Becky shook her head. “Sloan, I?—”
“Look at me,” he said again, a little more forceful this time.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his.
“None of this is on you,” Sloan said, his voice steady, leaving no room for argument. “You trusted a doctor. That’s what you were supposed to do.”
Her lip trembled, but she didn’t look away.
“And you’re not seeing anyone you don’t trust,” he went on, his hand sliding up to cup her face. “Not now. Not ever. You hear me?”
Becky nodded, her breath catching.
“We’ll figure this out,” Sloan said, feeling like he was repeating himself, but he didn’t know what else to fucking say. His thumb brushed the softness of her cheek. “Slade will run whatever tests he needs to. We’ll dig into your records, your past—everything. But nobody touches you unless you say so.”
She didn’t respond, but the tension in her features eased as she looked up at him.
“I’ve got you,” Sloan said, pulling her into him. “You’re not doing this alone.”
He felt the relief roll off her in waves, and it told him just how much this had been weighing on her. Cursing himself for not pushing harder when he knew something was wrong, Sloan forced the anger down. She didn’t need his shit on top of what she was going through.
“Sloan.” Her voice cut through his thoughts. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”
Sloan said nothing, just pulled her closer. How could he not? He should have protected her better. He should have known it was only a matter of time before someone came at him through the one person in his world that mattered most.
If something happened to her… he wouldn’t survive it, and neither would the motherfucker who dare harm her.
CHAPTER 5
Becky took a deep breath and pulled away from Sloan. The relief of not carrying this alone hit her hard, followed just as quickly by guilt for not telling him sooner. Now he was blaming himself. She could read him like a book, and dammit, this wasn’t on him.
Giving him a small smile, she turned and sat back down, facing Slade, waiting for the questions. He continued typing, eyes on the monitor, making a few notes before finally looking up at her.
“Am I just being paranoid?” Becky asked again deep inside hoping that maybe she was, and everything was okay. She searched his eyes as he studied her from across the desk. His gaze flickered briefly to Sloan, then back to her.
“No, you’re not,” Slade repeated his answer. “This could just be an administrative mistake, but always trust your gut, Becky.”
Nodding, Becky sighed. “So, what’s next?”
“I want to run some blood work and set up a transvaginal ultrasound. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m fine with the blood work, but are you doing the ultrasound?” Becky asked. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Slade, he was the only one she trusted medically right now, but the idea of him doing that? It was uncomfortable enough without it being someone she saw every day.
Slade shook his head. “No, Becky. You need an ultrasound technician and an OB.”
She felt Sloan step closer, his hand settling on her shoulder. “Only someone you choose. Someone you trust.” Sloan informed her, then looked at Slade. “Do you have someone who can do this?”
“Absolutely,” Slade replied, his voice even and understanding. “Already have someone in mind and I will be in the room so I can interpret what’s on the screen.”
Becky nodded slowly. “Okay… but I don’t want it done at Tri-State Outpatient Surgery Center,” she added quickly. “I don’t want to run into Dr. Phillips.”
“Did he do something to you that you’re not telling us?” Sloan growled, his hand tightening slightly on her shoulder.
Her gaze shifted to Slade, and she knew he understood where she was coming from. “Sloan, I honestly don’t know. I just don’t want any chance of seeing him.”
“I’m not familiar with that surgery center,” Slade said. “I know a few doctors who’ve used them for outpatient procedures. From what I’ve heard, they have a good reputation.”
She knew he was trying to put her at ease, but it wasn’t working. Until she knew what was going on, she trusted no one… except the two men in this room.
