As the scent of the soup reached her, Kate shut her eyes. Just the aroma seemed to be enough. “It smells wonderful.”

“The smell won’t put any meat on you.”

She smiled, and opened her eyes again. Then before she’d realized it, Ky had spoon-fed her the first bite. “It tastes wonderful too.” Though she reached for the spoon, he dipped it into the bowl himself then held it to her lips.

“I can do it,” she began, then was forced to swallow more broth.

“Just eat.” Fighting off waves of emotion he spoke briskly. “You look like hell.”

“I’m sure I do,” she said easily. “Most people don’t look their best a couple of hours after being stung by a stingray.”

“Twenty-four,” Ky corrected as he fed her another spoon of soup.

“Twenty-four what?”

“Hours.” Ky slipped in another spoonful when her eyes widened.

“I’ve been unconscious for twenty-four hours?” She looked to the window and the sunlight as if she could find some means of disproving it.

“You slipped in and out quite a bit before Bailey gave you the shot. He said you probably wouldn’t remember.” Thank God, Ky added silently. Whenever she’d fought her way back to consciousness, she’d been in agony. He could still hear her moans, feel the way she’d clutched him. He never knew a person could suffer physically for another’s pain the way he’d suffered for hers. Even now it made his muscles clench.

“That must’ve been some shot he gave me.”

“He gave you what you needed.” His eyes met hers.

For the first time Kate saw the fatigue in them, and the anger. “You’ve been up all night,” she murmured. “Haven’t you had any rest at all?”

“You needed to be watched,” he said briefly. “Bailey wanted you to stay under, so you’d sleep through the worst of the pain, and so you’d just sleep period.” His voice changed as he lost control over the anger. He couldn’t prevent the edge of accusation from showing, partly for her, partly for himself. “The wound wasn’t that bad, do you understand? But you weren’t in any shape to handle it. Bailey said you’ve been well on the way to working yourself into exhaustion.”

“That’s ridiculous. I don’t—”

Ky swore at her, filling her mouth with more soup. “Don’t tell me it’s ridiculous. I had to listen to him. I had to look at you. You don’t eat, you don’t sleep, you’re going to fall down on your face.”

There was too much of the drug in her system to allow her temper to bite. Instead of annoyance, her words came out like a sigh. “I didn’t fall on my face.”