Page 88 of Fall of a Kingdom

Barrett shook her head and looked at me. “I went to the doctor today and she’s running some tests.”

“You have to tell Flynn.”

“Tell him what?” I asked.

“Tell him everything you told me. He has to know.”

She looked out the window again and leaned her forehead against the glass. “I won’t tell him. Not until I know how bad it is.”

“Why?” I demanded. “You should call him. He’s the one who should be here with you, not me.”

“I’ve put him through so much, Sasha. I have to protect him.”

“You don’t have to protect Flynn. Let him be here for you.”

“You’re here for me. Right now, that’s what I need.”

* * *

“She’s beautiful.”

I absently patted Piper’s back, the woman’s words flowing in one ear and out the other. “Sorry,” I said after a moment, looking at the elderly lady who sat in the hospital waiting room a few chairs down. “Did you say something?”

The woman’s dimples appeared when she smiled. “Your daughter. She’s beautiful.”

“Oh,” I began. “She’s not—I mean, thank you.”

She picked up her knitting needles. “You’re not from here, are you?”

Barrett had been admitted to the hospital and was in the process of having an MRI. I was in no mood to be polite, let alone engage in idle conversation, but cutting down an elderly woman wouldn’t help my mood.

“No, I’m not from here,” I said.

“I was born and raised not five miles from here. So was my husband. He’s having surgery for his gallstones.”

“I wish him a quick recovery.”

My phone pinged. I reached into my jacket pocket and extracted it. It was a text from Quinn, asking me if I had plans to be home for dinner.

I didn’t know what to say. I’d told her I had to run out for a bit, but that had been hours ago, and I hadn’t mentioned I was going to see Barrett.

But I had to protect Barrett and her secret.

So, I lied to my fiancée.

“Mr. Campbell?” a nurse called from the doorway.

“Dear, is that you?” the elderly woman prodded after I failed to respond.

It took me a moment to realize they were both speaking to me, and they thought I was Barrett’s husband. What else were they to think? I had a baby in my arms, and I’d been the one to check Barrett in.

What a mindfuck.

I looked up from my phone to see a blonde nurse in light blue scrubs standing in the doorway of the waiting room.

“Your wife is back in her room. You can see her now.” Her smile was genuine and full of warmth.

“Thank you,” I said, not bothering to correct her about who Barrett was to me.