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“Really,” I said. “It was nice of you to come all this way, but it’s not necessary anymore. We have this handled.”

There was a flash of hurt in his gaze. Just one flash, quickly hidden. Then he nodded once. “All right. I hope that Brandon’s recovery is going well.”

He turned and left, not looking back even for a second.

As he disappeared around the corner, I tried to ignore the feeling that I was making a huge mistake.

Chapter 5

Kate

The next day I was even stiffer than before. This hospital really should invest in some kind of reclining chair for patients’ families when they were staying. At least we’d moved out of the emergency wing and into the regular hospital. To me, it was a sign that Brandon was on the mend.

But being on the mend didn’t fix things.

“So,” I said, “I heard a rumor you might be able to help me with.”

He only glanced at me.

“There was something about a dog-fighting ring going around. Does that ring any bells?”

No response.

I tried other ways too. Gently asking. Pleading. But nothing was moving him to give me more information, whether or not it would make him safer.

This was a Brandon that I recognized, unfortunately. When he’d come back from Afghanistan, he’d been like this. He’d sat on the couch for hours, just falling into the screen of his phone, like he was doing right now. One-word answers. Surly, dark... and broken.

It was never a word I would use when speaking to him. But I saw it, especially knowing what he’d been like before he’d left. Brandon had his problems, but he was still light and joyful, even in the middle of falling apart. Now it felt like I couldn’t reach him at all. And every hour that passed, it seemed like he wanted me there less.

Dinner came and went, and he said nothing to me.

I saw Dr. Godin in the hall and quickly followed him. “Doctor?”

He turned. “Miss Tilbeck. What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to see how long you thought my brother would be here. I was thinking of heading home overnight, but I didn’t want to leave if his release was like... tomorrow morning or something.”

To his credit, he didn’t laugh at me. “No, Brandon will be here for at least three more days, and that’s a conservative estimate. But he’s not in danger anymore. You should go home and get some sleep in a real bed.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at him. “I’m think I’m going to try.”

“Have a good night.”

Stepping back into Brandon’s room, he didn’t even look up. “I’m going to go home for a bit, okay? Take a shower and get some sleep. I’ll be back in the morning. Do you need anything from home?”

He shrugged. “No.”

“Okay. Get some sleep, okay?”

“Sure.”

I stared at him a moment longer. It hurt my heart to see him like this again. The progress he’d made was real. Or at least I wanted to believe it had been. For him to slide this far backward after nearly a year? I felt for him.

At the same time, I knew better than most that grief wasn’t a straight line. Brandon was dealing with things I’d never have to, but some of the steps were the same.

I slumped into the seat of my car. Tired. That’s what I was. So freaking tired. The doctor was right, I needed better sleep. One night would be okay.

Our apartment wasn’t too far away from the hospital. Nothing in Missoula was very far from anything. The small city was very compact, and right now that was a relief. I couldn’t imagine doing this if we’d lived in a place where traffic made even a short commute an hour long.