Hey all! Even though I'm hoping this quarantine will be over soon, I've been incredibly productive! I hope you like the new chapter!
Rylee was a romantic. She'd always known that. Ever since she was a child she had always imagined everything with a great, fairytale ending. Of course, given how the world works, it was because of this that she'd faced so much heartache. But despite that, when her professor had confided in her that he was going in search of his long lost nephew, she'd fully supported him.
The young woman had been by his side through it all. Or at least what she'd been able to. It was several weeks before he'd confided everything in her. Several weeks of her knowing something was off and pestering him about it.
Once she did, she did her research. She found out all about "Colin Jones": his history of being a doctor himself, his record setting crime solving skills, and even his address. Not to mention the tizzy Richard had gone into when she'd seen pictures of him and his team mates. All the while, she imagined their dramatic reunion and how heartfelt and wonderful it would be for the both of them.
So, she really hadn't imagined Richard being attacked in a parking garage. She hadn't imagined trying to call the police for an hour and not being able to get through. She certainly hadn't imagined getting a call from Scotland Yard only a few hours later, telling her exactly what their findings were.. And she hadn't expected to be asked to come to London herself as his medical liaison.
Rylee had given her statement to the police. She told them everything she'd heard through the phone. About the man who made him scream and the man who'd saved him.
And now, here she was, at his bedside, listening to the gentle beeps of the heart monitor and the gentle hissing on the breathing nubs they'd inserted into his nose. She pushed her nose into the crook of her elbow, staring up at her professor. That silly, eccentric uncle that everyone shied away from. The quick temper he was known for with his students didn't exactly attract people to him. And his hatred for technology.
For some reason, those things had only endeared her to him. It'd been like a personal challenge for her to break through that grumpy exterior. And once she had, they'd grown close quickly. Rylee didn't have many close friends, and so Richard had quickly become hers.
Her suitcase sat in the corner of the room. She hadn't even been bothered to get a hotel yet. As soon as Rylee had gotten off the airplane, she'd called a cab to take her to the hospital where Richard had been admitted and had talked more in depth with the doctor about his condition.
The doctor had left her alone with him about an hour ago. Rylee closed her tired eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down, even a little. The doctor hadn't had good news.
"Excuse me, ma'am?"
Rylee blinked her eyes open and found a nurse positioned on the other side of the bed. "Hm? Sorry."
"No, it's fine," she smiled politely. "Visiting hours are ending in ten minutes."
"Oh." Rylee sighed. She checked her watch. It was nearly nine. "Thank you. I'll get going then. Um, is there any hotels you'd recommend in the area?"
The nurse nodded and left, but quickly returned with a list of three or four hotels for her to choose from just as she had donned her coat. The woman informed her that visiting hours began at nine the next morning. Rylee grabbed her large suitcase and gave her friend one last smile before she left. She called a cab and was halfway to the first hotel on the list when her fingers brushed against a scrap of paper in her purse.
It was an address. It had no name attached to it, but she knew it was his address.
Colin Jones.
Rylee debated for several seconds whether or not to go. She tried to reason it out in her heart, and decided that, yes, if this Richard was as important to this man as Colin was to him, he deserved to know.
She asked the cab driver to change direction and drive her to the new address.
It took the rest of the drive to gather her courage. She was, after all, going to a strange man's address, telling him that his estranged uncle had not only been attacked, but was in critical condition in the hospital. Oh yeah, and that said uncle had been searching for his nephew for weeks now, and that's why he'd been in London in the first place.
Rylee paid the cab driver and climbed out of the vehicle. The apartments weren't bad, fairly high class, so Richard's nephew seemed to be doing well. Though with the number of cases he'd solved, it wasn't a great surprise. She entered the lobby and found the elevator fairly quickly.
The young woman took several deep breaths as the elevator rose. Despite the layers of clothes she was wearing beneath her thick coat, she felt naked. And the twist of anxiety in her stomach wasn't helping. Richard was supposed to be here doing this, not her. For a moment, she considered backing out altogether. Surely she didn't have the right to barge into the middle of this. But with a slow exhale and another thought to what Richard would want, her resolve was set.
She would do this for Richard.
The elevator pinged the arrival at the floor, and she checked the scrap of paper in her hand for the apartment number. She set her suitcase beside the door and knocked. A dog barked from within, but she knocked once more.
When the young man opened the door, she couldn't help the rush of surprise she felt. His hair was raven and his eyes were the color of the sea, but it was in his face. The way he quirked his eyebrow and in his mannerisms. The kindness in his eyes. They were definitely related.
She told him who she was and after having his identify confirmed, she was rather shocked that he didn't recognize her uncle's name at all. When he saw the picture, however, the response was instantaneous. Rylee didn't think she'd ever seen someone react so strongly to something. Her romantic half set aside.
Colin looked deathly pale, and his breaths came in short gasps. He looked like he was having a panic attack.
She hesitantly laid her hand on his arm. "Mr. Jones? Mr. Jones, are you okay?"
His panicked eyes found hers and suddenly he changed. He stood straighter, composed himself. He took a deep breath and said, "Maybe you should come inside."
The young man backed up, allowing her into his apartment. Her brain told her that she shouldn't. That despite being Richard's nephew, this man was still a stranger. It was late at night. She really shouldn't. But she felt compelled. And she wasn't afraid at all. Something about him put her completely at ease. And despite his mild break when he saw the picture, he seemed completely put together. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her suitcase in with her.
The dog she'd heard earlier immediately bounded up to her, sniffing her legs, her shoes, and her suitcase. Rylee reached down and pet her behind her ears, smiling.
"That's Iris," Merlin commented in the background. He shut the door behind him, and Rylee noticed with satisfaction that he left the door unlocked. Richard always did the same thing. Habits. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Um, water, please?"
"Sure. Please, take a seat."
She did, and after he returned with drinks for both of them, he jumped right into it.
"Please, tell me what you know about him."
She couldn't help the surprise that ran through her. Her brow furrowed and Rylee asked, "What… what do you know about him? Why didn't you recognize his name? But you recognized his picture?"
The man's lips thinned, though she couldn't tell if it was because he was thinking about it, or he was annoyed. Or a combination of the two. "He is my uncle, yes. I know him from a long time ago, but he went by a different name. I… I didn't know he was going by a different name."
Rylee could tell that it wasn't exactly the truth, but she let it slide. She rubbed the pad of her thumb across her mobile phone screen. "Richard is my teacher. He's a professor at a university in America. I… joined his class a few years ago, but I'd known him long before that. I've never been particularly close with my father, so he kind of became one to me."
When Rylee paused, she saw the young man swallow before he spoke. "He… He was my teacher, too. A long time ago."
She gave him a small smile and continued. "A few weeks ago, he started having these dreams. About you. He started acting weird. He wasn't prepared for lessons, was distracted during class. I pestered him for weeks before he finally cracked and told me everything. I suspected that he'd been wanting to confide in someone about everything anyway. He suddenly needed to find you. So I helped him."
"Thank you."
"Of course," she said. She took another deep breath, willing her nerves to calm. This is where it got complicated, after all. "Once he learned about you and your team, he wanted nothing more than to come to London. He booked the next flight up as soon as we'd found your address. Mr. Jones…"
He shook his head slowly. The warmth in his voice surprised her. "Please, call me Colin. Or Merlin. I go by both."
"Okay, Merlin," Rylee said. "Interesting choice."
He smirked like there was some joke she didn't understand, but his expression changed fairly quickly. "So, what happened?"
Rylee looked away from him, biting her lower lip. "He landed in London last night, but he… He was attacked. I was on the phone with him at the time, and…" She kept out the screams, the yells, the pain. "Someone saved him. It sounded like a young man, but I'm not sure, but, Merlin… Whatever happened, he's…" Rylee met his eyes and saw thinly veiled fear there. He was trying to remain strong, but it was failing. She wasn't in a much better position and forced herself to swallow her tears. As she finally gave him the truth. "I'm so sorry… He's in a coma."
"Oh."
She suddenly couldn't read him. Merlin's blue eyes were stone, and the only giveaway of his stress was how his lips were set in a firm line. He wasn't look at her. Instead, he stared off at far wall. There was a far away look in his eye.
"And I thought that it would get easier," he whispered.
It was so quiet, she almost didn't hear it.
"I'm sorry?"
He gave her a plain smile that held no certain emotion, and yet it oddly set her at ease. "It's nothing. Um, do you have a place to stay tonight?"
The sudden change took her by surprise and she struggled to gather her thoughts. "I… I was going to get a hotel."
"Nonsense. Please, stay here. Tomorrow, you can take me to see him."
"No, no, I don't want to impose."
"It's no problem at all. I have a spare room. You'll be comfortable." Without waiting for her to answer, he stood up and walked around the couch. "It's just this way."
Rylee's mind was several steps behind her feet. She grabbed her purse and suitcase and followed him down the hallway to a small bedroom with a single bed and a small dresser. He turned the lights on and after she dumped her stuff off, he gave her a quick run of the house, still not giving her any room to argue.
"Thank you, Merlin," she said finally, after the tour was over. "For letting me stay."
"It's my pleasure. If you're as close to Ga-Richard as you say, he would have wanted this. I'll leave you to sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Merlin shut the door behind him, and she was alone. She plopped down on the bed, finally shedding her thick coat. The day's events finally washed over her, and she realized she hadn't actually slept in almost thirty-six hours. Not since yesterday morning. It had been classes at the college, work after that, several hours of studying, and then the phone call with Richard. Crying. Then talking to the police, booking her plane ticket, packing. Crying. The overnight flight to London. She hadn't been able to sleep on the plane. Finally, getting to the hospital, talking to the doctor. Crying.
Even now, she felt warm tears pressing against the backs of her eyes.
She stooped down and unzipped her suitcase, pulling out her pajamas. Every article of clothing she removed seemed to take an ounce of stress off her shoulders. But as she shut the lights off and tucked herself into bed, she pulled the blankets up to her chin and finally allowed the tears to come.
