Chapter 9
I stepped into the trauma department the next morning with my heart hammering against my ribs. My leg still throbbed in its walking boot and my ribs ached with every movement, but Ethan had cleared me for light duty. I needed to feel normal again — needed to work. The private security he’d arranged dropped me off early. I smoothed my scrubs over my wide hips and soft belly, took a deep breath, and walked through the familiar chaotic halls.
The department was already alive with beeping monitors, rushing staff, and the low hum of controlled urgency. I clocked in at the nurses’ station and picked up my tablet. A couple of nurses I knew gave me quick, sympathetic smiles, but I caught the whispers the moment my back was turned.
“That’s her… the one Dr. Black saved personally.”
“Gi
