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I gently cleaned her up and then hugged her to me as my mind raced and came up with all kinds of crazy. I let her sleep for an hour and then woke her for dinner. She was all smiles and cute yawns, so she clearly had no idea what she’d said.

But I did. It weighed on me and I had so many questions which sucked since I promised not to push her and we weren’t in that kind of relationship.

And now I worried that we wouldn’t ever be.

I didn’t sleep well, and Ellie worried she’d hogged the bed or done something. Yes, she had but not how she thought. I simply smiled and told her that I had a lot on my mind, needed to sort out my head. It wasn’t a lie, and it gave her enough that it wasn’t a brush-off.

Luckily, she left it alone.

I saw Mum calling in between patients and quickly picked it up. Horror filled me when she told me why she’d called.

“Are you having a laugh?” I whispered. “Repeat that, Mum.”

“I know, I know, my youngest,” she sighed. “I wasn’t sure if I shouldn’t call Ms. Reed directly. I’m trying to get more information, but you have to warn her about that—thatwoman.”

I asked a few questions and hurried to hang up. I told my staff that I had to run across the hospital and to apologize to patients, but it was important.

They didn’t even have time to ask questions since I was already out the door. I raced towards the admin wing, annoyed how far it was in that moment and not slowing down like I should have.

I didn’t have to go that far to find Ellie though.

She was right in the main building’s lobby.

Unfortunately.

Because she was being attacked by Mandy and several people from the board… Right there in front of everyone.

And it was a huge crowd gathered. Clearly called for this staged attack.

“They’re all doctors, Ms. Reed,” Leroy Gordon said, gesturing to the department heads standing behind Ellie. “Doctorsshould run a hospital. Dr. Tate is definitely right about that. Your qualifications are lacking and you’re not fit to run this hospital. The board agrees after how things have spiraled out of control.”

“You’re right, doctors should run a hospital,” Dr. Carpenter said firmly as he stepped forward from the group of department heads. “You are completely right, and this mistake should be corrected. Today even.”

No.

No, he was the one person who was supposed to always have Ellie’s back and notstabher in it. I’d rushed over to see a trainwreck that was already colliding that I couldn’t stop.

And I didn’t know Ellie would survive. This hospital was everything to her and she would be lost without it.

I can’t fix this and I’m too late to help.

The End