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The terror cracked—and the door opened…and she stepped through, carrying a plate of food. One I didn't even see. My throat thickened and tears threatened to blur her face. I pushed them away because I couldn’t waste a second, not one fucking beat.
All I saw was her. Her messy hair. The dark circles under her eyes. The haunted gleam in those gray-blue eyes, and the mark on her cheek that was paler than it should be.
She hadn’t slept, I knew that with one fleeting look. Not wedged between my brothers, or curled under my arm. Had she eaten?Had she—she met my stare and froze. “Tobias?” The crease deepened between her brows. “You okay?”
I licked my lips, my breaths furious. “Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m okay.”
“Hey.” She forced a smile.
My voice was husky as I gave her a weak smile. “Hey.”
Don’t let her see you panicking, she’ll only worry more. Just touch her, smell her. Hold her and tell her it’s all going to be okay—
“I figured you'd be hungry.”
I swallowed the burn in the back of my throat. “Starving.”
Heavier footsteps thudded, not Nick’s…or C’s. I scowled as the familiar male came into the room.The damn doctor? How the fuck did we get here?First Dad…and now this.Jealousy slammed into me as I looked at Ryth, then him. I tried not to think about the guy around my stepsister as he strode closer, not missing a fucking beat.
“How’s my patient today?”
Patient?
I looked around, taking in the machines and the medical equipment. “Where are we?”
The doctor pulled the sheet from my legs. “Safe.”
Safe…
I slowly exhaled, met Ryth’s concerned stare, and nodded.Safe…she was safe.I didn't look away when cold air caressed my legs, or when he lifted the back of my knee to remove the dressing around my thigh. I just fixed my sight on her.
“How’s the pain?” he asked.
“Manageable.”
I caught the rise of his brow. "Tough guy, huh?”
But I didn’t care what he said. The last thing I needed was to be slow when they came. Because theywerecoming, and when they did, I needed to be ready. Instead, I shifted my focus to the light blush of blood on the bandage. At least that was under control.
“Then I take it you don’t want anything to dull the pain you don’t have?”
“That’s right.” I stared at the doctor, then shifted my gaze to the doorway as my brothers stepped inside and took one look at me, then at my damn thigh.
“T.” Nick met my gaze.
I just gave a nod and clenched my fist around the edge of the bed when the asshole started prodding.
“Ryth, grab some of those gauze squares over there, Kit will show you which ones. And you’ll need the Betadine, as well.”
I flinched, watching as a young black woman crossed the room behind him and started pulling out drawers.Who the fuck are you?I wanted to ask, but I was more concerned with the way Ryth was taking control, grabbing the dressings the young woman handed her, as well as the bottle of antiseptic, before turning to the other side of the bed.
One look at my brothers, and I could see they were equally as stunned. As the doc gave her instructions, our sister set to work. I didn't flinch when she gently cleaned the angry red wound on my thigh, didn't looked away, just watched her, amazed at how careful she was.
“Damn.” The doc leaned close, looking at her work. “You’re a natural.”
She flinched at the words, and the mark on her cheek turned even paler than it was before. “And I didn’t even have to be on my knees,” she mumbled.
Caleb looked away, drawing my gaze. Something had happened between them, something I wasn't privy to.What the hell did that mean, C?I clenched my jaw, willing the bastard to look at me.What…the…fuck…did…that… mean?
