Page 62

CHAPTER FORTY

A t the hospital, Brooklynn’s ankle had been X-rayed, confirming the sprain she’d self-diagnosed.

She’d been treated for smoke inhalation and given oxygen.

Hers wasn’t as bad as Forbes’s—she’d been on the floor, below the worst of it, whereas he’d been up and moving.

She’d only needed oxygen for a short time, but he still had a little tube running below his nose, feeding it to him.

Now, she dozed on a chair, her head resting on the bed where Forbes slept. Half awake, half asleep, memories of the terrifying ordeal morphed into nightmares that had startled her awake every few minutes since the orderlies had finally brought him in from surgery.

The nurses hadn’t told her much, only that he’d lost a lot of blood—not exactly news to her—and was out of the woods.

Out of the woods. Ironic, considering how much they’d needed the cover of the woods. But in this case, it was a good thing.

A gentle hand brushed hair away from her face, and she sat up.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Forbes’s voice was rough with sleep and fatigue.

“I wasn’t sleeping.” She yawned. “Just resting a little.” She glanced at the window where light peeked around the drawn curtains. It was morning, a whole new day.

Forbes looked pale, highlighting the dark smudges under his eyes. But he was breathing. He was awake.

He studied her. “How do you always look so good?”

“You did lose a lot of blood.”

His lips tipped up at the corners, the smile small but holding promise. It faded. “Where’s Rosie? Did I…? Was she really there?”

“She was there, and she was here most of the night.” Brooklynn and Forbes’s sister hadn’t talked much.

She’d introduced herself as Rayne, the false name she’d gone by most of her adult life.

Though Brooklynn had been tempted to pepper her with questions, she figured Forbes deserved the answers before she did.

And Rayne/Rosie had been too worried about her brother to talk.

Rather than chat, they’d sat side by side and watched Forbes sleep.

“Once she was convinced you were going to survive the night,” Brooklynn said, “she left to get a shower. I think she’s going to see your grandmother.”

“And then she’ll be back?”

“She said she would. And she left her cell phone number.”

That news seemed to startle him. “I can’t believe… I don’t understand how she’s alive. And where she’s been, and what happened.”

“I’m sure she’ll tell you when she gets back.”

He considered that, then chuckled, which quickly turned into a violent cough.

Brooklynn gave him a sip from the cup on his bedside table.

“Thanks.” He reclined again. “She has a cell phone. It’s so weird.”

Brooklynn couldn’t imagine how strange it must be. “How do you feel?”

“Like I was shot.” He pressed the button to lift his head a little more.

“Don’t sit up for me. You need your rest.”

He left the bed at a slight incline. “I don’t remember much after we left the house. Am I gonna make it?”

“According to the nurses, you’ll be back to your old self in no time.” Well, no time was a bit of an exaggeration. “My uncle suggested you’ll need physical therapy for that shoulder.”

“Your…uncle?”

“Roger. He’s a physician—mostly retired now. I called him last night. He knows everything there is to know.”

“As long as you’re not overselling him.”

She grinned. “About medicine, anyway. He offered to come, but you’re being well taken care of. My whole family knows what happened. I’ve been avoiding their calls, but if their texts are any indication, they’re peeved at me for not getting out of town.”

“I am, too. Very…peeved.”

She grinned. “I’m not sorry I didn’t leave.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t. I never would have figured any of it out without your help. I wouldn’t be here without you. I thought I could do it all by myself. What an idiot.”

“Not an idiot.” She kissed his cheek. “A little stubborn, a little too independent, but otherwise very smart.”

He pressed his hand to her cheek. “Seriously, thank you. You saved my life.”

“You saved mine too.”

“But your life was only in danger because of me.”

Brooklynn straightened and leaned back. “Listen, we’re done with that. If we’re together…” She paused to give him the opportunity to explain that they weren’t together. That this was a short-term thing. That he was leaving and wouldn’t be coming back, but gosh, it’s been fun.

She half-expected that. Maybe three-quarters expected it.

“Which we are,” Forbes said. “Together,” he added, in case she hadn’t understood his meaning. “Aren’t we?”

“Yes. And that means whatever we face, we face together. So there’s no I dragged you into it. I wasn’t dragged. I walked into it because…because that’s what people who care about each other do.”

He held her eye contact, then nodded. “You’re right. That’s what we do.” Lifting his good arm, he said, “I need a little closer together with you.”

She climbed onto the bed and snuggled beside him, settling exactly where she was meant to be.