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But convincing Nick they needed to stay together and fight this out wouldn't be easy.He felt responsible for her injuries.But he wasn't, and she needed to make him see that.
The door opened and as Nick walked out, she got to her feet, noting that the cuts on his face and arms had also been cleaned and treated.But he looked as pale and as tired as she felt.
"Well?"he asked."What's the diagnosis?"
"Mild concussion, bruised knee, sore ribs, and some stinging cuts.What about you?"
"I've got a few aches and pains, but I'm all right."
She had a feeling he was downplaying some of those aches and pains considering he'd been thrown out of their vehicle."I'm glad you're okay."
"Right back at you.And you can rest on the long trip home to California."
"I can't fly yet.Not with a mild concussion."She actually had no idea if that was true, but the reason had just jumped into her head, and she'd latched onto it.
"Is that true?"he asked doubtfully.
"Didn’t the doctor tell you that?"
"I don't have a concussion, but I could go in there and ask him whether you can fly," he said pointedly.
"Or you can just believe me.I do want to rest, but I can do that on the train to Florence."
His lips tightened."If anything, we should return to Rome."
"We're closer to Florence, and that house isn't exactly a safe harbor.I think we should go to Florence, get a hotel room, and then figure out what we want to do tomorrow."
"I don't know, Isabella.I appreciate your fight—I do.I'm incredibly impressed by how strong you are.But sometimes you just have to quit."
"I don't quit, Nick, and neither do you.I get that you don't want to be responsible for me, so if you don't want to stay in a hotel together, I will go to my mother's house."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise."Seriously?"
"Well, I don't want to," she said honestly."But I'm not running away, so if you want to part ways, then so be it.I'll stay with my mother, and I will not be your responsibility."
He stared back at her."No."
"No?"she echoed, waiting for more."No to what?"
"If we're both going to Florence, we're staying together.That way I can keep an eye on you."
She was relieved by his words, because she really didn't want to stay with her mother, who presented an altogether different danger."Good.And I can keep an eye on you, too.I was just about to look up the train schedules."
"Let's sit down while we do that."
"Are you sure you're okay, Nick?"
"I will be, Isabella.Don't give me another thought."
She wished she could make that promise, but when she wasn't thinking about almost dying, she was thinking about him and the kiss that she'd woken up to.She didn't even know if it had been much of a kiss at all, but it had been enough to pull her out of the darkness.She just didn't know what else it was pulling her into, and she was afraid to find out.
ChapterTwenty-Two
They turned off their phones before leaving the hospital, because Nick was concerned they could be used for tracking.Now that they had become a target, he wanted to be even more careful.They boarded a train for Florence a little after three, and she slid into the seat by the window while Nick took the aisle.
At first, she worried they were trapped on the train, and every time the door at the end of their carriage opened, she tensed, but gradually she relaxed.And at some point, she fell asleep, not waking up until Nick told her they'd arrived.
As she opened her eyes, she realized she had her head on Nick's shoulder and was snuggled up against him.
