Page 9 of The Arrogant's Surrender

I mask my surprise at her combative tone. Somehow, perhaps because of her delicate appearance and almost otherworldly beauty, I imagined her to be serene, tranquil. But it takes me mere seconds to realize there’s a fierce fire burning inside Brooklyn Foster.

While she was unconscious, I pushed aside the feeling of fascination she stirred in me. But now that she’s awake, now that I’ve had a “taste” of her personality, the fascination only intensifies.

“You’re a doctor,” she continues, “and you were fighting with me. Why?”

I shrug. “I saved you. You had a brain tumor. As far as I could tell, it was what was keeping you from waking up. But over two months passed after the tumor was removed, and you still didn’t open your eyes. What else could it be but laziness?”

She squints, likely trying to focus on me because her vision is probably impaired. But she doesn’t get a chance to reply, as I’ve already pressed the button to call the rest of the medical team.

She notices the others entering the room, but her gaze remains fixed on me. “You said I had a tumor, doctor?” Her tone softens, worry etching her perfect face.

I avert my gaze.

What the hell is happening to me? Brooklyn isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last patient I’ve brought back to life.

“Yes, but it’s already been removed,” I say indifferently. “We’ll have time to talk later, Miss Foster. For now, I need to examine you.”

“Athanasios? What’s going on?”

I turn to see Zeus. I know he’s been visiting her frequently, even without Madison. He often “talks” to his sister-in-law.

One time, I couldn’t help but overhear him saying that she “needed to wake up because her family wanted her back and Madison dreamed about it night and day.”

Now I understand what Hades meant when he said the oldest of the Kostanidis brothers is crazy about the woman who is now his wife. None of us are the gentle type, and for Zeus to take time out of his day to try to help his sister-in-law awaken says a lot about what Madison means to him.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” I tell the rest of the team. I beckon Zeus out of the room. “Come with me,” I say.

“When did she wake up?” he asks as soon as we’re in the hallway.

“Just now. In fact, only a few minutes before you walked in. But we’ll need to run a series of tests to determine how she’s doing.”

“I have to tell Madison,” he says.

“Yes, do that. I’ll also call her because I promised she’d be the first to know. I had no idea you were coming today.”

He shrugs, looking slightly sheepish. “I’ve been coming more often because I read that talking to the patient helps.”

I nod in agreement. “You know she won’t be discharged right away, don’t you? I’ll need to monitor her. Besides, after so much time in inertia, the muscles in her legs have likely atrophied. She’ll need physical therapy before we can declare her fully recovered.”

“Can’t that be done at home?”

“No. If Brooklyn’s case were only about the fall when she hit her head, even if she needed special care, I could release her within a week. But since there was also the tumor, I want to ensure there are no lingering effects. The brain is a mysterious universe of which we’ve only uncovered a small portion.”

“Even for you?” he says, a hint of irony in his tone.

“Yes, even gods don’t know everything.”

“But if you had to guess?”

“I don’t work based on guesses. I like to know where I’m stepping. But I can tell you that, based on my experience with patients waking from comas, your sister-in-law is far more lucid than most. Feisty, even. She told me no one would take her babies away.”

“Why would she think something like that?”

“Because I provoked her. I said that if she didn’t wake up, Madison would end up raising them.”

He shakes his head, smiling. “The Foster women and their tempers.”

“Let your wife know, Zeus, but it’s likely she won’t be able to see Brooklyn until tonight. The tests will take some time.”

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