Maggie Shayne - Embrace The Twilight

“My leg got to aching. I was looking for a place to sit down for a while.”

“I see,” she said slowly, coming closer now.

To stop her from reaching the point where she might catch a glimpse of Jameson-the-blood-thief, Will met her halfway. “Look, I’m ready to go back to my room now, all right?”

“That’s fine. Do you mind if I walk with you?” She took his good arm, walked with him back toward the door.

“Sure. Whatever.”

One of the orderlies opened the door. Another slapped him on the shoulder as he passed. “You hang in there, man. We need more like you, Colonel Stone.”

The former soldier sent him a snappy salute.

They all followed Will and the shrink into the hallway, and then the orderlies dispersed, one of them pausing to relock the door before taking off.

Dr. Ashby walked slowly. “You’re in a lot of pain, aren’t you?”

“The leg? Ah, it’s not so bad.”

“Bad enough that it had you considering suicide.”

“What, you think I’d kill myself over a little pain? I can handle pain, Dr. Ashby.”

She nodded, smiled a little self-deprecatingly. “I guess I should have known that, considering. Physical pain certainly wouldn’t drive a man like you to such an extreme decision.”

“It wasn’t a decision. More like a passing thought.”

“So you didn’t really plan to jump from that window tonight?”

“No. I opened it. I even stood there a while, contemplating the notion. But I never would have jumped.”

“Because you realized that you have too much to live for?” she asked.

“Because I realized it’s not a high enough window to ensure a quick end. I may have a high tolerance for pain, Dr. Ashby, but I’m not a masochist. If I’d been seriously thinking of jumping, I’d have taken the elevator on up to the top floor-better yet, the roof.”

She blinked at him. “I’m not sure if I should find that reassuring or troubling.”

“Reassuring,” he promised. “I swear.”

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.