I turn and walk out of the boardroom.
I leave the photos on the table. I leave the politics.
I get on the elevator. I press the button for the ICU.
The war is over. The bad guy is gone.
And I have a date with a patient who owes me a burger.
Chapter 19
Sutures
Jax
Pain is a familiar roommate.
I know the sharp stab of a broken bone. I know the dull, throbbing ache of a concussion. I know the burning sting of a laceration.
But waking up in the ICU of St. Jude’s Medical centre, the pain feels different. It feels... heavy. Like I’m wearing a vest made of lead.
I blink. The world is blurry.
The ceiling tiles are white. The monitor to my left is beeping a steady, rhythmicping.72 bpm.Textbook sinus rhythm.
I try to move my right arm. Bad idea. A sharp fire shoots through my ribs.
"F**k," I hiss through my teeth.
"Language."
The voice comes from my right. It is soft, raspy, and tired.
I turn myhead slowly.
Maxwell York is sitting in the visitor’s chair.
He looks like he’s been through a war. His suit jacket is gone. His white shirt is wrinkled, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His tie is undone, hanging loose around his neck. He hasn't shaved, and a shadow of dark stubble covers his jaw.
But the most shocking thing is that his hand—his million-dollar, surgeon’s hand—is gripping mine like a lifeline.
"Max?" I croak. My throat feels like I swallowed a handful of gravel.
Maxwell’s eyes snap open. They are bloodshot, rimmed with red. When he sees I’m awake, the relief that washes over his face is so raw it almost hurts to look at.
"Jax," he breathes. He stands up, leaning over the bed rail. He cups my face with his free hand. His palm is warm. "You’re with me. Do you know where you are?"
"ICU," I manage. "St. Jude’s."
Then, the memory hits me. The locker room. The look in his eyes when he called meclutter. The way he cut me open without a scalpel.
I pull my hand away from his. It takes all my strength, but I do it.
"Why are you here?" I whisper. The hurt in my chest is worse than the broken ribs. "You kicked me out, York. Remember? I’m a liability. I’m clutter."
Max flinches. He looks like I slapped him.
"Jax, please," he says, his voice breaking. "I didn't mean it."
