Beautiful Dreamer

by Melissa Brayden

  “Does this mean you’re taking her?”

  “Oh,” Elizabeth said, caught. She’d stopped at the shelter on a whim. To make sure the dog was okay. She looked down into the big brown eyes that blinked back at her, and relented. No, that wasn’t true. Greta was right. Something had pulled at her, made her stop. But that didn’t mean she was instantly equipped for a pet. “I’m not sure about that. I’m…a little confused on what I should do here. Today was very unexpected, and I’m tired and emotional and—”

  “Why don’t you take her for the night?” Greta offered, gently. “You could both use a little rest, I think. Maybe in the morning, you’ll have a stronger grasp on where your head is at.”

  “I could do that? Borrow a dog?”

  “Sure. I’ll fill out the paperwork for a foster.” There was a sparkle in Greta’s eye as she said it. Yep. She was playing matchmaker, which was what she did best. “Just need you to sign it on your way out the door. I’ll handle the rest.”

  “Okay.” The word was out before Elizabeth had considered it. But honestly, one night wasn’t going to hurt anybody. Greta passed her a leash from the wall and Elizabeth slipped the loop around the dog’s neck. “Wanna get out of here with me?” she whispered. The thumping of the dog’s tail against her leg was a good enough answer.

  “What should we call her?” Greta asked, opening the door for them.

  Elizabeth had no clue. She was already so far ahead of herself. She stared at the happy dog, now turning in slow circles in the hallway, anticipating her freedom. She was getting sprung and knew it.

  “What about Scout?” Elizabeth asked. “Not only one of my favorite literary characters, but also? That’s kind of what she did for us today.”

  “Looks like a Scout to me,” Greta said.

  Scout shook her entire back end in agreement and smiled once more. It was the most peculiar thing, the smiling. She’d never seen a dog do that before.

  They followed Greta back to the office, where she loaded Elizabeth up with tons of temporary supplies. Food, bowls, toys, and a blanket. “Call me with questions and we’ll see where your head is at tomorrow. Sound good?”

  Elizabeth realized she was a crazy person with no business taking a dog home in the middle of the night on an emotion-fueled whim, but that was apparently who she was now, a lunatic. “Um…sure. Sounds good.”

  Greta put her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. “You’re going to be fine.”

  Just twenty minutes later, she wasn’t sure she would be. There was an actual dog in her bedroom. With her. She loved dogs. Adored them, but had never had one of her own before. She changed into her pajamas. Scout still stared. “Should we get some sleep?” she asked.

  She fluffed the blanket she’d earlier folded into a fluffy square beside her bed. Scout eyed it and whined quietly, not moving. “It’s really comfy. Why don’t you give it a shot?”

  Elizabeth pulled back the comforter for herself and slipped into bed. She hesitated before turning off the light, hoping Scout would settle in. The dog blinked but still didn’t move. “No?” she asked, looking around for ideas. Anything to make Scout feel more comfortable, so maybe she’d curl up and they could both get some much-needed sleep. She didn’t get very far, because Scout approached the bed tentatively and pawed at the side. She was asking permission, Elizabeth realized, and her heart was gone. Given in earnest to the four-legged white ball of love that wanted to sleep next to her.

  She scooted back from the side of the bed, leaving a space, and patted the spot next to her. Without delay, Scout jumped up on the bed, stretched out alongside Elizabeth, and let out a long-contented sigh. “Okay. So, it’s going to be like that? You like people, and you’re a cuddler. I’m learning you.”

  They stayed like that, snuggled up and warm, until Elizabeth felt her eyes grow heavy. She did her best to release the stressful events of the last twenty-four hours. She found it easier to do so with Scout there with her. She gave the dog the smallest squeeze and kissed her head.

  “I think you might be home,” Elizabeth whispered, and felt herself drift into peaceful oblivion.

  Chapter Six

  This was too difficult to wrap her mind around. Devyn squeezed her eyes closed and opened them again, desperately hoping that the image in front of her would shift from the crumpled person in the bed with tubes and monitors coming off her from several locations. It didn’t. She bit the inside of her cheek and blinked.

  Jill didn’t look like herself, and the horror shook Devyn into an emotional puddle. Her sister’s face was swollen and red and purple, as were her hands, which looked a little too big. Devyn picked one up and held it to her chest, listening to the beep, beep, beep of the nearby monitor while fear vibrated off every inch of her. Her older sister, always so calm and happy, in control of any situation, now lay lifeless and battered in the dim light of an intensive care hospital room. It seemed so impossible, yet here they were. The unthinkable had happened. The hospital staff had told her Jill wouldn’t wake up until probably the next day. They’d sedated her, which would allow her injuries to heal, while they assessed if there’d been any major trauma to her head.

  A few hours later, the imaging showed that, thank God, there hadn’t been. At least that was what the doctor, KC’s husband, had explained as he’d gone over the large volume of scans in way too much detail for her brain to follow. She’d looked around for Elizabeth to help her translate, but she’d given Devyn some space to spend time with her sister and had gone home for the night.

  Bottom line, Jill was in bad shape, but she would heal.

  Her wrist was sprained, and three of her ribs were broken. Her body was marred with cuts and bruises in various spots. However, her left leg and hip had taken the brunt of the trauma. She would need surgery the next day and pins and screws and many months of rehabilitation to be mobile again, and even with all of that, she might never regain full function on that side. Devyn anxiously tapped her foot. She didn’t like what that would mean for Jill, a very active elementary school teacher who spent most of her days up and around the classroom, and she liked to go for jogs on the weekends. Devyn moved about the room overnight, walking the darkened space, and decided those kinds of details could wait. Right now it was about getting her sister through these next few days as comfortably as possible. She’d very seriously considered having her moved to Philadelphia, to one of the top hospitals in the country, but Jill would hate the idea of being moved out of the Bay. For reasons Devyn didn’t share, she felt bonded to the slow-paced little town and loved it there.

  She’d been at her sister’s bedside for only a handful of hours that morning when the first floral delivery arrived, followed by an additional arrangement, balloon bundle, or stuffed animal every hour or so. The deliveries were unending, and the back table of the nurses’ station where they were stored overflowed. Word must have spread fast throughout town, but then that’s how it had always been. Jill was loved by so many that of course her friends and neighbors would show their love in the face of such an awful accident. The sentiment was nice, but the space was small. Devyn distantly wondered where they’d put all the stuff.

  As the day moved forward, she couldn’t go over the details of the accident anymore. They haunted her and left her feeling helpless. To counterbalance the grim thoughts, she checked her phone for any bites on the property she’d listed just three days before, a penthouse in one of the most sought-after buildings in downtown Philly. With a private outdoor space most would kill for, she knew it wouldn’t last on the market for long.

  Just as she would have predicted, she had a nibble from a potential buyer she’d shown the place to just days before. The agent wanted her to call him. Somehow, she had to get herself together enough to sound like a human on the other end of the phone, a successful one who couldn’t be fucked with when it came to negotiating. She didn’t feel like that person at all in the present moment.

  “Knock, knock,” a voice said from across the room, in place
of actual knocking.

  Devyn glanced up to see Elizabeth entering, carrying a small basket. She was in a new set of clothes, slim-fitting jeans and a green Henley, and looked brighter, refreshed. A shower and some food will do that. Her hair was pulled partially back and fell from the clip a little to frame her face. Light brown with highlights of blond and what appeared to be shades of strawberry mixed in, a most intriguing and beautiful color combination. It was too intricate to be anything but natural.

  “Hi,” Devyn said, standing politely and smiling. She held up one finger and, with the phone to her ear, tried to make it clear that she was engaged in a call.

  “I hope this isn’t a bad time,” Elizabeth whispered, and looked over at Jill.

  Devyn watched as the image of her sister, battered in that bed, took hold of Elizabeth. She knew the feeling and almost forgot herself on the call. “Jared? No. No, I’m here. I hear you have an offer for me on Eighteen Park.”

  Elizabeth opened her mouth and closed it again. While Devyn worked on Jared to come in with a thirty-day close, Elizabeth quietly made her way to Jill’s bedside and took her hand. Devyn swallowed at the caring gesture. Jared promised to see what he could do, and she clicked off the call. With a hand on her hip, she studied Elizabeth.

  “You look like a person again.”

  “Yeah, I got a few hours, but thought I’d head back up here. See how things were.”

  “I was thinking overnight about how quickly you came in and took control yesterday. If you hadn’t done that…” Devyn realized there were tears in her eyes, but then there had been constantly for the past forty-eight hours. She couldn’t stop them.

  “She’s okay, though.” Elizabeth’s arms were around Devyn’s neck immediately. “Sorry. I just have this thing about people crying in my presence. I can’t not hug them.” She’d said it with an enthusiasm that Devyn was beginning to understand was her default. She’d not seen it while Jill was missing, but she vaguely remembered the exuberance from high school. She was someone who worked to bring cheer into almost every room. Those kind of people generally exhausted Devyn.

  “It’s okay,” Devyn said, with Elizabeth pressed up against her. She let her hands rest on Elizabeth’s waist lightly.

  “She’s here and she’s safe. Keep telling yourself that.” She couldn’t see Elizabeth’s face, but Devyn had a feeling she was smiling.

  Devyn nodded as the tears flowed freely, landing in a smudged circle on Elizabeth’s green shirt. The warmth and steady feel of her body in Devyn’s arms was like a much-needed anchor. Cheerful or not, she didn’t want to let go of Elizabeth. Yet, after the weighted moment passed, she forced herself to.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Devyn said, and absently smoothed her jeans. “I’m apparently getting used to you comforting me.”

  “Stop that. It’s okay to be emotional.”

  “I know.” Devyn wiped her face and stared at the ceiling. “If there’s a time to cry, this is probably it. Still. Not like me.”

  “That’s okay, too,” Elizabeth said, as Devyn put some space between them. “You can’t be a badass all the time. No one can. And I was happy I was able to help with the search. It’s kind of what I do. I’m basically a professional when it comes to chairing committees. I’m a people person.”

  “That part I remember about you.”

  Elizabeth began ticking off one finger at a time. “Student council, Spanish club, Neighborhood Outreach, Big Sisters, and prom committee. Not to mention the yearly food drive. That was me in high school.”

  Devyn smiled. “All of that while my friends and I were learning to do back handsprings, hanging out in the sand pit on the beach, listening to music, and drinking cheap wine. I think your time might have been better spent.”

  “I don’t know about that. You guys were out living life. It’s a little embarrassing, my mundane résumé.”

  “Well, I, for one, am grateful for it. Did you do a magic show at some point, or am I making that up?”

  “Sixth-grade talent show. I was Electrifying Elizabeth.”

  “Oh, wow. You were. I remember now.” A pause. “You weren’t bad, but your costume—”

  “Was a bit much.” She nodded. “I made it myself out of found fabric and glitter and newspaper. Not a lot of help on the parental side of things. My dad worked a lot.”

  “It served its purpose.” Devyn made sure not to share the less-than-kind things she and her friends had had to say about the costume.

  “And I won third place in the talent show, so I chalk that up to a win.”

  They exchanged what could only be categorized as a small but important smile. The occasion didn’t allow for much more. “Anyway, it’s very nice of you to come by.” Devyn ran a hand through what had to be disheveled hair, but this woman wasn’t here for her anyway, so why should she care?

  Elizabeth stared at her. “Are you trying to toss me out?”

  “Of course not,” Devyn said.

  “I’m here to relieve you for a bit. You need to take a little break. Eat something. Rest. Shower. I thought I’d come up and sit with Jill.”

  “No, that’s not—”

  But Elizabeth was still talking. “I know it’s technically against the rules. Family only, but I talked to Jimbo at the nurses’ station, and he said they’d turn a blind eye since you seem to be on your own.”

  “Jimbo?”

  Elizabeth gestured behind her. “Charge nurse. We’re on the same bowling team. Oh.” She glanced at the basket she’d set next to her chair and thrust it forward, walking it to Devyn. “I almost forgot. This is for you. I brought it with me just in case you were still here, and you are.”

  “Oh, you didn’t have to go out of your—”

  Still no pause. “There are some baby wipes, and hair ties, and snacks both savory and sweet, and a couple of crossword puzzle books, and a Cosmo.” She shrugged. “I had to guess about the Cosmo, but you seem, in many ways,” she paused, “well, glamorous. Other than that, just about everything you’d need to survive time with a loved one in a hospital.”

  “Wow.” Devyn glanced through the basket, surprised by all the little details Elizabeth had thought of. “You’ve done this before. Is there a hospital committee? There is, isn’t there?”

  Elizabeth’s eyes went wide. “No, but there should be. That’s a great idea. I should write that down.” She gestured to Jill. “Do you mind if I sit with her and—”

  “No. Go ahead.” Elizabeth took a seat in the chair next to Jill’s bed and left Devyn to her own thoughts.

  Spending time with Elizabeth reminded her that she really didn’t know much about Jill’s world in Dreamer’s Bay. That hurt, but it was all on her. She had a way of getting caught up in the hurricane of downtown Philadelphia and her adrenaline-laced job. She would ask Jill more about her day-to-day life, who her friends were, what she did on a Tuesday night. In the past, most of their phone calls and texts were quick check-ins, or worse, calls from Jill that she never got around to returning. She deeply regretted that now. In fact, the thought brought on near-physical pain. Fuck. She’d almost lost her sister, for God’s sake, and she wouldn’t take her for granted again.

  The writing on the wall was clear. This was her second chance.

  Across the room, she heard Elizabeth begin to speak quietly to her sister. “Oh no, Jilly.” Elizabeth sighed. “This isn’t fair at all. I’m so sorry this happened to you, but I want to say this. Don’t you worry about a thing. Do you hear me? You’re going to get better and be back to your old self in no time. We’re all going to rally together and make sure of it.” Elizabeth nodded enthusiastically. “Everyone is thinking about you and pulling for you. Understand? Your sister is here, too, and she made sure we found you. You would have been so proud of her.” Devyn bowed her head at the words. Elizabeth made her feel a little less alone in all of this. That was for sure. “All the folks in town send their love, which is why the nurses’ station looks like an out-of-control flower shop on mus
hrooms right now. Not that you’ve ever done mushrooms. I honestly don’t know if you have, but I feel like you understand what I mean.”

  Devyn’s phone began to vibrate. A glance told her it was Jared, the agent with an offer for her. In this moment, she didn’t care, and slid it back into her pocket.

  That was certainly new.

  The tender moment at Jill’s bedside squeezed her heart, which was also new. In addition, it made her slightly nervous, reminding her that she was an outsider in the quiet moment, just like she was an outsider in this town. At least nowadays. It didn’t feel like hers anymore, but then it never really had. She reflected on the teenager she’d been the last time she’d spent any real time in the Bay: lost, confused, stifled, but refusing to let on. She was none of those things now, but she was still a visitor. She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m going to grab another cup of coffee from the shop in the lobby. I’m practically mainlining the stuff. Can I get you anything? Cookie? Candy bar? A new committee?”

  Elizabeth smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and that was when it struck Devyn that she’d really blossomed since high school. Not that she’d been unattractive, but now? Yeah, very pretty. “I’m okay. Thank you, though. I’ll sit with Jill while you’re away. We’ll chill together. Maybe I’ll even perform a magic trick or two,” she said proudly.

  “I appreciate that. And pull as many rabbits out of a hat as you can. We could use a little magic.” With a final nod, Devyn left the room feeling overwhelmed and not at all like herself. These were the moments in her life, the difficult ones, when she turned to Jill for comfort and advice. Jill was her soft place to land and always knew exactly what to do. It was up to her now to figure all that out on her own. And she would. Somehow.

  * * *

  “So, here’s the deal,” Devyn said, as she juggled the phone and the car door handle at the same time. She squeezed herself out of the ridiculous Spark and passed it a glare just because she thrived on their adversarial relationship. “I got my client down to ten point five million, but he’s not going a cent lower. This is a steal for skyline views and we both know it. Best and final, Greg.”