“Good morning, everyone,” Dr. Doherty greets. “Are we ready to hear the results?”
My stomach flips. My hand finds Colt’s, and I grip it tight, maybe too tight, but he doesn’t flinch.
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Doherty says, holding up a printed sheet. “I haven’t had a chance to look at the results yet, but I’ve got them right here.”
I want to jump up, snatch the damn thing from his hands, and read it myself.
“We’re ready,” Colt says calmly.
We’re all leaning forward now, like our collective weight might help will the answer into being.
My breath hitches.
He smiles as he reads, and for a moment, my heart soars… until that smile slowly fades. His lips press into a thin line. His brow furrows, and his hand rubs at his chin.
My lungs tighten.
Everyone in the room stills.
“I’d like to do a quick scan,” he says finally. “Just to confirm something.”
Anna stiffens beside me. “Is something wrong?” Colt asks the question I don’t have the strength to voice.
Dr. Doherty keeps his face calm. Too calm. “I just want to double-check something.”
Anna nods slowly and walks to the bed, glancing at me with uncertainty. My gut twists as she lies back. He lifts her top, squirts the familiar cool gel on her lower stomach, and starts moving the wand over her skin.
The tension in the room spikes.
I clench onto Colt’s hand so hard I feel my nails bite into his skin.
Dr. Doherty’s smile doesn’t return. His lips purse instead. He shifts the probe again, then again, and again.
Silence.
Too much silence.
He angles the monitor slightly away from us.
My heart pounds in my ears.
His face drops, and my stomach sinks with it.
He keeps scanning, his frown deepening, and something inside me starts to unravel—slow, sharp, and sickening.
What is he seeing?
Why isn’t he saying anything?
I look at Anna. Her eyes are wide, searching his face for answers.
But he says nothing.
Not yet.
And in that moment, the air in the room turns cold.
Chapter Twenty-Six
