“Yeah.”
I helped him unwrap himself from me, even though I mourned the loss of his head from my lap, and eased him onto his back. The bed had been flat when I’d arrived to find him in such a mess, but I raised it up now, hoping the relative change of scenery would pull him another step out of the vortex.
It seemed to work. He lay propped up and gazed around like he’d had no idea of his surroundings before. I touched his cheek, brushing away some of the dirt that was somehow still there. “Do you need anything? The nurse said you can drink water if you can keep it down?”
Joe blanched. “No, thanks. What time is it?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“In the morning?”
“Yup. You’ve been here all night.”
“Feels like a week.” Joe licked his dry lips, his head lolled to one side, and it seemed like he might doze off, but then he jerked awake again. “Shit. I need to get out of here.”
I steadied him. “Nah. You’re gonna be in here a couple of days, mate.”
“Fuck that.” Joe pushed my hands off his shoulders. “Shadow—”
“Shadow’s fine.”
“No, he’s not. He’s got a splinter... that’s why I went into his field.”
“I know. But he’s fine now. Last I heard he was chilling in his stable.”
Joe’s eyes gleamed briefly, like he knew there was a giant gap in my reassurance, but then he brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. “Even if Emma somehow has Shadow under control, there’s still so much to do. Those ponies need round-the-clock care.”
“And they’ll get it. Everyone’s pitching in. George is sleeping on your mum’s couch.”
Again, it was half the truth, but it seemed all Joe could handle right now. He dropped his head again. “My stomach hurts.”
“I know, mate. I know.”
* * *
It was lunchtime when Sal woke me up. At some point, I’d laid my head on Joe’s bed and somehow fallen asleep.
“Rise and shine,” Sal said softly. “They’re moving him to a ward in a minute. Visiting hours don’t start until two, but they said I can stay with him a little while longer.”
I sat up, dazed and confused. “What?”
Sal smiled. “Bless you. I should’ve sent you home hours ago but didn’t have it in me to prise you apart.”
I had no idea what she meant until I looked down and saw my fingers wrapped tightly around Joe’s. A flurry of conflicting emotions hit me, but I pushed them aside as my gaze darted automatically to Joe. Who cared if I was caught between mortification and wonder? As I studied Joe’s face, I certainly didn’t. He’d always been magnetic in a way that made no sense—when he was aloof or rude, or silent and still, like now. I stroked his face, paying Sal no heed, and wondered if his mind was finally quiet. “Have you been home? He’s been worrying about the horses.”
“No need,” Sal said. “Emma’s much better at holding the fort than she lets herself believe.”
I could second that, but whether Sal knew about Jonah’s overnight presence on the farm, I couldn’t tell. “How’s he been? He was really sick earlier.”
Sal reached around me and rubbed Joe’s arm. “The nurses said that too, but I haven’t heard a peep out of either of you since I got here.”
“What about the doctor? Has he been round?”
“An hour ago,” Sal said. “He’s happy that the bruising isn’t hiding anything worse, so Joe can go to the ward.”
Relief flooded me. I had no idea how long I’d been asleep, but the hours I’d spent at Joe’s bedside, trying desperately to keep him calm, to soothe his pain, would stay with me forever.
A porter arrived. I peeled myself out of my hard plastic chair and moved out of the way. Sal caught my arm as I passed her and tugged me into the corridor.
