Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer (Nightmares Trilogy) Read Free Page A

...
    No!

7
    Movement and sound in the room startled me awake. I mumbled something vaguely threatening and opened my eyes.
    Nurse Carol was smiling, standing beside the bed, reaching toward my lap.
    Wow. The hot nurse was back. Yes, please!
    But of course she wasn't here for me. She brushed aside Caitlin's hair and checked her temperature. When she was done, she smoothed Caitlin's hair back down over her ear, just as it was before. Her fingers rested on the pillow beside Caitlin's head for a moment before she pulled them away. Caitlin's pillow lay across my lap, hiding my eagerness. Thank God.
    Nurse Carol walked away from me to pick up the clipboard that held Caitlin's medical chart. She started flipping through it, carefully writing down her observations, her lips moving soundlessly.
    More than disappointed, I opened my mouth to say something to draw the nurse's attention to me.
    I closed my mouth quickly when Carol's eyes shifted from the medical chart in her hands to my face. "It's good that you care about her so much. She'll need all your help and support when she wakes up."
    What the hell could I say to that? I'd be a callous, lying scumbag if I said I didn't care whether Caitlin recovered or not, but she made me sound like the girl's boyfriend if I didn't say it. So I said nothing.
    She tucked Caitlin's chart back into its pocket at the end of the bed. "You shouldn't be in her bed with her, though. One of the other nurses will kick you out if I don't."
    Hey, if she had a better offer for me, I'd be there. I looked up at her and thought about saying it, but decided I couldn't. Not yet.
    I cleared my throat. "She sleeps better when I'm here." I smiled ruefully. "So do I, because she's quieter, too."
    Carol smiled at me. "Well, you can't say I didn't warn you. I hope you get some sleep, for the rest of the night." She took a deep breath. "Take good care of her. We all want to see her make a full recovery."
    "So do I," I admitted, wanting to say more.
    While I was working out how to ask her out for later, she left.
    My chances with Nurse Carol crashed and burned. All because I got into bed with Caitlin.
    I shrugged and settled back to sleep, Caitlin's head still pillowed in my lap.
    Maybe later, when this job was over, I'd ask Nurse Carol to come join me for a drink. Maybe if I asked nicely, she'd even wear a nurse's uniform, one heaps sexier than the one she wore to work... hell yeah! Sweet dreams, here I come.

8
    Breathing in the dark.
    Not just mine.
    Help me. Get me out of here.
    Holding my breath.
    Breathe in, breathe out.
    Approaching, closer.
    Too dark to see.
    Breathing faster.
    Are you going to hurt me?
    Sharp intake of breath.
    ARE YOU GOING TO HURT ME?
    Almost panting.
    Too close.
    No...

9
    "You're mad," my sister told me, handing me the bag of clothes I'd asked for. "You find some random girl left for dead on a beach, promise you'll protect her from someone who hurt her who's already dead, only to find out he has mates, so you're going to stick around to protect her from all of them, too? It could be years before the police put them away – if they ever find them! What are you going to do, stay with her for the rest of her life? Marry her?" She snorted with laughter.
    I shook my head, rubbing at my bleary eyes in the hope that it would wake me up. Caitlin had woken me with her screaming more than once last night. "I promised I'd be here when she wakes up. She's been out for longer than I expected, is all. She's been through more than anyone should ever have to and I'm not going to do that to her – just go home and let her wake up alone."
    Chris was quick to notice the gaps in my explanation. "How do you know what she's been through? She's barely been conscious since you found her!"
    "I don't," I admitted. "But ... she has nightmares... even with the drugs they're giving her, and they sound pretty bad. And... I saw what she looked like when I found her. It wasn't pretty." I suppressed a shudder, but she