Next to Always: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Two

by A. L Long

  When they reached the room the bellhop slipped the key card into the slot and pushed the door open. The room was magnificent. It looked more like an apartment than a junior suite. Dylan could see that there was an adjoining door, which was already propped open. Rade handed the bellhop a bill, which looked to be a hundred, and sent him on his way.

  Rade led Dylan through the adjoining door and settled her bag on the settee at the foot of the bed.

  “Let me draw you a bath. It will help you relax,” Rade said as he moved in front of Dylan and kissed her gently on the forehead.

  “That sounds good,” Dylan said as she stood and watched him exit to the bathroom.

  So many things were going through Dylan’s mind as she looked out the window across the golf course. How could her life change in such a short period of time? How could so many bad things happen to one person? She was thankful that Rade was here with her and especially grateful that her dad was alive. One thing she couldn’t understand was how he could have fallen so far. She was under the assumption that because of his age and his recent testing, he was only allowed to work on the inside of the plant repairing the generators. When her father applied for the position, he was required to go through extensive testing to make sure they put him in the right position. He didn’t pass the test for the jobs that required a lot of climbing. Through the testing they found that he had height vertigo, which was triggered when his body was a certain distance from the ground.

  Rade stepped back into the room, letting Dylan know that her bath was ready. He could see that she was deep in thought. Standing beside her, he took her hand and lightly rubbed his thumb across her soft skin.

  “Your bath is ready, Sweetness.” Dylan pulled her hand away and turned towards the bathroom.

  “Dylan,” Rade said in a hushed voice as Dylan stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Your dad will make it through this.”

  “I know,” she softly replied

  Dylan slowly undressed and slipped into the water. Her body began to unfold as the stress from the day began to escape. Her body relaxed, but her mind was still wheeling. Seeing her dad the way she did caused the tears to start pouring out. All she could think about was how lost she would be without her dad. She had no one other than him. Sure, she had aunts and uncles she hadn’t seen since she was little. Her mom had two brothers and a sister. Shortly after her mom passed away, they stopped going to visit them. It was too hard on her dad. That and the fact that they lived so far away. Dylan could barely remember them anymore. If she were to pass them on the street, she would never be able to recognize them.

  Dylan had been lounging in the tub for nearly an hour when she heard a soft tap on the door.

  “Yes,” she said softly

  “Dylan, are you okay? I’ve ordered some food. I thought you might be hungry,” Rade said as he imagined how lovely Dylan looked in the tub with her body covered in bubbles.

  “I’ll be right out,” she said as she lifted the lever to drain the water.

  Dylan wasn’t sure where her mind was, but she somehow forgot to grab clothing to change into. Wrapping a towel around her body, she noticed that a hotel robe was hanging on the back of the door. She pulled the robe off of the hook and slipped it on. Opening the door, she could see that Rade was seated at a small table for two next to the window overlooking the golf course. Quietly she walked to the small table and sat down. Looking down, she could see a plate filled with fruit, eggs, bacon, and two slices of toast. In front of the plate was a glass filled to the rim with orange juice, along with a little blue pill.

  Holding up the pill, Dylan looked at Rade with confusion. “What is this for?”

  “I requested Dr. Chazan prescribe you something to help you sleep,” Rade said.

  “As exhausted as I am, I doubt I will need to take something to sleep,” Dylan said as she placed the pill down on the table.

  “It’s a small dosage, Dylan. It will help you relax.”

  Dylan took the small pill and popped it into her mouth, even though she was exhausted. She had heard that sometimes being over exhausted could prevent you from being able to sleep as well.

  Finishing her meal, at least a quarter of it, she decided to give rest a try. Placing her napkin on the table, she pushed herself from the table and stood. She didn’t want to be alone, but she was afraid to ask Rade to stay with her.

  Rade knew something was on her mind. “What’s the matter, Sweetness?”

  Trying to get the words out, Dylan mumbled. “I wanted to know… I mean could you… would you…?”

  “Just tell me what you want,” Rade began standing as Dylan finally said, “Would you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

  Rade couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He would give anything to be near to her again. “You don’t need to ask, Sweetness. I would do anything for you.”

  Rade and Dylan walked back to her room, where a king-size bed was waiting for them. Rade pulled the covers back. Dylan was about to drop her robe when she realized she didn’t have anything on underneath.

  “Um… can you please turn around?” Dylan said shyly as she grabbed the two ends of her robe.

  Doing as she requested, Rade turned his body slightly so that he was facing the wall at the head of the bed. Comfortable that she was out of Rade’s line of sight, Dylan walked to the end of the bed and lowered her robe. One thing that Dylan didn’t take into account were the small mirrored table lamps, which allowed Rade to get a perfect view of Dylan’s beautiful body. Never in his dreams did he think he would ever see her fully naked again. Smiling, he watched as she pulled a t-shirt and a pair of pick lacy panties from the bag. Just as he thought things couldn’t get much better, she bent over to pick up the discarded robe and walked behind him to the bathroom. If she only knew the effect she was having on him.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Dylan returned to the bedroom to see that Rade had removed his shoes. The covers had been pulled back on the side where Rade now stood. Walking over to Rade, Dylan slipped beneath the covers and watched as Rade rounded the bed to the other side. Rade knew that if he slid underneath the covers with Dylan, she would certainly feel his arousal as he held her in his arms. Opting not to take any chances, Rade slid his body close to her on top of the covers. Pulling her close to him, he lightly kissed the top of her head as he felt her melt into him. She must have been extremely exhausted, or else the little blue pill was beginning to take effect, because before he knew it he could hear the soft breaths she took. Unaware of his own exhaustion, Rade also slipped into a deep sleep.

  It was three o’clock by the time Rade woke. Dylan was still restfully sleeping. Rade slowly moved away from Dylan, careful not to wake her. As much as he wanted to remain like this forever, he knew that he needed to take care of some things. With Dylan asleep, it was the perfect time for him to do just that.

  “Richard, I wanted to give you an update. Looks like Dylan’s dad fell at work. Doesn’t appear to be intentional. Just an accident. Any word yet from Peter?” Rade asked.

  “Not yet, sir. Last I heard Mr. Stewart hasn’t left the island. Peter should be checking in soon. I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything,” Richard said as he looked at his watch.

  “How about our other problem, anything new there?” Rade was concerned about finding the man and his associate who planned the assault on Dylan. Not hearing anything was making him lose his patience.

  “Dane and his security are working on that. There were a couple of members who remembered seeing Dylan being led to the basement. They said it was odd, since most of the activities were either in the arena area or in the private rooms. Another thing they found odd was a gentleman with dark hair and a medium build followed them shortly after. Dane is looking at all the camera footage hoping at least one of the cameras caught a glimpse of the unknown man.”

  “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that those cameras caught something. If we could get even a hint of the man’s face we could at least get a 3D mod
el to reconstruct what the man may look like. Stay on it and let me know.” Rade knew the technology to identify someone with only a partial picture was out there and he knew the man who had access to that technology. Chris, whom he hired a little over a year ago, would be able to get him what he needed. Although he only worked in the IT department, his talents went way beyond that.

  Rade finished his call with Richard and walked over to the mini bar. He poured himself a healthy portion of whiskey. It was close to four o’clock and Dylan was still resting. He knew she would be angry with him if he allowed her to sleep any longer. Placing his empty glass on the coffee table, he headed to her room. Once inside, he could see that she was no longer sleeping. Stepping to the bathroom, he could hear the water running from the shower. Opening the door a crack, he peeked in the room.

  “Dylan, I’m going to order us something to eat. Is there anything special you would like?” Rade would have loved to see Dylan fully naked. He knew that he needed to approach his second chance with her, with care. The last thing he wanted was for her to be angry with him for invading her privacy.

  Dylan turned her body slightly so that she was facing the door. She could see that Rade had only opened the door wide enough to be assured she would hear him. “It doesn’t matter. I can eat anything right now.”

  Rade smiled, thinking how he would love the feel of her month on his shaft. “I’ll order room service then.”

  Rade closed the door and left Dylan to her shower. Walking over to the phone to call room service, he noticed that the red light was illuminated, signaling that someone had left a message. Nobody had the contact information for them other than the hospital and Richard. Surely Richard wouldn’t have called and left a message on the hotel phone. Punching the button on the phone, Rade listened to the message.

  “Ms. Adams, this is Dr. Chazan. Please contact me as soon as possible. Your father’s health has taken a turn. We were able to stabilize him. We need to discuss some options for your father’s care. Hope to hear from you soon.”

  When Rade heard the message, he went immediately to Dylan’s room. He was thankful that she was already out of the shower and dressed.

  “Dylan, we need to get to the hospital. Dr. Chazan called and left a message regarding your father. We need to leave now.” Rade walked over to Dylan, taking her by the hand as he led her out of the suite.

  The ride to the hospital was silent. Rade had no words to express which would possibly make Dylan feel better. After he told her the news the doctor left, she literally crumbled to the floor. The only thing he could do was hold her. He pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm around her as her head fell on his shoulder. Rade could feel the wetness of her tears as they began soaking his thin shirt. He wished he had the power to take away her pain.

  “It will be okay, Dylan. Your father is in good hands,” Rade said as he tried to convince not only Dylan, but himself as well.

  By the time they arrived at the hospital the light rain had turned into an unforgiving downpour. Rade held his jacket above them as they hurried to the entrance doors. They stood in front of the elevators for what seemed like an eternity before the doors finally opened. Moments later they were escorted into a small room, awaiting the arrival of the doctor.

  The doctor appeared at the door a few moments later. “I’m sorry for the hastiness in my message,” he stated as he took a seat. “Your father ran into some complications. With the amount of pressure on his brain and the blood clots, he unfortunately had a stroke. We need to decide how to proceed. We have been able to extract most of the fluid in his brain. I think we should proceed with the surgery. Even though his chance for survival are better than when he arrived, they are still not where we would like them to be. But if we don’t proceed, there is a chance he could have another stroke. I know this is an important decision. I will leave you to think about what you want to do.”

  Dylan looked up at Rade, “What do I do, Rade? I can’t let my dad die.”

  Rade took a seat next to Dylan. Seeing her in such pain was almost unbearable for him. “Sweetness, I think you know in your heart what needs to be done.”

  With her head hung low, Dylan knew one thing for sure. “I need to be with my dad.”

  Rade and Dylan walked out of the small room and to her dad’s room. Rade slid the glass door open. Dylan turned to Rade and sadly stated, “I’d like to spend a few moments alone with my dad.”

  Rade gently squeezed Dylan’s hand as he nodded. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be right outside if you need me.

  Dylan watched as Rade left the room and slid the glass door shut. When the door was securely shut, she walked towards her dad’s bed and took a seat in the chair closest to his bed. Taking his hand into hers, she began crying. “If you can hear me at all, Daddy, I need you to stay strong. There’s so much I want to share with you. Who will walk me down the aisle when I get married? You need to stay strong so you can spoil the abundance of grandchildren you’re going to have. Oh my God, Daddy, you haven’t even met Rade.” The tears were falling harder as Dylan whispered, “I’m in love with him, Daddy. It’s crazy how much I care for this man. I think you’ll like him… oh God, please be okay. I love you so much. Don’t leave me.”

  The minute she said those words, the monitors began going crazy. It wasn’t long until a nurse and the doctor stepped into the room. Her dad’s blood pressure was skyrocketing to dangerous heights. Dylan barely had enough time to get out of their way so they could work on him. She could see the concern on the doctor’s face as he began rattling to the nurse to inject medication into her dad’s IV. As the medication slowly got into his system, his blood pressure began to stabilize. The doctor turned to Dylan. “Ms. Adams, you need to make a decision. The longer you wait, the riskier it will be for your father.”

  Dylan looked straight into the doctor’s eyes. She could see his concern for her dad. The look in his eyes told her what she needed to do. “Give him the surgery.”

  Her words echoed in the room as the medical team began repositioning his wires and tubes so he could be safely wheeled out of the room to surgery. As they were wheeling him out, Dylan caught a glimpse of Rade’s face. Even though he tried to keep a strong face, she knew her father’s health was affecting him as much, if not more, than her.

  *****

  Hours passed with no word on how her dad was doing. Waiting and not knowing how he was doing was the worst kind of torture she had ever experienced. Five coffees later, the door heading to the OR finally opened. Rade and Dylan both stood up as Dr. Chazan approached them.

  “It was a long hard struggle for your dad… but he made it through the surgery. Only time will tell what impact the fall actually had on his brain. We will know more once he reaches consciousness. It could be a couple of days or it could be a couple weeks or even months. His body will let him know when he is ready to wake up.”

  Dylan lost it. “Thank you so much,” she said as she hugged the doctor. “When can we see him?”

  “He’s still in recovery, but should be back in his room shortly. I will have Rebecca get you when you can see him,” The doctor turned and headed back through the doors.

  Dylan took a deep breath of relief. Even though she knew her dad wasn’t out of the woods yet, she was thankful that the surgery was over and he was alive. She looked to the ceiling, as if to thank God for answering her prayers. Rade stepped behind Dylan, placing his hands on her shoulders. Gently willing her to face him, he slightly bent his knees so that they were face to face.

  Smiling, he said, “Are you okay?”

  Dylan smiled back at him. “Yeah.”

  Taking her in his arms, he affectionately placed a soft kiss on her lips. He too was relieved that her dad made it through the surgery. The way his heart ached for her was indescribable. How could the fate of one man bring his feelings to light?

  The nurse walked up to Rade and Dylan. Clearing her throat, she said, “Um… excuse me, but Mr. Adams is back in his room if yo
u would like to see him.”

  Dylan could see that the nurse was a little flushed. I guess our PDA must have embarrassed her. Rade grabbed Dylan’s hand and moved toward the elevator. The elevator doors opened and several hospital staff exited the car. Entering the elevator, Rade pulled Dylan close to him as they rode in silence. His thoughts should have been on her dad, but the only thing he could think about was how much he wanted her. His only control was that they were in a hospital. Had it been anywhere else he would have pushed the stop button on the panel and taken her then and there. Just thinking about holding her against the wall with her legs wrapped around him while deep inside her caused his cock to pulse. He needed to think of something else. The last thing he needed was to have a full erection while inside a hospital elevator. His mind began to focus on little old ladies pushing walkers. Yep, that did it.

  No words could express the look on Dylan’s face as they entered her dad’s hospital room. There was more equipment in his room than before. Dylan had a hard time getting close to him because of all the equipment. Looking back at Rade, she began shedding tears. It was overwhelming for her to see him with wires attached to him. A nurse walked into the room and also noticed the concerned look on Dylan’s face.

  “I know it is a little overwhelming, but the equipment is here to monitor his vitals. Once he has stabilized, most of the equipment will be removed,” the nurse said as she checked his fluids.

  Rade looked down at Dylan as the nurse left. “He’s in good hands, Sweetness. Just remember that.”

  “I know, it’s just really hard seeing him like this,” Dylan said as she swiped a tear off her cheek.

  *****

  Days and nights ran together as Dylan waited for her father to wake up. She spent her time reading the daily news while Rade spent his time working on his laptop. Most of their meals were spent either at a small deli near the hospital or in her dad’s room. Rade, of course, refused to eat the hospital food, so he had all the meals brought in.