Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Melissa
Kayla’s words have been on repeat in my head all day, telling me I’m only human and I deserve to be pleasured. She’s not subtle in her words.
But ever since Colton cornered me in the closet yesterday, my body has been like a live wire, ready to explode.
I’ve successfully avoided him all morning. He made it clear that he has no intention of acting on this attraction. If he did, it would be strictly physical.
But I know deep down what I feel for him is beyond physical. Could I ignore all that and just take a chance? No one said I needed to marry the first man I was intimate with since I’d lost Bryce.
In fact, maybe it’s good for me to have a little fling first. But none of that matters if Colton won’t let it happen.
I know he didn’t say those words in the closet to hurt me. That was the worst part. He said it like a warning. Like he was protecting us both from something inevitable.
And now here I am, standing outside Frank’s room, smoothing my scrubs like they can steady my pulse.
Frank, at least, is the same.
“Melissa,” he says brightly when I enter. “There you are. I was beginning to think you’d abandoned me for a more charming, younger patient.”
I smile despite myself. “You are absolutely my most charming patient.”
“Damn right,” he says. “And don’t let Fisher tell you otherwise.”
My stomach flips at the name, but I keep my expression neutral as I check his IV.
“He’s in meetings this morning,” I say.
Frank hums. “Shame. I was enjoying the show.”
I snort before I can stop myself. “There is no show.”
Frank’s eyes flick up to mine. He doesn’t say anything. He simply smiles like a man storing ammunition.
A knock sounds at the door.
“Come in,” Frank calls.
The man who steps inside is unfamiliar but immediately commanding in a different way than Colton. Where Colton is all restraint and intensity, this man is relaxed, confident, effortlessly at ease.
“Dr. Owens,” he says, offering a warm smile. “Cardiology.”
“Oh good,” Frank says. “Another one. Collect the whole set, why don’t I?”
Dr. Owens chuckles. “I’m just here to take a look at your heart. See if it’s behaving.”
“Unlikely,” Frank mutters.
Dr. Owens turns his attention to the chart, then to me. “Melissa, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good catch on his sodium levels,” he says.
The compliment is casual, professional, but my shoulders warm anyway.
“Someone has to keep him in line,” I say lightly.
Frank scoffs. “She’s underselling it. She’s the reason I haven’t died of hospital food poisoning.”
Dr. Owens smiles. “High praise.”
Before I can respond, the air shifts.
I don’t hear Colton enter, but I feel him. Like the room suddenly has a spine. He stops inside the doorway.
“Owens,” Colton says.
“Fisher,” Dr. Owens replies easily. “Wasn’t sure if you’d be joining us.”
Colton steps fully into the room. “I had a few minutes.”
Which is a lie. We both know it.
He positions himself at the foot of the bed, arms loosely crossed, posture deceptively relaxed. His gaze flicks to me briefly, but it’s unreadable. He then looks back to Dr. Owens.
“So,” Frank says brightly, “you here to tell me my heart’s still ticking?”
“For now,” Dr. Owens replies, opening the chart. “Your numbers are holding steady. Not improving but not declining either.”
“That sounds like doctor speak for don’t get your hopes up,” Frank mutters.
“It’s doctor speak for you’re stubborn,” Dr. Owens counters.
Frank grins. “Takes one to know one.”
Dr. Ownes glances at me again. “Melissa’s been with you most mornings?”
“Yes,” I say. “I usually catch him before he scares the residents.”
“Hey,” Frank protests. “I’m charming.”
Dr. Owens smiles. “She mentioned increased shortness of breath yesterday. You felt that?”
Frank shrugs. “Climbing to the bathroom felt like a marathon.”
“I adjusted his meds last night,” Colton says, voice even. “Low-dose diuretic.”
Dr. Owens nods. “Good call.”
Colton doesn’t react, but something twitches along his jaw.
Dr. Owens continues, still addressing me, “And you noticed the edema before it worsened?”
“Yes,” I say. “It was subtle, but it didn’t feel right.”
“That kind of instinct matters,” he says.
Colton shifts his weight at the compliment. Frank appears to notice.
“Oh, this is interesting,” he says mildly.
“Frank,” Colton warns.
“What?” Frank says. “I like a room with good energy.”
Dr. Owens glances between them, then back to me. “If you’re available later, I’d love to get your perspective on how he’s tolerating activity. You see patterns we don’t.”
“I can—”
“I’ll coordinate,” Colton says, cutting in.
The words land clean. Controlled. Final.
Dr. Owens pauses for half a second, studying Colton with new interest.
“Of course,” he says smoothly. “Team effort.”
Frank’s eyes flick to me, then to Colton, and then he grins.
“Well,” he says, “looks like I’m in very capable hands.”
Colton doesn’t smile.
Dr. Owens closes the chart. “I’ll check back this afternoon.”
He looks at me once more. He doesn’t linger. It’s not inappropriate, but he’s… present.
“Good seeing you again, Melissa.”
“You too,” I reply.
Colton doesn’t move. He stands in his place until the door closes. The silence that follows is thick enough to press against my ribs.
Frank exhales. “Wow.”
Colton turns to him sharply. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I just watched a territorial dispute,” Frank replies.
Heat floods my face. “Frank.”
“What?” he says. “You think I didn’t notice he’d stayed when he didn’t need to?”
Colton’s jaw tightens. “This isn’t a joke.”
Frank’s smile softens. “No, it’s not.”
Colton holds his gaze for a long moment, then turns and leaves without another word. The door shuts behind him. My pulse is still racing.
Frank watches the door, then looks at me.
Heat rushes to my face. “Frank.”
“What?” he says innocently. “I’ve been stuck in this bed long enough to notice things.”
Frank thinks for a moment before turning to me. “He’s a disaster.”
I laugh weakly. “You shouldn’t provoke him.”
“I didn’t,” Frank says. “You two did that all on your own.”
I shake my head, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t know what he wants.”
Frank’s expression softens. “Neither does he.”
That shouldn’t comfort me, but somehow, it does.