Brandon didn’t give her the water, but at least he made no comment about the heart rate monitor. “Haydn got excited and started sniffing at the bottom of the door, so I figured it meant you were awake. Your eyes are pretty dilated, and you might be shakier than you think, so I’m making sure you don’t accidentally dump it all over yourself.”
Easy as that. Simple answers to her questions. Totally logical. That was Brandon’s way. But something had changed about him. His gaze had weight to it, and his intensity was focused more directly on her than it’d been in a long time. But they weren’t teenagers anymore, and the adult version of Brandon had a lot more impact than his teenage self had had.
Her nipples had gotten embarrassingly tight under her hospital gown.
Be that as it may, she was not going to let him start getting fussy over her. If she did with even this little thing, he’d get out of control. “I’d rather hold my own cup.”
Silence.
Irked, she put more force into her words. “If I spill it, I’ll take accountability for my own shaky hands. Give it.”
Grinning, Brandon held up the cup for her. She took it from him carefully, determined not to let a single drop spill. He’d had a point, though; she was unsteady. But she wasn’t going to let him be right. Besides, having his fingers so close to her mouth inspired too many interesting ideas. She took a long sip of water to prove she could without spilling and to clear her head of inappropriate thoughts.
Then again, most of what popped into her head when it came to Brandon was inappropriate.
Suddenly the room got crowded as the doctor and several of her friends all arrived at the same time, including Ky. Elisa and Lyn beat the doctor to Sophie’s bedside while Brandon prudently stepped aside and closer to the head of her bed.
“How is she?” Elisa asked, the question directed at Brandon.
Brandon nodded to the doctor, behind Elisa and Lyn.
The doctor was the same one who’d taken care of Elisa a little more than a month ago. Sophie recognized him. “Miss Kim is going to be fine. Banged up and bruised with a few cuts and scrapes. We’ll be taking her to radiology to get a few scans of her ankle. Once I see those, I’ll be able to determine what the next steps for her right ankle will be.”
“Why is Ky here?” Elisa asked.
Alex Rojas stood behind her and let her ask the questions, which were incidentally the same as some of the ones Sophie had herself. When great minds thought alike, it was easier if only one of them did the asking.
It was Brandon who answered Elisa, though. “There was an IED in Sophie’s car. No one was hurt, luckily.”
Elisa paused. “An IED?”
“Improvised explosive device.” Alex gave her the terminology in grim tones.
Brandon, David, and Alex exchanged one of their serious looks.
“Lucky is right.” Sophie shook her head slowly. “Someone could’ve been seriously hurt. What the hell was a bomb—IED or whatever—doing in the middle of suburban Pennsylvania? In my car?”
The doctor cleared his throat and glowered at all of them.
Brandon spoke smoothly beside her. “Officer Kymani Graves is in charge of the investigation. We don’t know much of anything, but he’s going to need to meet with Sophie and me to talk through what happened again.”
That caught her by surprise. “Again?”
The doctor leveled a patient look at her. “Officer Graves spoke to you in the ER and while you were being admitted. Once you were transferred to this private room, I gave you a mild sedative to help you recover from the shock of the explosion. He did ask you a few questions at the time but has returned now to follow up if I deem you ready and able.”
They all remained silent for a moment. Sophie absorbed the last bit and decided it wasn’t up to the doctor, really. “I feel fine.”
Brandon tapped her shoulder with a finger.
“Achy and bruised,” she amended. “And my ankle does hurt. But I’m definitely able to talk with Ky. I have some questions for him, too.”
The doctor grunted. “Let me check a few basics first.”
The doctor made a shooing gesture to get Elisa and Lyn out of the way, and then he leaned in close to check Sophie’s eyes. She wondered if they were really as dilated as Brandon had said.
“How long is Sophie’s family out of town again?” Elisa continued discussion behind the doctor. “They went back to Korea for an extended holiday, so it’s going to be a while. Will she need anyone to help her out at her apartment?”
Good point. But then, Elisa had a way of thinking through the practicalities of a situation quickly. The boys had been lucky the day Elisa had walked into Hope’s Crossing Kennels. She’d done amazing things with the administrative side of the business once Alex had hired her. She’d become a major part of Alex’s life, too, as well as a good friend to Sophie. Still, she’d start organizing the “get Sophie home” initiative without any input if Sophie let her keep going.
“No.” They all leaned around the doctor to see Sophie. She set her jaw and got ready for a battle of wills. “I’ll be totally fine on my own.”