Page 2 of Ignite

I move through the space like a ghost. My legs barely hold me. I collapse into the sofa and tuck my knees in, facing away from the photos. Just one glance at his smile and I feel like vomiting.

Finn returns and hands me the coffee, taking a seat on the opposite sofa. Quiet. Always so quiet. That’s how he is at work, disciplined and controlled. I’ve watched him over the last year. Learned from him.

He’s the youngest heart surgeon the hospital has ever had, and he’s still the best in his field. Respected by everyone, even when he’s covered from neck to toe in tattoos.

“You don’t have to stay, Dr. Quinn.”

He raises a brow.

“I lost both my parents not so long ago. Although it feels like yesterday. My brother, Conan, struggled with my mother’s death. And the pain I just felt from you, is the same I did with him. So, I want to make sure you’re okay.”

For the first time since I walked out of that hospital, something cuts through the numbness.

“You have brothers?”

He nods.

“Two. Declan and Conan.” His Irish accent is warm and low, a strange kind of comfort.

“Oh, cool. I always wished I had siblings.”

My voice cracks around the confession. My mom and dad split when I was six. I moved here with Dad and never looked back. I didn’t need a relationship with my mom when I had him.

“Trust me, it can be awfully testing at times. Especially the youngest one. Conan is always trying to wind me into a frenzy with his antics.”

He sighs, but there’s affection buried in it.

I like the sound of this Conan.

“But, I love them to fucking death.”

A laugh slips out of me. Finn smiles.

“What made you want to become a nurse?” he asks, settling in with his coffee, his foot resting on one knee.

“My dad got sick for the first time when I was a teenager. We were in and out of hospitals, and I don’t know, it just felt like my calling. I wasn’t sure I was cut out for… what you do. So I decided to be a nurse. I wanted to help people, I guess.”

I’m too chaotic to be a surgeon.

He leans forward, places his cup on the table.

“It’s going to be okay. You know that, right? You are more than capable of doing anything you want.”

The words are sharp but kind, stern enough to make me sit up straighter.

“That’s what Dad used to tell me.” The tears rush back. I can barely keep them in.

“Look, take some time off work, as long as you need; I’ll cover it. You need to heal and find the thing that makes you happy in life. You need a break.”

I twist the rings on my fingers, eyes locked on my lap.

“You’ve nearly worked yourself to death recently, Hallie. You might think I don’t notice, but I do. You deserve a break.”

I can’t look at him. He’s still my boss. Dr. Quinn. Cold, calculated, and terrifying. But tonight, there’s something softer about him, something human.

“Is that what your brother did?”

He shakes his head slowly.

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