Beautiful Dreamer
Beautiful Dreamer Copyright © 2015, Lacey Thorn
Also Available from Lacey Thorn
Beautiful Dreamer
By Lacey Thorn
Beautiful Dreamer
Copyright © 2015, Lacey Thorn
Edited by Michele Paulin for RP Indie
Cover Art by Those Girls Designs
Formatting by RP Indie
Published by Lacey Thorn Publishing
PO Box 924
Peru, In 46970
Electronic format ISBN: 978-0-9963032-1-7
Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Electronic Release:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.
Beautiful Dreamer by Lacey Thorn (Previously released as part of the Seduction at Midnight Boxed Set and loosely connected to the Knight’s Watch Series)
Two weeks ago, Chase Riley and her best friend were kidnapped, severely beaten and left for dead. Chase was the lone survivor but has been in a coma since she was found. The police, led by her ex-boyfriend, Detective Phillip Wade, still have no idea what happened.
When Phillip gets the call that his sleeping beauty is finally awake, he rushes to her side. There’s just one little problem. Chase doesn’t recall that fateful night, and doctors aren’t certain if she’ll ever remember. The woman before him is nothing like the laughing jokester Phillip once fell for. This woman is quiet, cautious and afraid.
Lines are crossed from the first moment he holds her in his arms and promises everything will be okay. She doesn’t remember their friendly breakup over his inflexible schedule or her uncertainty about marriage and the stress and pressure of being a cop’s wife.
He’s not the only one watching and waiting to see if she’ll remember. There’s someone else with plans to make sure Chase goes back to sleep—permanently.
This one goes out to the lovely and talented authors who invited me to take part in the Seduction at Midnight Anthology where Beautiful Dreamer first came out! Thank you so much: Laurie Roma, Susan Hayes, Jenika Snow, Erika Reed, Kali Argent, and Catalina Harper.
Chapter One
Detective Phillip Wade sat at his desk, drumming his pen against the edge as he listened to the drone of the other detectives around him. He was more than ready to call it a night. He wanted to head back to the hospital and check in on Chase before he went home. He still couldn’t shake the anger that filled him when he recalled the phone call that had sent him tearing across town to the hospital or the evidence of the brutal attack on Chase’s body. Miraculously, she’d survived.
He’d been in love with Chase Riley for the last year and had proposed to her a few weeks before the assault. Now, he wished he hadn’t. Maybe, if he hadn’t pushed to take things to the next level, she would still be with him. She definitely would have been with him the night she and her best friend Jocelyn had been attacked and left for dead. Chase alone had survived the attack but remained in a coma, unaware her best friend was gone. His whole life had hit pause as he waited for her to wake up.
The irony didn’t escape him. Chase had broken things off with him, not because she didn’t love him but because she was afraid she couldn’t handle the long-term stress of being a cop’s wife. She’d feared the constant worry for his safety would eventually drive them apart. He knew it had more to do with the two officers who had been killed the week before he’d proposed than it had to do with him. The event had made him want to move forward but had made Chase want to take a giant step back.
He understood her fear now more than ever. His heart had stopped when he’d seen her in the hospital, black and blue, marred with cuts and scrapes, with wires and tubes running from her body to the machines surrounding her.
The doctor called Chase lucky. No broken bones despite the beating she’d obviously taken. Her body still functioned without the use of machines. The doctor explained the coma as her body’s way of dealing with the trauma she’d been through. They would watch Chase and let her body heal on its own schedule, unless medical intervention was necessary. After the first few days, the doctor had taken Phillip aside and explained in more detail.
“Basically, Ms. Riley is resting. There’s no medical reason why she shouldn’t wake up on her own. Her body is strong and resilient. Physically, she’s well on the way to recovery. Honestly, other than some IV fluids for hydration, she doesn’t need much. I suggest we give her time. I firmly believe she’ll wake up when she’s ready.”
So, all Phillip could do was wait. He’d spent every evening over the past two weeks sitting in her hospital room. Most nights, he talked to her, about family, friends or funny things that happened at work. Some nights, he read to her, feeling a little foolish when the nurses walked in and he was reading a romance novel from the stack Chase had left at their apartment. Then there were the nights he sat quietly by her bed, holding her hand and silently praying she’d come back to him. Even if she walked away again.
He stayed until the night nurse urged him to head home and get some sleep, always promising she’d watch over Chase for him. Every night, he forced himself to leave. He brushed his fingers down Chase’s cheek and kissed her softly on the lips. The nurses had taken to calling her his sleeping beauty and assured him one night she’d wake up from his kiss. He didn’t care if it was his kiss or not. He just wanted Chase to open those gorgeous green eyes of hers and smile at him. He needed to know what had happened and who had done this to Chase and Jocelyn. He planned to make sure that person paid.
“Wade. Wade!”
Phillip jerked his head and blinked at his partner, Detective Burt Gibbons. Burt shook his head in frustration.
“I’m talking to myself again,” Burt said.
Phillip sighed, dropping the pen to his desk to run his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” Burt assured him. “Why don’t you head on over to the hospital?”
“I’ve still got some paperwork to finish up.”
“I’ve got it,” Burt assured him. “Go on. Tell Chase we’re all rooting for her.”
“Thanks. I owe you.”
“I’ll remind you when I need a babysitter,” Burt said with a laugh.
Phillip stood and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. Chicago in February was a bitch—cold, icy and unpredictable. He pulled on his gloves as he headed out the door of the bullpen and down the stairs. Burt was the only one who knew Chase wasn’t his girlfriend any longer. The whole department had rallied around Phillip, wanting to find who’d dared to touch one of their own, and she was one of them. Phillip hadn’t given up hope that she’d realize how much they loved each other and come back to him. He still held onto that optimism.
As it was, one of the guys was always at the hospital, watching over Chase to make sure whoever had attacked her didn’t come back to finish the job. When they’d heard about what had happened, even officers he didn’t know had stepped up and offered assistance. Burt was the one who set up shifts to guard Chase at the hospital.
Phillip had taken a couple days leave when she’d been found, but once the doctor had said he wasn’t sure when she’d wake up, Phillip had gone back to work. He had put in a request for unpaid leave so he could stay with Chase but had to wait since one of the other detectives was already off. Besides, Chase would need him more when she woke up. Phillip just had to make it through to the end of the week when his extended leave would begin. Then he’d spend every minute with Chase. The hospital wasn’t where he wanted to spend every day, but that was exactly what he planned to do—with Chase.
He scraped the windows of his truck while it heated up and the defroster kicked on. Usually, he’d be lazy enough to sit in the cab and wait, but these days, he was always in a hurry. His breath was still visible inside the truck when he pulled out and merged with traffic. The hospital wasn’t far from the station, and he knew from experience the truck would be nearly warm when he parked again.
None of it mattered. The important thing was reaching Chase. The need to see her and assure himself she was still there had his heartbeat accelerating in his chest. Fear was a dark companion, whispering in Phillip’s ear that she would never wake up, that he would never hear the sound of her voice again. He shoved it aside, reminding himself of the doctor’s assurance she was sleeping and would wake when she was ready.
Please, God, let it be soon
.
“Good evening, Detective.”
He nodded in greeting as he entered the hospital, clutching a large manila envelope in his hand. Same faces most nights, and he greeted them all in turn as he made his way to the elevator and up to the floor Chase was on.
“Hey, Detective Wade.” The rookie at the door stood and greeted Phillip as he approached her room.
“Hey, Peterson,” Phillip replied, thankful he could recall the kid’s name with how tired he was. He was really burning the candle at both ends. He only had one more week until his leave started, but as it was only Monday, it would be a long one. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me.”
“No problem, sir. I hope we catch the son of a bitch who did this to your lady.”
“Thanks,” Phillip said. “Me, too.”
“I’ll take my break now,” Peterson said.
“You’re not planning to stay all night, are you?”
“Nah, I’m only here until midnight. One of the others takes over then.”
“I appreciate you guys doing this for me. If there’s ever anything you need…” He let the sentiment trickle off as Peterson shook his head.
“We all know you’d do the same for any one of us, sir.”
Phillip nodded in agreement. He would, especially now.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” Peterson said and turned to walk away. Phillip watched the young cop work his way to the elevator, exchanging greetings as he went.
Phillip was lucky to have so many people around him willing to step in and help. Some did it because he had a badge. Others because they hoped to call in a favor from him later. Most, fortunately, because they wanted to. Sticking together in tough times was what the brotherhood in blue did.
He pushed open the door and immediately zeroed in on the still figure in the bed. When would his sleeping beauty open her eyes?
“Well, hey there, Prince Charming.” LaTisha Jones, the night nurse, greeted him with a smile as he stepped into Chase’s room. “You’re off early tonight. They get tired of seeing you moping around down at the station?”
Phillip smiled at her. “I don’t mope.”
“Not when you’re in here. Heaven knows, if I had a man who cherished me the way you do Ms. Riley, I’d be racing to get home every night.”
“Say the word,” Phillip offered. “I’ll whisk you away from all this and keep you as my own private nurse.”
LaTisha giggled as she always did and patted his shoulder playfully as she headed out of the room. She was, by far, his favorite of all the nurses he’d met since Chase had been here. LaTisha was in her late fifties, a widow with three grown boys who unfortunately were all over the world and didn’t seem to make it back to visit often. Phillip had the impression she lingered at the hospital to avoid going home alone. He knew how that felt. Lately, he’d been doing the same thing.
He’d gotten to know her pretty well over the last few weeks. LaTisha liked to chat while she moved around the room taking care of Chase. It was in his nature to listen and ask questions. So, over the past few weeks, he’d learned about her family life growing up, her marriage and raising three boys as a single mom in Chicago after her husband had been killed by a drunk driver. She was an amazing woman. He didn’t doubt Chase would like LaTisha a lot.
He crossed to the bed and looked down at the woman he loved. Even in here, Chase was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. They’d washed her hair today, and her blonde curls glowed as if kissed by the sun. He didn’t resist the impulse to lean close and breathe her in. He grazed her cheek with his nose and placed a kiss on her jaw before brushing his lips softly across hers.
He wasn’t in the mood to read tonight, and though he didn’t feel much like talking, he pulled a chair up next to the bed and took her hand in his. Soft. Her skin was always so soft
“Hey there, Ace,” he whispered, using the nickname only he’d ever called her. “Today was hell. Spent most of it buried under paperwork. God, you know how much I hate being stuck behind a desk.” He lifted the envelope he still held as if to show her what he had. “Here’s something I know you’ll love. The kids at school are really missing Ms. Riley. They all made you cards, and Principal Peters sent them over to me at the station.”