Page 13 of No One But You
Had someone told her?
Surely they must have.Was she coming?And would she bring Dad with her so they could sandwich me between them the way they’d done when I was young?
I whimpered and realized that tears were streaming down my cheeks.
Max came in, carrying a glass of water.“What’s wrong?”he asked, hurrying to my side and setting the glass on the table beside the bed.
I tried to tell him that I didn’t know, but what came out was a muffled wail.God, if I hadn’t scared him off already, this was sure to do the trick.
Hesitantly, Max put his arm around me.The embrace was so soft that I hardly felt it, but his body heat radiated through me.I buried my face in his chest and bawled.He made a gentle shushing sound and stroked my hair with a tenderness that made me cry harder.
Why was I like this?
“You’re okay,” he murmured.“You’re safe here.I’ve got you.Let it all out, sweetheart.”
I took solace in the strength of his chest and his familiar antiseptic scent.Eventually, my eyes puffy and probably hideously red, I managed to pull myself together and stop crying.
“Can I have a drink?”I whispered, because crying used up a lot of energy.
“Sure.Let me help you with it.”
He released me cautiously, as if I might lapse into sobs at any moment—a distinct possibility—and raised the glass to my lips.He tipped it up, and I drank a few mouthfuls, enough to ease the dryness of my throat.
At any other time, I might have enjoyed his help, but I just felt wretched.
“Has someone told Mum and Dad?”I asked as he moved the glass away.
He nodded.“They aren’t able to come to Destiny Falls because your Dad is at sea and your mum has your grandmother to care for, but she’s asked if you’ll call her as soon as you feel up to it.”
My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard, doing my best not to cry again.I really would love to see Mum, but Granny wasn’t in any condition to travel, and she wouldn’t let anyone else assist her, so I understood.
“Do you still want that soup?”Max asked.
“Yes, please.”
He left the glass on the table and disappeared out of the room.When he returned, it wasn’t only with a bowl of soup that smelled delicious but with Nate in tow too.
EIGHT
MAX
“Go easy on my patient,” I warned Nate as I led him into the private room that Bailey had spent last night in after the hospital had to check her out to make room for the victims of a multicar pileup.“She’s only just woken up.”
I’d rather he waited another day before turning up with his notebook to ask questions, but unfortunately I didn’t have a good reason to bar his access to her unless he did something that upset her.
“I will.”Nate sounded like he meant it, but his interpretation of taking it easy might be vastly different to mine.
Looking around, I realized there was only one chair in the room.“I’ll grab another chair from my office.”
I put the soup on the table beside the bed, ducked into my office, grabbed one of the chairs reserved for patients, and carried it back to Bailey’s room as quickly as possible.For some reason, leaving Bailey alone with Nate put me on edge.I loved my brother, but he didn’t have the best bedside manner.
Nate was still standing, so I offered him the chair while I took the one beside Bailey and pushed a button to tilt the bed so that she’d be better able to eat.I positioned the bowl of soup on my lap and offered her a spoonful.I’d checked the temperature before bringing it in because the last thing I wanted to do was burn her mouth.
She slurped the soup, and I offered her more.Meanwhile, Nate sat at the foot of the bed and placed his phone on the mattress near her feet.
“Do you mind if I record our conversation?”he asked.
“That’s fine.”Bailey glanced at me.“I’ve had enough for now.Thank you.”
