Her eyes blinked open slowly. The light above her bed made her flinch. She squinted, her lips parting as she tried to breathe.
“Easy,” Isaac said softly. He was at her side in a second, one hand on her arm, the other fixing her pillow. “Don’t move too fast.”
Her throat felt dry. She swallowed hard and whispered, “Water.”
He reached for the cup on the table and lifted it to her lips. His hand trembled a little as he tilted it. “Small sips,” he said quietly.
She drank weakly, the cool liquid sliding down her throat. Then she looked at him, her voice almost a whisper. “Why aren’t you yelling?”
He frowned. “What?”
“You always yell,” she said, her lips trembling. “When you’re mad or worried… you yell. So why aren’t you yelling now?”
He stared at her, his jaw tightening. “Isabel, you almo
