Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Chapter 296

Why would Conrad call me this late at night?

I was still questioning the odd timing when Brandon said, "Oh, he sent you a text, too."

I blinked as he handed me the phone. I was still drained and admittedly out of it. Noticing this, he pointed out helpfully, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

I was in the middle of deciding when the phone went silent after the call was automatically declined. I took the phone and scrolled through the messages, the ones I had left unread since morning. "Maddie, can we meet?"

"There's something I need to tell you, but I don't know I should."

"Text me back when you get this."

Conrad followed up with two texts in the afternoon.

"I'm still waiting for your text, Maddie."

"Are you busy, Maddie?"

I could feel his anxiousness through these messages and that he had been waiting for me to reply. If there was something he needed to tell me and he wasn't sure if he should, chances were he didn't know wha In the years since I had known Conrad, he had protected and watched over me like an older brother. He wouldn't tell me anything if he thought he could handle it himself. I wondered what had happened for him

up almost instantly. "Maddie, where are you?" "Conrad, what's wrong?" I cut to

a beat or two. I was about to repeat

must have heard how weak I sounded over the phone, but I was more anxious to

we meet?" he

now. Just as I was about to ask him to tell me over

business could be so important that you simply must get on the phone the moment you wake up? Are you

phone, hoping to muffle her words before Conrad caught them. However, it was too late. He asked frantically, "Are you sick? Are you in

I said, "I had a dizzy spell. It's no

ask him what he wanted to tell me, he said, "Get some

to set my phone

Carline, last I checked, you were a gynecologist," I

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it," she snapped at

and let her listen to my heartbeat for a long moment. She then straightened up and kept the stethoscope. "Your heartbeat sounds normal. You should

and retorted, "Also, just because I'm a gynecologist, it doesn't

from worrying. This was typical of Lisa, who was

hers and asked softly, "Are you working