Colleen looked from Hadley to Brady and finally gave in with a breathless laugh. “All right then. Thanks.”

The two of them jogged out of the room, their footsteps fading quickly down the hall.

They’d barely had time to settle in before duty called them out again.

Brady drove Colleen straight to the hospital, where the emergency center was already a flurry of movement and urgency.

“I’m off. Thanks again!” Colleen pushed open the door before the car had fully stopped and rushed inside.

“Colleen!” Brady called out, but she was already gone.

Without thinking, he parked the car and followed her in.

Inside, chaos reigned. Nurses and doctors rushed between patients, and in the middle of it all stood Colleen, already in action.

“White coat! Quickly!” she barked at the nurses’ station.

“Here, Dr. Hayes!”

Colleen grabbed the coat mid-run and tossed it on without breaking stride. Then she dropped to her knees beside an unconscious patient, arms positioned for chest compressions.

“Ambu bag, now!”

“Coming!”

She grabbed a penlight, checked the patient’s pupils. “Get a CT—rule out brain bleed!”

“On it!”

“Where’s the family? Someone get me a family member!”

New chapters uploaded at gα?ησνs?com

“I’ll call them over!”

The whole ER buzzed with tension and urgency.

Brady stood to one side, rooted to the spot, watching her work.

He remembered their first meeting at the airport—how her sharp eyes and self-assured composure had caught his attention instantly.

She wasn’t the flashiest woman he knew, not by society’s standards. But here, in the thick of it, doing what she was born to do, Colleen’s brilliance outshone everything.

To Brady, she was absolutely breathtaking.

Without a word, he stepped back, keeping out of the way—but never taking his eyes off her.

Dusk had settled over the city by the time Colleen emerged from the ER. She peeled off her blood-smeared gloves, pulled off her cap, and let out a long, weary breath. ? find?novel.net

The adrenaline had faded, leaving only exhaustion in its place.

As she stepped out of the sliding doors, a familiar voice greeted her.

“Colleen.” Brady raised a hand in greeting, a relaxed smile on his face. She looked up, startled.

“Brady? You’re still here? Don’t tell me you’ve been here waiting this whole time!”

.

.

.