Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“When I was in medical school, I met Darren. We were friends who became more. Our goals were so similar. What we wanted from life was the same. Become a doctor, do some good in the world. Get married, have kids. We were great partners. He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.” She paused, meeting my eyes. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
I had to stifle all my jealousy. Lock it down. I didn’t want to think of Sofia with anyone else. I knew she had a past. I did as well. I had to remind myself that what she was telling me was exactly that. The past. I would listen, and then we could move forward. I kept my voice calm.
“Yes. I need to understand.”
“We were doing a rotation in the same hospital in the ER. A patient came in, out of his mind on drugs. We had to get security and restrain the patient. He kept trying to attack us, and it was the only way to treat him. One of the staff helping didn’t fasten the restraints tight enough on one side.”
She fell silent, her eyes filled with tears. I already guessed what happened next, but I let her tell me the story in her own way. When she spoke again, her voice was thick.
“He got out of the restraints. He had a gun hidden in his clothing. He started shooting wildly, and Darren stepped in front of me and took the bullet meant for me. He died in my arms a few moments later.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That must have been traumatizing.”
“It was.”
“Did the patient go to jail?”
She shook her head. “He had a seizure shortly after that he never woke up from. He died later that night.”
“Your fiancé was a brave man. He must have loved you a great deal.”
“He died because of me.”
“He died protecting you,” I said gently. “His choice and, for that, I consider him a brave, honorable man.”
I saw the tremor in her hand, and I took her glass, lifting it to her lips. “Take a sip, Sofia,” I murmured. “Everything is all right, iubirea mea. Perhaps sharing the memories will help take away some of the pain, yes?”
She swallowed the brandy, the faraway look in her eyes still present.
“Did you have help getting over his loss?” I asked.
She shrugged. “When you’re a resident, you don’t have time for much except being a resident. Most of my friends were other residents. I had no family—my dad died when I was young, and my mom passed just after I got into medical school. But I had Damien. We’d been close all our lives since we were so near in age. And he was great—always willing to listen or take me out if I needed it, but he was busy too. I was given a little time off for bereavement, but I had to go back and finish my rotation. The first time I walked back into that room, I almost lost it.” She swallowed. “It took me a long time to get over losing him.”
I set down the glass in my hand and shifted to the table in front of her. I took her hands in mine. “Of course it did.”
She sighed, the sound shaky and sad. “But I kept going. I wanted to keep our dream alive. Become a doctor and open a practice. Slowly, I was able to move forward. I concentrated on my career. Made that my priority. A few years later, a cop came in with an ambulance. Will was concerned about the woman who had been brought in. He suspected domestic violence and wanted to help her. I worked the case, and he got her away from her abuser.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “He came back a few times to say hello and finally asked me out.”
“And you had a relationship with him.”
“Yes. For two years. He was a great guy.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to fall for someone unless they were,” I said dryly.
That made her smile, even though I felt the way she was tensing. “What happened?” I asked.
“He was on the job. Called to another domestic disturbance. It was the same abuser he’d dealt with before, but a different woman. There was an altercation, and Will was shot. He was brought in and died in surgery.”
“Jesus.”
“I was working, and I knew he was brought in. I saw him before surgery. His last words to me were that he loved me. I didn’t say it back.” She met my eyes, her tears overflowing. “I wanted to, but he passed out and they rushed him away. I never got to say it.”
“Like the woman earlier.”
“Yes.”
I squeezed her hands.
“I can’t be involved with you, Egan. What you do, how dangerous it is. If something happened to you, I don’t think I would survive it.”