rid

lve hours of pure chaos, followed by three hours of paperwork. I stood at the nurse's station, my head resting on my hand, my eyes burning. Every time I blink

ift, leaned against the counter nex

ubbling with excitement. "The guy from last n

at had been brewing since midnight. "I don't know who y

rous gorgeous. He stood there for hours, just watc

Not like a man admiring a woman. Like a predator recognizing something it had lost. I

mmed with red. "Astrid, I need you to take the VIP room. The patient from last night, the

than that, I wanted to avoid the room where Alonso might still be w

ded.

soothing cream color. It was a world away from the frantic energy of the ER. The silence made every small sound

IP suite and took a deep br

patient, Emiliano, was asleep, his chest r

en I s

t of him. He was still in his tactical gear, his jacket discarded on the floor. He w

ked onto min

id not simply vanish.

suffocating pressure. My fingers tighten

tood

uid motion. He didn't say a word. He just walked toward me. I

d, just i

ow, filling my lungs, making my head spin. I h

e I was being dissected, every layer of my composure being p

he patient," I said, my

oticed then the subtle way he kept space between us - close enough to intimidate, but with a tension in his po

ade the distance feel less like

his hand movin

ed, pull

charged second, neither of us breathed. His hand remained there, close enough for me to fee

nto a fist at his side. He turned away, walk

ath I didn't kn

iliano's vitals were stable. His skin had more color than it had in the trauma bay. The bandage across

, Alonso

uld have

did

d against my back, slid beneath m

ng. I didn't look at him again. I t

the door handle,

elly, like stones

oming back

tion was

have bee

nded like

e would see how badly he had unsettled me. I just nodded and p

licked shu

lize I had been hol

crubs, my hands fumbling with the buttons. I needed to get out of here. I

lur of exhaustion and confusion. Every time the bus braked, I saw his hand hovering near my face.

rtains were half drawn, leaving the place dull and airless. My mother, Brenda, was standing near the win

d the last of the hospit

sharp. "You were supposed to be home hou

floor. "I was at work, Mom. The

are throwing away a perfect opportunity, Astrid. Preston is a good man. He is wea

ce. The house felt smaller than I remembered, every wall l

g Preston, Mom. I

. Look at your father. We have struggled our whole lives. I want better for you. I d

like a blessing. It

cus from the law firm. And if that doesn't work out, there's always Daniel - you remember him, the Petersons' son. You will ke

for my life. Not for the career I had claw

er. "David, say som

pless resignation. "Astrid, your mother just

snapped so softly

ed and walked toward my room, slamming the door behind me.

ning, the walls of my

ntitlement. My father's silence. The

VIP room flashed into my mind. The way he look

rous. It was

waiting for me in this

it was the only th