But what did Wade mean by "do this to her?" Was he talking about... giving up on Narelle?I stood frozen by the doorway, watching as Wade's face tightened with strain. His fists were clenched, hanging stiffly by his sides, his complexion pale, almost ghostly."Are you deaf? I told you to leave! Leave!" the middle-aged woman cried out, her voice rising as she shoved him.Wade stumbled slightly but steadied himself. "At least let me stay with her until the end. Please.""It's your fault! If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't be like this!" the woman screamed, pounding weakly on his chest. "Give me back my Narelle! Give me back my daughter!"So she was Narelle's mom, Mrs. Yule.Watching this, my heart ached. I wanted to step in, say something, do anything to help.Before I could move, Mr. Yule walked over and gently pulled her away. "Stop. Let Narelle have some peace.""Narelle... my Narelle..." Mrs. Yule's sobs grew louder, her body trembling in her husband's arms.Mr. Yule led her
Could Wade have been talking about Narelle's burial arrangements after she passed?My mind wandered to that possibility, but only Wade knew the real answer.It seemed I'd have to wait for another chance to ask him—though, honestly, I wasn't sure if that moment would ever come.Wade and I had crossed paths twice, but after Narelle... Wade might never come back to this hospital. And in this huge world, our lives would probably never cross again.I glanced one last time at Narelle's bed, surrounded by her family. 'Miss Yule, I hope you find peace,' I whispered in my heart.After leaving the room, I decided to find Lena, but she was in the middle of surgery. With some time to kill, I headed out to the hospital's garden to clear my head."Miss Kay," someone called out behind me.I turned to see Mr. Yule. He was alone, slightly out of breath, like he had hurried over.I wasn't too surprised. I had a feeling he'd come find me."I'm sorry, my wife was... overwhelmed," Mr. Yule said im
When Ron said someone was looking for me, my first thought was uh-oh, maybe I'd taken too many days off.Before last night, I'd figured Ron was letting me take time off because I believed Hayden was the mysterious big boss behind him. But now... things felt different.I shook off the awkwardness and replied, "Is it a client? I can head back right now.""It's not a client. It's a woman, all dolled up like a femme fatale, and she's storming in like the wife catching her husband with a mistress," Ron said, blunt as ever. Zero filter.Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Ms. Kay, I know about you and Hayden. No judgment here, just giving you a heads-up. You sure you didn't upset someone?"I was confused, but stayed calm. "What's her name?""No idea. She said her last name's Grey. But she's got that 'I'm in charge' attitude," Ron sounded like he was still recovering from her entrance.Grey?I ran through my mental Rolodex but came up blank. I didn't know anyone named Grey.I
I smiled to myself—so it was her.Thorsten must have told her my name.When Sasha arrived, I was lounging in the garden, soaking up the sun. She strutted up to me in full "rich wife" mode, her posture screaming arrogance. "Keira Kay, you've got some nerve making me come all the way here to find you.""You've got it wrong," I replied, completely calm. "You came because you wanted to see me."Sasha's perfectly made-up face twisted into an ugly scowl. "You know why I'm here, don't you?"She stood there, casting a shadow that blocked my sunlight. I had to admit, from my angle, her hourglass figure was... impressive.It wasn't hard to see why a guy like Thorsten would be attracted to her. Even I could appreciate her appeal—both visually and practically.I smiled. "I have no idea. Is your daughter looking for a playdate?"If it weren't for Milly, Sasha and I would never have crossed paths, and we definitely wouldn't be here having this conversation.Funny enough, it had also been ri
Sasha sounded sincere.I could tell she was lonely—otherwise, why would she be coming at me with all that attitude one minute and trying to be my friend the next?"I don't have many friends. Thorsten doesn't let me make any," Sasha said, stepping closer. "But I can tell he treats you differently. So, if I become friends with you, he might be okay with it."I didn't respond to her."I really don't have any ulterior motives. I just want to be friends. And Milly really likes you; she talks about you all the time," Sasha added, pulling the "my kid likes you" card."I know you probably don't think much of me," she continued, her voice softening. "But can't we at least try? For Milly's sake?"Gone was the cocky attitude from earlier. Now, she seemed almost... vulnerable, like she was pleading.I gave her a polite but firm smile. "I'm busy. I don't have time for new friends."It wasn't that I wanted to be cold, but getting involved with Thorsten's women? That was a mess I didn't need
I held Hayden's hand, silently trying to give him strength.Nate had warned us the surgery would last at least six hours. After three hours of waiting, Hayden suddenly got a nosebleed.It was his anxiety breaking through, and it hit me just how much Yuna meant to him."I'll get you some water," I said. We hadn't had a thing to drink in hours.The night before, Yuna couldn't eat because of her surgery prep, and Hayden, in solidarity, hadn't eaten either."I'm fine," he muttered, still trying to be the strong one. "You should rest a bit and come back later."I nodded and headed to the hospital's convenience store to grab some water.On my way back, I was surprised to spot Wade leaning against the wall near the surgical floor, staring at the ground, looking completely lost in thought.Considering what I had seen in Narelle's room two days ago, I was sure she must have passed. Wade shouldn't be here.But there he was, standing quietly, like a shadow.I glanced around. This floor
Hayden had just cracked open a water bottle and taken a sip when the OR doors flew open. Retta rushed out, looking serious. "Who's the patient's family?"She was assisting Nate in the surgery today."I am!" Hayden jumped to his feet so fast he almost lost his balance.I caught his arm and walked with him toward Retta. "What's happening?""There was major bleeding during the surgery. You need to prepare yourselves." She handed him a consent form.Her words hit like a truck, freezing us both."How bad is it? What's happening now?" Lena, still in her scrubs, walked up, right on time. She wasn't even supposed to be here, but had to fill in last minute."We're doing blood transfusions and trying to find the source of the bleeding," Retta explained, passing another form to Hayden.He didn't move, his hands frozen with fear.I had no clue what to do, so I glanced at Lena.She shot me a look, silently telling me to grab the form.But before I could, Hayden snatched it up himself. He
As I did, I caught a glimpse of Retta. Her face was tight with jealousy, fists clenched at her sides. The envy was written all over her, and it made my chest tighten.Before I could think, I said, "Prof. Roane."Retta snapped out of her daze. She looked at me, her voice icy, almost robotic. "The patient will be moved to recovery in thirty minutes."Then she turned and walked away, frustration practically radiating off her.I nudged Hayden and whispered, "She's jealous."Relieved about Yuna, Hayden squeezed my hand. "Yeah, Prof. Neumann handled that perfectly."Wait, what?I blinked, looking between Nate, still wrapped around Lena, and Hayden, who just nodded like he was in on something.It hit me then—Nate's little PDA wasn't just about loving on Lena. It was a clear message to Retta, who clearly had a thing for him, setting boundaries. And at the same time, it reassured Lena where she stood.Hayden didn't need to spell it out; guys just get each other in ways we sometimes mis