Chapter 20 Calla
CHAPTER TWENTY
CALLA
The elevator doors opened on the sixth floor, and Cassian's hand found mine before I could step out.
"Wait."
I turned to look at him. His eyes were still red from crying and his face still carried the remnants of everything we'd just torn open and put back together. But underneath the exhaustion, there was hope trying to breathe.
"What is it?"
"I just need a second." He pulled me back against him, his arms wrapping around me, his chin resting on top of my head. "I need to remember that this is real. That you're here and we're doing this."
I pressed my face into his chest and let myself be held, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart against my cheek and the warmth of his body seeping into mine.
"It's real," I murmured.
"Promise me."
"I promise."
We stood there until the elevator doors tried to close and he had to stick his arm out to stop them. He laughed, and I found myself laughing too. We just sobbed in front of half the hospital and now we're hiding in an elevator, unable to let go of each other long enough to walk down a hallway.
"We should probably go," I said.
"Probably."
Neither of us moved.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Daniel's name on the screen.
"It's Daniel," I said. "He's been calling."
Cassian's arms loosened slightly. "The job offer."
"I never gave him an answer. He needed one by the end of the day, and then everything happened, and I just..." I stared at the screen, watching it ring. "I forgot."
"Answer it."
I looked up at him. "What do I say?"
"Whatever you want to say. Whatever's true." He cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing my cheekbones. "I'm not going anywhere. Whatever you decide, I'm here."
I answered the call.
"Daniel."
"Calla. I've been trying to reach you." His voice was warm but tinged with impatience. "I need an answer. The board is meeting tomorrow morning, and I need to present a final candidate."
I looked at Cassian. At the man who'd just dropped to his knees in front of a crowd and told me he loved me. At the man who'd forgiven me for the worst thing I'd ever done. At the man I'd spent five years running from because I was too afraid of what staying might cost me.
"I need more time," I said.
"Calla, we've already extended the deadline twice—"
"I know. And I'm sorry. But things have changed here. I need to figure it out before I can commit to anything."
Daniel went quiet. I could picture him in his office, pinching the bridge of his nose frustratedly.
"How long?" he finally asked.
"A week. Maybe less."
"I can give you until Monday. After that, I have to offer the position to someone else. The board won't wait any longer."
"That's fair. Thank you, Daniel. Really."
"I hope whatever you're figuring out is worth it."
I looked at Cassian again. At his green eyes that were still red-rimmed from tears. At his hand reaching for mine even as I held the phone to my ear.
"It is," I said. "It really is."
I hung up and slipped the phone back into my pocket.
"Monday," Cassian said. "That gives us five days to figure out if we're brave enough to do this."
Before I could respond, footsteps echoed down the hallway. We both turned to see Dr. Patel approaching, her expression impossible to read.
"Reed. Karras." She stopped in front of us, her eyes moving from our joined hands to our tear-stained faces. "The ethics board wants to meet. Now. Conference room three."
My stomach dropped. "Both of us?"
"Both of you." She paused. "Riven will be there as well."
We followed her down the hallway, my heart hammering against my ribs. This was it. The investigation. The complaint. Everything we'd been dreading for the past three days was finally coming to a head.
Cassian's hand tightened around mine. And I held on like he was the only solid thing in a building.
The conference room was already full when we arrived.
Dr. Cross and Mr. Webb sat at one end of the table, their folders spread out in front of them like evidence at a trial. Riven stood by the window, his arms crossed, his face giving away nothing. Mireya was beside him, her posture calm, and her dark eyes watchful.
We took seats across from the ethics representatives. I didn't let go of Cassian's hand.
"Drs. Reed and Karras," Dr. Cross began. "We've completed our review of the ethics complaint and the additional investigation into your prior marriage. Given the complexity of your personal history and the nature of the trauma protocol, we need to discuss next steps."
I felt Cassian tense beside me.
"Before you continue," I said, and I was surprised by how steady my voice sounded, "I want to make something clear.
Dr. Reed and I have maintained complete professionalism throughout our work on this case.
Our personal history has not compromised our medical judgment, our patient care, or the integrity of this project. "
"We're not questioning your medical competence—"
"Then what are you questioning?" I leaned forward, something fierce rising in my chest. "This feels like punishment for being honest. We could have hidden our history and pretended we were strangers. But we chose transparency because we believed this hospital valued integrity over bureaucracy."
"Dr. Karras—"
"I'm not finished." I cut off. "I understand that hospital policy needs to address potential conflicts of interest. But I also know that personal relationships don't automatically compromise professional judgment.
Half the attendings in this building are married to each other.
A third of the residents are dating. If romantic history disqualified people from working together, you'd have to fire half your staff. "
Mr. Webb opened his mouth to respond, but Riven stepped forward before he could speak.
"Actually," he said, and his voice cut through the room like a scalpel, "this meeting isn't about removing either of you from the team."
I blinked. "What?"
"The ethics complaint raised questions that required investigation.
We conducted that investigation thoroughly.
" Riven moved to stand at the head of the table, his presence commanding, reminding me why he ran this hospital in his thirties.
"And we found nothing. No evidence of compromised judgment.
No bias in your protocol decisions. No indication that your personal history has affected your work in any way. "
"Mr. Graves," Dr. Cross interjected, "hospital policy clearly states that prior romantic relationships between colleagues require—"
"Hospital policy is being revised." Riven's tone left no room for argument. "Effective immediately."
The room went silent.
Mireya stepped forward, her calm presence somehow grounding the tension that crackled through the air.
"Riven and I went through a similar review when our relationship became known," she said. "The scrutiny was invasive and demoralizing. We were questioned about whether we could remain objective or being together created conflicts that made us unfit for our positions."
"None of those concerns materialized," Riven continued. "Because personal relationships don't automatically compromise professional competence. They only become a problem when people allow them to become one."
He turned to face the ethics representatives directly.
"I'm implementing a new policy. Staff are permitted to have personal relationships, including romantic relationships with colleagues and supervisors with appropriate disclosure.
However…" His voice hardened. "Any staff member found to be compromising patient care, demonstrating bias in professional decisions, or allowing personal matters to interfere with their duties will face immediate termination.
No warnings. No appeals. One strike and you're gone. "
Dr. Cross and Mr. Webb exchanged glances but neither of them spoke.
"You're saying..." Cassian's voice was hesitant, like he was afraid to believe what he was hearing. "We can both stay?"
"I'm saying the ethics complaint has been dismissed.
The investigation is closed. You're both cleared to continue your work.
" Riven's expression softened, just slightly, as he looked at his friend.
"Obsidian is a private hospital. I have the authority to set policy that serves our patients and our staff.
And losing two of our best trauma surgeons over an unfounded complaint doesn't serve anyone. "
I felt tears building in my eyes again. Tears of relief and gratitude.
"Riven," I managed. "I don't know what to say."
"Don't say anything. Just keep doing excellent work.
" He glanced at Mireya, and something passed between them—a look between two people who knew each other far too well that a whole conversation took place in a single glance.
"I learned the hard way that letting fear dictate who gets to stay isn't leadership. It's cowardice."
The ethics representatives gathered their papers and stood, clearly dismissed. Dr. Cross paused at the door.
"I'm glad this worked out the way it did. Your team’s work really is exceptional."
Then she was gone, and it was just the four of us in the conference room.
Cassian crossed the room and pulled Riven into a hug. It was awkward and fierce and nothing like the controlled, measured Riven I'd come to expect.
"Thank you," Cassian said, his voice rough. "I don't have words. Just… thank you."
Riven patted his back, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the physical contact. "You're welcome. Just don't make me regret it."
"We won't."
I turned to Mireya. Her eyes were bright, though her expression remained calm.
"You talked to him," I said.
Mireya offered me a small smile. "I may have reminded him that institutional policy should protect people, not punish them for being honest about who they love. He needed to hear it from someone who understood."
I hugged her before I could talk myself out of it. Mireya stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into it.
"Thank you," I whispered. "For everything..."
"You are welcome"
Riven and Mireya left together, his hand finding the small of her back as they walked out. The door closed behind them, and then it was just Cassian and me, standing in the conference room where our futures had almost ended.
"We can stay," he said.
"We can stay."
"Both of us.."
"Together."
He pulled me close, his hands circling my waist. "I was ready to walk away and leave everything—all of it—just to choose you."
I smiled, tears pooling my eyes. "So was I."
"But now we don't have to choose between each other and everything else. We can have both."
I reached out, resting my hands on his shoulders as I tiptoed, kissing him without hesitation. Cassian sucked his breath, but pulled me in so that my chest was against his. His body was warm against mine, something I’d yearned for for so long I couldn’t even remember when it started.
But he was here, kissing me, telling me he was choosing me through every touch and move.
He was real. We were really doing this, through a promise made with lips and breath and the press of my body against him, melding perfectly.
When we finally pulled apart, I was smiling so wide that my cheeks ached. I hadn't done this in so long I'd forgotten what it felt like.
"What about Daniel's offer?" Cassian asked.
"I'll call him Monday and tell him I'm staying at Obsidian." I paused, studying his face. "Unless you want to take the position with me? We could go together. Start fresh somewhere new."
"No." He shook his head slowly. "I want to stay here. I do not want to keep reacting to offers and opportunities."
"Are you sure? I don't want you to give up something you want just to—"
"Calla." He cupped my face in his hands again, his thumbs tracing my cheekbones. "I'm not giving up anything. I'm choosing. Consciously and deliberately. This is where I want to be. With you. Doing the work that we both love."
"Alright. We’re in this together." I said.
"Okay!" He gave me a boyish grin, the same one I remembered from our first date, our wedding day, and the thousand moments I tried to forget and never quite managed. "I really like the sound of that."
We left the conference room hand in hand.