Page 58 of Ethan
The accusation hit harder than I expected. I swallowed, stunned into silence.
Devon’s gaze flicked to me, unreadable except for the faint edge of disappointment lingering in his expression.
He turned back to Ben, his voice calm but firm. “We’ll do whatever we can right now. I’ll personally see to Nick’s leg.”
A thousand thoughts crashed through my head.
What did I miss? Back when Nick was still under my care, I remembered triple-checking everything. I’d even kept him a day longer just to be sure he was fully healed.
I hadn’t been at my best then, I knew that, but had I really let something slip?
I took a step forward, trying to catch Devon’s eye, trying to move toward the examination room. But Devon lifted a hand and shook his head, telling me to stay put.
The urge to rush in and defend myself burned hot in my chest. But tangled with it was another instinct: a desperate need to dig through Nick’s file, to check the paperwork, to see if I’d written something wrong or missed a step.
A small sound tugged me out of my spiral. A whimper.
I looked down and realized Micah was still beside me, eyes wide and fearful.
Damn it.
I crouched to meet his gaze, forcing my voice to be gentle. “Hey.” I fished some coins from my pocket and pressed them into his hand. “Why don’t you grab yourself a snack, hm?”
He hesitated.
I pulled out my wallet and tucked a bill on top of the coins. I wasn’t even sure how much it was, but it didn’t matter.
“In fact, why don’t you get something for your mom too? Hang out with her for a while. My treat.”
He nodded, slung his bag over one shoulder, and slipped out of the clinic, the door shutting softly behind him.
Josh stepped out of Devon’s office with a stack of folders balanced in his arms.
His expression was neutral, but the polite smile he gave me as he passed felt too practiced, like he’d been waiting for an excuse to escape.
I tracked him as he dropped the folders onto the receptionist’s desk.
One by one, he slid them back into the cabinet behind. My eyes caught the names on the spines when he tilted them. Nick and Ben’s files.
My stomach dipped.
“Josh,” I said quietly. “You can head home for the day. I’ll handle the rest.”
Relief flickered across his face so quickly he didn’t even bother to hide it.
“Thanks, Ethan.” He was already grabbing his bag, out the door with a quick wave.
And then it was just me.
The clinic always felt quieter once people left, but now the hush pressed down on me like a weight.
Even the soft hum of the lights and the faint antiseptic tang that usually kept me steady now left me feeling completely exposed.
Devon would want a word with me; that much was certain. Once he finished cleaning up whatever mistake I’d made this time, he’d call me in.
Part of me wanted to wait in his office, tucked away where no one else could see me. Safe. Hidden.
Was that cowardly? Probably.
