"Alexis Morgan - Dark Defender" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morgan Alexis)

The need to know how Brenna was doing forced him out of his silence. тАЬHow is she?тАЭ
The nurse jumped, as if sheтАЩd forgotten he was even there. тАЬAre you family?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm all that she has left.тАЭ And that was a sad statement if there ever was one. тАЬWhat does the
doctor think now?тАЭ
The woman stared at him for a few seconds. He lacked the gene for charming people into talking,
leaving him no choice but to wait her out. Finally, some of the tension in her stance drained away.
тАЬThe injuries are healing as well as can be expected. The concussion caused by the explosion put
her in a coma, even though the concussion didnтАЩt appear to be that severe.тАЭ She glanced at BrennaтАЩs pale
face. тАЬIтАЩd guess the shock of seeing her father die aggravated her condition.тАЭ
A fist-size lump settled in his throat, and Blake realized that the bitter taste in his mouth was fear.
HeтАЩd often faced certain death without blinking. Hell, heтАЩd died more times than he could count and had
come back from it. But for Brenna, death was permanentтАФnot just something to be endured until her
heart and lungs remembered how to work.
тАЬWhat else can be done?тАЭ He hated the sympathy in the nurseтАЩs eyes. Begging wasnтАЩt his style,
but he couldnтАЩt rely on his usual technique of holding his opponent at sword point.
тАЬTalk to her. Sometimes that seems to help bring them back.тАЭ She tilted her head as if to listen.
тАЬIтАЩve got another patient calling for attention, so push that button on the bed if you need me.тАЭ
Then she was gone, leaving him alone with the blinking lights and Brenna, still and pale and silent.

тАЬCome on, Brenna, I need you to tell me what happened.тАЭ Blake felt stupid carrying on a one-sided
conversation, but heтАЩd strip and run naked down the street if it would help her come back to the living. тАЬI
know it hurts, but youтАЩre strong.тАЭ
He reached for his water bottle and took a big swig to soothe his parched throat. He was known
for his silence, not for conversation. Reading her the front page of the paper obviously hadnтАЩt worked,
and he tried to think of another topic of conversation.
He let his thoughts wander back to when heтАЩd first met her, and without realizing it, he started
talking.
тАЬIтАЩd never met anyone like you beforeтАФall eyes and innocence, but with one of the best minds IтАЩd
ever met. Even at age twelve, when you started high school, you saw and understood far more than most
adults.тАЭ
His lips quirked in a half smile. тАЬIтАЩd been living on the streets, more wild animal than human. Then
your father picked me up by the scruff of my neck and dropped me right into your home. I donтАЩt know
what he was thinking, but between him and Maisy, they got me straightened out in short order. Maybe it
was all those cookies she baked for me. And, despite being five foot nothing, she could be a real terror.тАЭ
Leaning back in the chair, he stared up at the ceiling. тАЬOnce, just before your thirteenth birthday, I
was on my way to the kitchen to see if Maisy had any snickerdoodles for me to eat when you came
charging out of the kitchen, almost knocking me over. I still remember the look in your eyes when I
caught you to keep both of us from hitting the floor. For that one moment, I could see past the glasses
and braces to see the lovely woman youтАЩd become.тАЭ He dragged his gaze back toward BrennaтАЩs still
form in the bed. тАЬI wasnтАЩt too far off the mark.тАЭ He drifted into silence, the past never a comfortable
place for him to visit.
And once again heтАЩd run out of conversation. тАЬBrenna, youтАЩve got to wake up. ItтАЩs not safe here
in the hospitalтАФeven with the guards your fatherтАЩs buddies, the Regents, sent in. No place will be safe
until we find out who was behind this.тАЭ
Her eyes fluttered briefly. HeтАЩd been a day and a half without sleep, though, and didnтАЩt trust what
heтАЩd just seen. He reached over and angled a light so that it shone directly in her face. тАЬBrenna, blink
your eyes. I need to know if youтАЩre understanding me.тАЭ
She moaned softly and tried to turn away from the glare, but he captured her chin gently in his
hand and held her face still. He injected more authority in his voice, just as her father always had when
she fought getting up in the morning. тАЬBrenna, itтАЩs time to wake up.тАЭ