“I get it. I do. You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he said, touching her cheek.

Yet, she wanted to. Worse, she wanted to be different. She wanted to be that doctor who could get to know their patients and their families and not risk jeopardizing their skill in the operating room. She rested her head against his shoulder. “My dad used to be so amazing with his patients—when he worked here at Wild River Community Hospital...before Mom died. He was caring and sympathetic and everyone truly felt as though they were his only priority.” She’d felt like a priority back then, too.

“Like Dr. Smyth?”

She nodded, once again feeling a pang of regret for the relationship her father had let lapse. Though who was she to judge? She forced a breath. She was fixing that. She was here mending her broken friendship with Cassie.

Though not exactly at the moment. For the first time she wondered what her friend would think about this situation. She would probably be happy for them. Her friend didn’t possess a single jealous or mean-spirited gene. Cassie was the best.

“How did your mom die?” Reed asked, breaking into her thoughts. “I know it was kidney failure, but I’ve never known what the actual cause was.”

“She had polycystic kidney disease and her transplant failed. While the antirejection drugs didn’t help the body accept the new organ, they were powerful enough to destroy her immune system,” she said, the sting of it still as raw as the day she’d found out.

“That’s why you’re working on the new antirejection drug.” He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, letting it fall in a ringlet beside her face.

The gentleness in his touch, the sympathy in his voice made it so much easier to open up to him.

“Yes. We hope to create another drug that’s less damaging on the body with its side effects but just as effective in ensuring the success of the transplant organ.” It was too late to save her mom, but she hoped to help millions of others.

“Do you think it will work?”

His genuine interest warmed her, and her excitement about her research surfaced. For years they’d been examining the effects of different drugs, and she thought they might actually have one that would react with the body the way they wanted. She nodded. “Clinical trials start just before Christmas.”

His expression clouded slightly. “I’d forgotten for a second that you’re leaving again,” he said, pulling her back down toward him and kissing her.