Page 77 of Fourteen of a Kind

“He said it’s too hard to be here without his parents, but I know there’s more to it. He has PTSD, and he won’t discuss it. He yelled at me and kicked me out of his apartment.”

“Have you seen him today?”

“Yeah. He apologized, and Dr. Ashley put him in one of my surgeries. He came to my office, and I told him he shouldn’t come to the wedding. That’s when he told me it was for the best we didn’t see each other anymore and about returning to New York.”

“I believe there’s more to it,” she said.

“Sofia, you have a call,” Ari said.

“Go on, Mom. I’m going to head home anyway.”

“Okay.” She placed her hand on my cheek. “We’ll talk later.”

CHAPTER 24

Graham

I was summoned to Dr. Kind’s office. Shit. When I walked in, I saw Nathan sitting in the chair across from Christian’s desk. This was a fucking ambush, and I wouldn’t stand for it.

“Have a seat, Dr. Malone,” Christian said.

“Graham.” Nathan nodded.

“Hey, Nathan. What’s this about?” I looked at Christian.

“I saw you and Ella on the rooftop earlier. Things didn’t look good between the two of you.”

“We’re not seeing each other anymore.”

“Why not?” Nathan asked.

“Things just didn’t work out.”

“I can always spot a bullshitter, Graham,” Christian said. “Consider this an intervention. Ella told me about the Prasozin.”

“Of course she did.” I sighed.

“Here’s the thing,” Nathan said. “When you date a Kind, you date all of us.”

“Does what happened between Ella and me affect my job here, Christian?”

“If you’re asking if I’d remove you from the program, no. You’re a damn good doctor and skilled surgeon. You want to help kids, and to me, that’s being a hero. You’re a good guy, Graham. But I know there are demons inside you’re battling.”

“I know firsthand about those demons,” Nathan said. “We all do.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shifted in my seat.

“Yeah, you do,” Christian said. “You lied to Ella about never living in California. What happened here to make you do that?”

“My parents died here. I was in a bad accident here. I explained all this to Ella last night. Being back here stirred up things—things I tried so hard over the years to forget.”

“Have you been in therapy over the years to help you deal with your parent’s death?” Nathan asked.

“I was for a while.” I looked down.

“Charlotte can help you,” Christian said. “We’ve all been to her office and talked about things we never wanted to discuss. She’s an excellent doctor.”

“I’m fine.”

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