Page 22 of The Bargain

He shook his head and looked back at Opal, resting his hand on the folder. “Actually Ms. Collins, this is invaluable. You kept all the test results and all the potential treatment plans. It will help greatly to see how this little man's condition is progressing. May I ask what pushed you to do that?”

“Oh, you know, the free clinic is a nightmare to get through -” she waved her hand dismissively - “and I had to fight like crazy to get on the list. The doctor has to see so many patients that you get an allotted fifteen minutes. This binder allowed me to maximize every minute.”

I almost asked if ‘fighting like crazy’ meant taking it up the ass, but I held my tongue as my dark thoughts were now intrigued about her ass and her willingness to please.

I stood up briskly and walked to the window, urging my cock to behave. It was not allowed to react without my consent and certainly not for this trainwreck of a woman.

“Okay, so I won’t be examining Timothy right now,” Jeremy started, but I kept my back to them. "His coloring seems okay now but I want to see how it all progressed. I’m more concerned about the hole in his heart and artery at this stage. We need to ensure it is not increasing in size.”

“I've been counting his heartbeats at random times while he sleeps and I’ve logged them at the back of the folder.”

I closed my eyes - a hole in his heart so small and yet so life-threatening. It was quite an ironic thought. In my family, I was the cold logical brain, Edward had been the over-sensitive heart, and Lea was blessed with the mix of both - making her the unicorn of our family. How ironic was it that the heart of the family had created a child with a heart defect?

“Dean?”

I turned around briskly, meeting their questioning eyes.

“What?”

“I said the tests will take about two to three hours. We need to send Timmy -”

“Timothy,” I corrected him coldly. It was enough that Opal called him that ridiculous nickname. I certainly wasn’t going to allow someone else to call him something unworthy of the heir of the Beaumont dynasty.

Jeremy’s eyes flashed with annoyance. Ah, he was not the bottomless well of calm and patience he was pretending to be.

“Very well. Timothy needs to get blood work, a pulse oximetry test, an echocardiogram, and an electrocardiogram. Depending on the result of the blood work, we may need some further tests.”

I nodded. “Do what you need to do. I’ll go to the business center to do some work.”

“What kind of hospital has a business center?” Opal asked, neatly folding Timothy's coat and outer layer of clothes before placing them in her bag.

Jeremy chuckled. He liked her, that much was clear, and it was really grating me the wrong way. “Private hospitals. People have a hard time disconnecting.”

“That’s sad.”

“Some of us have responsibilities, Ms. Collins. Not everybody can earn money simply by lying on their back.”

She nodded. “That’s true,” she replied softly.

It was infuriating how she was not upset about what I was telling her. I wanted to affect her as negatively as she was affecting me, but she did not seem to care.

When Jeremy shook his head, I smirked. At least I was aggravating someone.

“I will go get Charlotte. She is the nurse assigned to Timothy for the day.”

“I can stay with him, right?” she asked, resting his grey teddy against her chest.

That thing was old and threadbare. I was sure it was something she’d gotten second-hand and yet, I could not separate the child from it.

“He’s much more settled if I stay with him during the tests. Believe me, it will go much more smoothly.”

Jeremy smiled at her brightly. I frowned. It was a warm smile, almost flirty. It reminded me a lot of high school Jeremy.Not a chance, man. You won’t go there and destroy my plans.

“Jeremy, with all due respect, I don't have all day.”

He smirked at me. “Since when do you respect me?” He made it sound like a joke, but we both knew it wasn’t one.

I smiled back. “Since you’re the doctor I need now.”

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