to come in and talk to you today about it.”

  “Thanks, Nancy,” I said, walking away.

  When I entered the room, Dr. Phillips was standing there waiting for me. I put a fake smile of my own on and shook his hand. He smiled back and glanced at the clock. “Sorry, I don’t have a lot of time, but I talked to Jake’s parents already and they said that they wanted you to be the one to make decisions on Jake’s behalf.”

  I nodded. Jennifer told me that before she had left the other day. They couldn’t afford to stick around the hospital, but they came every day. I knew the stress of their only son being in a coma was wearing on them. “I’m aware of that. Why don’t you stop pussy footing around and tell me what you need to discuss with me?”

  Dr. Phillips smiled. “Okay, I’ll be upfront with you. The longer he’s in the coma, the less chance there is of him coming out of it. He’s been in a coma for a week now and hasn’t responded to anything...”

  “That’s not true,” I interrupted. “He squeezes my hand when I talk to him. He wants to wake up, he just can’t. I don’t know what you’re suggesting we do, but I want to give him more time to come out of it.”

  Dr. Phillips nodded. “Okay, that’s fine. I just want to make sure you aren’t getting your hopes up. He may not have squeezed your hand. Sometimes the nerves cause muscles to contract. I’ll be back later to check on him. I have to get to surgery.”

  After he left, I took my spot next to Jake and looked at Mia and Cole. “Do you think I made the right decision?”

  Mia nodded enthusiastically. “Yes I do. Don’t listen to him, if you felt Jake squeeze your hand, he did.”

  Cole shrugged. “Your decision, I have no say. If your decision means that he isn’t going anywhere, then I’m for it. I miss my partner.”

  I watched the sadness pass over Cole’s features. I hadn’t realized how much this had affected him. He was having to watch his best friend, his partner, lie there and look like he was at death’s door. It had to be hard.

  “Don’t worry,” I told him. “Jake will wake up. He’s just lost and will find his way. I’m sure of it.”

  They stayed for a while, then Mia got up to leave. She walked over and gave me a hug. “I have to get back to the diner. I’ve been neglecting my duties for far too long and I have to get back to it. Since everything is truly over and Ethan is gone, I can’t put off payroll any longer.”

  Cole and I sat in silence with Jake after Mia left. Cole was usually quiet when he sat with me. It was a comfortable silence. He knew what happened and he wasn’t upset that I made the decision to save Jake’s life. He had told me that he would have done the same thing if he were me and was glad I made the decision to bring Jake back. That was the only time anyone acknowledged what I actually did.

  Everyone besides Mia, Cole, and myself thought that the knife just didn’t plunge into his heart. We knew better, but we also knew the world wasn’t ready for the knowledge of what I did.

  We were both lost in our thoughts when Cole finally spoke up. “I received an interesting phone call today.”

  I pulled my gaze away from Jake to look at him. “Oh? What kind of phone call?”

  “It was from Director Hanson. He knows what happened, and he wants to meet with you. I told him that it would have to wait until Jake was awake. He seemed to take that into consideration and he’s holding off, but I don’t think he’ll wait too long to approach you.” Cole said.

  “What does he want?” I asked.

  “To give you a job,” Cole said. “He was impressed with how you dealt with Ethan by yourself. It takes a lot to impress him. The director also informed me that I’ll be getting a new partner. Agent Rebecca Turner will be arriving in town within the week to replace Jake.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I told him, my gaze drifting back to Jake.

  “Well, I better get going, too. I’ll be back in the morning.” Cole walked over to me and kissed me on the forehead. He leaned over me and whispered in my ear, “Wake him up, he’s been asleep long enough.”

  I nodded, tears brimming my eyes. I had been trying. Cole was right though. Jake had been asleep long enough. He had been asleep too long, in my opinion. I just wasn’t sure how to wake him up. I had no one to ask. I hadn’t seen my mother since I put Jake’s soul back into his body.

  Suddenly, Jake and I were alone again. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “You need to wake up now, Jacob. I miss your eyes. I miss your smile. Hell, I even miss you mouthing me. I can’t stand you lying here like this.”

  When he didn’t respond, I finally got angry. “Jacob Lee Morris, if you don’t wake up, I’m gonna order you a coffin. Might as well, since you promised you wouldn’t leave me and you have.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “You promised you wouldn’t leave. You did. Just because you’re here physically doesn’t mean that you are here. I know you’re lost in that head of yours, but I need you to come back. I finally understand everything. You are my heart. You are my destiny. Without you, I’m not complete. Please come back and keep your promise to me.”

  I stood over him and put my forehead to his. “Please,” I whispered again as a tear rolled down my cheek and landed on Jake’s face.

  I felt hope slipping away from me. I was starting to think he wasn’t going to come back to me. I settled back into the chair and cried. The tears that had been building for the past week finally broke through the dam. I started sobbing.

  I was holding his hand while I cried and I felt him squeeze my hand. I was used to that, so I didn’t pay any attention to it. Then he squeezed my hand again, harder. I put my head down on the edge of the bed while the grief consumed me.

  A hand touched my head and stroked my hair. My head shot up and I looked at Jake. He didn’t look like his condition had changed any, but it was his hand that had been on my head.

  Jake whispered, “Don’t cry, darlin’.”

  27

  Doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel had been in and out of Jake’s room looking at print outs and examining him. By the end of the third day of that, Jake was getting pissed off. He was cursing at the doctors as they came in.

  He looked at me. “Get me the hell out of here,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Okay, you need to calm down, though. I’ll go talk to the doctors and make it happen.” I kissed him on the forehead and walked out of the room. I walked to the nurses’ station where the ever-present Nancy was sitting. I leaned on the counter and smiled at her.

  “Is there any way I can take Jake home, like now?” I asked sweetly.

  She dropped her fake smile. “Are you kidding? There is no way that he can go home now. Not only is he recovering from major surgery, but the doctors want to figure out how he went from being practically brain dead to talking again like he did.”

  I dropped the smile as well. If we were going to have words, I wanted her to know who the bigger bitch was in this situation. Me. “Let’s put this another way Nancy, I am taking him home and there is nothing you can do about it. Legally, he doesn’t have to stay in the hospital if he doesn’t want to. Now, if you would ever so kindly get the discharge papers ready, Jake is ready to go home.”

  I turned and started to walk away, then I turned back and gave her a huge toothy smile. “Oh, and by the way, Nancy, you have spinach stuck between your teeth. Looks disgusting.”

  I walked back into Jake’s room and picked up my cell phone. He watched me with fascination. I was sure he had watched the interaction with the nurse with amusement. I
dialed the phone and put it to my ear.

  “Hey, Jake wants to go home today. I’m making it happen.” I told Cole on the other end.

  “Okay, what do you need from me?”

  “Well, he’s going to need clothing, probably a button up because of his chest. Oh, and do you think you can give us a ride to my place?” I said, looking at Jake.

  “No problem,” he said, disconnecting the call.

  I set the phone down and sat on the bed next to Jake. I was careful not to jostle him and aggravate his wound. I looked at him and smiled. “So, are you ready to go home? Well, my house?”

  “You have no idea,” he said. He grinned at me. “What did you say to that nurse to make her turn that shade of red?”

  I laughed. “Just that she had spinach in her teeth. It was true. I was just trying to help the girl out.”

  “Sure, you were. Now let’s get out of here.” He tried to get up.

  I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Not yet. We have to wait for Cole to show up with clothes. Dr. Phillips will be here soon. I’m sure I’ll go a few rounds with that man as well. He has to bring the discharge papers and everything. Don’t worry, nothing will stop me from taking you home where you belong.”

  After two and half hours, three phone calls, and some arguing with the doctor, we finally walked into my house. The atmosphere felt different from the last time that I had been home. It felt peaceful. I couldn’t remember the last time the house had felt peaceful.

  Cole and I settled Jake onto the couch. I sat in the chair. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to put a full sized adjustable bed in one of the spare rooms downstairs until you’re able to make it up and down the stairs on your own. Also, we’re going to move things around in the other downstairs guest room. There will be a live-in nurse staying here until you’re better. That was the only way I was able to get you home. Oh, and Dr. Phillips will be here daily to personally to check your progress.”