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The man put the pizzas and groceries on the island counter while the woman set the large medical bag on the floor.

"This is Agent Zane McDougal and Agent Kara Reid. Dr. Rachel Thorne," Tyler said as he finished the introductions.

"It's nice to meet you," Kara said while Zane gave her a smile and a nod. "I assume the medical bag is for you, since I don't think medicine is one of Tyler's many impressive skills."

"You'd be surprised," Tyler retorted with a cocky smile. "I've actually had to perform some field procedures."

"Okay, I take it back," Kara returned with a laugh. "You have that skill, too."

"Why don't we go into the other room, and you can fill me in?" Zane suggested to Tyler.

"I'll put the food away," Kara said as they left the room.

"I can do it if you want to join them," she said. "You don't need to babysit me."

"It's fine. I don't mind. Zane will fill me in on the ride back to Manhattan." Kara put the pizzas in the oven to keep warm. "So, Jason, our boss, gave me some information on the case Tyler is working. I understand you were treating Mr. Barrone a few months ago and after he disappeared, you contacted Tyler."

"Yes. Jack—Mr. Barrone—had Tyler's address in his pocket, so I told him what happened."

Kara gave her a sharp look. "But you stayed involved after that. Why?"

"I wanted to know why my patient stopped coming to see me and why he felt he couldn't trust me. It also now appears that the hospital where I work might be siphoning patients to Waverly Health. We're still waiting for Jack's head to clear so we can get more answers."

Kara nodded, not giving anything away in her expression. "Hopefully, he can do that soon."

"I'm going to check on Jack." She grabbed the medical bag and headed into the living room. Jack was still asleep, so she looked through the bag to see what supplies Kara had brought her. As she went through the items, she felt more centered. Medicine was her world. And for the first time in hours, she felt like she was back in control, at least for a few minutes.

Chapter Sixteen

"Jason filled us in on the shooting at the laundromat," Zane told Tyler. "A Detective Androtti spoke to the officers who responded to the scene, and confirmed that there were no injuries, just property damage, so that will be addressed through the proper channels. NYPD has their forensics team looking for evidence. Jason also has our tech team working on it."

"That's good." He turned as Kara came through the door, shutting it behind her.

"Dr. Thorne is checking on Mr. Barrone," she said.

"Is he awake?"

"No. I'm sure she'll let us know if there's an issue. She seems to be very protective of her patients, even the ones who stopped coming to see her."

He could see the curious gleam in Kara's eyes, which was matched by the one in Zane's. "What do you want to know?" he asked with a sigh.

"What's the deal with you and the beautiful doctor?" Zane asked. "You’re not one to allow civilians to get involved in our investigations."

"She brought me the case."

"There's more to it than that," Kara said.

He could see this conversation would not end without more details. "You're right. We have history. Five years ago, she wouldn't clear my team leader for duty. I tried to charm her into changing her mind, and when that didn't work, I went over her head. I'm not proud of it."

"Was that before or after you slept with her?" Zane asked dryly.

He frowned. "I didn't sleep with her."

"But?"

"Rachel felt betrayed by me and also embarrassed that someone above her didn't agree with her opinion. Looking back, I should have done things differently, but I can't change the past."

"If she doesn't like you or trust you, why hide out with you now?" Kara asked.