Chapter Twenty-One
Dylan
Present Day
“I’m sorry,” Presley whispered, her face pressed into the fabric of the blanket. Dylan’s eyes fell shut as he released a long exhale. She’d been through so much; the last thing she needed was pressure from Dylan.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he answered, his body leaning into hers. Presley peeked up from the blanket, her hazel eyes glassy but clear. He felt trapped by her gaze, hypnotized.
“What’s your favorite book?” Dylan’s grandmother asked, her question breaking the spell around them. Presley and Dylan both looked at her, their expressions colored with confusion and surprise.
His grandmother wore a strained smile, and the look on her face told Dylan everything he needed to know. They were being watched. Before Dylan could speak, someone moved behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck rose when he saw Cody stiffen out of the corner of his eye.
“Well, hello there, Dr. Walker. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to steal my patients,” Dr. Sanders chuckled.
Dylan fixed his face with a fake smile and turned toward Dr. Sanders. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”
Dr. Sanders cocked his head to the side, a calculated smile stretched across his face. “I just find it odd that every time I come here, you are with my patients. Although I suppose your hovering can’t be all bad since you were with Presley last night during her episode.”
Presley pulled in a sharp breath as Dylan shot to his feet. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his voice neutral. “I don’t know if you’d call it an episode. If anything, I’d check the prescription bottle to make sure the pills hadn’t been part of any recall.”
“That seems pretty unlikely since I have other patients on the same drug, and they had no trouble sleeping. No, I think it might be time for another adjustment. Presley has always had a way of defying her medication’s purpose.”
“Maybe it’s her body’s way of telling you she doesn’t need them.” Dylan spun to his grandmother, his eyes wide, his expression twisted with disbelief.
Dr. Sanders grinned. “And you are?”
Dylan’s grandmother seemed to realize her mistake as soon as she made it. She waved her hand in the air and shook her head, embarrassed. “An old woman who needs her afternoon nap. Forgive my rudeness.”
“Nonsense,” Dr. Sanders said, his smile in place. Stepping closer, he grabbed her hand and shook it gently. “You can’t be a day over thirty. Dr. Walker, who is this lovely lady?”
Dylan’s stomach did somersaults as he tried to keep his breathing even. “My grandmother. She’s here for a visit and wanted to see where I worked. Volunteer a little. She’s not a fan of modern medicine. As you can imagine, we’ve had quite a few disagreements over the years.”
Dr. Sanders laughed under his breath and released her hand. “I can only imagine. Nonetheless, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can see each other again before you fly back home to…” He trailed off, waiting for one of them to fill in the blank. Dylan’s grandmother reacted first, her temporary lapse in judgment gone.
“Maine,” she answered before sighing. “It really is beautiful this time of year. Have you ever been, Doctor?”
“I can’t say that I have, but maybe I should look into it.” He studied Dylan’s grandmother for a few more seconds before turning toward Presley. “How are you feeling today, Presley?”
She stood and shuffled her feet, her eyes downcast. Dylan wanted nothing more than to step in front of her, to block her from Dr. Sanders’s intense gaze. When she remained silent, Dr. Sanders sighed. “Presley, we’ve talked about this. If you lie to me, I can’t help you.”
“I don’t know,” Presley whispered, her words broken and scared. “I just couldn’t fall asleep.”
Dr. Sanders hummed and pulled out a pad and pen from his pocket, jotting down a few things before returning his attention to her. “Well, it’s a good thing that Dr. Walker was there to take care of you.”
Dylan felt as though Dr. Sanders could see every secret he was hiding as he moved his gaze between Dylan and Presley. “I don’t know how much I helped. I was doing checks when I heard her. I don’t know if the pills had a delayed reaction or what, but it wasn’t long after I found her that she fell into a deep sleep. Maybe it was a fluke.”
“A fluke,” Dr. Sanders echoed, his eyes burning into Presley. A sinking feeling washed over Dylan as Dr. Sanders’s expression cleared. “I guess we’ll see soon enough. Come with me, Presley. I’d like to talk with you for a bit.”
Presley hesitated, her eyes bouncing from her doctor to Dylan. Dr. Sanders’s brows dipped, and his lips curved into a frown. “Do we have a problem?”
“Don’t worry, Presley,” Dylan laughed, his voice filled with fake enthusiasm. “My grandmother and I are leaving. You won’t miss the rest of the book.”
“We have to wait on her?” Cody asked, his tone petulant. Dylan knew it was all for show. Reaching over, he ruffled Cody’s hair and smiled even though he felt as though his entire body was on fire. He hated the thought of Presley alone with Dr. Sanders. He hated the thought of her medication being adjusted. But most of all, he hated feeling like Dr. Sanders saw right through every one of them.
“You can wait.”
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Dylan’s grandmother echoed. “I like keeping an eye on him.”
“Something we have in common,” Dr. Sanders mumbled as he swept his arm toward the door, his eyes fixed on Presley. “Miss Cooper.”
With the blanket clutched to her chest, Presley dropped her chin, her eyes fixed on the floor as she walked out of the lounge. When they disappeared through the door, Dylan’s grandmother let out a worried sigh.
“This is bad.”
Dylan nodded. “I know. He doesn’t trust me.”
“It’s not that,” his grandmother said, her voice shaking.
A lump rose in Dylan’s throat when he caught the expression on his grandmother’s face. “What aren’t you saying?”
With a deep breath, she pulled Dylan’s hands into hers. “I recognized him. He was at a fundraiser for Presley’s father. If I recognized him, there’s a chance he recognized me too.”
Dread slammed into Dylan’s shoulders, pushing him to the floor as fear caused the room to swim. “Do you think he did?”
“I don’t think so, not yet anyway, but he might. We don’t have much time. If we don’t act fast, we could lose her all over again.”