“Your scans all look normal and we haven’t seen any signs of swelling or secondary injury. Pupils look good,” he said, flicking a penlight back and forth over her eyes. “You are a very lucky woman, Ms. Taylor.”
“Lucky would be not ending up in the hospital in the first place.” Sophie rubbed a hand over her eyes, and Emerson stifled his laughter with a cough. “Can I go home?”
“You had a nasty concussion and significant bruising. I’d like to keep you one more night.”
“Please, I’d feel better if I could sleep in my own bed.”
He didn’t blame her. Hospitals were the worst. With strangers coming and going and the lights never going completely dark, he didn’t know how they expected anyone to be able to sleep. The irony that he’d been one of the strangers wasn’t lost on him; he just didn’t intend to acknowledge it.
The doctor met Sophie’s imploring gaze and paused for a moment. He was toast. Emerson didn’t know how the man expected to stand his ground in the face of such beautiful determination.
“Is there someone who could stay with you?”
Sophie’s expression went from hopeful to resigned. It was like watching a light go out.She had to have family or friends—someone.Her boss stopped in after she finished with the police but he hadn’t seen the woman since.
“I’ll be fine by myself.”
“I’m sorry,” said the doctor, looking like it pained him to say no to her. Emerson had known her for a handful of minutes and could already empathize with the man.
“She won’t be alone. I’ll look after her.”Where the hell had that come from?Now that the words were out of his mouth, he couldn’t regret them. Especially not when he saw the way her expression shifted from disappointment to hope tinged with wariness.
“And you are?” The doctor glanced between Emerson and Sophie.
“Emerson Southerland. Southerland Security. I’m Ms. Taylor’s bodyguard.”
Sophie’s eyes turned into indigo saucers but she didn’t contradict him, which was a clear indication of exactly how much she wanted to get out of the hospital.
“You can spend the night with her and make sure to wake her up every two or three hours?”
“Absolutely,” he said, not bothering to hide his grin.
