Andrew scrubbed a hand down his face. “Lauren, I walked past and saw you against the wall, looking scared, with a man over you. Touching you. Not moving an inch when you asked him to back away. The only thought in my head was to get him away from you, and there was nothing in that moment that could have stopped me. Nothing. If you lose your job because of what I did, I’ll feel terrible, and I’ll do whatever I can to make it right. There’s nothing wrong with two consenting adults seeing each other, even if I am a patient here. I’d never intentionally do anything to hurt you, surely you know that.”

Lauren blinked, her expression unreadable. “Look, I have to go. I have a patient to see, and then I need to find Emma. See if she thinks I need to tell Dr. Hawthorne what happened.”

He let out a heavy breath. “Seriously? You’re walking away from me right now?”

“We’ll talk later.”

He opened his mouth to say more, but Lauren brushed past him, the familiar scent of her shampoo flooding his heightened senses. She didn’t look back and disappeared around the corner.

Alone in the dim hallway, Andrew pressed a palm against his temple. He made his way back through the infusion center, finding Jeni settled in for the several-hour treatment.

“You okay?” she asked. “You were gone a long time.”

No. “I’m fine.”

Andrew thought of nothing else during his treatment. By the time he got home late in the afternoon, he’d nearly worked himself into a state of panic. His body had never felt this on edge. He was so consumed with thoughts of Lauren that it was several hours before he realized what he was feeling was more than anxiety.

Fear took over. He called Lauren, but she didn’t answer. He tried his sister, and she answered on the third ring.

“Jeni? Something’s wrong.”

…

Andrew lay there, waiting. Taking in the white walls and sheets and the embarrassingly thin white hospital gown he was wearing.

His chest felt tight, like someone’s fist was squeezing his lungs. He alternated breathing through his mouth and nose, but one didn’t seem better than the other. His heart beat furiously in his chest, and he wasn’t sure if that was from nerves or because something was seriously wrong. Maybe both.

Jeni sat in the mauve chair to the right of the hospital bed, perched on the edge, her knees bouncing up and down. He’d begged her not to call their family until they knew what was wrong, and as far as he knew she’d complied. He had heard her call Lauren, though.

So he waited.