Page 25 of His to Keep

And he walked away.

Chapter nine

Liam stood among the organized chaos of the emergency department, his white coat crisp and professional despite the whirlwind of emotions roiling within him. His glasses slipped down his nose as he filled in yet more patient paperwork. The scent of antiseptic filled the air, mingling with the low hum of voices and beeping machines.

He listened to the nurses chatting away. Jobs, kids, husbands, vacations… Their conversation was a welcome distraction from his own thoughts, pulling him away from the tangled mess of his memories.

Colt.

His hands.

His body.

And the weight of his gaze as Liam had walked away.

Something broke through Liam's blurry concentration. Susan, his manager, beckoned him over with a wave of her hand. "Dr. Parks, I need a word with you."

"Of course," he said, excusing himself from the group of nurses. He approached her, confusion etched on his face. "What's going on?"

"Look, I know you're already rostered in emergency today," she began, her voice low and serious, "but we have a new patient who specifically requested you. It's... important."

"Important?" Liam frowned, his annoyance bubbling beneath the surface. He was tired of being pulled in different directions – by the hospital, by the mafia, by his own heart. "I can't just abandon my responsibilities here."

"Dr. Parks," she said firmly, her eyes narrowing slightly, "thisisn'ta request. This patient is someone you can't refuse." She glanced around them, making sure no one else could hear their conversation, and added, "I think you understand what I'm saying."

Liam groaned internally, his heart sinking.

More mafia business.

You save one mafia kingpin, and you're at their beck and call forever. It figured.

Just when he thought he'd managed to put some distance between himself and that world, it was reaching out for him once again. Liam clenched his fists, feeling the cold steel of his resolve hardening within him.

"Fine," he muttered, keeping his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. "I'll go see this patient."

Grumbling under his breath, Liam made his way upstairs to the examination room Susan had pointed him at. But something inside him wasn't angry.

Maybe this wasn't just more mafia business.

Maybe it was just one specific mafia man…

His heart raced with a mixture of nerves and anticipation as he wondered if Colt was waiting for him on the other side of the door. A part of him yearned to see the enforcer again, to feel theheat of Colt's body against his own… while another part never wanted to see him again.

A clean cut was kinder, after all. Surgical. Precise. That was then, and this was now.

But try as he might, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about what if he'd stayed — and if there'd been a chance at turning thattheninto a very differentnow.

As Liam reached for the doorknob, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confrontation ahead. But when he pushed open the door, he was met with a sight that made him pause, confused.

"Dr. Parks?" greeted a young man in a bright, colorful jacket. Beside him stood a small boy, maybe five years old. The kid was clutching the man's hand, tearful and fretful — not quite having a meltdown, but getting close to one.

"That's me," Liam said cautiously, casting a wary glance around the room. "And you are…?"

The young man sighed in relief. "Great! I'm Rowan, and this is Eli. Eli here insisted on seeing you, Dr. Parks. He wouldn't let anyone else examine him."

Liam frowned, his annoyance at being pulled away from the emergency department momentarily forgotten. "Why?" he asked, unable to hide his skepticism.

"Because you're the nice doctor," Eli piped up, sniffling and wiping tears from his cheeks.

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