Forcing a smile, she walked into the room. The man in the bed was asleep—his face ashen, his head bandaged, his jaw rough with unshaven stubble. An oxygen clip was attached to his nose. IV and monitor tubes were attached to his arms and hands. Brianna blinked back tears. Her father looked even worse than she’d feared he would.

And he was all alone. Where was the nurse? And where was Allison? How could she go off and leave him like this?

She leaned over him, as close as she could. “It’s all right, Daddy,” she whispered. “I’m here. I’ve come home.”

His eyelids fluttered. His blue eyes—almost as blue as Liam’s—opened. She expected him to smile, but he looked more perturbed than happy. “What are you doing here, Brianna?” he demanded. “Why aren’t you in school?”

She drew back a little. “I came to make sure you were all right,” she said. “Who’s taking care of you? Isn’t Allison supposed to be here? Or is she afraid of breaking a fingernail?”

Just then the bathroom door opened and Allison stepped out, drying her hands on a paper towel. She looked exhausted, her hair mussed, her bloodshot eyes sunk in shadows, and her tired face bare of makeup.

“Hello, Brianna,” she said. “I’m glad you got here safely.”

Garrett had walked into the room, carrying Brianna’s suitcase, which he set behind the door. The small room suddenly seemed crowded, as if the people in it were sucking out all the air.

Brianna’s expression darkened as she looked at Allison. “How could you?” she demanded. “How could you let him go out at night in a storm, on that awful, slick road? He could have died in that wreck!”

“Now, honey, it wasn’t Allison’s fault,” Burke said. “She tried to talk me out of going, but you know your stubborn old dad. I’ve got nobody to blame but myself.”

“He’s right, Brianna,” Garrett said. “When the problem at the theater came up, I offered to go myself, but he insisted on taking care of it in person. Maybe you should apologize to Allison.”

Brianna hated being treated like a child. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, turning away from Allison and back to her father.

“Apology accepted.” Allison looked as if she wanted to make an excuse and leave. But she had clearly staked out her territory in the room. It was clear that she meant to stay and keep the situation under control.

Brianna remembered what Garrett had told her on the way to the hospital. In a way, the accident had been Allison’s fault. If she hadn’t quarreled with Burke before he’d walked out of the party, he might not have been driving so fast. But she knew better than to mention that now. Instead she changed the subject.