Sabrina sat upright in the hospital bed, a thin blanket pulled to her waist.Her hair was damp where nurses had wiped away the soot, the dark strands curling against her pale shoulders.Her face carried the shadow of exhaustion, the kind that went deeper than one sleepless night, but her eyes were open, alert.Guarded.
"Hey," he said quietly.
She flinched, her hand tightening on the blanket's edge.Then her shoulders dropped a fraction when she saw him."Colby."
"You remember my name.That's a good sign."
A ghost of a smile appeared, there and gone."Hard to forget the guy who carried me out."
He stepped inside and set his jacket over the back of the visitor's chair, giving her space, letting her adjust to his presence."How are you feeling?"
"Like I breathed in half the inn."
"Only half?"
Her laugh came out cracked but real, and something in his chest loosened.He counted that as a win.He pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat, forearms resting on his knees, posture open and unhurried.
For a moment, they said nothing.The silence wasn't uncomfortable—she was taking stock of herself, and he was letting her.The monitors beeped their steady rhythm.Somewhere down the hall, a cart rattled past.
Her gaze drifted toward the window, though there was nothing to see but the reflection of the room against the darkness outside."Did...did it burn all the way down?"
"Most of it."He didn't soften it.She deserved honesty, and giving her anything less would be an insult."The structure's a total loss."
Her throat moved as she swallowed.Her fingers twisted the edge of the blanket, knuckles white, and he watched her fight to keep her composure.Watched her win, barely.
"Sabrina."He kept his voice gentle."Talk to me."
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
She looked at him sharply, her chin lifting."I don't want to talk about it."
"Then don't.But I'm still here."
She stared at him for a long moment, something shifting behind her eyes.Surprise, maybe.Or suspicion."Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you here?"
He leaned back slightly, keeping his tone easy."Because you shouldn't be alone after something like that.And because you said things at the scene that concerned me."
She swallowed again.Hard."I don't remember what I said."
"'Please don't let him come back.'"He watched her face as he repeated the words."That's what you said."
Her breath hitched.She lifted a hand to her forehead, pressing her fingertips against her temple as if she could push the memory away.
Colby softened his tone even more."You don't have to tell me anything you're not ready to say."
She closed her eyes.Her voice, when it came, was barely above a whisper."It's complicated."
"I'm a quick learner."
A tiny smile touched her lips at his dry tone, but it faded almost instantly.She took a long, careful breath—slow, measured, the kind meant to keep the coughing at bay—and looked at him again.Her eyes shone with a vulnerability she was clearly trying to hide.
"My ex."The words came out rough, scraped raw."Gavin."
