The imaging showed a mild concussion. No bleed. They want to monitor her through the night because of her age. "Okay. " Riley sat down in the chair beside him. "Okay. " "What do you need? " He shook his head.
The meaning was unclear. "What do I need? I don't know. I can't think. What a strange question. " "Have you eaten? " she said.
"I'll find something. " She stood. "Riley. " His hand caught her wrist light, not restraining. She stopped. "I'm sorry," he said, "about what I said in the garage. I was You don't need to do this now.
I need to do it now because I need you to know. " He looked up at her, exhausted in the way people get exhausted when fear has been burning in them for hours. "I was scared. That's what it was. I was scared because something was starting to matter, and I looked for a reason to stop it before it could, before I could. " He stopped. "I was protecting myself. " "I know," she said gently.
"I know you weren't lying. I knew it then. I just—" "Daniel. "" She sat back down, close enough that their shoulders touched. "Sophie's in there. " "She's okay. Let's just Let's just stay here for a while. " He exhaled.
A long, slow exhale, like something finally releasing. "Okay," he said. They sat in the plastic chairs, and they didn't sleep, and they were there when the night shift nurse came by at 4:00 to say Sophie's vitals were perfect, and she'd been asking for Gerald. Daniel went in and came back out with his eyes red at the corners, and Riley pretended not to notice, and he sat back down, and his shoulder came back against hers and stayed there. At some point, she told him not everything.