Nightmare fragments surfaced first. Mom’s voice calling my name. The moment when she died. Then… safety. Warmth. Someone whispering that everything would be okay.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’re safe!
Carlan’s voice. Low and gentle and absolutely real.
“Fuck.” I buried my face in my hands. “He was here.”
Which meant my wandering hands weren’t part of any dream
What must he think of me?
Heat crawled up my neck as I imagined waking up pressed against him Had I thrown myself at him in my sleep? Chung to him like some needy
A soft knock interrupted my spiral of mortification
‘Sabi? You awake? Caelan’s voice carried through the door. Can I come in?”
1 yanked the comforter up to my chin. “No.”
The word came out sharper than I intended. Silence stretched on the other side of the door.
‘I… okay. His voice carried obvious hurt. Ill be in the living room when you’re ready.”
I forced myself out of bed and into the bathroom. The shower was quick and efficient – I didn’t have time for long, contemplative soaks. Gabriel’s surgery was today, and I needed to be at the hospital early for prep.
When I finally emerged from the bedroom twenty minutes later, fully dressed and emotionally armored, Caelan was sitting at the dining table. Dark circles shadowed his eyes like bruises.
He looked exhausted.
I didn’t ask if he’d slept.
“Morning,” I said, grabbing my car keys from the counter.
“I made breakfast.” He gestured toward the table where a plate of toast and eggs sat waiting. Steam still rose from a fresh cup of coffee. “Your favorite blueberry scones from-“
“I’m not hungry.”
The lie sat heavy on my tongue. I was starving, actually. But I wasn’t ready to face him after his confession.
Caelan’s face fell slightly, but he recovered quickly. “Right. You probably want to get to the hospital early.”
“Yeah. I headed toward the door without looking back. “Gabriel’s surgery is today.”
“Sabi, 1-
“I should get going. I didn’t let him finish. Whatever he wanted to say, I wasn’t ready to hear it. “You can… do whatever you want today.”
I closed the door behind me.
I drove straight to Moonridge General, grabbed a stale sandwich from the cafeteria vending machine, and threw myself into pre-op preparations. Within an hour, I was scrubbed in and ready for Gabriel’s surgery.
Caelan’s POV
I sat in the hospital cafeteria’s far corner, a baseball cap pulled low over my eyes and sunglasses completing my laughable disguise. Like baseball caps could hide the fact that I was six-foot-four and built like I could bench press a truck.
Yesterday I kicked Darrell across this lobby. Today I’m lurking in corners wearing amateur spy gear.
My third cup of coffee had gone cold while I stared at the surgical board across the lobby. Gabriel William’s surgery had been running for an hour now. According to the digital clock above the information desk, they should be in the critical phase.
I promised not to interfere with her work. But I never promised to leave. What if that bastard Darrell shows up again?
Suddenly, a nurse burst through the double doors, her face pale and urgent.
“Help! We need emergency support!” She nearly collided with the counter at the nurse’s station.
Another nurse looked up, startled. “What happened?”
“Gabriel William’s surgery is in trouble! The patient’s been poisoned! Dr. Crawford might be held responsible!” Her voice trembled, barely holding back panic.
My heart hammered in my chest. Poisoning? During surgery?
My fingers tightened around the cold coffee cup. I forced myself to listen, every sense sharpening.
“If the patient dies, this will be a major medical incident!” the young nurse blurted out.
I was already moving, my chair scraping against the floor as I stood. The baseball cap and sunglasses hit the table as I strode across the lobby.
The young nurse turned, startled by my approach.
I can help, I said.
Recognition flickered in her eyes, and then instinct took over. She bowed her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “Your Majesty.”
“Take me to the operating room. Now!
I followed the young nurse through a maze of hospital corridors.
If Gabriel dies, Sable will carry the blame.
The thought carved through me like a blade. Medical malpractice investigations would destroy her career. Her reputation would be shattered. Every patient she’d ever helped would become meaningless in the face of one death.
But that wasnt the worst part.
She’ll never forgive herself.
I knew Sable. She’d replay every moment of that surgery for the rest of her life. The guilt would eat her alive from the inside out.
I can’t let that happen to her.
Sable’s POV
The monitor’s shrill alarm cut through my concentration like a scream. Gabriel’s blood pressure had dropped to dangerous levels. His heart rate was erratic.
“What the hell? Dr. Peterson’s voice cracked with confusion. He was stable thirty seconds ago!”
I looked down at Gabriel’s face. His skin had gone gray, and cold sweat beaded across his forehead. Something was very, very wrong.
“Check his vitals again,” Peterson barked to the surgical nurse.
“BP dropping fast. Pulse is thready.”
My hands moved automatically, checking the surgical site. No excessive bleeding. No obvious complications. The heart repair had been textbook perfect.
So why is he dying?
“Dr. Crawford. The anesthesiologist’s voice carried an edge of panic. “Did you check the pre-op medications personally?”
My blood turned to ice. “Of course I did. Every single one.”
“Check the vials, Peterson ordered the surgical nurse.
She moved to the medication cart, her face going pale as she examined each container. When she reached the third vial, her hands started shaking.
“Doctor… this isn’t what it’s supposed to be.”
Peterson snatched the vial from her hands. His face went white beneath his surgical mask.
“Someone switched the medications. This is aconitine.”
Wolfsbane extract. Pure poison.
The room went dead silent except for Gabriel’s struggling heart monitor.
“Sable Peterson’s voice was gentle but devastated. You checked these medications before surgery?”
The weight of every eye in the operating room pressed down on me. T… yes. I checked everything myself
But I must have missed something. I must have…
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