Later, she called a nurse to put him back on an IV drip.
With Noreen there, Seth was unusually quiet, even though they didn''t speak to each other again.
A little after nine, a nurse came to do her rounds.
The head nurse was leading and seemed surprised to see Noreen in this particr room.
"Miss Gilmore, aren''t you going to check on Mr. Joyner?"
Noreen handled it smoothly. "I was just about to head over."
The head nurse gave her a knowing look before asking, "Is this man a friend of yours?"
Noreen thought for a moment. "Just a business partner."
It might have been her imagination, but after she said that, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
It became even more noticeable after the medical staff left.
Noreen nced at Seth.
His eyes were closed, his thoughts unreadable.
The room was too quiet, so Noreen casually picked up the remote and turned on the television.
Coincidentally, a news report featuring an interview with her was ying.
On the screen, she was answering a reporter''s questions, her eyes full of affection.
She was saying, "Of course I''m worried about him. He''s my fiancé, after all. I canceled my workmitments out of town to rush here and take care of him." And then, "We''ll share any good news with everyone as soon as we have it."
The room''s temperature dropped to a freezing point.
As if feeling guilty, Noreen turned off the TV and nced at her watch.
It was almost ten o''clock.
She asked Seth, "Did Jude note to Harborview City with you this time?"
"I came alone."
The implication was clear: he was by himself, with no one to stay and look after him at the hospital.
Noreen found herself in a difficult position.
She had assumed Seth had a friend with him whom she could ask to stay and help out.
It seemed she would have to be the one to stay and care for him.
It wasn''t that she wanted to shirk the responsibility; after all, Seth had been injured saving her.
It was the right thing to do. She was obligated to look after him.
She was just worried Seth would feel ufortable and thought having his friend there might be more appropriate.
However, she needed to go see Castle to discuss some issues with the court case. So, she got up and started toward the door.
Before she even reached it, Seth''s anxious voice cut through the silence. "You''re leaving me?"
That tone,bined with the look on his face...
It was as if he wasn''t asking if she was leaving him, but if she was abandoning him.
The cuts and bruises from the car
crash the night before were still visible on his face. The overhead light cast shadows that createda tense, dramatic image.
The slight tremor in his eyes betrayed his vulnerability.
He had an indescribable look of being broken.
Noreen''s heart twinged. Then it softened.
She rarely exined herself, but she did now. "I have to step out for
something. I''ll be back in a bit. If
you
get tired, just go to sleep.
As she spoke, Seth stared into her eyes.
Once he was sure she wasn''t lying, the tension in his body slowly eased.
Finally, he spoke just three words.
"I''ll wait for you."
Noreen wasn''t sure how long she''d be gone. She wanted to tell him not to wait, in case she was veryte.
But when she saw the stubborn look in his eyes, the words caught in her throat and changed. "I''ll try to be back soon."
"Okay."
Seth watched her go, not looking away until even the sound of her footsteps had faded.
His phone, lying on the side table, rang.
It was Jude.
Seth answered. The person on the other end was out of breath. "Seth just fanded! I''ll grab a cab to the hospital to be with you as soon as I get off the ne!"
"Don''t bother."
Jude''s brain stalled for two seconds. "Weren''t you the one who told me toe to Harborview City? You said the sooner, the better!"
Seth''s tone was cold,pletely different from when he had called him earlier that
day.
"I don''t need you now. Just buy a ticket back home after you dene. You''re not needed here."