***A big thank you to those who have reviewed Dark Visions to date. If it weren't for your continued support, I wouldn't be writing.
Dark Visions – Chapter Six
When Cody returned with the young brunette nurse, both he and Frank were asked to leave so she could check Sabrena's stitches. Frank refused, "I'm not leaving her alone until that maniac is behind bars."
"But, sir, out of respect to Miss Fairchild's privacy, I must insist."
"Insist all you like, I'm staying."
Sabrena's eyes fluttered open. She hadn't been aware she had fallen to sleep. She heard the nurse strongly insisting that someone leave so she could check on the patient. A powerful, male voice insisted just as strongly that he wasn't leaving. "Please let him stay," Sabrena said in a small voice.
"Fine," the nurse said tersely.
Cody smiled at Bre from the doorway. "I think I better leave for a while. Frank, if you want, I can get a change of clothes for you."
Donovan looked down at his filthy and rumpled clothing, covered in dried blood. "Thank you, Cody. That would be great."
Bre sighed and then moaned. It hurt to breathe. Donovan made a move toward the bed to check on her, but the nurse shooed him away.
"I'm Becky. I'll be your nurse during the day," she said, smiling warmly at Bre. "The doctor will be in shortly. Can I get you something for the pain?"
Bre nodded. "As long as it doesn't make me goofy."
Becky laughed and inserted a needle into a small vial. "I can't promise that. Everyone handles painkillers differently." She pulled back on the small plunger and pulled out the liquid. Removing it from the vial, she inserted the needle into the IV tube. "This is Demoral. You can have something stronger if this doesn't help."
"Thank you, Becky."
Becky pulled the thin sheet and blanket down to Sabrena's waist. She had been dressed in a hospital gown that tied in the front. She carefully untied the gown and lightly moved the garment to her sides. Bre looked at her mutilated torso for the first time since she had awakened. Tiny stitches, so small and close together, trailed between her breasts to her navel and across her stomach; others formed an odd looking sideways "X" on her chest above her breasts. She clamped her eyes shut and her head fell back onto the pillow.
Donovan saw her anguished look and ached to put his arms around her, to offer her even the slightest bit of comfort. The wounds were raw and ugly looking, but the doctor assured they would heal with just the slightest of scars.
Becky fastened the gown and pulled the covers back to her chest. "Everything is fine and there's no infection."
When Bre didn't answer, Frank spoke for her. "Thank you."
Becky smiled at him. "Sir, if you'd like, you can use the shower in Ms. Fairchild's bathroom."
Frank nodded. "Thank you, but I won't leave her alone. As soon as one of my team returns, I'll think about my needs."
When she left he turned his attention back to Bre. "How are you doing, Redhead?"
"I feel...funny," she said, the drugs kicking in. "It looks awful, Frank." Tears rolled down the sides of her face.
"Try not to worry, Bre. You had a plastic surgeon and he assures the scars will be minimal." He sat next to her on the bed. "So, don't worry, you're beautiful."
She smiled. "So are you." Yep, the drugs were definitely working. She lifted a hand to his cheek, then gently ran a finger along the line of his jaw, playing with the rough whiskers of his goatee. "I love your ears," she said as she bit her bottom lip and softly traced the outline of his ear.
Donovan chuckled and took her hand from his ear and held it tenderly. "That's a first."
"Really? I think they're sexy," she said, matter-of-factly.
"Hmm...really?" She was really out of it, and even if it was just the drugs talking, he rather enjoyed believing she thought he was sexy. Or did she just think his ears were sexy. He laughed at the thought.
***********
Cody returned with fresh clothes for Frank. He took them with a grateful smile and asked Cody not to leave Bre's side until he was finished cleaning up.
He sat in the chair Frank vacated, watching Bre sleep. He sighed and checked the time on his watch. Her parents should be here soon. He called them the minute he arrived to the news that Bre had been injured. She was close to her family and would only benefit from their presence and support.
A doctor entered and offered words of encouragement as he checked Bre's chart. He gave her a once-over and left the room as suddenly as he entered. It was Doctor Mirhm; the same doctor from the emergency room.
His thoughts returned to her family. Her father had sounded frantic on the phone. Bre's mother was running an errand, but her grandmother was at home. Cody had asked Mr. Fairchild to put Nona on the line, and he talked to the more calm of the two. Nona had been through a lot in life and not much panicked her. She was frightened for her granddaughter, but trusted Cody, so when he assured her Bre was going to be fine, Nona calmed instantly. He liked her realistic approach to life. "You live; you die; you pay taxes." Those were the three things in life you can't really avoid.
Cody heard the water being turned off in the shower of the tiny bathroom. That Frank had stayed with Bre, constantly from the time she came out of recovery, surprised him. His boss was hard to read and Cody never felt 100 percent comfortable around him. Maybe he felt responsible for what happened because he was teamed with Bre. In any case, Donovan was adamant that someone would be with Bre at all times. That was fine with Cody. He didn't like the fact that the killer was still on the loose.
He watched Donovan leave the bathroom. He looked one thousand times better now that he was out of those grimy clothes and wearing his usual neatly pressed slacks and black turtleneck. Donovan was drying his hair with a towel, causing his ears to wiggle to and fro from the force. Cody laughed out loud as realization set in. When Bre was talking to Poppy when she was unconscious...she had been talking about Frank. Frank's ears. "I like his ears, too," she had said.
"What's so funny?" Donovan demanded when he realized Cody was laughing at him.
"Nothing. Nothing," Cody insisted. That was a good way to endear himself to his boss.
"Tell me now...or I'll shoot you," he joked, half-heartedly.
"Your ears. I just realized it was your ears Bre was talking to Poppy about."
Donovan grinned and shrugged. "When you got it...you got it."
Cody held a hand over his heart, feigning a heart attack. "He jokes!"
Frank grew serious as a nagging thought returned to him. "The way you said that, I'd almost believe you thought Bre was really talking to her grandfather."
"She was."
Frank blinked hard. The answer came from behind him, not from Cody. He turned to see an elderly, buxom woman.
"Nona!" Cody called as he jumped to his feet, ran to the woman and threw his arms around her in a fierce hug.
"Cody, my boy!" She laughed hard, hugging him in return. She pulled away and threw a glance in Donovan's direction. "Who's the doubting Thomas?"
"Nona, let me introduce you to my boss, Thomas." Donovan shot Cody a hard look. "Just kidding, Frank. Frank Donovan. Frank, this is Bre's grandmother, Nona."
Frank extended his hand and Nona shook it heartily. "Firm handshake, I like that," she said, absently.
Donovan watched her eyes darken and her grip on his hand tightened. He couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't looking at him, but inside him.
Nona pulled away and smiled warmly. "I guess I can forgive your doubts, since you're in love with my granddaughter," she said, matter-of-factly.
"What?" Cody and Donovan said in unison.
Nona shrugged. "That's what his aura says. You know I'm never wrong, Cody."
Cody grinned at his boss. "She's not, you know."
"Please, don't expect me to buy into this carnival mentality." Preposterous, that's what it was. He barely knew Sabrena Francesca Fairchild. Why would he be in love with her?
Nona laughed. "If I had a dime for every time I heard something like that...I'd be a rich woman!"
Donovan looked sideways at the woman. He rather liked her, he decided quickly, even if he did find her ideas of ESP and mind reading hard to believe.
Nona sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed the hair from Bre's sleeping face. "Oh, my darling baby. Your parents will be here soon. They had to take a separate flight." She held Bre's hand, but turned her attention back to Frank. "You see, Sabrena and I share the same gift. Visions, empathic feelings, and yes, sometimes mind reading."
"It's true, Frank," Cody chimed in.
"It's something that has been passed to female members of my family for generations. It can be traced as far back as 1692 when our descendent, the lovely Sarah Good, was hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. She had the visions, too." She paused for a moment, Frank's face registered doubt. "Whether you believe or not, my granddaughter was speaking with her grandfather. He is with us often."
Frank shook his head. Maybe it was insanity that ran through their family, afflicting the female members. He didn't like that thought; he was too fond of Sabrena to think that of her.
"Nona," Bre whispered as she woke and focused on the large woman sitting beside her.
"Hello, my precious," Nona said as she kissed Bre's forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay," she said. Suddenly her face brightened. "I talked to Poppy. He misses you."
Nona nodded. "I know, baby girl. I miss him, too." She smiled lovingly and squeezed her granddaughter's hand gently. "At least we get to talk to him every so often."
"I love you, Nona."
"Poppy and Nona," Frank said, mostly to himself.
Cody laughed. "Bre's way of telling her grandparents apart. It was Nanny and Pappy for her mother's parents."
"I love you, too, dear," Nona said brightly. She gently lifted the sheet and peaked at her granddaughter's wounds. "Best not let your mom and dad see that." She looked at the men. "They're not very tough when it comes to their only child," she explained.
The door opened and everyone turned to see who entered. It was Alex, Monica and Jake; their arms piled high with files and books. Cody saw Frank's "what the hell?" look appear on his face and almost laughed.
"The Chancellor cancelled classes today," Monica explained. "Since we couldn't see who was missing from the classes, we made him pull all the employee files. Hopefully Bre will be able to recognize someone."
Cody helped his three friends unload their arms and stacked all the documents on the small bedside table. "Not right now, she won't," he commented, nodding toward Bre. She was sound asleep.
To be continued...
-- Sarah Good was hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. As far as the "visions" go-- purely fiction.