Chapter 3

 

The night was one of the longest in her life. Each time a shadow passed by the door, Kiley hunkered down in bed, fearing they’d found her or Ned was here to take her home. She hardly slept, and when the sun peeked through the blinds, her mind was in such turmoil she was barely able to speak to the nice nurse from the day before.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Hailey offered sweetly. “We’ve all had our bad days. It helps to talk, it really does.”

Kiley licked her dried, cracked lips. “You… you’ve been, you know… like me?”

Hailey’s eyes darkened. “A few years ago, but I got out. It gets better, it truly does.”

Kiley thanked her for her kindness, but this woman hadn’t done the horrible things Kiley had. She hadn’t gone through as much, she saw it in her eyes. She’d had it rough, but there was no guilt lingering around her, no lasting pain. Kiley wondered if they would notice if she slipped out of bed and sneaked out of the hospital, but she had nowhere to go. Calling her friends would mean telling them the truth, and she wasn’t ready for that.

The door opened an hour later and two officers stepped inside, one female, one male. Kiley stiffened and pressed her back flat against the wall at the head of the bed.

“Ms. Innis?” the male officer asked, moving closer until she gripped the sheet hard. He stopped, glancing at the female officer.

She moved forward instead, but Kiley was nowhere near relaxed. “Ms. Innis, we were called by Dr. Charlie Devons. He said you were attacked in an alley early yesterday morning. Can you tell us what happened?”

Charlie? She glanced towards the door and saw his shaggy brown hair before it disappeared. That rat bastard. All she wanted was to be left alone and he called the cops.

“I have nothing to say,” she said quickly.

“Ma’am, if you were attacked, we would prefer you tell us what happened so we can track these people down and bring them in,” the female officer said. Kiley noticed the name on her uniform. Officer Ryan.

The words were on her lips, but in the back of her mind she knew those men would never be caught. Just as Ned would never be caught. Snitching on them would only make things worse. The stern look on Officer Ryan’s face told her she wouldn’t go easily without Kiley telling her something. She remembered what the man who spoke looked like, but not the other two. Did she dare describe him? What if he came after her again?

Clearing her throat, she picked at a thread on the sheet as she spoke. “I was out running and was dragged into an alley. There were men.”

“How many?” Officer Ryan asked, scribbling down notes.

“Three… they… one had a knife.” She sucked in a pained breath, her eyes darting to the injury on her thigh. “They cut me, beat me, and left me in that alley. I guess I dragged myself up and got here. That’s where Dr. Devons found me. Charlie.”

“Did you recognize any of these men? Did they know you?” Officer Ryan asked.

Kiley sucked in her bottom lip and shook her head. “No.”

“Are you sure?” She nodded just as hard. “Could you describe them for us?”

A face with a bushy black beard and malicious eyes appeared in her mind, and she buried her face in her hands. His face was quickly replaced by Ned’s, and Kiley cursed the hot tears seeping from her eyes. “No… no, I don’t know what they looked like,” she lied. “It happened too fast.”

Officer Ryan’s brow crinkled, but she didn’t push. “Would you like us to look for these men? Press charges if we find them?”

“No,” she yelped, and both officers stared curiously at her. “No, please, it was a random attack, right? I’ll be fine. I’ll heal.”

Officer Ryan glanced at her partner, and he left the room. “Ms. Innis, I can tell you’re lying, and the doctors told us there are signs of past abuse. If you’re trying to protect the man who did this to you, he’s not worth it.”

“I’m not,” she muttered. “I’m protecting myself.”

“We can keep you safe,” Officer Ryan insisted, but Kiley didn’t trust her.

She didn’t know Ned or the others. They had avoided the police for years, getting away with everything from drug dealing to murder. No one could keep her safe. No one could save her.

You don’t deserve to be saved. This is what you get for what you’ve done.

“Ms. Innis?”

“Please go away,” she begged.

Officer Ryan tucked her tiny notepad away and removed a card from her wallet. She set it on the bedside table. “If you think of anything, please call me. You don’t have to face this alone.”

Kiley waited until she was out the door before she whispered, “Yes, I do.”

The minutes ticked by as nurses came in to check on her, but she barley acknowledged them. They unhooked her from the IV and changed the bandage on her leg. She’d glanced at it, seen the word carved into her leg, and her stomach roiled. Coward was what they should’ve carved. Coward. She didn’t see Charlie until after a nurse took away her uneaten lunch. He was hardly inside the room when she glared furiously at him.

“I said no cops,” she seethed.

“I had no choice. I have an obligation to every patient here, and that includes you.”

“Why don’t you go on vacation already? Why are you even here?”

“Because you came in while I was still on the clock and I do not leave open-ended cases.”

“I’m not an open-ended case. I was beaten up, but I’m better now. End of story.”

That wasn’t even close to the truth. She had nowhere to go once they booted her out of the hospital, and the second she hit the street, the second she returned to her hotel, either they would find her or Ned would. That world would keep pulling her back in until there was nothing left of Kiley Innis, until she was either as heartless as they were or nothing more than a shell of a person. A beaten down and broken shell. She closed her eyes, longing for darkness to swallow her, but she heard Charlie move closer and sensed him beside the bed.

“Go away,” she snapped.

“You’re not angry with me,” he said, and when she opened her eyes, he wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning either. His face was neutral, but his eyes shone with anger. “The others might buy your pissed-off act, but I don’t. You’re hurting and you’re lost.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re a long way from fine.” He reached out a hand for hers, but she pulled it back at the last second. “Let someone help you, if not me.”

“No, I don’t want anyone’s help.”

“Not yet.”

“Not ever! Why don’t you understand that? I don’t deserve your help, or anyone’s help. You don’t know anything about me, so leave me alone.”

He smiled and those dimples appeared on his cheeks. “No,” he said firmly, and she considered throwing a pillow at his face again. “I came in here to tell you you’re being discharged in a few hours.”

The walls closed in around her, and she couldn’t breathe. He said something else, but she only saw his lips move. No sound reached through the cotton filling her ears. Leaving. She would be out on the street with no phone and no money. They would find her. She would have no chance of getting away a second time. Ned would see to that.

“Kiley, breathe,” Charlie ordered firmly, his eyes locking onto hers.

She fell into those dark brown irises and breathed in deeply and out when he motioned for her to. She followed his breathing as he calmed her down. How did he do that? It had to be the drugs, but she wasn’t on anything. This man’s hand rested on hers softly, and that one touch sent a shockwave throughout her being. Her breathing steadied and he smiled.

“Good. That’s good. Just relax.” He glanced down, confused, when she squeezed his hand briefly and let go. “I…uh, I’m going to grab your discharge papers,” he explained, a frown furrowing his face.

Kiley wanted to grab that hand again, but she couldn’t drag him down with her. He was a few steps away when she whispered, “I have nothing to wear.”

“I’ll talk to the nurses and see what we can scrounge up for you. Do you need anything else? Are you sure there’s no one you want me to call?”

“No.” She needed to tell him she had no money either, which meant she’d have to walk back to the hotel. She would be out in the open. If she could get back to her hotel and gather her things, she could disappear, maybe forever. With each breath, the guilt flooded back and the need to be rid of it nearly drove her to another panic attack. “But I could use a ride? To where I was staying?”

He smiled, and she wished he would stop. “Once you’re discharged, my vacation starts. Do you mind riding on the back of a motorcycle?”

“No, that’s fine.”

“Good. I’ll have Hailey bring you some clothes soon.”

She hadn’t meant to raise his hopes that she was opening up to him, but walking all the way back to the hotel sounded too painful. She didn’t want to be at the mercy of those bastards again. Hailey entered a few minutes with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and even a bra and fresh panties.

“All clean,” she told Kiley as she laid the clothes on a chair. “You look about my size, so you can have these.”

“Don’t you need them?”

“Nah, I always keep a spare set of clothes in case, but I rarely change out of my scrubs until I get home. Take them, please. We did salvage your shoes.”

Kiley mumbled, “Thanks,” and slipped from the bed to get dressed as Hailey left. Her knees shook and her thigh screamed, but she gritted her teeth and accepted it. Each movement caused a new jolt of pain, and when she removed the hospital gown, she saw how bruised her body was after the attack. Her ribs were shades of purple and blue, along with her arms. The newer bruises covered up the older, yellowed ones, but they were still there. She removed her dirty panties and pulled on the clean ones, followed by the jeans and the bra, which was surprisingly close to her cup size. Hailey had been right. She was picking up the t-shirt when the door opened and a man cursed. Charlie.

“Sorry, I should’ve knocked,” he muttered.

“It’s fine.” She waited for him to say something or leave, but when there was only silence, she turned slowly to see his face set and his hands crumpling the papers in his fist. “Charlie?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. I have a prescription for pain meds if you want to fill it before you leave,” he said stiffly.

Kiley had no money and doubted her insurance was good. This hospital stay would cost her a pretty penny—if they managed to get a bill to her. “I’ll get it later.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to be in pain.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I’ll get it filled later,” she repeated, pulling the t-shirt over her head. “Do I need to sign those?”

He shook out the papers in his hand and brought them to her with a pen. She signed quickly, and he said he would be ready to leave whenever she was. He left quickly, and Kiley pulled on her sneakers. She went to the bathroom a final time to try and get her hair looking semi-decent, though she wasn’t sure why she cared. Her skin was pale and there were bags under her eyes, matching the dark bruises along her jaw and cheekbones. Her lower arms were bruised, but the jeans and t-shirt covered everything else.

The weight of her life crushed around her as she stared hard into her own eyes. Why had she not seen the type of man he was until it was too late? How had she let herself get so close to someone so horrible? She was smarter than that, wasn’t she? Stronger?

You’re weak, you’ve always been weak. Don’t lie to yourself.

“Stop it,” she whispered harshly.

Why should I? You know it deep down, you’ve always been a coward. Too weak to stand up for the other kids, too weak to stand up for those people, to stop him from hurting them. From hurting you. Coward. Weak, pathetic coward.

Kiley clasped her hands to her ears as if that would drown out the taunting voice. Running was her only option now. Running as far away as she could and escaping this mess that was her life. Running and never looking back.

***

Charlie waited for Kiley at the nurses’ desk, but he didn’t see the people in the hall walking by. He saw Kiley’s back. Saw the new bruising beside the old. Bruises that looked like fingerprints and handprints. How long had she been dealing with this bastard? He ground his teeth, and the charming, happy Charlie slipped further away. He’d decided a long time ago he was put on this earth to help those in need and had done that for years. A woman stood before him needing aid but refused to accept it. He had to help her. If she came back worse than before, or in the morgue, he would never forgive himself for standing by and doing nothing.

“Is she leaving us?” Dr. Voras asked.

“She is. She asked for a ride to her place,” he said, trying to sound normal.

“You can’t get emotional if you want to help her,” she said. “Be careful of that. You’ll get sucked into her pain and be blinded by it. You won’t be able to do what she needs you to do.”

“And what’s that?”

“Pull her out of the darkness before it’s too late.” Dr. Voras tapped her nails on her clipboard. “She’s held on this long, but if she doesn’t get help soon, I’m afraid she won’t have the strength to keep pushing forward. You need to find a way to be that for her.”

“What if I’m not the right person?” He feared he wouldn’t be enough to help Kiley and she would slip away and disappear forever.

“You have to be. She said she has no one to call, no family? She needs you, Charlie.”

He glanced down when she placed her card in his hand. “Just in case you forgot my number. If you can get her to talk, call me. I would like to hear how she’s doing.”

“I might never see her again once I drop her off,” he said, but he tucked the card away with his wallet anyway. “None of us might.”

“Positive thinking, that’s what you need now.”

Doing so was easier said than done, but Charlie forced a smile on his face as the door opened and Kiley stepped out. She seemed so lost and unsure of herself as she walked towards him, jumping at the loud overhead when it came on.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

Her eyes darted to Dr. Voras, and for a second, he thought she would ask to speak with her, but she nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. They exited the hospital, and he led her to the small lot where he parked his bike. Kiley was quiet the entire time. He handed her the helmet he kept handy in case of a passenger, and she fitted it over her head. He climbed on, and she hesitated before getting up on the bike behind him.

“Where are you staying?” he asked.

“Holiday Inn, off Camaron,” she told him.

She was staying at a hotel? Maybe she was on the run, trying to get away from her abusive relationship when it had caught up to her. Dr. Voras said positive thoughts, but it was extremely difficult to keep a handle on an anger he wasn’t used to feeling.

“Hold on,” he said, and her hands slipped to his waist.

He turned the bike on and they were off, moving through the streets of San Antonio towards the Holiday Inn. He pulled in the lot and parked the bike, stepping off with her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, confused.

“I’m walking you to your room,” he said, tucking both helmets on his bike. “Is that okay?”

He held his breath but she shrugged. “Whatever.” She turned and walked inside.

“How will you get to your room with no room key?” he asked once inside the lobby.

“The lady at the front desk knows me,” she replied simply, and he watched her hurry there. The woman’s eyes brightened with relief to see Kiley, and she hurried around the desk to give her a quick hug. Charlie took a few steps closer, trying to hear, but the woman was back around the desk and handed a key to Kiley. “I’m up on the sixth floor.”

“Is she a friend?” he asked as they waited for the elevator.

“Sort of… not really.”

“Do you stay here often?”

Her face paled more than it already was. “Sometimes.”

“Sometimes does not answer my question.”

“Then maybe you should stop asking questions,” she muttered and stepped into the elevator. He followed and they rode up in silence. He stayed a few feet back as they walked down the hall, and she came to a stop outside room 623, a Do Not Disturb tag hanging off the handle. She stuck the key in the card reader and pushed the door in. “See, I’m back safe and….and…sound…” she trailed off.

Charlie reached out quickly to catch her when she stumbled and her knees gave out. “Kiley? Is it your head?” He worried her head injury was worse than he assumed, but then he looked into the hotel room and his blood ran cold.

The room was torn apart. Clothes and bedding were flung everywhere. Kiley cursed under her breath as he helped her back to her feet. She moved slowly inside then ran across the room to the mini fridge. She flung the door open, reaching around inside, slammed it shut and kicked it in her rage.

“We have to call the cops,” he said, already pulling out his phone.

“No, no cops,” she begged. “I can’t… they can’t know…” She sank to the bed, the sheets and comforter flung across the room, and held her head against her knees. “All gone… it’s all gone.”

“Kiley? Kiley, look at me, please,” he said as he knelt in front of her.

She didn’t lift her head and kept repeating, “All gone, it’s over.”

“Kiley, look at me,” he said firmly. She lifted her head enough for him to see her eyes. “Talk to me, please. What’s gone? Did they do this? The men who attacked you?”

She sniffed hard and shrugged. “Them or worse.”

“Or worse?” he repeated loudly. “You can’t stay here.”

“I have nowhere else to go,” she yelled with such force it surprised him. He moved back in case she lashed out as she had at the hospital. “I have nothing. They took everything from me. Everything!” She broke down in sobs and he reached out to hold her, but she shoved him away. “No. Leave me alone!”

“I will not,” he stormed and she fell silent. “You are not going to wander around the streets aimlessly while those monsters are out there.” He looked around the room and the destruction that had been wrought by those criminals. “You have no money, nowhere to go?”

“No,” she replied.

“Then you’re staying with me until you figure something out.” He stood and held out his hand for hers. “I’ll pay for your room. Pack up what’s here and we’ll go.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why would I go with you?”

“What other option do you have?” he challenged.

“I don’t know you, and you sure as hell don’t know me. I can’t go with you.” She paced away from him, her eyes wild. “No, no, that’s a bad idea.”

“I was by your side every day at the hospital,” he reminded her. “And I swore to you then as I will now, I will not let anyone hurt you again, Kiley.”

“And I told you—”

“Not to keep promises I can’t keep, I remember,” he said cutting her off. “But I will keep this one. Whatever happened to you, it wasn’t your fault. I won’t let you disappear without a trace. Come stay with me for a day or two until you figure things out. At least give me that peace of mind, please.”

She walked to the window, staring out over the city streets, and her whole body sagged. “Why do you care so much about a stranger?”

“Because that stranger stumbled into my life, and I think it was for a reason.”

She grunted in disbelief. “Really? That’s what you believe? Everything happens for a reason?”

“Yeah, I do. Are you coming with me?”

When she faced him again, the resolve in her eyes worried him more than the despair had before. Whatever she planned, he sensed it would not have a happy outcome.

“I guess you’re right—on both counts.”

She gathered the few items left behind and shoved them in an old rucksack. She slung it over her shoulders and gave the room a good once over before leaving ahead of him. At the main desk, she returned the key and he paid for the room, giving his credit card information so if there was any damage it would be charged to him and not Kiley. He assumed when she went to the mini fridge it was to find a stash of cash, but with that and her wallet gone, she was broke. The defeat in her steps on their way to his bike said as much.

“Where do you live?” she asked, shoving the helmet on her head.

He helped adjust it, his fingers brushing along her cheek. She stiffened but didn’t pull away. “Not far, off the Riverwalk in a high-rise.”

“Of course you do.”

“It’s not that fancy, I promise you. I wanted a view more than anything else.”

She sighed as she climbed on the bike behind him, and he heard her whisper, “I always wanted a yard with trees and a garden.”

He waited to see if she would say more, but her silence fell over him. He turned the key, put the bike in gear, and drove them the short distance to the luxury high-rise he’d resided in for ten years. He parked the bike in the underground garage. When her hands left his waist, a strange urge to hold them there again enveloped him, but Kiley was already off the bike and removing her helmet. She waited for him to put the helmets up. He wondered if she was nervous. He couldn’t see past the wall of loss she’d put up at the hotel. The resolve was still strong in her eyes too, and he was tempted to call Dr. Voras once they were inside. The ride up to the top floor wasn’t awkward, but it was silent. He expected her to bombard him with questions, but she said nothing.

He walked through the large, airy lobby with the four doors to the four penthouses leading off it. She spun in a slow circle. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you live here.”

“I was a surgeon before I switched to the ER,” he said with a shrug. “I made a decent chunk of money. And I come from it, too, so don’t be too impressed. I’m nothing special.”

“Hmm,” she mused.

He unlocked his front door and held it open for her. “After you. Make yourself at home.”

She paused at the threshold before stepping inside. Her head moved from left to right, taking in the penthouse as he followed her in and closed the door quietly. She ran her fingers over the breakfast bar and moved deeper into the open floor layout of the apartment.

“That hall there leads to the bathroom and the bedrooms,” he informed her. “You can have the guest room for as long as you need.”

Her head bobbed as she moved around. He set his keys and wallet on the counter and followed her. She went to the windows and the sliding glass door leading out to the balcony.

“You can see so far from up here,” she said wistfully.

“Yeah, it’s not too shabby. I like people watching,” he admitted. “Especially during the summer.”

She slipped out of her rucksack and held it in her hands, unsure what to do with it.

“Here, I’ll show you the guest room. You can crash in there for a while if you want, or watch TV.”

“You’re not here very often, are you,” she stated, following him down the hall.

“Is it that obvious?” he asked, throwing a smile over his shoulder, which she did not return. One smile, that was all he wanted. One smile.

“Here’s your room. I hope this works for you. The bathroom is right down the hall there,” he added, pointing down the hall.

She tossed her bag on the bed. “Thanks, this’ll be just fine.”

“Do you want to tell me why you were staying at a hotel?”

“There’s no reason for me to.”

He crossed his arms as his aggravation with her lack of answers made him anxious. “Why not?”

“Because I won’t be around long enough for you to do anything with those answers.”

“So you say. Tomorrow, I’ll take you out to get you some new clothes—a new phone, too.”

“I don’t have any money,” she replied, confused.

“I didn’t say you had to pay for anything.” He winked and left her.

“Wait, Charlie!” she called, chasing after him. “You can’t buy me things.”

“Why not? You’re in need and I’m a good person. Don’t worry, I don’t want anything from you. Except maybe answers or a smile—either one would be nice.”

He stared her down as she sucked in her bottom lip. She shoved her hands into the butt pockets of her jeans. Every muscle said to reach out and hold this woman as she crumpled before his eyes, but that would push too hard and too fast. Answers—he needed answers first. Then he would see if she might let him be a shoulder to lean on.

Even with the bruises marring her face, she was an attractive woman in good shape. She had a subtle beauty, but it was hidden behind a wall of sadness and, currently, anger towards him.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she muttered.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied lightly.

“Like you can save me. No one can save me, so don’t try,” she said, whipping around and walking to the guest room. “You’ll get hurt, too.”

He followed, but she closed and locked the door. He knocked, but she didn’t answer. He heard her moving around, but after ten minutes of pacing up and down the hall, he gave up and simply told her he would fix some dinner. If she was hungry, she could join him, and if not, he’d leave leftovers in the fridge for her. Getting this woman to let him in would be harder than he anticipated.

As he cooked some burgers, his mind moved from one possibility to the next, each darker than the last. He didn’t understand how someone could lift their hand to another, especially someone they said they loved. He assumed it was a boyfriend of some sort who left the first round of bruises. Those men who had attacked her must have known who she was. They’d made it personal. A red flag shot up in his mind, telling him she was trouble, but what could he do? Throw her out on the street with nothing? There were shelters in the city, but if those men openly targeted her, a shelter wouldn’t keep her safe. He had security in his penthouse, and the rest of the building was also protected. She could stay cooped up here for as long as she wanted, and no one would find her.

Until you have to go back to work, remember? She’s still a patient.

Millie would freak out if she knew Kiley was staying with him, even if it was only for a few days. He finished cooking and told himself this situation would work out all right in the end. Kiley would come around and tell him what she’d been through. He’d get her help, and that would be the end of it.

So you’ll let her go?

His beer paused halfway to his lips. No, no, he didn’t want to let her go. This woman drew him to her. Whether through her pain or her mysterious past, he was drawn to her, and Charlie would fight to keep her close.

First, they had to make it through dinner. He plated her burger and fries and ate out on the balcony. The evening wasn’t too unbearable, and he let the noises of the Riverwalk below be his soundtrack while he ate.

“Mind if I join you?”

He shifted and smiled as he waved for Kiley to come out to the balcony. “Please. I hope you like your burgers medium-well.”

She dug in as soon a she sat down, and he stared in amazement as the burger and fries disappeared in minutes. She patted her stomach and leaned back in the chair. He offered her a beer and she took it, drinking most of it before she set it on the table between them.

“Not too bad,” she mused. “Thanks, for dinner…and for giving me a place to crash.”

“Anytime.” He studied her closely. “Kiley, when was the last time you ate?”

“I ate at the hospital,” she answered but avoided his eyes as she did so.

“You barely picked at your food. The nurses told me. When was the last time you had a full meal?” She was small and in shape, but he’d seen people eat like that before, and it was normally after weeks of fasting, or patients who were brought into the ER from the streets. People who had no money.

“It’s been tough. Food wasn’t really a priority.”

“How is it not?”

“Sometimes there are more important things to worry about than eating. It’s not a big deal. I survived.” Her demeanor changed and the moment of relaxation disappeared. Her shoulders stiffened as she sucked on her bottom lip.

Charlie had a good life growing up. He had two parents who cared for him, and he never wanted for anything. Meeting those in need when he was younger put him on the path of medicine. But all his classes and years of training, of being thrown into difficult situations, did nothing to prepare him for dealing with a woman so stubborn and ready to throw walls up whenever someone tried to help her.

“Whatever you tell me, I won’t judge you for it,” he promised.

Her lips curled in a horrible smirk filled with bitterness and hate. “You say that, but you don’t know what I’ve done.”

“What happened to you in that alley was not your fault,” he told her, reaching for her hand, but she pulled away. “Why won’t you let anyone comfort you? You’ve done nothing wrong, Kiley. The asshole who hit you…you didn’t deserve that. You still don’t. And you certainly don’t deserve to carry all that pain around with you.”

She stood abruptly, nearly knocking over the chair. “Don’t do that. Don’t talk me as if you know everything about me.”

“I would know more if you would talk to me.”

“And I said no, so drop it.”

She stormed inside, slamming the door behind her. Charlie banged his fists on the railing of the balcony, hanging his head. He pushed too hard and too fast, but he couldn’t stop the words from pouring out. It would hurt her in the long run, the more she tried to bottle up these emotions. He’d seen it plenty of times. He texted Dr. Voras once he calmed down enough to go inside, letting the psychiatrist know it was slow going with Kiley. He neglected to tell her Kiley was living with him because her hotel room had been vandalized. No one needed to know that fact quite yet.

He hung out in the living room the rest of the evening and into the night, hoping Kiley would make another appearance. He heard her door open once, but the shower turned on a few minutes later. When the water turned off, there was another chorus of doors opening and closing, but she stayed far away from him.

Tomorrow was a new day. They could start over and he would focus on proving to her she could trust him.