LOGINAround seven, Miranda got home. Mrs. Young had already prepared a full dinner.Miranda had originally planned to stay at the hospital and have dinner with Mike, but he had insisted she come home and spend the evening with Mia. For that, Miranda was truly grateful.“Mommy!”Mia ran over and threw her arms around her. Miranda looked at Felix, who was sitting on the couch with Mia, and gave him a quiet look of thanks. Just then, Gigi came bounding over too, extra excited, and Miranda crouched down to pet her.Felix’s gaze lingered on Miranda.Under the lights, there was a softness in her face that hadn’t been there in a long time. It was the kind of glow women seemed to have when they were in love.Holding Gigi’s little snout in both hands, Miranda happily kissed her once. “Okay, let me go wash my hands.”Mrs. Young was just coming out with another dish when she saw that and paused for a second. She could tell Miranda seemed different tonight too. It was almost like seeing the Mi
“I didn’t mean that...” Miranda tried to explain.“My hair just turned white. That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with my health.” Felix’s tone was sharp with obvious offense. “You don’t have to be in the military to be in good shape. I’m perfectly fine too.”Miranda stood there holding the phone in stunned silence. Was he overreacting a little?“I’m just worried about you. You’re Mia’s father, and your health matters to her future.”“Okay.” His voice on the other end softened a little. “I’ll make time for a checkup.”After hanging up, Miranda frowned, then got up and went to the lab.At three that afternoon, Miranda still made time to visit Mike. When she arrived, Mrs. Lloyd was there too. She smiled at Miranda and said, “Miranda, you’re here. Mike said you’ve been very busy with work.”“Good afternoon, Mrs. Lloyd. I just finished up and came straight over,” Miranda replied with a smile.“Don’t call me Mrs. Lloyd. That sounds too formal. Since you’re with Mike, you shoul
Dr. Smith nodded and had all of his assistants leave the room.Miranda remembered him saying that morning that he had something important to discuss with her, and she had been waiting ever since to hear what it was.“You said this morning that you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it?” Miranda asked first.Felix looked at her, his expression serious and his tone firm. “If you and Mike are thinking about having a child, you have to do genetic screening.”Miranda froze for a moment, then asked in confusion, “Why?”“Listen to me. Don’t try to conceive naturally. And make sure you take proper precautions,” Felix said, turning his face away, though his voice left no room for argument. “It will be better for you and for your child.”Miranda frowned. “Are you still hiding something from me?”Felix lowered his eyes. “I’m saying this for your own good. I don’t want something like what happened to Mia to happen again.”If Miranda hadn’t been in medicine, she might not have th
“Sorry,” Felix said hoarsely. Then he stepped back and headed for the elevator.Miranda parted her lips, wanting to thank him properly. She wanted to tell him how grateful she was that he had shown up last night, that he had saved Mike and her too.That night, Miranda texted Mike to check on him after his dressing change. He told her not to worry and said he was doing fine.Later that evening, Miranda kissed Mia on the head and gently asked, “Mia, do you like Uncle Mike?”Mia lifted her little head from Miranda’s arms and answered without hesitation, “Yeah, I do.”But after Mia fell asleep, Miranda lay awake thinking about a lot of things before she finally drifted off.The next morning, when Miranda saw Felix at the door, his eyes were still bloodshot. It was obvious he had barely slept. She said to him, “I’ll take Mia. You should go home and get some rest.”“I’m fine. Zac’s driving,” Felix said as he reached for Mia’s hand. “Tell Mommy goodbye.”“Bye, Mommy.”Then he looke
At five that evening, Miranda went home and took a shower. Mike had been worried that if she stayed away from Mia for two days, Mia would start to worry, so he told her to head home first. His mother could stay with him at the hospital.Miranda had just finished blow-drying her hair when she heard Mia’s bright, cheerful voice downstairs.“Daddy, look! Mommy’s shoes. Mommy’s home!”Mrs. Young came over with a smile. “That’s right. Your mom is back. She’s upstairs taking a shower.”Felix had just stepped inside. He set Mia’s backpack down on the couch and rubbed a hand over her hair. “Daddy’s heading out.”“Okay, but you have to come pick me up for school on time tomorrow morning.”“I will.” Felix gave her little head another gentle pat. Just as he was about to turn and leave, footsteps sounded from the second-floor stairs.He looked up on instinct.Miranda was coming down, her hair still half dry and loose over her shoulders.Fresh from her shower, dressed in soft, understated
Miranda smiled, and in that moment, the mood in the hospital room turned light and sweet. Outside the window, the sunlight was warm and bright.A few seconds later, Kevin pushed the door open and walked in. Mike asked Miranda to wait outside first. After about twenty minutes, Kevin came back out. There was clear anger on his face, but the moment he saw Miranda, his expression softened again.“Miranda,” he said, “Mike told me everything that happened last night. I’m taking this very seriously. You went through a terrible ordeal. You’re one of the most important talents in the research field, and I can promise you this will not happen again.”Miranda said gratefully, “Thank you for your concern, Mayor Lloyd.”He smiled gently. “I’ll leave Mike in your care.”There was a meaningful hint of amusement in his eyes as he said it.Miranda’s face warmed a little as she watched him leave.When she went back into the hospital room, Mike said, “Don’t worry. Uncle Kevin is going to handle th
Miranda took a sip from her glass as the two of them drank and talked.“To be honest,” Sophie said, “I’ve met all kinds of men, but the first time I saw Felix in person at the hotel, he was easily one of the most magnetic I’ve ever encountered.” Then she clicked her tongue and muttered, “Too bad he
After the tenth floor, Miranda finally found some peace and quiet. She let out a quiet laugh. “So Fiona really went ahead and claimed my research like it was rightfully hers?” she thought.When the elevator chimed open, Miranda stepped out and headed to her office. Her assistant, Jay Young, greeted
“Did Miranda even know? And if this bone marrow sample was ultimately meant to save Xena, would Miranda be able to accept that?” James wondered.From the way Felix spoke earlier, it was clear he hadn’t considered her feelings at all.James now felt caught in the middle, uncertain whether he should
“It’s work,” Felix said as he stood up from the table.Miranda stared at him, doing her best to keep a straight face. “Work? He really had to take the call in private?” she thought. The only person he ever acted that way with was Xena. It had to be her.A wave of embarrassment hit her. After all







