Obsession and Sacrifice (Alaska #2)

by Tiffany Carmouche

  “At that time I was kinda seeing a girl, you remember Marissa. Once she saw the banquet of men, she quickly followed Dylan into the hot tub. How quickly we are replaced.”

  He continued to fidget with the flower arrangement. “I became basically nonexistent once they got into town. I dated Marissa mainly because she seduced me. And the truth is, I had hoped it would help me get over my obsession with you. It didn’t work though.”

  Bradley’s mind brought him back to that day and he heard Nicole’s voice.

  “She wasn’t worth it Bradley. It’s funny how us women can be so stupid. Jessica’s dad was a football player. I was so infatuated by him. I figured his muscles would protect me and

  keep me safe. Instead they ended up mostly in the bed of other women and soon were used to put me in the hospital. It’s funny how women think that is what we want, when what we really need is to fall in love with our best friend. That is true security. If only we could be so lucky.”

  Brad took Nicole’s hand in his. “I almost died when I heard those words come from your lips. Could there be a chance for me? Was there hope?”

  He heard her voice again. “Bradley, we need to find you a nice girl. But you’re not going to meet a quality lady at a bar. You need to go to a library or something.”

  “We all started laughing. All week, I could barely keep my eyes off of you. Your words kept running through my head. It is funny how women think that is what we want, when what we really need is to fall in love with our best friend. There were so many times I wanted to take your hand, put my arm around you or kiss you, but each time I hesitated.

  “Every night guys would come on to you and you would turn them down. I thought maybe you were waiting for me to get the damn nerve to do something!”

  He touched her face, closing his eyes. What we really need is to fall in love with our best friend. “I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat. I wanted to find a way to take you in my arms. That is when it happened. I thought I was going to die. Dylan spent most of the night at the bar talking, and his words stabbed me like a rusty dagger.

  “You got to help me out with her Bradley. I don’t know what to do. I have been flirting with her all month and think she is adorable. Nothing is working. I don’t know what is wrong

  with me. I have all these other girls throwing themselves at me and I don’t want anything to do with any of them. This isn’t normal for me at all Bradley. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

  Brad’s mind disappeared into the day

  No way. I’m crazy about her. “You aren’t with the same girl two days in a row. She deserves better than you. Nicole’s not your type, Dylan. You’re just interested in her because she’s the only girl in here who’s not interested in you.”

  “No,” Dylan answered. “At first I admit it was a little like a challenge, but she’s got me all screwed up. I’ve even been sending her stuffed animals anonymously because I love seeing her light up when she gets them. Watch her, watch how she has the whole table of people smiling.”

  They looked over at the table of customers and Dylan continued. “What is wrong with me, this is a fucked up feeling. I need your help. You are friends with her, right?”

  “Yeah, but she’s not your type. She’s a nice girl, don’t mess with her. There are a million girls here that want to be with you. Go after one of them.”

  “She is the one that has messed with me. I am totally screwed up. I think about her all the time. You really gotta help me. Please Bradley. Just help me get one date. If it doesn’t work out after that, I won’t bother you about it anymore. One date that’s all I am asking.”

  Bradley stood up from the hospital chair. “I couldn’t believe it. I was so in love with you. But I knew I couldn’t compare to him. I hoped you would brush him off, but then he sang

  you that damn song. I thought it would last a week at the most. Dylan never stayed with the same girl long. It killed me to see you two together, but you looked so happy, I tried to convince myself you were right for each other. Dylan’s a good guy. He’s just so damn perfect it makes me sick.”

  Bradley sat by her bedside. He took her tiny hand in his, and continued to talk to her as if she could hear him.

  “I handled it fine until we were escaping from Steve’s and I needed to warm your body temperature. Feeling your skin against mine almost made me forget the danger we were in. Your heartbeat felt elevated as much as mine. Was it the fear or did you feel the same way I did? It made no sense. We were in so much danger, but I couldn’t help thinking about how much I wanted to kiss you.” He ran his hand over her hair.

  “When you moved in with me, Nikki, I realized my feeling wasn’t just a stupid crush, I knew I was falling in love with you. In my house, when you put your head on my chest. It felt like I was in high school, on a first date with the hottest girl in school. My blood warmed my body as it pulsed through my veins. I didn’t know what to do. I just ran my fingers through your hair, hoping it would help you feel better. You drifted to sleep. You were like an angel in my arms. So precious.”

  He stood up putting his hands in his jacket pockets. Did she even hear him? He had to believe she could.

  “Nikki, when I found out you had never slept with Dylan, I thought maybe I did have a chance. Could you have subconsciously waited for me?”

  Bradley kept reliving over and over in his mind, her living with him prior to the assault. Would it have ended differently if he had had the guts to kiss her?

  “The nights seemed like an eternity, you in the room beside mine. Nervously I listened, hoping you would open your door or give me some kind of sign and that I would be man enough to act upon it.”

  He looked at her body on the hospital bed. “Are you cold? It’s cold in here, isn’t it?” Brad unfolded the extra blanket and covered Nicole, tucking her in.

  He could hear her sweet voice. “Bradley, why don’t you have a girlfriend? You are so amazing.” He took the seat next to her again. “You looked up at me like a lost child, your eyes wide and inquisitive. If you only knew you had ruined it for every other girl. If you only knew…how your every sigh, your every gesture, every time you touched me--replayed in my mind like a favorite verse in a broken record, taunting me to finally get to the chorus.

  “I’m not going to lie, Nikki. When you ran out of the room in the negligeé, I almost died. Red satin and a tiny touch of lace caressed your almost bare breast. The satin rounded your butt and accentuated every curve. I had to plead with myself, ‘don’t react, think of something horrible, don’t react.’ God you looked so beautiful. You said something and I had to have you repeat it--mesmerized by your sensuality. I knew you were stunning, but every ounce of me wanted to take you right there on the living room floor. ‘Don’t react.’ Oh my God was it difficult. It was hard enough for me to control my emotions when you were in jeans. You dressed like a Victoria Secret model in the room beside me was more than I could handle. I knew I had to somehow deny my feelings. You were Dylan’s girl.”

  He leaned over and gently put his hand through Nicole’s hair again. “I remember sitting on the couch with you until you were no longer quivering. I wished you could have stayed in my arms forever. Time had stopped and for a moment, you were mine. I feel safe with you

  Bradley. You’re such an amazing friend. Bradley kissed her forehead, reminding himself aloud, “friend, you are a friend. When you wake up, I’ll probably go back to being your friend Bradley, and that’ll be okay. That will be okay. I had to let you know how I feel Nikki, even if you don’t feel the same. I will always love you.”

  Chapter 5

  When I kissed you Nicole, you became a narcotic that I couldn’t get enough of.” ~Dylan Obsession and Sacrifice by Tiffany Carmouche

  *Dylan*

  Dylan sat in the hospital room. The weeks seemed like years as he watched her
fragile body struggling to stay alive. “I’m sorry Nicole, I’m so sorry for not being there.” Dylan took her hand in his, examining the bruises from the IV tracks she had running through the veins on each hand. There were lines and tubes everywhere. He glared at the monitor. That damn beep beep noise is driving me crazy. He watched as droplets made their way down the tube, like a rat in a maze. They dripped their way into her bloodstream, to give her nourishment. She just lay there.

  Multiple sensors stuck to her chest and upper body, connected to a monitor for her heart. Tracks ran from her arms and a mask gave her oxygen- – making her barely recognizable. Her beautiful face bruised. The lacerations that covered her body were finally scabbing over from where the monster had traced her skin with a blade.

  “My Nicole, why did this happen?” He watched as her chest gently lifted with every breath, proving she was still alive, but how much of the life inside her was just a machine doing its job.

  “Nicole, I don’t know if you can hear me. I will find him. I promise I’ll find him. He will pay for what he has done to you.” Disgusted at his absence, he stood up and walked to the window, glancing at the mountain range. “Where is he? Nicole, I don’t know where to begin.”

  Returning to her bedside, he watched her. “Even with all of these bruises you are still beautiful.”

  The core of his being felt void of life. When Steve stole her essence, he robbed Dylan of his as well. A sick feeling kept haunting him with guilt; “You needed me, and I wasn’t here.” How does the world go on? How do people go on with their lives?

  “Nicole, I’m stuck in this abyss of nothingness, hollow to emotions, and I’m beginning to feel it will destroy me. I don’t understand. Six months ago, a girl was just an object, nothing but a toy to amuse me until I got bored. My life was about me, my music, having fun, no consequences, no one to tie me down, and no one to care about.

  “I don’t understand it, Baby. I remember seeing you for the first time. You were one of the only girls that really didn’t know I existed, and maybe at first I liked you because you were such a challenge, but then something happened.” He gently brushed her hair, talking as if she could enjoy the memory with him.

  “I remember when I first realized something was wrong with me. I sat surrounded by half naked girls in the hot tub. They talked, flirting--a buzz, unimportant. You were behind the sliding glass door in the kitchen talking to Brad. You wore that light blue sweater. I watched you with that radiant smile and thought you were so adorable, the way you sat on the counter and dangled your legs. I couldn’t hear what you were saying. Captivating, like a silent movie, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Your expressive eyes lit up when you talked, and I felt so jealous that Brad was the one talking to you, not me. I tried thinking of reasons to join the conversation but sat there like an idiot.” Dylan put down the brush and sat down. He gently stroked the little bit of the skin on her hand, not covered with tubes, with his thumb. Leaning over her, he chuckled as if they were laughing together.

  “That same evening you ended up somehow falling on my lap. Do you remember that? My heart got all stupid and I had no idea what to say. When you looked into my eyes I went blank. I remember my palms getting sweaty and having this weird feeling in my stomach. That has never happened to me before. My mouth went dry and it took me a moment before I was able

  to escape your hypnotizing glance. You were so different from all the other girls I knew. You were so real.”

  He sat back in the chair admitting, “I tried to figure a way to ask you out. I loved seeing your face light up, so I sent you those anonymous stuffed animals. I memorized your every smile.”

  He picked up the little bear he’d bought at the hospital gift shop and a grin took over his face.

  “I remember glancing off the stage and catching you looking up at me. Our eyes met for just a moment, and I’d forget what I was playing and freeze for a second.

  Dylan leaned over and whispered in her ear. “When I kissed you Nicole,” he said, gently stroking her face, “you became a narcotic that I couldn’t get enough of. Each day with you just got better. I had never lasted more than a few days with anyone else. I can’t imagine living a day without you, Nicole. You have to survive, you can’t die.” He looked at her face, gently touching it and he rose. The conviction grew in his voice.

  “I have this vacant feeling, a numbness. You complete me, Nicole. I need you.”

  A balding male nurse, cleared his throat, “I’m sorry, sir. I have to take her down for a CAT scan and MRI. We’ll be back in about 45 minutes.” The nurse disconnected the heart sensors and plugged them into a portable machine, hooking her IV to a pole on the portable bed. As he rolled her out of the room, the machine continued to make that annoying beep beep. The door closed. Silence. Stillness. A loneliness consumed Dylan, a bitterness, a pain.

  Chapter 6

  *Male Nurse…*

  The man dressed in scrubs smirked as he rolled Nicole’s bed out of her hospital room. The bright white hallways were bustling with noise, decorated by people in scrubs and doctors in white jackets. It reminded him of when he had worked in a hospital many years before. His heart accentuated as he took each step toward the elevator at the end of the hall. As he got to the doorway, he saw his reflection in the glass and touched his face. He didn’t recognize me. Only a few feet away, and Dylan did not recognize me.

  The elevator doors opened. Crowded. Sardines. He just nodded, signaling that he would take another elevator. The next one arrived with a few people scattered inside. He had hoped for a vacant one; however, when he saw Dylan through the glass, making his way down the hallway, he quickly slipped in.

  By the time he got to the basement, the elevator was finally empty. He had already tampered with the cameras so he didn’t have to worry that he would be seen with her in the vacant hall. His heartbeat increased as he pushed her body to a place where they could be alone. It excited him that Dylan waited upstairs only floors away and he had Nicole all to himself.

  “My sweet Nicole.” He leaned over her body breathing in the scent of her hair. “You are finally all mine. I know you have missed me, my love.” He looked at the monitor hooked to the life support. “It would be so easy to take your life now, so easy to just stop this little machine. But that would be no fun. You are my muse, my love. I forgive you. I forgive you for leaving me. I know it was that Dylan. I know it was because of him. We will be together again my love, you, me and Jessica. We will be a family again. I will make that Dylan pay. We will do it together my love. We will make him suffer. Umm, my muse.”

  He pulled a pair of Nicole’s panties out of his pocket that he had stolen from the laundry basket when she had lived at his house. He brought them to his nose, breathing in as if her scent intoxicated him. “We will make them pay.” He took another whiff. “You will help me torture them, Nicole. Guarding your room like they own you. Who do they think they are? I want them to squirm. I want them to bleed. I want to show them agony before I let them die.” His fingers traced some of the scars on her body and his forehead began to sweat. All mine. He began unfastening his pants. “My Nicole, you would have been all mine. Yes…I will torture them for taking you away from me.” He raised her gown. “But here we are. Now you will finally…” He looked at her exposed crotch. A catheter?

  The echo of voices filled the hallway. Steve jolted around. He quickly pulled down her gown. Smelling her panties one more time, he whispered, “my muse.” His head twitched as he scoped the hallways. The people seemed to descend into the area.

  “It seems we are not alone,” he whispered into her ear. “We will have to come back later to play.” He regained composure and began rolling her back to the elevator, hoping to return her to her room before anyone realized she wasn’t scheduled for any test. “We will come back to play, I promise my love.”

  As he got to Nicole’s floor, he passed two w
omen approaching the reception desk.

  The sexy younger one snarled under her breath. “We’ve got to get Dylan out of this dreadful place.” He peeked at her. Very pretty but he wasn’t into blondes. The older one leaned over the counter, questioning the woman at the ICU reception desk.

  “We are here to see Nicole Carlisle.”

  Steve rolled Nicole back into the room; Dylan’s head was cradled in his hands. Steve loved to watch Dylan suffer. It gave him a sense of control, he stood a few feet away and Dylan had no clue it was he, dressed as a male nurse, who reconnected her machines. He could take Nicole any time he wanted. Content, he relished in his power.

  Dylan took her hand. Steve ground his teeth. Anger began to burn inside him. She is mine. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Patience, Steve,… be patient. He will pay. We will make him pay. Steve left the room but stayed close enough to spy on the new visitors. Who were they? Could he use them to his advantage?

  *Mrs. Richardson*

  “Nicole Carlisle?” the lady at the desk questioned.

  “My son, Dylan Richardson, is here with her. Nicole Carlisle.”

  The lady leaned over the counter and spoke softly. “You mean Jane Doe. She is registered under Jane Doe for her protection. She’s in room 223.”

  Sarah tossed her blonde hair and rolled her eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”