Obsession by Karen Robards Page A

was already fading away into the mists of her subconscious.
    “That’s right.” Dan nodded, looking pleased, and she relaxed a little, as if pleasing him was important to her. Why that would be the case she couldn’t imagine, though. Then, as the thought pricked at her, she wondered if she was shallow enough so that the answer was just because he’s a hottie. Yeah, probably. That was also probably the reason she had been able to dredge up his name.
    As she worked that out to her own satisfaction, she felt herself relaxing again.
    “How are you feeling?” he asked.
    "O-kay.” She drew the word out, because what she really meant was okay, except for the headache and the impossibly stuffed nose and the small but sharp pain that shot through her chest whenever she moved and the nagging conviction that all was not right with her world, with which she was presently afflicted. It also didn’t help that her voice sounded funny, all thick and nasally and not really like her voice at all. In other words, she was definitely not okay.
    Not that she meant to say so.
    “Good.” He sounded pleased again.
    “Where am I?” There was something wrong with her face. Or, more precisely, her nose. It felt weird. Thick and hot and, as she had previously discovered, totally congested. Swollen. Sensitive when she tried to wrinkle it, but not really—exactly—painful.
    Just . . . weird. Sort of like the rest of her.
    “Washington Hospital.”
    She absorbed that as she lifted a questing hand to her nose—her arms were bare, and she realized that she was wearing a blue hospital gown and a blue hospital gown only beneath the tan blanket and white sheets that covered her to her armpits—and discovered a bandage taped across it.
    “My nose.” Careful to keep a light touch, she felt the bandage, which pretty much covered her whole nose. Jeez, beneath the plastic the thing felt as big and shapeless as a baked potato. She only hoped there was a whole lot of gauze padding to account for most of the bulk.
    “You got it smashed up pretty good.” He seemed to be carefully studying her face. Then his eyes met hers again. “Not to worry, though. Once the swelling goes down, it should be good as new.”
    “When will that be?”
    He shrugged. “A week or so, maybe. I’m more concerned about the blow to your head. How’s that feeling? ”
    “I have a headache,” she admitted.
    “I’m not surprised. Other than your nose and the bump on your head, though, you don’t have any significant injuries. Everything else is just random assorted scrapes and bruises. You’re going to be just fine.”
    “You work here?” It seemed to her that she should know the answer to that. She knew his name, that he was her neighbor and a doctor. But she also felt like there was this big treasure trove of knowledge about him lurking somewhere in her subconscious that she couldn’t quite access. She probably did know. She probably had Googled him or something once upon a time. After all, whether she had a boyfriend or not, she was only human. And he was cute.
    “Sometimes. Not today, though. I’m here strictly because of you. When I got home last night, the first thing I heard was you screaming your head off. I ran up from the garage to see what was going on just as you came flying through the window. The police arrived about the same time, and an ambulance a few minutes after that. They loaded you up, and I came on into the hospital to make sure they were treating you right.”
    “Oh. Thanks.” She thought that over for a minute. “You probably saved my life last night.”
    “Not a problem. That’s what we good neighbors do.” He smiled at her. It was a quick, wry smile that riveted her gaze. This she definitely remembered. She had seen him smile like that before. Had it set her heart to fluttering? Try as she might, she couldn’t quite remember. But it was unmistakably familiar.
    He continued, “In case you’re wondering, you should probably be