“There we are,” she announced, applying antibiotic ointment to the neat row of stitches before rebandaging it. “Keep it dry for the next few days, and it should heal beautifully.”
Sadie glanced down at her arm, eyes fixed on the bandage as she said, “I can’t thank you enough for coming out so late.”
“Think nothing of it,” Ellie replied, removing her gloves and beginning to pack up her supplies. “Anyone important to Corbie is important to all of us.”
Shaking his head, Corbyn stood with an exasperated sigh, and grumbled, “Stop calling me that, Eleanor.”
“Don’t you two start with that nonsense,” Edie interjected with exasperation from the bottom of the stairs before turning her attention to Sadie. “Let’s get you settled upstairs, love. You’ve had quite enough excitement for one evening.”
As the two women fussed over Sadie, helping her to her feet and gathering supplies for her injured arm, Corbyn found himself watching from the periphery. There was something about watching Ellie and Edie, the two women who had stuck by him through everything, tend to her. The aching knot in his chest loosened, allowing him to take a full breath.
“I’ve put you in the Blue Room,” Edie was saying as their voices faded up the staircase, Riley padding up the stairs behind them. “It’s just down the hall from Corbyn’s room, so if you need anything in the night…”
Corbyn remained in the kitchen, suddenly alone with his thoughts. The adrenaline was finally beginning to ebb, leaving him feeling drained and oddly hollow. He poured himself acup of tea, but instead of drinking it, he simply stood there staring into the amber liquid. Ellie was right. Sadie had become important to him, and he knew he had to tread carefully while she was staying under his roof.
“Right,” Ellie’s voice startled him from his thoughts. She’d returned to the kitchen and was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, studying him with a look he knew all too well. “Now tell me what really happened tonight.”
Corbyn took a sip of tea, buying himself time. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Ellie said bluntly. “On the phone, all you said was that Sadie had cut herself and needed stitches. But I know what it looks like when someone is in shock after a traumatic experience. So I want the whole story, Corbie.”
He sighed, recognizing that tone. It was the one that meant his sister wouldn’t be deterred.
“Maggie called and said there was a man at the pub claiming to be Sadie’s fiancé and asking a lot of questions. She had a bad feeling about it.”
“Fiancé?” Ellie’s eyebrows rose.
Corbyn’s jaw tightened as he continued, “Ex-fiancé. She had mentioned him when he tried to contact her while we were working, but, obviously, the situation was more serious than she let on.”
Ellie studied him as he recounted the events of the evening to her, from Maggie’s frantic call to bursting into the courtyard and finding Sadie on the ground. The memory made him flinch.
“You really do care about her, don’t you?” Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow as he set the cup down with hands that were shaking once more.
“Of course I do,” he said, the words coming out rougher than he’d intended. “You don’t work with someone every day without coming to care about their well-being.”
“I think it’s more than that,” Ellie pressed, “because from where I’m standing, you look like a man who’s been through a war. You’re still shaking, Corbie.”
“I’m fine,” he protested, though even he could hear how unconvincing it sounded.
“Bollocks,” Ellie retorted, crossing her arms in defiance as she stared up at him. “I saw how you looked at her tonight, like you were afraid she was going to break into a million pieces at any moment.” She paused, studying his face. “When’s the last time you left this house for something that wasn’t necessary?”
Corbyn opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again. Before Sadie had been thrust into his life, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone anywhere that wasn’t a doctor’s appointment or some other unavoidable obligation.
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” he said, a heavy sigh leaving him. His sister knew him entirely too well.
“I want you to be honest with yourself,” Ellie replied. “You’ve been different since she arrived. Less isolated. More… present. Edie’s mentioned it several times.”
As if summoned by her name, Edie appeared in the doorway. “She’s settled,” she announced. “Riley’s appointed himself guardian and stretched out right across her doorway.” She glanced between the siblings, raising a suspicious eyebrow before asking, “Everything alright down here?”
“Just having a chat about feelings,” Ellie said lightly, though her eyes never left Corbyn’s face. “You know how much Corbie loves that.”
“Ah.” Edie shook her head. “Well, don’t keep him up too late. He’s had quite enough excitement for one evening.”
She disappeared down the hall toward the rooms she shared with Paul, leaving the siblings alone. Corbyn could hear her footsteps fade into the familiar sounds of the house settling.
“Bring her to London,” Ellie said gently. “I’m serious about that, and not just for her sake.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
