CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
Nurse Sarah rushed into the room so fast her badge swung against her blue scrubs.
Caleb froze with his fist still raised.
For one second, nobody moved.
Then Sarah hit the emergency button beside the door.
A red light flashed above my bed.
Caleb let go of my arm like my skin had burned him.
“This is a private family matter,” he snapped.
Sarah stepped between us.
“No, sir. This is a patient safety issue.”
His face changed. The rage slipped behind a mask so quickly it made me sick.
“My wife is confused,” he said. “She’s been on pain medication. She gets dramatic.”
I could barely breathe.
Of course.
That was always his second weapon.
First fear.
Then doubt.
Sarah looked at me, not him.
“Rebecca, did he hurt you?”
My throat closed.
Caleb stared at me with a warning in his eyes.
The old me would have protected him.
The old me would have said it was nothing. A misunderstanding. He was just upset. He didn’t mean it.
But the old me had died somewhere on that highway outside Chicago.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Caleb’s head snapped toward me.
Sarah’s voice stayed calm.
“Security is already coming.”
“You have no right,” Caleb barked.
“I have every right,” she said. “And so does she.”
Two security guards arrived before Caleb could answer. Behind them came Dr. Lawson, the trauma surgeon who had rebuilt what the crash had broken.
He took one look at my face and the fresh red marks on my arm.
“What happened?”
Caleb pointed at Sarah.
“This nurse is overreacting. My wife was trying to get up and I stopped her.”
I laughed once.
It hurt so badly I gasped.
Dr. Lawson’s expression hardened.
“Mr. Hayes, step into the hallway.”
“No.”
Security moved closer.
For the first time since he entered, Caleb looked uncertain.
He leaned toward me as they guided him back.
“You’re going to regret this,” he hissed.
Sarah heard him.
So did Dr. Lawson.
May you like
So did security.
And for once, I was not the only witness to the man behind the smile.
