Chapter 201

“Connor…” I spoke as he started the car. “There’s more.” His face, a frozen mask of indifference, didn’t change, but his hands, which were already gripping the steering wheel tightly, clenched hard enough that his knuckles were white. Taking a deep breath, I continued. “Tex was also at the facility, or at least, I think he was. I didn’t see him and he didn’t sound like him exactly, but he had been speaking with Nurse Samuels and I…”Lifting a hand off the steering wheel, he held it between us, a clear barrier that stopped my words and made my chest tighten. “Shh,” he ordered. “Not here. Not now,” he inhaled sharply, exhaling slowly and steadily before adding. “I need time to process before I respond or I’ll say something I’ll regret.” The rest of the ride was so quiet I could hear my blood rushing through my ears. I hate feeling on edge like this, like a scolded child. But this time, I deserved it. I deserved all of his anger. And unlike Misha who would explode and demean me, Con

Chapter 202

“I’d rather you didn’t examine her at all,” I answered honestly, not bothering to hide distrust. “If I cannot check her over, Dr. Clark will perform the assessment.”Dr. Stern’s eyebrow raised, his expression smug. “You, Dr. McKenna, are in no position to make requests considering your…circumstances which is why I’ll be performing the initial examination.” Smirking he added, “as it is, bringing you in was a courtesy. One that I intend to supervise fully, for the sake of your review.”A courtesy? The nerve. He was trying to make me think I didn't have a choice in the matter, that I'd cower under the threat of his witch hunt. I'm done with people trying to use my mother against me. I didn't do anything wrong, and I refuse to behave like I did.“I’m here not just because I’m her only family, but because I’m the only specialist regarding her treatment,” I retorted, barring my teeth in a wide, forced smile. “I haven’t been charged with anything, Dr. Stern, nor have I been removed as her p

Chapter 203

"We haven't gotten the panel back yet," Nurse Green admitted sheepishly. "But it should be back any minute. We've been a bit short staffed." "Is Dr. Fletcher the only one working nightshift in the lab?" Dr. Stern inquired, a brightness in his voice. "Maybe he needs assistance. I can head over there after this exam." Connor raised an eyebrow, as he looked down at his watch, scrolling rapidly along its smart surface. "Dr. Morris and Dr. Lee are also scheduled." It was a statement, not a question. The nurse shrugged. "Dr. Fletcher said something about them both falling sick after their dinner break. Something about bad chicken in the breakroom..." It was a perfectly logical explanation, and yet something about it didn't sit right. What are the odds that both of the support doctors at our onsite analysis labs happened to be sick on the same night from the same meal in the 5-star gourmet kitchen provided by HMG? Every ingredient is top notch and the options of food vast. Maybe I was

Chapter 204

Taking a step away from the bed to allow the nurses to do their jobs, I watched in horror as my mother’s condition deteriorated before my eyes. The way her body shook, her eyes rolling back in her head as her mouth mumbled something unintelligible was worse than any of my nightmares.This is not how coma patients are supposed to recover. Something was wrong. Terrifyingly so. Her body’s reaction reminded me of the drug overdose patients I helped during my residency in the ER. Those people often had the same dead-fish eyes, the same frothing mouth and shaking body. Could this be the stimulant working its way through her system, or was it something else? Now, more than ever, I needed to see her bloodwork. My intuition was screaming that the answers could be found in the blood flowing just beneath her skin. I held my mother’s legs as two nurses held my mother’s arms and a third placed a sedative into her IV. Without knowing what triggered this, the best thing that could be done was to

Chapter 205

Her head had flopped weakly to one side, her clear gaze, as bright as a cloudless summer sky, struggled to focus as she swam through the fog of medication keeping her calm. "Ari?" she rasped so quietly, I almost didn't hear as I approached her bed with timid footsteps. “Yes, Mom, it’s me.” I confirmed, a hopeful smile on my face even as my heart fluttered nervously in my chest. We were arguing loudly when she fell into her coma. And yet, when she looked at me, I didn’t see hate or resentment. Could being in a coma change her heart?Blinking, her eyes moved from one edge of the room to the other, taking in her environment. The last place she likely remembers is the lobby of the 5-star resort where my father’s funeral reception had been held.Unbeknownst to my mother, my father’s funeral and reception had been paid for by Misha, a way for my new husband to show good will–a gesture meant to allow my family to save face. Nobody in New York society had been fooled--except for my mother

Chapter 206

“Gerald,” I looked around, my nervous heart thumping as I continued to look around. “Where are you?”“I’m at Haven Labs," he explained in perfect clarity, as if he were standing next to me and not across campus. He was speaking through ASP, I realized, through the earrings. Even though Connor had spoken to me earlier in the same way, I still wasn’t used to this sophisticated technology. “How quickly can you get here?” Looking around to make sure nobody was watching, I responded. “I’ll be there in 10.” The last thing I needed was for anyone to think I was crazy, talking to myself. Although after my encounter with my mother, nobody would blame me for a small mental breakdown. Not wanting to face my mother’s disappointment again, I continued on my way, taking the long way around so I wouldn’t have to pass her room again. Checking out of the building, I inhaled the crisp early morning air and sighed as I tried to let go of the memory of my mother’s twisted expression and the harsh edge