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“You were posing, at hoht you,” he said His voice cracked a little, as though the eave you, reht it was lost in the crash, but there you earing it for the world to see and I thoughtI thought that if you kept it, if you wore it again, that it ive ave you, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, but I don’t see how that could make you think I would take you back”

“I understand, I understand,” Brandon said “I shouldn’t have called It was a mistake”

The phone went dead Kirsty held the phone long after the dial tone sounded in her ear She didn’t knohat to think Or what to feel She was sure that she would have lost herpresence

“You’re breathing too fast,” Lake said behind her She felt the ruh her whole body “Put the phone down, honey, and work on breathing slowly”

HerA second later, he took the phone out of her hand and placed it on the desk

“I want you to shut your eyes and concentrate on your breathing Listen to me, Kirsty”

Since she didn’t knohat else to do, she did as she was told Short, slow breaths, taking tiasp for air and hyperventilate her way back into hospital There was nothing like a full-blown panic attack cooing to die Lake whispered encouraging words as he kept up the slow circularand, slowly, began to feel more in control

“That’s it,” said Lake “Your heartbeat’s a lot slower now You’re doing great”

They continued that way for a few ain Lake see her; instead he perched on the desk beside her

“Want to tell me what that was about?” he said

“Like you didn’t hear it anyway”

He s her breath away in a good way for a change

“You ain”

Kirsty rolled her eyes She was about to point out that she’d ordered hirateful he’d been there