rway, his usual confident stride replaced by a strange hesitation. His eyes

on as blank as the white walls of the room. There was no anger, no

st. He walked to the side of her bed, the silence stretching between them, thick and heavy. He opened his mouth to

displayed a notification: Customs cle

r

looking the city. He pressed the phone to his ear, his voice low and clipped as he

's lips. Of course. Even here, even now, she was

ket aside, her movements stiff and clumsy, and tried to swing her legs over

ling from the blood loss and the anesthesia. She took one unsteady step,

, a small, startled cry escaping her lips

ulian's phone call. He spun around, his eyes wide with a raw, unfiltered shock.

hl

d toward her, his heart hammering against his ribs. He reac

ers could touch her

ds. She took in the scene in a single, horrified g

Moira screamed, her

hed herself at Julian, shoving him hard in the chest. He was caugh

her against the bed. Then she turned on Julian, her eyes blazing. "You bast

sual cold arrogance. "Watch your tone, Doctor. You

child, she collapsed right in front of you, and you can't even be bothered to help her get a single glass of w

loe flinched as if she'd been struck. She gripped

e excuse sounded weak even to his own ears, especially as he looke

s a dry, raspy whisper, but it carr

tunned him. His pride, the core of his identity, flared. "This i

shot back. She stabbed the red c

They looked from Moira's furious face to Julian's thunderous one

To be thrown out. By her. He smoothed down his suit jacket, a p

around. "This display is incredibly disappointing

he wa

covered her face with her hands, and a choked, guttural sob was torn from her throat. It

e hug, murmuring words of comfort that could

e nods of the staff, the quiet hum of the building he owned-it all faded into a du

it knuckles, dripping onto the polished floor. But the image burned into his mind wasn't the blood. It