Page 17 of No Mistake

You could send him one.

Should she? Damn, she was ridiculously conflicted when it came to Ryan Baxter. He was handsome and sexy, and the flowers, along with dinner last night, had her emotions tied up in knots. Then silence. Not even a good night or a good morning text. That she was bothered by it irritated her. She was a grown woman for Christ’s sake and too old for games. This hot, cold thing was typical for a man like Ryan. An ego-induced move to get her under his control. Just like Mark. No way was she going to be controlled by a man again.

He’s just reeling you in, then it will all go to shit.

No, she wouldn’t text him. She needed to listen to her head, not her libido.

The next couple of hours passed by in a blur. A SEAL team had returned that morning and three of them had suffered injuries, thankfully none of them serious. All would be back to work in a few days. These guys always amazed her, brushing off their injuries, eager to get back to their team as soon as possible. They were a special type of person, and she respected the hell out of them. Always willing to go and fight, even give their lives, for the protection of others.

“Dr. Summers, there’s a call for you at reception.” Miranda poked her head into the treatment room.

“Thank you. Put it through to my office. I’ll be right there.” Sophie turned back to her patient smiling.

“You’re all set.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” The young sailor smiled back.

Sophie rushed to her office, picking up the phone.

“This is Dr. Summers.”

“Dr. Sophie Summers?”

Sophie frowned. ‘Yes.” Her stomach lurched as unease bubbled low in her gut.

“This is Dr. Wyatt at Kings Medical. I’m Dr. Chloe Summers’ attending.”

“Oh my God, has something happened to her?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. Chloe didn’t show up yesterday or today. I’ve tried calling, but haven’t been able to reach her. It’s not like her at all.”

Sophie’s knees shook. She gripped the desk, sitting down.

“I thought maybe she was unwell or something,” Dr Wyatt continued.

“Yes. I’m sure there’s an explanation. I’ll find out and let you know. Thank you for calling.” Sophie hung up the phone, immediately dialing Chloe. No answer. Chloe would have answered the phone if she was sick. What if she was hurt? Oh God, what if she’d been in a car accident? Hospitals. She should call round the other hospitals and see if she’d been admitted. Or perhaps she should just go there. Shaking, she barely registered the door opening.

“Sophie? What's happened, what’s wrong?” Ryan stood there with two coffees in his hand, a worried look on his face. She couldn’t speak. Damn, she could barely breathe.

Ryan set down the drinks, crouched in front of her, and took her shaking hands in his.

“Sophie, talk to me. What’s happened?” His voice was full of concern.

“I... It’s Chloe.” Her mind was reeling, full of unimaginable thoughts of what might have happened.

“Is she hurt?”

“I... I don’t know. She didn’t respond to my texts or calls yesterday and her attending just called. She didn’t show up at the hospital.” Sophie looked at him. “I need to call the other hospitals or go there.” She went to get up. Ryan stopped her.

“Wait.”

“No, Ryan,” she snapped. “This is my sister, it’s nothing to do with you. I need to go.” A flash of hurt crossed his face, but she ignored it. This was not the time to be worried about bruised egos. Chloe was in trouble, could be hurt, or...

“I can help you. Trust me.” His commanding tone stilled her. Without waiting for her to answer, he stood up and pulled out his cellphone.

“Hey, Kelly, I need a favor. Can you ping a phone for me?”

Ryan asked her for Chloe’s cell number, which he relayed to Kelly.

---