8
DECLAN
The door clicks shutbehind us, and I blow out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My palms are still warm from being in my pockets, and there’s a jitter running through my limbs like I’ve just walked off a riptide.
“Well now,” I murmur, low enough not to carry, “that was…unexpected.”
Sean’s jaw is set, his shoulders squared like he’s already bracing for a fight. Rowan stays rigid, coat hanging straight, every line of him controlled. The air between us is tight as wire.
“Come on, lads,” I say, closing the small space so we’re eye to eye. “We can’t pretend that was just another patient.”
Rowan cuts me a sharp look, dark eyes locking on mine. “We’re not pretending anything,” he says. His voice is calm, but there’s a blade under it. “We’re deciding what happens next.”
Sean glances back toward the closed door, then at Rowan, then at me. His expression is stone. “We recuse ourselves from her primary care. All three of us.”
I blink. “That’s it? We just…walk away?”
“That’s protocol,” Sean says, voice low but certain. “Conflict of interest. We all know her. We all have…history.”
History. That’s one way to put it. I let a half smile pull at my mouth. “You make it sound like we shared a semester in med school instead of?—”
Rowan’s look slices me off mid-sentence. “This isn’t funny, Declan.”
“I’m not joking.” I lift my hands, palms out. “I’m just saying we can be professional. I can, at least.”
Sean exhales slowly through his nose, the kind of controlled breath you take before you punch a wall. “Professional doesn’t mean impartial. She’s high-risk. The last thing she needs is us second-guessing each other every time her name comes up.”
A couple of nurses pass by, chatting quietly, and Rowan keeps his voice down, murmuring low, “I wouldn’t second-guess myself.”
Sean gives him a withering look. “We have rules for a reason. By the time you realize all the mistakes you’ve made because of emotion, it’s too late.”
I back up Rowan, saying, “I get it,mate, I do. But she was referred to us. That means we’re the best—end of.”
Neither of them argues right away, which says more than any agreement could.
Sean glances down the hall toward the imaging suite, then folds his arms. “We’ll talk to admin and get her reassigned. It isn’t safe.”
I tilt my head, studying him. “You’re talking like she’s a threat.”
“I’m talking like she’s in danger,” Sean says flatly.
That gets Rowan’s attention. He turns his head slightly toward me, and a flicker of agreement passes through us like a flame. He says sharply, “Those babies could belong to one of us. If they’re mine, I want them to have the best care possible. Do you really trust someeejitwith their care? Someone likeDr. Warner?” He spits out the name of a doctor we know, catching a stray bullet in the name of his righteousness. Just a man, no more no less. A perfectly grand doctor. But Rowan wants more than perfectly fine.
I cut in quickly, “I have an idea. How about we just ask her? We don’t even know whether or not this is a problem for us.”
I don’t wait for the answer, my mind already made, the electricity of anticipation already zapping under my skin. I pull the door open and wave Sean and Rowan in before me. “Nicole, could you get the discharge packet and prenatal program information for Miss Abel?
Nicole nods and offers Willow a prim smile and a light hand on her arm, saying, “Be back in a jiff,” before walking out of the room.
I keep my voice even. “Willow,” I say gently, tucking her chart under my arm.
“Doctors,” she returns with a wry smile, but then I see a moment where she braces herself, her eyes closing and her smile freezing. I hate that I’m the reason.
Sean steps forward one pace, no closer than the foot of the bed. He looks at me, then Rowan, then back to Willow. His face turnssolemn in a way most people never see. When he speaks, it’s the only question that matters. “Willow…who do they belong to?”
In the echoing silence, Willow doesn’t look away from him or the weight of his question. Her chin lifts higher and she admits, “I don’t know.”
“Are they one of ours?” Rowan insists, his dark eyes stormy.
