Page 130 of The Golden Hour

And they’re worried about covering their asses.

“Personal,” Mason huffs. “Yeah, I would say so.”

“Mason, think of what this could do for your family,” Dr. Weaver says then, her voice sharp enough to cut. His eyes snap toward hers. “Your family is everything to you, right?”

Mason’s jaw tightens, but he nods.

“Then think of this as us making things right,” she says with a shrug. “Think long-term treatment, not short-term pain.”

Mason stares at his mentor.

And he thinks of Dana.

He honestly wonders if Dr. Weaver ever thinks of her. If she feels even a fraction of what he feels, because the protective instinct in his chest for his daughter and wife feels hot enough to fracture the earth itself.

“What Dr. Weaver means,” Kelly says, sliding back into her pleasant HR voice, “is that we understand this has been emotionally difficult for your family. Which is why we believe this offer could provide the stability your wife and daughter need during a very challenging time.”

There it is.

Honey and Daisy’s names were placed on the table like bait for him.

His Achilles heel.

“Litigation is ugly, Mason,” Kelly says. “Invasive. We would hate to see a young mother forced to relive all of that again and again, but it will have to happen if she decides to pursue it.”

Dr. Weaver looks at him with an almost pitying look. “You know better than anyone how fragile she was, Mason.”

Mason’s body goes cold.

“She’s not fragile,” Mason growls. “She’s not delicate. She was wronged by this hospital and its prized OB/GYN.”

Warner and Kelly share a look, and Warner shoots her a look to ‘fix it’. Kelly schools her face into something softer, while Dr. Weaver just peers at him with obvious disappointment. A child being difficult. A student failing some test he wasn’t aware he was taking. Like this is all some fucking big inconvenience to them, and she would rather this be wrapped up now.

Kelly opens her mouth to speak, but Mason gets the jump on her.

“What are you asking for?” Mason asks, gesturing to the employment contract in front of him. “What do I have to do for this?”

“Loyalty to the institution that trained you,” Dr. Weaver says sharply, like she is scolding him. “Loyalty to the people who made you what you are. A damn good emergency physician—one of the best I’ve ever seen. Loyalty to the people who believe in you, Dr. Carpenter.”

Mason thinks about her words and lets them settle in his mind deeply.

The people who made me who I am—Dr. Carpenter, St. Mary’s Golden Boy.

“And,” Kelly says gently, “we would hope that, as Mrs. Carpenter’s husband, you would help her see the value in resolving this matter quietly, without dragging your family through years of pain. We can work together to find a fair outcome. I think from the offer in front of you, they are being more than fair, right?”

Mason looks at the offer in front of him, the solution to many of their financial problems. They could start fresh with this money, a clean slate on which to build something new.

All he has to do is remain loyal to St. Mary’s.

“So, Mason, what will it be?” Kelly says, sliding the pen even farther toward him.

Warner nods encouragingly at Mason.

Dr. Weaver looks like a scolding mother, her eyes pointedly on the pen.

How easy it would be to go home and tell Honey this was the smartest choice for them. The choice that protected her and Daisy and kept them safe from litigation, from courtrooms, from depositions, from having her pain picked apart by strangers in expensive suits. The choice that kept Daisy fed, insured, and warm.

They would never have to worry about money ever again. He could build them the house of their dreams; they could easily save up for Daisy’s college fund without having to pay back his student loans; they could sell their house; they could start completely anew.