We suction.Suddenly, the boy coughs.
Then starts to cry.
The whole room exhales.
Relief washes over me.It’s not my first pediatric emergency, but it never gets easier.Each one leaves me shaken.
I try to take some slow, deep breaths to calm my racing pulse.Harrison presses a hand to the boy’s chest, checking his breathing again.“You’re okay,” he tells the kid softly.“You’re okay now.”
I glance at him, at this man, who’s so tightly wound, so rigid with his rules and his routines, and I see the quiet relief in his eyes.
We move into the hall as the nurses take over.I head to the desk to write up notes, but my mind is still buzzing.The image of that little boy gasping for air won’t leave me.Neither will the look on Harrison’s face.
“Hey.”Harrison appears beside me.“You okay?”
He’s more relaxed right now, sleeves folded up, his hair slightly dishevelled.“Yeah.Just… having an adrenaline crash, I think.”
He nods, understanding.“Every time.Even after all these years, it hits different when it’s a kid.”
“You were incredible.So calm.”
Harrison looks away.“Couldn’t afford not to be.”
I don’t think he understands how good he is.Or if he does, he hides it well.But watching him with that scared little boy makes me wonder… What would it take to crack him?
Chapter 18
Regan
TheDr.Whispererbulletinis gossip over coffee the next morning.
Dr.Harrison: Certified Heartthrob AND Hero?
It features a sketch of Brant in a suit with a red cape, wearing a stethoscope, and a speech bubble that reads:“Saving lives and breaking hearts, one shift at a time.”
Dr.Zac Sterling walks into the staff lounge with a printed copy.“Think I can get you to sign this, Harrison?”
Brant scowls.“Throw that away.”
“Sorry, man.I can’t hear you over the sound of your cape flapping in the wind.”
I snort into my mug.“Come on, it’s cute.You saved a life and made a meme.That’s rare.”
He narrows his eyes at me.“You’re in on this.”
“Oh, I didn’t draw the cartoon,” I say, trying to hold a straight face.“But I may have suggested the drawing.”
“I knew it.”
I raise my mug.“Paging Dr.Hero.”
He groans and rubs his face.“I swear, if there are more printed—”
Zac holds a pile up to Brant with a cocky smirk.
I almost choke on my drink.
“Unbelievable,” Brant mutters, grabbing the mug to make a coffee, like the world isn’t laughing around him.But I don’t miss the way his mouth twitches, just a little.Maybe he secretly doesn’t hate it or hate me for teasing him.
