Sarah paid for the flowers. While the woman worked, she glanced at Gavin from the corner of her eye. She’d been truthful when she said he scared her off a bit when he’d gone all dictator on her, but there was more to it than that. She bit her lip when she realized she wanted to be fully honest. How would he react if she told him of her past? The things she’d done—and the reasons she’d done them? What if she spilled everything?
Once again, pushing the thoughts aside to deal with at a more appropriate time, she nodded to Gavin. “Now, I’m ready to go find Donna and thank her for her excellent care.”
They made the elevator ride to the third floor in silence while Sarah mentally prepared herself for battle. Brianne had not been a figment of her imagination and she’d go toe-to-toe with anyone who tried to convince her otherwise.
In a nice way, of course.
With Gavin slightly behind her, Sarah made her way to the nurses’ station where three medical personnel sat in front of laptops. The older woman with short and stylish gray hair and a name tag that said Camilla looked over her bifocals at their approach. “May I help you?”
“Yes, hi. I was a patient here a couple of weeks ago and there was one nurse who was really kind and I just wanted to say thank you.” She lifted the flowers, and Camilla smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling.
“Who was your nurse, hon?”
“Donna.”
“Sure. She’s with a patient right now, but I’m happy to give them to her.” She held her hands out.
“I appreciate that,” Sarah said, “but I’d like to deliver them myself, if that’s all right.”
“Of course.” Camilla dropped her hands. “Just hang out here. She’ll be around shortly.”
Camilla went back to her laptop and Sarah leaned against the counter. Five minutes ticked by and her fatigue grew with each passing moment. She was pushing too hard, too soon. Weakness slipped through her.
Great, she was going to face-plant right there in front of Gavin and everyone else. She spotted a chair outside the nearest room and walked over to it. Gavin followed her.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” She lowered herself into the chair, hoping the strain didn’t show on her face.
“But you need to sit so you don’t keel over and draw attention to yourself?”
She wanted to refuse to be amused, but the corner of her lip twitched before she got it under control. “Exactly.”
“Which is why you probably should have stayed home, but I’m aware that wasn’t an option, so I won’t bring it up.”
“I’m glad you’ve got a clear understanding of things.”
“Stubborn,” she thought she heard him murmur. If he only knew. Again, she almost laughed but didn’t have the energy.
Two female nurses walked past them, but Sarah didn’t recognize them. Then a door opened midway down the hall and a young woman stepped out. Sarah perked up. “That’s her.” She stood and Gavin slipped a hand under her elbow. She raised a brow, but decided it was better to lean on him than land on the floor.
Donna walked their way, and her eyes met Sarah’s. For a brief moment, confusion creased her face before her eyes went wide and her nostrils flared. Just as quickly, her expression cleared and she offered a smile. “Rochelle Denning. How are you doing?”
“I go by Sarah, but I’m doing much better, thank you.” She tilted her head. “You remember me?”
“Of course. I remember all of my patients—at least the most recent ones anyway.” She gave a small laugh. “Don’t ask me about the ones who came through last month.”
“Good, because I have a question about a patient of yours who was here the same time I was. But first”—she passed the flowers to the woman—“thank you for taking good care of me.”
“Oh, they’re beautiful, thank you so much.” She sniffed them and smiled. “Which patient did you want to ask me about?”
“I don’t know her last name, but she was the one next door to me. Brianne.”
Donna’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, I don’t seem to remember having a patient by that name.”
“Well, that’s really weird, because I was in the room when she was screaming and you rushed in with her medication.”
Donna huffed a short laugh that held no humor. “I don’t think so. I remember you were out of your head with a fever and wandering the halls, but the room next to yours was empty. I think the combination of