Elion was in the waiting room, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers loosely intertwined as he stared at the tiled floor. His mind wandered back to the woman he'd just brought in—Raelynn, though he still didn't know her name.
Across from him, Kade leaned back in his chair, watching Elion with a knowing smirk. "You know," Kade began, "you could have just left her there, like you said you would. But here we are, sitting in a hospital."
Elion glanced at him, his brow furrowed. "I didn't want people to think I was some heartless bastard, leaving a woman to faint on the sidewalk," he said quickly. "That's all. If people saw me walk away, it would've raised too many questions."
Kade chuckled, his arms crossed behind his head. "Uh-huh. Sure. Just worried about your reputation, huh?" He raised an eyebrow, teasing his best friend. "Come on, admit it—you actually care."
Elion shot him a sharp look. "Kade, I don't care," he replied seriously. "I'm just being realistic. Letting her pass out in front of my building would've been a nuisance. People talk."
Kade grinned, leaning forward slightly, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "Yeah, yeah. 'Realistic.' I've known you too long to believe that excuse. You took her to the hospital because somewhere, deep down, you've got a heart."
Elion didn't bother responding, turning his gaze back to the plain white floor. He wasn't in the mood to argue over something so petty. He had brought her here, fine, but it wasn't out of concern. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.
Before the conversation could go further, a nurse approached them. She stopped a few feet in front of Elion and Kade, giving them a polite smile. "The patient is awake now. You can see her if you'd like."
Elion and Kade exchanged glances. Kade raised his eyebrows and gave a slight nod toward the hallway, motioning for Elion to go first. "Ladies first," he teased with a smirk, making Elion roll his eyes.
With a sigh, Elion stood up, straightening his suit jacket as if preparing for a business meeting rather than a hospital visit. He didn't understand why he needed to see this woman at all. He had done his part. Still, something pushed him to follow the nurse down the corridor. Kade, still amused, trailed behind him, hands shoved casually in his pockets.
When they reached Raelynn's room, Elion hesitated for a second before pushing the door open. It was quieter inside. Raelynn was sitting up, her back against the pillows, looking weak but conscious. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were open and alert, though they had a tired look to them.
As Elion stepped inside, her gaze shifted toward him, her lips curling into a faint, cautious smile. "Thanks," she said quietly, "for bringing me here."
Elion opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say a word, Raelynn cut him off. "Oh, wait," she added sarcastically, "I shouldn't really be thanking you, should I? Since you're the reason I fainted in the first place. So I guess it's more like your responsibility to drag me to a hospital."
Elion raised an eyebrow, his expression going serious. "My responsibility?" he repeated. "I never asked you to stand out there all day. That was your choice."
Raelynn struggled to sit up a bit more, wincing as she adjusted the pillows behind her. "Yeah, because you refused to talk to me," she shot back. "What was I supposed to do? Just walk away?"
"I didn't ask you to wait for me," Elion replied, sounding bored and clearly not impressed with her attitude. "You brought this on yourself."
Raelynn opened her mouth to argue, her eyes flashing with annoyance, but Kade stepped forward, raising his hands between them. "Okay, okay, let's cool it," he said with a laugh. "No fighting in a hospital. Seriously, this is not the place for it."
Raelynn exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes slightly but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. It's not good—especially for the baby," she added, placing a hand gently over her stomach.
Elion's eyes narrowed his eyes a bit, then let out a soft laugh. "You're really trying hard, aren't you?"
"I'm not," Raelynn replied, her eyes flashing with irritation, but before she could finish her thought, the door to the room swung open, and a doctor entered, a clipboard in hand. He smiled warmly at the group. "Hello, everyone."
Elion and Kade shifted slightly, making room for the doctor, who walked over to Raelynn's bedside and glanced at her chart. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Raelynn replied, her voice softer now. "Just tired."
The doctor nodded, wearing a calm and pleasant smile. "Well, that makes sense. You fainted because you were exhausted and stressed. It's important that you take care of yourself—especially now that you're pregnant. Stress isn't good for the baby."
Raelynn nodded slightly, as if this were nothing new. "This has happened once before," she admitted. "It's not the first time."
"Well," the doctor said, adjusting his glasses, "let's make sure it doesn't happen again. You need to manage your stress levels, rest when you can, and try not to push yourself too hard."
Elion, who had been standing silently by the window, his arms crossed, suddenly froze. His eyes darted from the doctor to Raelynn, his mind trying to catch up with what he had just heard.
"What… baby?" he asked, trying to sound calm but clearly confused. He stared at Raelynn, who sat calmly in bed, her hand still resting on her stomach.
The doctor looked at Elion, surprised by the question. "Your baby, sir," he said, still smiling pleasantly.
Elion blinked, looking totally shocked as he pointed at Raelynn. "This woman... is pregnant?"
The doctor gave a nod. "Yes. She's about two weeks along. Everything seems fine, but like I said, she needs to take care of herself to avoid more stress-related incidents."
Elion turned to look at Raelynn, who was grinning at him like she'd just won the lottery. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she relaxed against her pillows.
"Well," she said sweetly, sounding all innocent, "looks like I wasn't lying after all."