“Well, yeah. She could’ve died,” he said, the words rushing out. “I kept thinking that if I were a doctor, I could’ve done something to help her.” He huffed out a weary breath. “Maybe Mom and Dad were right. If I had stayed in medical school, then I—”

Michael raised his hand to stop him. “Quit being so dramatic. Preslee didn’t die. Nor would you have been able to help her. Because we both know that if you had stayed in medical school, you would’ve never met her.”

Okay, so his brother had a point. “Maybe. But I still can’t help but feel I let her down. Especially since I missed the signs that she was in trouble.”

“I get that, but you also have to remember that she was the one who kept this from you.”

“I know, but still…”

Michael blew out a hard breath. “Look, if you kept a secret from her, would you want her taking the blame for not realizing it?”

Guilt slapped Adam across the face, and he winced. He was keeping a secret from her, and of course he wouldn’t blame her for not realizing it. Why would she ever suspect that he and Kurt had made a bet about her fitness goals? Damn it. He wished he had never accepted that stupid bet.

He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t. But it’s my job to coach my clients into a healthier lifestyle. I should’ve realized—”

“Like I said, you can’t blame yourself. It happens.”

Adam scoffed. “Right. That comes from a hotshot doctor.”

Michael lifted one brow. “You think I’ve never missed signs before?”

“Have you?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” Michael paused thoughtfully. “I basically did the same thing with a patient of mine. I noticed something was off and didn’t mention it. I thought if something was wrong or he wanted me to know about it, he would tell me. I was wrong.”

Adam hesitated momentarily. “What happened?”

His brother swallowed hard. “An hour after my patient’s appointment, he was found dead inside his car. It was still parked outside the hospital’s professional building I used to work in. He’d had a massive heart attack right after walking out of my office. I knew something wasn’t right that day. This guy was normally the loud, animated type, but during his office visit, he was quiet and practically motionless. He looked weary and uncomfortable, as if something was causing him pain. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize what until it was too late.”

“Damn, I’m sorry. That had to be rough.”

Michael shrugged. “It was. I blamed myself. Although it wasn’t my fault, it was tough knowing that had I just said something, the outcome might’ve been different. But I learned an important lesson that day. Now if I see it, I say something. It could save someone’s life.”