“Don’t ignore bleeding,” she says. “Don’t ignore severe pain. Eat more. Rest.”
“I hate all of that.”
“I assumed.”
“Does Teresa pay you for bedside manner?”
“She pays me for silence.”
“Good.”
I reach for my gloves. The room tilts slightly.
The doctor sees. “Sit.”
“No.”
“Sit, or I call the man outside and make him carry you.”
I sit. Immediately. Dignity has limits, and apparently being carried by Luca Romano through a secret doctor’s office is one of mine. She gives me water. I drink because refusal would be theatrical.
“When you tell him,” she says, “tell him before someone else does.”
I look at her. “Medical advice?”
“Female advice.”
“That advice is rarely less dangerous.”
“No,” she says. “But sometimes more useful.”
I stand again. This time, the room stays where it belongs. “Thank you.”
I leave the room. Luca looks at me once when I step into the hall. Men like him read rooms by what people bring out of them. I entered with a secret. I leave with a heavier one.
But he asks no questions. Instead, he opens the rear door. The outside air hits, cold and damp. I breathe it in, too sharply.
Mistake. Nausea rises.
“Miss Brennan?” Luca asks cautiously.
“Don’t,” I say.
He says nothing. I close my eyes for one second.
The nausea passes.
I continue walking. Every step feels normal. That’s the obscene part. The pavement doesn’t crack. People pass, carrying bread and umbrellas and impatience. A man shouts at a cyclist. Someone laughs from an open window.
The world continues while mine has doubled.
This time, there’s no way out.
And to make things worse, now I have to go and buy some damn dress to keep the secret.
Chapter 14
Second Crossing
