Maybe it wasn’t her place, but the words tripped off her tongue. “I want to go with you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“So tell me aboutthis doctor. He’s a plastic surgeon?”
Erik glanced over to Chloe in the seat beside him in the waiting room. “He is. He’s one of the country’s best. He specializes in burn victims.” Doctor Pedro Fernandez had been aligned with the Resurrection project, but only on the periphery. To the surgeon’s knowledge, the soldiers he’d been helping had been wounded in combat and had volunteered for the bio-robotic prosthetics and upgrades that he’d then covered with skin. He’d had no idea what the government that had been paying him for his talents was truly up to. “He does a lot of pro-bono work for children.”
According to the information Erik had gathered on the man, Doctor Fernandez had been in a house fire when he was a child. As he and his family tried to escape, part of the roof had collapsed. While they’d all survived, his brother had sustained severe burns, leaving him disfigured. The doctors had done what they could, but Diego Fernandez’s scars were still significant. He lived with constant pain, suffered from depression, and was bullied by his peers, all of which eventually led to the boy committing suicide. Inresponse, Pedro Fernandez had dedicated his life to helping burn victims like his brother.
Chloe snagged his hand, holding onto it, and Erik suddenly realized he’d been rubbing his palm repeatedly up and down his thigh while his heel bounced. He stilled and tried to take a couple of deep breaths. He checked his watch. Still twenty minutes left. They’d gotten here early. He shifted in his seat, resettling his weight. It felt stifling in here, even though the waiting room was relatively large and no one else but the receptionist behind the desk was there. Abruptly, he stood. “I think I saw a vending machine just down the hall. Do you want something? A soda?”
“I’m fine.” Chloe gained her feet as well, and Erik looked toward the door as a bead of sweat trickled uncomfortably down his spine.
There was a light tug on his hand, and Chloe said, “Hey, look at me.”
He didn’t want her to see him like this, a hairsbreadth from full-blown panic, but neither could he deny her request.
“Focus on my face,” she softly told him. “That’s it. Just look at me.”
Her hazel-green eyes framed by thick lashes, the delicate bone structure of her face, and as he began to count her freckles, he felt his chest ease as his breathing slowed.
She gripped his hand a bit tighter. “If you don’t want to do this, say the word and we’re out of here.”
Erik swallowed hard and shot her a look of skepticism. “Don’t you want me to do this, though?”
Her face was bewildered. “Why would I?” She cupped his jaw with her free hand. “I love you, Erik Leroux. Scars and all.”
His chest tightened, and his sinuses prickled as emotion choked him. He shook his head, and he somehow managed to force the words out. “You don’t mean that.”
“Look into my eyes and tell me again that I don’t mean it. I. Love. You.”
Tears flooded his vision, and he shook his head again. His voice broke as he told her, “But I want you to be proud to be seen with me, not have to leave because of me. Last night…” She hadn’t even been able to sit with him and have a coffee because everyone had been staring, wondering what such a beautiful woman was doing with someone so hideous.
Chloe hugged him, and the tears overflowed. He couldn’t seem to stop them.
“Iamproud to be seen with you. We left last night because I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. So if you’re doing this for me, we’re leaving right now. If you’re going to do this, it needs to be because this is whatyouwant. I’ll love you either way, Erik.”
She meant it. She really meant it. Erik swiped at his face, embarrassed by the show of weakness, and let out a shuddering exhale as he leaned away from her slightly. Cupping her face, he stroked histhumb over the crest of her cheek. “I love you, Chloe. God, I love you so much there aren’t even words to describe it.”
She smiled, soft and sweet, and happiness shone in her eyes. “Let’s get out of here. Okay? Let’s go home.” Taking his hand, she went to lead him away, but Erik held back, and she turned to look at him with a question in her eyes.
“I’m ready now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want this. For me.”
Doctor Fernandez was fifty-three years old, his neatly styled, short, black hair still free of gray, and he had the lean, athletic build of someone who worked out regularly. There was deep intelligence behind his dark eyes, and an easy smile on his face.
Erik was glad to see the doctor was wearing a set of green scrubs instead of a white coat that would have reminded him of his childhood in the lab and the doctors who’d tortured him. Despite his desire to do this, there was no telling what the reminder would have done to his conviction. He should probably let the doctor know about that little trigger.
Fernandez greeted both Erik and Chloe and shook their hands before he led them into an office rather than an exam room. “Have a seat.”
The doctor didn’t take the chair behind the desk, but sat on the edge of it, close to them. Motioning to Erik’s face, he asked, “May I?”
When Erik nodded, the doctor leaned in, examining the scarring, and Erik raised his chin so the man could see better. With a nod, Fernandez settled back. “After speaking with Sam Isaac, I received your file from your commanding officer. I must say I’m intrigued.” His eyes skated to Chloe before he asked, “Can I speak freely?”
Right. Before he’d been sent the file, he’d had to sign non-disclosure agreements. He wouldn’t want to discuss potentially sensitive information in front of Chloe. “Yes. She’s aware of the circumstances.”
