Page 4 of Yuletide Hero

“Didn't my mom tell you I went to the hospital?”

He trailed her back to the front porch, so close on her heels he was practically attached to her.

“I didn't think I needed to go,” Hayley continued, unlocking the door. “But Adam and Jessica insisted. They called another social worker to take Kinsley Turner to a group home, then they took Jay Turner down to the station and booked him while I went to the hospital. You know that I don’t have a concussion or anything.” She turned to look at him. “I wanted to go back to work and check on Kinsley, but my boss made me take the rest of the day off.”

That should have reassured him.

But it didn't.

The only thing that was going to reassure him was checking Hayley out himself.

“Go and sit down,” he ordered.

“What?” Her large blue eyes widened even further at his sharp tone.

Great. He was scaring her. Last thing he wanted to do after the day she’d had. Brian forced himself to calm down. “Please,” he said deliberately gentling his voice. “I just want to examine you.”

“The doctor at the hospital already did,” she reminded him.

That wasn't enough for him right now. “Please.”

Obviously reading his desperation, she shot him a reassuring smile. “Okay, if it will make you feel better.”

“It will.” He took her elbow, closed and locked the door behind them, and guided her into the living room and down onto the couch. He sat beside her and picked up her wrist to take her pulse. Which was normal. Pulling a stethoscope from his bag he pressed it to Hayley’s chest. Her breathing and heart rate were also normal.

Taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger he tilted her face to the side so that he could examine the lump on her head. Looking at it gave him a lump in his throat. Hayley was lucky that she hadn't been knocked out when that lunatic had attacked her for simply doing her job. He probed the bump as gently as he could. When Hayley winced, he let his fingertips trail down the side of her cheek.

“You were lucky,” he murmured.

“I was,” she agreed, her voice soft and a little distant.

“Were you hurt anywhere else?” Brian asked, his gaze still locked on the lump on the side of Hayley’s head.

“A couple of bruises from hitting the ground when he knocked me down. Really, it’s nothing. I'm fine.”

“Fine,” he echoed.

Slowly his eyes moved from the bump up to meet Hayley’s eyes that were watching his every move.

For some reason his gaze dropped to her lips.

Kiss.

The word flew into his mind.

That was the last thing he’d been expecting.

You didn't kiss the friend you’d had since you were eleven.

It was wrong.

Wrong.

Definitely wrong.

And yet it didn't stop him from wanting to do it.

“Brian? Is something wrong?”

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