“She’s at my mom’s.” Sutton watches me as if he’s ready to catch my fall. At his explanation, I resume our slog downstairs.
He turns us toward his bedroom, where there’s an en suite bath rather than the one he shares with his daughter. I’m too tired to protest.
“Wait here.” He disappears into the bathroom, and I drop tiredly onto his bed.
He returns seconds later with a rectangular first-aid kit, and two miniature fresh water bottles.
Concentration sets his jaw, and experience steadies his hands. He opens the first water bottle and pours it over a large square piece of gauze.
“Head wounds bleed a lot, but that doesn’t mean they’re severe.”
My spine remains rigid in anticipation. The sting is minimal as he swipes gently at my face. The gauze comes away brown. Sutton tosses it aside and repeats the process.
By the time he’s finished, there’s a large pile discarded at his feet, and my skin doesn’t feel so tight as I move it. He tapes a clean square over the cut.
“You’re going to bruise. I’ll have EMS determine if you need a stitch or not, but it’s stopped bleeding.”
“It’s good that I’m fantastic with a makeup brush.” I smile weakly. A shiver rolls through me as the adrenaline wanes.
Sutton frowns. “Are you done making jokes?”
A knock on the door interrupts my answer.
“Wait here. I’ll bring them down.”
The steady hum of voices is calming. These might just be professionals doing their jobs, Sutton included, but it makes me feel less alone.
Two paramedics and an officer enter the room behind Sutton. The medics run me through field tests while Sutton talks to his colleague.
“What’s the damage?” Sutton asks when they’re finished.
“You’re going to need someone to close that wound,” the young paramedic announces to the room as he replaces my gauze with a fresh piece.
“Can’t you do it?”
He laughs good-naturedly. “I’m sorry. That’s beyond my scope, and I’d rather not lose my job.”
I cut my gaze to Sutton. “Canyoudo it?”
“If I weren’t worried about a scar, I could. Because it’s you, we’ll be taking a trip to the emergency room.”
I blink tiredly at him. “Right now, I don’t care about a scar.”
“I do.”
“And you? I suppose that’s a no also?” I ask the officer.
He studiously avoids Sutton’s eyes. “I’m just here to take down your statement, ma’am.”
“I suppose that’s next.” I rub my cool palms up and down my bare arms.
Sutton swears. In one swift move, he reaches behind his neck and peels his hoodie over his head. Before I can blink, he gingerly slips the wide hole over my hair. Heat envelops me, immediately alleviating the chill. I shrink into the oversized fabric, burrowing into Sutton’s masculine scent.
“What can you tell me about tonight?”
“Not much. I got dropped off by my rideshare at the curb. I dropped my keys on accident when I reached the porch, and by the time I stood, someone came barreling out of my house and hit me in the face with the door.”
“Did you see this individual?”