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He put a hand on her waist. "Let's talk about something else."

"Like…?" she asked, her heart beating faster.

"Like how much I don't want to say goodbye to you, Rachel. And I don't just mean because I have to go to work. I know I don't deserve a second chance with you. But I really want one."

"You do?" she asked. "You said you never really wanted a serious relationship."

"Because I never met anyone who made me want to change my whole life for her."

"I don't want you to change your life for me," she said quickly. "I don't want to change you at all."

A smile lifted his lips. "I don't want to change you, either, Rachel. I don't want you to hide your emotions. I don't want you to feel like you ever need to pretend. You're strong. I've seen your courage firsthand. I don't care how many times you cry on my shoulder, I would never see you as weak. You're the most dedicated, passionate doctor I've ever met in my life. And your courage and desire to do the right thing are incredible. I underestimated you once. I won't do it again. Do you think you can ever truly get past what I did to you?"

"I already have," she said with a smile. "I wouldn't have slept with you if I hadn't."

"Then I think we should give this relationship a shot."

"I'm not very good at relationships."

"Neither am I. Maybe we'll bring out the best in each other," he said.

"So how much time do you have?"

He glanced at the clock. "Forty-five minutes. But I can be late."

"Good. Because we are definitely going to need more than forty-five minutes," she said, as she gave him a kiss.

Epilogue

One week later…

"Do you think I can get better, Dr. Thorne?" the forty-three-year-old ex-Marine asked Rachel.

"Absolutely, Mr. Moreau," she said with a smile. "And I'm going to help you every step of the way. We'll explore all your options. Whenever you have a question, or just want to talk, I'm here for you. I know there are alternative treatment ideas you can find online, and if you bring them to me, we'll work through them together. I'm your advocate."

"I appreciate the time you've given me. Most doctors get me in and out in five minutes."

"That won't happen here," she assured him. "Let's start with the medication we discussed, and I'll check in with you next week."

"Thanks, Doc."

She left the room, dropped off his chart, and then headed into her office, relieved to be done with her last patient of the day. As she slipped off her coat, a knock came at her door, and she caught her breath as Lily entered her office.

She hadn't seen her once-favorite nurse since Andrew had been arrested. Lily had been so shaken up by the realization that Andrew had been using her that she'd asked for time off. She'd also had several meetings with the FBI, where she had been cleared of any complicity in the operation between East River and Waverly.

"Do you have a minute?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Come in."

Lily stepped into her office and closed the door. "We haven't had a chance to talk after everything that happened. First, I want to say that I'm sorry."

"From what I understand, you didn't know what Andrew was doing."

"I didn't. And I never knowingly gave him information. But I did sometimes talk about our patients. I know I spoke to him about Jack Barrone, even before he showed back up in the ER. I told Agent Brennan that. I was honest about everything. I can't believe what Andrew, Naomi, and Dr. Hollander were doing. It was so unethical and against everything we stand for. I feel betrayed."

"So do I," she admitted. "To be fair, they didn't know exactly what was going on when the patients went to Waverly. It wasn't until Jack showed up in the ER completely out of his mind that Ethan began to have second thoughts. But he'd already taken money, as had Naomi and Andrew. They were in too deep to get out."

"They should all be in jail. But it sounds like they're making plea deals."