CHAPTER NINE

DANIEL

DANIEL STOOD AT the sound of the chopper. Maybe a bit too fast. He usually heard it before it got this close, but clearly his focus was diverted.

“Um, here. Take this for pain.” He handed her some ibuprofen and a glass of water.

Annika looked almost relieved. He started putting the suture kit back together and cleaned up.

“You can take more in eight hours if it still hurts.” He tossed the words over his shoulder as if he were talking to any patient as he quickly went to drop off instruments for sterilization. He needed the distance to clear his head.

What was he thinking? She was sobbing into his arms about losing her baby—finally allowing herself to feel the pain—and all he could think about was kissing her? Honestly, he had a problem. He did not need to be kissing Annika Mehta. Especially since she told him how badly she wanted to be a mother.

Except that she hadn’t pulled away from him.

And he hadn’t wanted her to.

He had almost told her the truth. He hadn’t told anyone about Sara since she’d died. The people who knew were people he knew when she was alive. And outside of work colleagues, he didn’t really hang out with anyone from back then.

He was keenly familiar with how it felt when your world stopped but everything else continued. How people went to work, loved each other, laughed together and basically continued to live their lives. He had had trouble believing any of that was still possible when a beautiful little girl had been so violently ripped from the earth.

He returned to find Annika standing and waiting for him. Her eyes were swollen. Her nose was still red, and her left hand was bandaged, but her smile threw him off balance and he had to stop in his tracks to gather himself. So much for clearing his head.

He finished straightening up, putting away any sign of the fact that he had just treated somebody, aware that she watched his every movement. “Exactly how much trouble can you get into?”

Daniel shrugged one shoulder. “Let’s just say you had a tour.” He took her good hand and guided her out the door. Her hand was warm and fit perfectly into his, and when she squeezed it, a thrill shifted through his body that he probably should not have enjoyed so much.

“Come on.” Daniel led the way out. But—just his luck—Crista was on her way in.

“Hey, Daniel! What are you doing—” Crista stopped as she saw Annika. Her gaze shifted back to Daniel, grazing over their clasped hands.

“Hey, Crista. Just a quick tour.” He turned toward Annika. “Crista, this is Annika. Annika, my colleague, Crista.”