Page 3 of The Exception

“Maybe so, but you’re talking about managing already stable patients resting in their cushy little beds, full medical staff on-site. This was an elderly woman, ten thousand feet above the ground having an acute episode, surrounded by people with no medical qualifications.”

“Yeah, like you.” She took a step forward and despite the fact that she had to tip her head to glare up at him, he was intimidated. “Have you even treated a patient yet? Or did you just cover that chapter in your latest study sesh.”

He crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. “I told you I was a combat medic. I’ve seen plenty.”

“You told the flight attendant you were a doctor, so forgive me for not believing a word that comes out of your mouth.”

He blew a breath toward the ceiling. She was a spitfire, this one. Better to forget checking out her legs in that sundress and get back to the part where he didn’t get brought up on ethics charges.

“I didn’t tell her that. She assumed.”

“And you didn’t correct her,Doctor Travis.”

Okay, she had him there, but it all happened so fast. “Look, you’re right. Maybe I was walking a line. But to be fair, I responded first and she was in distress. I’m qualified and I was trying to help.”

She mimicked his posture, crossing her own arms. They were so close now, their forearms brushed. He held his breath.

Finally she gave him a curt nod. “Well, congratulations, soldier. You get an A for effort.”

Then she hefted her bag over her shoulder and turned on her heel. For that, he definitely deserved the last look he stole of the back of her legs as she walked away.

Three

“What do you mean you and Marcus broke up?”

Sonya glanced around the bistro to see if Emma’s shriek had actually been as loud as it had seemed, but the people at the tables around them were still enjoying their boozy brunches like a damn banshee wasn’t seated in their midst.

She’d expected an emotional reaction to the news but she wasn’t sure if she’d ever heard Emma’s voice go quite that high.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s fine? You were engaged!”

Shrugging, Sonya said, “Yeah, well now we’re not.”

It was supposed to come off as indifferent, but maybe she shouldn’t have stabbed her fork into the last few strawberries on her plate like they owed her money.

Emma narrowed her eyes and her pale cheeks reddened.

“What did he do? I’ll get Adam to kick his ass. Josh and Dylan can help,” she promised.

“Ha. Try and find him.” That snarky reply flew out of her mouth before she even thought it. But it was true. Marcus was never around before this. There was a good chance that moment in Hawaii was the last time she’d ever see his face. It was either going to prove a useful tool in getting over him or it was about to give her a whole chapter to analyze in the How The Hell Did I Get Here book.

That was the kind of friend Emma had always been, though. She’d go to war for her without asking why until after the battle was over. They’d been each other’s Day One ever since their day one in the dorms at UVA. Cat and Dani lived across the hall, and the four of them had become inseparable. The foursome eventually grew to eight with the addition of the husbands and boyfriends Emma was currently volunteering for duty, but the core would always be her girls.

“I’m serious, Sonya.”

Sonya held up a hand. “Calm down, Corleone. He doesn’t need his ass kicked, and if he did, you know I’d handle it.”

It took a minute but Emma’s demeanor shifted as that anger slowly drained out of her and was replaced by sadness and confusion. She reached across the table and squeezed Sonya’s hand.

“What happened?”

“He decided that we weren’t in love enough, and both of us deserve better.”

There was a pause as Emma processed that explanation before a deep frown became etched in her delicate features. “Are you sure he doesn’t need his ass kicked?”

“Yes!” Sonya sputtered as her first genuine laugh since everything went down spilled out of her, almost making her choke on her drink.

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