"There should be." His voice is hard, cold in a way I've rarely heard. "There should be consequences."
"There aren't. That's how it works. Rich white doctor with connections versus expendable nurse with trauma? He wins every time."
Jackson pulls me back against his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry that happened to you."
"I know."
But something's shifted in him. I can feel it in the way he's holding me—tighter, more protective—like he's trying to shield me from something I can't see.
For the rest of the day, I catch him staring into space, distracted and distant. His phone keeps buzzing, and he checks it with a frown, then tucks it away without explanation.
"Everything okay?" I ask, after he's checked his phone for the fifth time.
"Yeah. Just team stuff."
"What kind of team stuff?"
"Nothing important. Don't worry about it."
But I am worried because Jackson doesn't lie to me, not about the important things.
Three days later, he comes upstairs while I'm folding laundry in the living room. Emma's at a playdate with Ethan, and Chase is out running errands.
"I've got a team meeting," he says, grabbing his keys from the counter. "Won't be home until late."
I frown. "On a Sunday? That's weird."
"Coach called it. Playoff strategy session before the firstgame." He kisses my forehead and heads for the door. "I'll text when I'm heading back."
He leaves before I can ask questions.
But something feels wrong, the way he wouldn't quite meet my eyes, the tension in his shoulders, the rushed quality to his movements, like he needed to leave before I could see through him.
I wait thirty minutes, then text him.
Me
Is everything okay?
No response.
Me
Jackson?
Nothing.
An hour passes, then two. I try calling, and it goes straight to voicemail. My stomach starts to twist with anxiety, that familiar feeling of something being very wrong settling over me like a weight.
I call again. And again. It goes to voicemail every time.
Chase comes home around three, arms full of grocery bags. Four hours have passed since Jackson left. "Hey, can you help me with these?"
I grab a few, but my mind is elsewhere. "Did Jackson mention a team meeting to you?"
"What meeting?"
"He said Coach called a playoff strategy session and left about four hours ago."
