turn out? When they’d left, they hadn’t even been sure whether Alexia was alive or dead.
“Listen, I know you’re probably shaken up right now. I just want you to know I’m going to do whatever I can for you, okay?” She nodded slightly. “Okay.” He took a deep breath. “Now, maybe you should lie down. I can get a room prep—”
“No.” She squeezed his hand. A good sign. “No. I don’t—I don’t want to go anywhere until I know Lexi’s all right.” Her emerald eyes widened and focused on Thad. “She will be, right?”
He had, of course, no freaking clue. “We’ll do our best. Lee and Tyra wouldn’t leave her. They’ll be back any minute now.”
Thad looked up and, as if on cue, the three materialized in the foyer. “Brayden! Ivy!” Lee called. As if she’d been waiting for Lee’s command, Thad’s house manager came running in at breakneck speed with her long, black hair flapping behind her.
“Sorry, Thad. I was in my office dealing with development requests and I didn’t know you were ba—Oh, my God,” Ivy said. She stopped short, eyeing Alexia’s body as Lee laid her down gently on the deep-blue-and-green diamond-patterned carpet.
Relief pushed the breath out of Thad’s lungs. Lee had called for the doctor, so Alexia was still alive. Thad waved his hand, dismissing the apology. “Ivy, I want you to grab Brayden, pronto. Then I want you to find a couple of guest rooms for Isabel here…” His head tilted sideways. “And her friend, for when she’s feeling better.” He put stress on the “when.”
Ivy disappeared down the hall, her hair flowing in the breeze once more.
Isabel stood, still clutching Thad’s hand. He hated the circumstances but loved that she clung to him for support. Stopping about a foot from Alexia’s small form, she leaned forward. “She’s going to be okay,” she said again. “Right?”
Thad squeezed her hand again. “They’ll take great care of her.”
“Thad. Hey.” Greg Brayden approached briskly, and from the look of his flannel pants and rumpled T-shirt, he was straight out of bed. “Sorry. Ivy woke me; I overslept this evening.”
Why was everyone apologizing to him? Cripes. When his father was alive, no one had apologized to Thad for shit. Getting apologies now made him squirmy.
“Just take care of her,” he muttered, gesturing toward Alexia’s body. He tugged Isabel’s arm gently, urging her away so Brayden could get a look at her friend.
Thad resisted the urge to rub at the pain in his chest. He ached to make this better for Isabel, and he was completely, totally, utterly helpless to do anything but wait for Brayden’s assessment.
Kneeling by the body, the doctor did his thing. Checked her over, took her pulse, flashed a penlight in the eyes, and whatnot. Thad wondered if Brayden slept with the penlight in his jammies, given the way he’d conjured it up so fast. Isabel cringed beside him when Alexia’s body was rolled forward, exposing the nasty wound under her shoulder blade. Brayden prodded at it gently and then rocked back onto his heels.
“Well, the good news is, it doesn’t actually look that bad,” he said, running his hand through his bedhead. “She’s unresponsive, but shock and trauma could cause that. She’s got some bruising around her temple. The wound on her back is deep, but it didn’t hit anything major. Might have effed-up her tennis game a little.”
Lee scowled. “What caused the wound?”
“Hard to say, but the skin around it is pink and inflamed, almost like a sunburn. Could have been some sort of concentrated UV thing. Lucky she’s human, I guess.”
There was something you didn’t hear every day.
Isabel stepped forward, still gripping Thad’s hand. “What can you do for her?”
Brayden’s brow furrowed. “We can give her blood to speed the healing. Other than that, just wait and see, I suppose. I’d X-ray the head, but we don’t have equipment here and I hate to transport her
“Listen, I know you’re probably shaken up right now. I just want you to know I’m going to do whatever I can for you, okay?” She nodded slightly. “Okay.” He took a deep breath. “Now, maybe you should lie down. I can get a room prep—”
“No.” She squeezed his hand. A good sign. “No. I don’t—I don’t want to go anywhere until I know Lexi’s all right.” Her emerald eyes widened and focused on Thad. “She will be, right?”
He had, of course, no freaking clue. “We’ll do our best. Lee and Tyra wouldn’t leave her. They’ll be back any minute now.”
Thad looked up and, as if on cue, the three materialized in the foyer. “Brayden! Ivy!” Lee called. As if she’d been waiting for Lee’s command, Thad’s house manager came running in at breakneck speed with her long, black hair flapping behind her.
“Sorry, Thad. I was in my office dealing with development requests and I didn’t know you were ba—Oh, my God,” Ivy said. She stopped short, eyeing Alexia’s body as Lee laid her down gently on the deep-blue-and-green diamond-patterned carpet.
Relief pushed the breath out of Thad’s lungs. Lee had called for the doctor, so Alexia was still alive. Thad waved his hand, dismissing the apology. “Ivy, I want you to grab Brayden, pronto. Then I want you to find a couple of guest rooms for Isabel here…” His head tilted sideways. “And her friend, for when she’s feeling better.” He put stress on the “when.”
Ivy disappeared down the hall, her hair flowing in the breeze once more.
Isabel stood, still clutching Thad’s hand. He hated the circumstances but loved that she clung to him for support. Stopping about a foot from Alexia’s small form, she leaned forward. “She’s going to be okay,” she said again. “Right?”
Thad squeezed her hand again. “They’ll take great care of her.”
“Thad. Hey.” Greg Brayden approached briskly, and from the look of his flannel pants and rumpled T-shirt, he was straight out of bed. “Sorry. Ivy woke me; I overslept this evening.”
Why was everyone apologizing to him? Cripes. When his father was alive, no one had apologized to Thad for shit. Getting apologies now made him squirmy.
“Just take care of her,” he muttered, gesturing toward Alexia’s body. He tugged Isabel’s arm gently, urging her away so Brayden could get a look at her friend.
Thad resisted the urge to rub at the pain in his chest. He ached to make this better for Isabel, and he was completely, totally, utterly helpless to do anything but wait for Brayden’s assessment.
Kneeling by the body, the doctor did his thing. Checked her over, took her pulse, flashed a penlight in the eyes, and whatnot. Thad wondered if Brayden slept with the penlight in his jammies, given the way he’d conjured it up so fast. Isabel cringed beside him when Alexia’s body was rolled forward, exposing the nasty wound under her shoulder blade. Brayden prodded at it gently and then rocked back onto his heels.
“Well, the good news is, it doesn’t actually look that bad,” he said, running his hand through his bedhead. “She’s unresponsive, but shock and trauma could cause that. She’s got some bruising around her temple. The wound on her back is deep, but it didn’t hit anything major. Might have effed-up her tennis game a little.”
Lee scowled. “What caused the wound?”
“Hard to say, but the skin around it is pink and inflamed, almost like a sunburn. Could have been some sort of concentrated UV thing. Lucky she’s human, I guess.”
There was something you didn’t hear every day.
Isabel stepped forward, still gripping Thad’s hand. “What can you do for her?”
Brayden’s brow furrowed. “We can give her blood to speed the healing. Other than that, just wait and see, I suppose. I’d X-ray the head, but we don’t have equipment here and I hate to transport her
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