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“I don’t blame you. Your bag is in your car,” Brax says. “We’ll wait until she’s done to make sure she’s okay and meet you out front. You both talked to the police?”

“Yes. We can fill in any details they need tomorrow. It’s late.”

“Tell me about it,” Brax says. “Your case is interfering with my sleep before the baby comes.”

I can tell from his tone that he’s giving me shit, but I’m distracted by Evie taking control of her own healthcare like a boss.

“Please don’t knot it like that. Here, let me show you.”

Evie already instructed the resident to give her zig-zag stitches to prevent scarring. We must look like a real pair. I still have the butterfly bandage on my cheek.

“I think we’re about done,” I say to Brax as I watch her tie off and clip her own stitches. The resident is up and muttering instructions to the nurse as he leaves our curtained area.

“I assume you know how to take care of that,” the nurse says. “Would you like a prescription for painkillers?”

“No, thank you. I’ll take something over the counter if I need it. But, I do need some scrubs to walk out of here, please.”

One thing about Dr. Evie Litchfield, if she’s going to boss people around, she does it with manners.

I offer her my other hand to pull her to a sitting position. She winces but keeps the sheet over her lap since she’s naked from the waist down.

“Brax, we’ll be out soon. I’ll meet you in the waiting room.”

“No, I’ll bring your car around. Meet you in the circle drive.”

“Thanks.”

We’re finally alone—or as alone as two people can be in an emergency room bay with only a curtain for a wall.

Gone is the steadfast and polite-bossy physician she was moments ago. She looks up at me, and I swear her olive skin pales. “I’m not going to lie, Micah. I’m afraid to go home. If you hadn’t been there—”

I stop her mid-sentence. “But I was there. Don’t let your mind wander.”

“And we thought we’d be safe if Chase and I weren’t together. That’s not the case. Someone tried to kill me tonight. All I can think about is someone doing the same with Chase.” She shakes her head and pulls in a shaky breath. “I can’t let that happen, Micah. I’m done being apart from my son. Tonight proved it didn’t do any good.”

I cup her face and don’t say a word. Tonight was bad. And she’s right, being separated from her son did her no good.

I brush her cheek with my thumb. “Baby, you know you can’t go to work after what happened. You’re too exposed.”

She looks like she might choke on a boulder as her eyes well with tears. “I know. It hurts my heart, but I know.”

A voice breaks into our moment and the nurse places a pair of pants next to where Evie sits. “Here are the scrubs, Dr. Litchfield. I hope that heals up nice and fast.”

Evie swipes at her tears. “Thank you for seeing me so quickly.”

When we’re alone again, she drags the scrubs up her legs beneath the sheet. I take her hand to help her from the exam table as she gently pulls them over her wound.

“Commando under scrubs. This is a first,” she mutters.

“I won’t be able to think of anything else.”

She pulls in a big breath and looks up at me. “Micah, I’m not kidding. I don’t want to go home. And I’m afraid to go to my parents’ house. What if someone follows me there? I can’t lead them to Chase. I have no idea what to do.”

I lean down and press my lips to hers.

Soft, slow, and with no tongue.

I don’t recognize myself.

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