Forte leaned against the wall, keeping an eye on all approaches in the hospital corridors. From his vantage point, he could monitor the elevators to his right and the nurse reception area for the floor. To his left, the hallway stretched all the way down to the one emergency stairwell. If anyone odd showed up, he’d see them right away.
Haydn lay with his big head on his paw at Forte’s feet, keeping him company. The dog appeared to be resting, but his ears were up and alert. They’d both been there for hours since Sophie had been brought in, assessed in the emergency room, and admitted for further observation. Haydn had accepted a bowl of water from the friendly nurses, but Forte hadn’t taken them up on offers of food from the cafeteria or drink. His stomach was a tight knot of cold anger, pent up and controlled, waiting to hear more on Sophie’s status.
Those hours had been long and filled with tension, but they had allowed both Haydn and Forte to assimilate the “normal” sounds on this particular hospital floor. Any time an unusual clang, ping, or voice broke that learned soundtrack, Haydn’s ears twitched and Forte searched for the source to assess the potential threat.
It might be overkill. Maybe. Forte was reasonably certain it wasn’t. He’d wait until he could check in with Rojas and Cruz to be sure.
Officer Kymani Graves was in Sophie’s room now, asking her about the explosion. In the absence of Sophie’s direct family, Ky had arranged with the hospital to allow Forte to remain nearby. Which was good because nothing would’ve kept Forte from being as close to Sophie as possible. He’d almost lost her today, and his heart stopped every time he thought about it.
Forte had to respect the hospital staff, though. They’d been understanding and had given him space. Apparently, they’d gotten used to the vigilance of the Hope’s Crossing Kennels trainers when one of their own was under medical care.
Back then, it’d been Alex Rojas keeping watch. Elisa had become the kennel’s administrative assistant and an integral part of Rojas’s happiness. When she’d been attacked by her stalker, Rojas and his dog, Souze, had intervened in the kidnapping. It’d been too close a thing for any of their peace of mind. But Elisa had only needed a few hours under observation to be sure she hadn’t suffered any major injury from the harrowing ordeal.
Forte hadn’t envied Rojas the worry, but he’d understood. Or thought he had. Now, when it was Sophie here, Forte wasn’t sure how to keep the seething combination of rage and anxiety in his chest under control.
Sophie—his Sophie—had been hurt. There’d been a bomb in her car.
Until they all knew exactly how and why it’d happened, there was no way he was leaving Sophie’s safety to question. She wasn’t just a childhood friend; she was his reason for breathing.
And he’d never said it to her out loud.
Haydn lifted his head, issued an almost inaudible whine, and came to his feet. Forte murmured quiet praise and reassurance, straightening away from the wall to stand and be ready for what might come next. The GSD wasn’t his, specifically, but Haydn had been right there with him through the hours without a single complaint. This was work, and Haydn was a working dog at heart. It allowed the big dog to focus on the task at hand and get past the aftershock of having been near another explosion.
Ky emerged from Sophie’s room, closing the door behind him quietly. The officer glanced down to the end of the hallway, then turned to find Forte and smiled. Relief flooded through Forte at the sight of Ky’s brilliant white teeth contrasted against the backdrop of his dark skin. The man had a grin that could disarm an entire crowd.
“She’s fallen asleep.” Ky reached Forte in a few long strides, his uniquely resonant voice pitched low so it didn’t travel too far down the corridors. “I asked her a few questions, but she wasn’t able to answer in much detail. I’ll be back in a few hours to question her again once the initial sedation has worn off. The doctor tells me she’ll be more lucid after she’s had a chance to rest and recover from the shock.”
The doctor had grudgingly given Forte a more detailed catalog of Sophie’s injuries. Superficial cuts and scrapes from the asphalt of the parking lot were the least of the worries, though the most visible at the moment. Mild tinnitus would mess with their hearing for a while longer but was likely temporary. The cars around them and the Dumpster had saved them from the shock wave of the explosion, thankfully. But contusions incurred from falling to the ground would start surfacing in a couple of days, and Sophie would be aching, sore, and in some pain from those. The biggest concern at the moment was her right ankle. She’d twisted it severely as they had gone down and they’d need X-rays to determine whether it was broken.