was left of the back door. Tory didn’t care. She didn’t need his attitude at the moment. She had plenty to deal with. Phil moaned when she added a second towel to the blood-soaked one on his side. She tried to talk to him, bu t his lids fluttered and closed again.
Adam took a jug of water out of the backpack he carried and wet the corner of a towel to clean up some of the cuts on Phil’s face. They didn’t look deep once the blood was gone, but the gouge on his side was serious.
“There’s the a mbulance, ” Adam commented a minute later and everything was a daze of confusion and speed from there .
After the paramedics loaded Phil in to the ambulance, Ashley hugged Tory and went with her father.
Tory stood in the ho use for a moment alone, staring at the ruined furniture, gaping holes, and wet floors through a sheen of tears. She fought them desperately , thinking she’d held on this long. She couldn’t let herself fall apart yet.
“You’re going to the hospital, ” Gabe said quietly .
She shook her head, afraid she would cry. She hadn’t even heard him come back inside.
“Yes, you are. You’re bleeding everywhere.” He was standing right behind her.
Silent tears were already falling down her cheeks. She let out a shaky breath to get a hold on herself . She would have too, she knew, but the warmth Gabe’s hand was there on her shoulder and the pressure in her chest was too much to bear .
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Gabe turned her and pulled her up against him.
“Get it out, Tory.” His voice was so gentle, so understanding that Tory wept more.
“I saw how it could have gone in my head,” s he said between choking sobs. “I couldn’ t stand there and d-do nothing!”
“I know you couldn’t .” Gabe brushed a strand of hair out of her face , wiped the moisture off her cheeks with the pad s of his thumb s .
“It could have been so much worse for them.” Tory sighed, swiping at the tears . The storm had passed, she thought , and closed her eyes to stop the pounding in her head .
Gabe held her against him , giving no sign that he was going to let her go .
Adam came in and stopped short. “T he guys are here.”
“I’m not going to the hospital.” Tory jerked back. “It’s just cuts. Nothing that will need stitches.”
“You’re going,” Gabe commanded quietly, then left the house. Tory watched him go, then wrapped her arms around herself since he’d taken the warmth with him.
“ We’d feel better if you went and got checked out.”
“Adam, I’m fine.” Then she looked at her brother and saw the barely controlled anger in his glare. The storm hadn’t passed yet, after all.
“What the hell were you doing, Tory? You could have been killed!”
“I’m a chaser, Adam. I knew what I was doing.”
“Bullshit. You just ran. I saw the look in your eyes. You had no idea what you were doing. You weren’t thinking.” His big hands curled into fists at his sides.
“Adam, please don’t,” s he said quietly.
Gabe came back through the door and wrapped his jacket around Tory. “I’m fine, you guys. I just need a couple aspirin and a hot bath. ”
“Shut up, ” Gabe ordered curtly and swept her off her feet to carry her to the truck.
If she thought it would do any good to argue, she would have. But instead, she let him carry her to the truck , then into the Emergency Room—and later, back to his hotel room.
“Take these .” Gabe handed the pills to her before closing the curtains in his hotel room.
Assuming the little white pills were for pain, Tory swallowed them without argument. She had been right, no stitches were necessary. However, Dr. Uptight decided exhaustion was Tory’s main problem and she would need several days of bed rest for the scrapes to heal.
“Dr. Upbright is an idiot, ” Tory commented, snuggling deep into Gabe’s pillows.
“Yes, but he was right. You need rest.”
“I can rest the same in my own room.”
Adam took a jug of water out of the backpack he carried and wet the corner of a towel to clean up some of the cuts on Phil’s face. They didn’t look deep once the blood was gone, but the gouge on his side was serious.
“There’s the a mbulance, ” Adam commented a minute later and everything was a daze of confusion and speed from there .
After the paramedics loaded Phil in to the ambulance, Ashley hugged Tory and went with her father.
Tory stood in the ho use for a moment alone, staring at the ruined furniture, gaping holes, and wet floors through a sheen of tears. She fought them desperately , thinking she’d held on this long. She couldn’t let herself fall apart yet.
“You’re going to the hospital, ” Gabe said quietly .
She shook her head, afraid she would cry. She hadn’t even heard him come back inside.
“Yes, you are. You’re bleeding everywhere.” He was standing right behind her.
Silent tears were already falling down her cheeks. She let out a shaky breath to get a hold on herself . She would have too, she knew, but the warmth Gabe’s hand was there on her shoulder and the pressure in her chest was too much to bear .
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Gabe turned her and pulled her up against him.
“Get it out, Tory.” His voice was so gentle, so understanding that Tory wept more.
“I saw how it could have gone in my head,” s he said between choking sobs. “I couldn’ t stand there and d-do nothing!”
“I know you couldn’t .” Gabe brushed a strand of hair out of her face , wiped the moisture off her cheeks with the pad s of his thumb s .
“It could have been so much worse for them.” Tory sighed, swiping at the tears . The storm had passed, she thought , and closed her eyes to stop the pounding in her head .
Gabe held her against him , giving no sign that he was going to let her go .
Adam came in and stopped short. “T he guys are here.”
“I’m not going to the hospital.” Tory jerked back. “It’s just cuts. Nothing that will need stitches.”
“You’re going,” Gabe commanded quietly, then left the house. Tory watched him go, then wrapped her arms around herself since he’d taken the warmth with him.
“ We’d feel better if you went and got checked out.”
“Adam, I’m fine.” Then she looked at her brother and saw the barely controlled anger in his glare. The storm hadn’t passed yet, after all.
“What the hell were you doing, Tory? You could have been killed!”
“I’m a chaser, Adam. I knew what I was doing.”
“Bullshit. You just ran. I saw the look in your eyes. You had no idea what you were doing. You weren’t thinking.” His big hands curled into fists at his sides.
“Adam, please don’t,” s he said quietly.
Gabe came back through the door and wrapped his jacket around Tory. “I’m fine, you guys. I just need a couple aspirin and a hot bath. ”
“Shut up, ” Gabe ordered curtly and swept her off her feet to carry her to the truck.
If she thought it would do any good to argue, she would have. But instead, she let him carry her to the truck , then into the Emergency Room—and later, back to his hotel room.
“Take these .” Gabe handed the pills to her before closing the curtains in his hotel room.
Assuming the little white pills were for pain, Tory swallowed them without argument. She had been right, no stitches were necessary. However, Dr. Uptight decided exhaustion was Tory’s main problem and she would need several days of bed rest for the scrapes to heal.
“Dr. Upbright is an idiot, ” Tory commented, snuggling deep into Gabe’s pillows.
“Yes, but he was right. You need rest.”
“I can rest the same in my own room.”
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