Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

For someone like me reading medical feks was no je But somehow, tot aan Made the of the past month had shifted something in me, grounding me in ways i didn't wa

When Lona walked in, she stopped for a second Then he came night over and tapped me tags! Welcome back

She was the only person I'd told about Hayson's death and the only one who knew where to ban his ashes Leaning into her, I caught the faint smell of disinfecta

"I want a feast," I said.

"Say no more! I'll make it happen." Her voice had that slightly stuffy, emotional edge

She'd probably been waiting for me to crawl out of my dark hole.

And I was finally doing it.

Hayden was gone. But I was still here, and there was life waiting for me to live.

At the restaurant, I took a bite of my food and asked casually, "Have you seen Jace lately?"

"Seen him?" Lena snorted. "Try every day. He's been in the hospital this whole time-ever since, you know, the crocodile bite."

I frowned. It had been over a month-surely he should've recovered by now. "He's still being treated?" "Yeah, there's this one wound that won't heal. The tissue keeps breaking down, and they've had to scrape it out a few times," she said, making my appetite waver The image of Jace being bitten flashed through my mind. "It's that bad?"

a cautious look. "Want to go

got bitten because of me," I said,

of meat and dropped it onto my plate. "Eat more. You've lost

a day." I said honestly. I wasn't

be the

say women are mirrors. Looking at Lena's radiant complexion, I couldn't help but tease back. "You're glowing

busy, and I've got my own stuff. When he's free, I'm in surgery. When I'm

but the smile creeping onto

12

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matter

her voice turning

have to finish. We both knew work

going back What

word opus ma

like you can't afford it," Lens

the forure

me, and the fund then the hed Technically, I could retire now and live comfortably