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She’d slipped out. Virat strongly suspected he knew exactly where she was. And he headed for that wing of the hospital.
He found her with her friends. Nikkie Jean was sound asleep in 403. Annie sat nearby, her phone in her hand. Izzie was slouched in another chair, reading a textbook.
Fin was curled up by Nikkie Jean’s feet like a little cat.
Sound asleep. It looked like she’d just sat there and gone out like a light.
Lacy stood checking the chart and speaking with Jillian, who was covering second shift for someone. They’d effectively surrounded Nikkie Jean. As he would have expected them to. “How is she?”
“Nikkie Jean’s going to be fine,” Lacy said firmly. “We’re keeping her for a few days, until all the tests are back. But her prognosis is good.”
She shot him a significant look. One that said she wanted to talk.
He pulled Lacy out into the hall. “What’s going on?”
She went on to tell him the exact diagnoses—and which tests she had ordered. Including additional blood work he never would have suspected.
“Just some additional blood work. I’m not expecting to find anything, but Nikkie Jean says the possibility exists. She was a bit frantic, and I ordered the tests to calm her. And with her past history, it can’t hurt.”
She wasn’t his patient, so Lacy wouldn’t be able to tell him much at this point. “Keep us in the loop. We...care...about her. A great deal.”
“I know. She’ll be fine, Virat. But I think you have a problem you need to fix.” He looked at her with confusion. She pointed to the woman sleeping at the end of the bed. “Take Fin home. Put her to bed. Help her fight the nightmares from the past, because I think they’re coming soon.”
He hesitated. Lacy shot him a pointed look.
“Vir, you really think it would stay a secret after the Snotty Garlic got ahold of the two of you?”
Well, Lacy had him there. And he had been the one to spread the Snotty Garlic tabloid around the hospital when Lacy had ended up in it front and center.
He was surprised Lacy hadn’t said something sooner.
Annie was shaking Fin awake. She sat up and stretched. And looked for him. He knew by the look on her face when she saw him—she had been looking for him.
Virat stepped into the room and reached for her.
She walked right into his arms again. No hesitation. Not even a single moment.
With everyone watching.