Page 55 of Dr. Roz Harrington
“Not happening,” Jack said quietly. “Not until you talk to me.”
His words landed harder than she expected. Sam stopped pacing, her back still to him, and gripped the edge of the whiteboard with both hands. The tension in her shoulders gave way just slightly, and she let her head dip forward.
For a moment, there was silence. The sounds of the firehouse buzzed faintly outside the office, someone laughing, the sound of a wrench hitting concrete.
Then Sam exhaled, long and heavy. “It’s Roz.”
Jack blinked. “Roz?”
Sam turned around finally, leaning back against the board. Her arms folded over her chest like armor, but her voice had lost its edge. “Rosalind Harrington. The surgeon.”
Jack straightened a little, his eyebrows lifting. “Okay…?”
Sam ran a hand over her face, forcing the words out like they pained her. “We’ve been…seeing each other. For months. And now it’s over.”
Jack’s expression shifted, surprise flickering across his face before it settled into something quieter. “What happened?”
Sam hesitated. The words were there, but they scraped against something raw. She swallowed hard before continuing. “Her mother found out. Evelyn Harrington.”
“Evelyn Harrington?” Jack repeated, whistling low. “Shit.”
“Yeah.” Sam let out a humorless laugh, her arms tightening around herself. “She walked in on us in Roz’s office at the hospital. Roz barely said a word before she shut me out. Just told me to go. Like I didn’t matter.”
Jack leaned against the desk, his eyes never leaving Sam. “That’s brutal.”
Sam scoffed, bitterness creeping into her voice. “Brutal’s one way to put it.” She pushed off the board, pacing again, the frustration rolling off her in waves. “And the worst part is I wanted to fight for her. I still do. But she didn’t even give me the chance.”
Jack stayed quiet for a moment, letting the weight of Sam’s words settle. Then he said, carefully, “You love her?”
Sam stopped mid-step. The question hung in the air, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at him. Her throat tightened, and when she finally spoke, her voice was rough. “Yeah. I do.”
Jack nodded slowly, as if piecing it all together. “And she let her mother call the shots.”
Sam laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “That’s Roz. Always worrying about what people see, what they think. She’s spent her whole life proving she’s good enough, and now…now it’s like I’m just another risk she doesn’t want to take.”
“Or maybe you’re the only risk she’s ever wanted to take.”
Sam frowned, turning to look at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Jack shrugged. “I mean…you said it yourself. She doesn’t let people in. Maybe you scared the hell out of her.”
Sam let the words sink in, but they didn’t bring her any comfort. “That doesn’t make it any easier, Jack.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Jack pushed off the desk and stepped closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. “But you’re not wrong for feeling this way. You put yourself out there, Sam. That takes guts.”
Sam looked away, the tightness in her chest refusing to ease. “It feels like a mistake.”
“It’s not.” Jack squeezed her shoulder gently. “You care about her. That’s not a mistake, it’s who you are. You care about people even when it’s messy and hard.”
Sam blinked hard, her jaw clenching as she fought back the burn in her eyes. Jack didn’t say anything else, just let his hand rest on her shoulder as the silence stretched between them.
Finally, Sam exhaled shakily and nodded. “Thanks, Jack.”
“Any time,” he said quietly. “And Sam?”
She looked up at him.
“This isn’t over,” he said. “Not if you don’t want it to be.”
