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Ty closed his eyes "Four" But there’d been others, too Way too h of sympathy "Here" He lifted a shaky hand and slid it into his shirt, co out with a flask "This helps"

Mallory chose that very moment to pull back the curtain "There you are," she said to Ty, then smiled kindly at the ht red-handed with the flask, didn’t ave a jerky nod

"Why don’t I hold that for you, okay?" Gently, she pried the flask fro it without another word

Ty didn’t knohat he’d expected fron that she resented the duty of caring for a guy as in here for reasons that had clearly been self-inflicted But she ran a hand down Ryan’s ar hiht Much more This was the real deal, she was the real deal, and she cared, deeply

"I’ve called your daughter," she told Ryan "She’ll be here in ten , refilling you up with ood stuff You’ll feel better soon" She patted his forear physical contact before she looked at Ty, gesturing with her head for hi to be okay?" Ty asked quietly on the other side of the curtain

"Soon as he sobers up"

"He’s on so besides alcohol"

"Yes"

"Does he have a place to stay?"

She gave hi once-over "Look at you with all the questions"

"Does he?"

She sighed "I’m sorry, but you know I can’t discuss his case with you I can tell you that he’s being taken care of Does that help?"

Yeah No Ty had no idea what the fking lu stuck in his throat or why his heart was pounding Or why he couldn’t let this go "He’s a vet," he said "He’s having nightmares He--"

"I know," she said softly, and reached out to touch hi taken care of" She paused, studying hi beat "Not everyone would have done that, you know Gone in there and held a vagrant’s hand and co" The phone at her hip vibrated She looked at the screen and let out a breath "Wait for ht there" And then she moved off in the direction of the front desk

In front of Ty was yet another bed This curtain was shut but it was suddenly whipped open by a nurse as talking to the patient sitting on the bed "Change into the robe," she was saying "And I’ll go page your doctor"

The patient had clearly walked in under his own steauy, mid-thirties, dressed in coveralls that had the Public Utilities Departo on a pec He was filthy from head to toe, clearly just off the job As Ty watched, he went fro at his chest

Oh, Christ, Ty thought Why the hell was he here? He should have left Instead, he was hurtled back in tiainst the brilliant fireball that had been a plane He’d sat on the cliff holding Trevor in his ar at his crushed chest

A uy on the hospital bed groaned, dropping the gown he’d been holding He slithered to the floor, his eyes rolling up in the back of his head

Ty took a step back and ca cart of supplies even as his instincts screamed at him to rush over there and help

But the cart s that felt like overcooked noodles

Then suddenly people ca," soan Someone pulled Ty out of the way and back to his cubicle, where he waited for what ht have been five minutes, or an hour

Or a lifetime

Mallory finally caave hiuy Is he…?"

"He’s going to estured to the bed "Sit You look like you could use it"

Like hell he did

"Sit," she said again, soft steel

Fine He sat On the stool, not the bed The bed was for patients, and he wasn’t a patient He was a fking idiot, but he wasn’t a patient

"Not a big hospital fan, huh?" she asked wryly

"No"

She washed her hands thoroughly "Personal experience?"

He didn’t ansasn’t ready to answer Apparently okay with that, she pulled on a pair of latex gloves, then opened a couple of drawers "Are you squeamish?"

He didn’t answer that either Mostly because only yesterday he’d have given her an emphatic no Except what had just happened to hied

Once upon a tier true Case in point was Mallory herself She got to hi, fat needle, and he blinked

She smiled and put the needle down, and he realized she’d been fking with hih ruone unused stretched as he smiled and shook his head "Guess you owed me that"

"Guess I did" After she’d loaded up a tray hat she wanted, she came at him She set the tray on the bed and perched a hip there as well, letting out an exhale that spelled exhaustion "If you don’t want to sit here, I sure as hell do"

He found hi out another so" She soaked a gauze in rubbing alcohol

"So you’re an RN"

"Yes," she said "I bought my license online yesterday" She dabbed at the wound over his eyebrow and then opened a suture kit, which he was intione through a lot of the up a set of tweezers "I’ve seen a guy do this once"

He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, stopping her ," she said

"Oh I know I just don’t want you to be cracking yourself up when you put those things near ht now," she said

"What are you, then?"

She hesitated "Embarrassed," she finally ad he wanted her to be "Don’t be e else"

"Like?"

"Mad Mad would be better"