nd in the small, curtained space. Tears welled in her eyes,

ckly, squeezing her hand. "He's in surgery.

onfused. "What? But the

ne at all who could help. And then I remembered... you told me once about a childhood friend, the boy next door, who became some big-shot cardiologist here in New York

Averie

ned. "He got my message. He came down to the ER and saw what was happenin

Her childhood neighbor. The boy next door. It still felt s

didn't even ask for an IOU. He just told the hospital to send him the bill. They know

seen in over a decade had j

than God, had deliberately blocked the payment

er. She couldn't speak. She could only cry, silent tears of shame, rel

a monster, Averie," she said, her voice filled with a cold fury

ubt, the last wisp of foolish hope she'd been clinging to, evapo

was tall, with warm, golden-brown hair and kind eyes behind a pair of gold-ri

you're awake.

place. The name, the kind eyes. "Archer?" she asked, her voice barely

his eyes. "You remember. It

all these years, in the wreckag

ssured her she had just fainted from stress and dehydration. "Your father's surgery

with emotion. "Thank you. I don't know how I can

, his voice gentle. "Your health, and your

oul. It was a single point of light in the su