days

ing a laser pointer so tightly the plastic creaked. A dull, heavy ache radiate

is name on the bottle made her skin crawl. Instead, she had bought cheap cranb

he infection

t slide on the projector. "As you can see, the Q3

of agony drove straight

he red dot of the laser pointer jerked wildly across the projection screen, dancing ov

d flat on the mahogany table.

wisting in disgust. "Or did you spend all night popp

s sitting around the table

say she was sick, but another wave of pain hit her so hard her vision went bl

rinted copy of her deck onto the table. "Get out. You're embarr

er side, turned, and pushed through the heavy glass door. She limped past the rows of cubicle

the building before

Hope dropped to her knees on the hard, filthy concrete. The impact sent a shockwave up her spine. She c

her. No one stopped. The brutal indiffere

e searched for the nearest public hospital ER. The red tex

d die in a waiting room chair. Her k

d no c

er physical survival raged in her chest, but the pain was a ruthless dictator. She unblocked the num

hensive," the rec

out, crying openly now. "

ing incredibly urgent and polite. "Ms. Spence. Dr. Mullen left strict instructions regarding

new she would fail. He knew she would come back.

utes," s

into the backseat. Every pothole the car hit

ss doors. The receptionist didn't ask her to sign anything. She immediately came out from behind the desk, g

eavy oak door. The lights

back to the door, sipping from a white ceramic coffee

cked onto Hope's pale, sweat-drenched face. There was no

lled the door shut. The lock

n the heavy wooden door, her trench coat pooling around her as she h

he only sound in the room. He walked toward her, his long strides eating up t

her up. He looked down at he

f any sympathy. "Leading to a retrograde infection and acute pyelonep

tilted her head back, looking up at him through her tears.

ed weakly, her voice breaking

ached out, his large, warm hand gripping her jaw. His fingers pressed firmly against her skin, for

dangerous, velvety whisper. "You crawled back into my clin

her emotional walls hit her all at once. She closed her eyes, a fresh tear slipping