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“No,” Cal says. “Thelia, come over here.”
I step across the kitchen to them. Kellan is sitting on the counter next to the sink, and Cal has a wad of paper towels pressed to Kellan’s arm.
“Put pressure here.” Cal grabs my hand and guides it to the paper towels. “I need to wash my hands and get ready.”
“Ready for what?” I ask shakily, pressing against Kellan’s wound.
“I already said. He needs stitches.”
Right.Cal knows what he’s doing, at least to some extent. He won’t let anything happen to Kellan tonight.
But what about next time? What if there are more mistakes? Wes’s dad died doing this shit. How many others have? What’ll happen when they die? Will there be a cover-up? Will I even get to say goodbye?
Before I realize it, I’m hyperventilating and blinking back tears. Wes pushes me out of the way and puts pressure against Kellan’s cut, and I realize I must’ve stopped somewhere in the middle of my downspiral.
Kellan grabs me with his free hand. “Stay close.”
All I want to do is fling my arms around his neck and beg him never to leave again, but I don’t want to get in the way. I intertwine my fingers with Kellan’s as I watch Cal finish washing his handsand grab supplies from the med kit that Wes left open on the counter.
“I don’t have any numbing agents,” Cal says as he steps up to Kellan. “Doubt it’ll hurt more than when it happened, though.”
“I can take it.” Locking eyes with me, Kellan lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “Especially when I’ve got the world’s most beautiful woman to keep me company.”
For some reason, that does me in, and tears flood my eyes again. Kellan is so calm, socollected,like he’s out getting ice cream and not about to have an open wound sewn shut. I should behisemotional support right now, not the other way.
“Hey, there’s no need to cry,” Kellan says gently. “I’ll be okay.”
“I don’t want you to die,” I whisper, and I hate the way my bottom lip trembles.
“I won’t,ma belle.”Kellan winces as Cal pours something on his wound, but he plasters a pained smile onto his face. “We’ll be more careful. I’m not leaving you before I’ve barely had any time to enjoy being with you.”
He kisses me then, which is probably for the best, because it gives me a reason to close my eyes. It hides the guilt that I can’t push down any longer.
How can I hurt them when they’re so gentle with me now?
“Fuck, Cal,” Kellan hisses, pulling away with a grimace.
“I told you it’d hurt.”
“Yeah, but—Jesus! Can’t you be a little gentler?”
“Sure,” Cal says dryly.
“HEY! That washarder.”
“Yeah, and I’d stop making stupid fucking requests, or I’ll find ways to make this as painful as possible for you.”
“Seriously? You have horrible bedside manners, Dr. Graham. Maybe I’ll sue.”
“Maybe you should just try not to get stabbed again,” Cal grouses.
I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my tearful smile. This is terrifying for me, but grumpy Cal is kinda cute.
“There it is,” Kellan says, and I realize he’s still watching me. “Don’t hide your smile,ma belle.Let me see.”
Dropping my hand, I do my best to keep up my smile. But when Kellan grits his teeth and stifles a grunt, it falls.
“I’m okay,” he says thickly. “I can handle pain. Sometimes I even like it.”
