Page 99 of The Doctor's Truth

“Humor me.”

He scoffs on a laugh. “No. You’re a cold, soulless queen like me. It’s why we get along so well.”

My face goes hot. I snatch up a pile of shirts and stand up with them. “Asshole.”

I don’t get far, though. Donovan leaps up after me and grabs my arm. “Hey. What’s wrong with you?”

Those dark eyes ground me. I feel my anger crest and topple down. “What if…Jason hates me when he finds out I’m…heartless. That’s why he left Nadine, isn’t it?”

“He left Nadine for a lot of reasons,” Donovan reasons.

“He’s so…open. True.” The backs of my eyes sting. I have to put the stack of clothes back down. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, doing my best to stave off the sudden wave of sadness. “And all I do is keep secrets. He told me he loved me last night. And I froze. I feel like such a heartless bitch.”

“Hold on,” Donovan says. He touches my throat, running two fingers up and pressing in underneath my jaw. “Here. You do have a heart. I can feel your pulse. And that’s coming from a doctor, so you know it’s true.”

We’re close like this. His dark eyes look so earnest. Have I ever noticed how beautiful those eyes are?

Like caramel. So easy to fall into.

I find myself falling. Leaning in closer. He does the same, his breath on my lips, when…

“Mummy?”

We pull apart. Otto stands there, rocket ship pajamas on.

Quickly, I go into mom mode and put on a smile. “Hey, buddy. Couldn’t sleep?”

But his expression makes my stomach clench. He looks confused, like someone who’s woken up from sleepwalking. “I…think I had an accident,” he says.

But when he steps closer, my heart drops.

His pants are wet, but they’re stained the color of rust. Like blood.

Immediately, I scoop him up into my arms. “You’re okay,” I reassure him. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I’ve got the car,” Donovan says and snatches up the keys.

* * *

Donovan is the one who gives me the news.

Donovan: “His kidneys are shutting down.”

Me: “But I thought the dialysis was working?”

Donovan: “It was. But it only slows the process down—it doesn’t cure him. Unfortunately, the damage to his kidneys was already extensive when he got here.”

Me: “So what’s the next step?”

Donovan: “He needs a transplant. We’ve got him on the list, but…there’s no saying when he’ll get a match for sure. Until then, we’ll keep him on dialysis. He needs to stay here for a couple of nights for observation.”

Me: “Okay.”

Donovan: “It’s okay to be scared.”

But I don’t feel scared. I don’t feel anything.

My soul is ice water, and I’m a million miles under the sea.

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