oom. It was empty. The silence was heavy, broken on

move. She looked down and saw the thick white c

professionally cheerful. "Oh, yo

t by a truck,"

ut you'll recover," the nurse said, checking her

frie

in the room next door, with his girlfriend. Poor g

The word was a s

e continued, oblivious to Kianna's turmoil. "It's so sweet how he's taking care

a tight smile.

a mess and dark circles under his eyes. He stopped when he saw she wa

r," he said, his voice rough

dable. "You were looking up flights to

hat, you thought I was going to stalk you

that he, too, saw her as something less, something that could be easily left beh

he said, sitting on

g her face away. "You were wo

o explain. "She's not used to h

etrayal. Because she could handle pain, she was expected to. The unfai

ust n

y shared-it was all meaningless now. In his world, a woman's strengt

suddenly low and urgent. "And she lost some blood.

r spine. She knew where this wa

gone pale, because

ce cracking. "She needs a transfusio

n need, but for him. A favor.

oken and bleeding in a metal box, and now he was asking her to give Jesse her

na could hear the frantic

A wide, bright,

ickname felt like acid on he

y her easy agreement, but

room. "Mr. Berg! Miss Collins's pressu

"Kianna, please," he said ag

udden movement sent a wave of agony through her leg, but he didn't seem to notice.

tched her own dark red blood flow through the cle

or a physical. She was scared of needles. Brayden had been there, holding her hand, gently

n the bag of blood, his expression anxious

the crook of her arm. Brayden rushed forward, taking the blood bag

a's vein, and her arm was already a

He took the cotton ball from the nurse

on the wound, a ghost of a fa

ly late, was the final crack in her composure. A hot te

ing up at her, co

to demand how he could be so cru

"Mr. Berg! Miss Collins is awake, but she's agitated. S

otton ball fell to the floor. He was gon

on the sterile tile, a symbol o

her heart a cold, dea

the hospital, ignoring the doctor's protests. Leaning heavily on

had bought for them, the house that was

sse in his arms, whispering comforting