Page 32 of Meant to Be
As she approached, Mitch looked toward her, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t say anything, but she was certain if she could read minds, his was saying,I don’t want to deal with you.
“I have some information.”
Kevin jumped from his chair. “You saw who did this?”
Sydney shook her head. “No, but—”
“Kevin, you stay here. I’ll take Sy— Doctor Preston’s statement.”
“I want to hear it.”
“You need to wait to hear about Jen. I’ll tell you everything.”
An orderly came around the corner, distracting Kevin. Mitch took advantage by taking Sydney’s arm and leading her toward the floor’s waiting room.
Sydney ran what she needed to tell him through her mind, which made her feel shaky all over again. “I need to sit.”
Mitch steered her toward a chair. He continued to stand but gave her a moment while she gathered her thoughts.
She inhaled a shaky breath. “It was supposed to be me.”
“What?”
Sydney looked into Mitch’s face. His features were fierce and dark, so unlike those of the affable, sweet man she’d once loved. Was it just his cop face or was he always like that?
“Sydney?”
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “It should have been me, not Jenny.”
He put his hands on his hips. “Why would you say that?”
“She was wearing my raincoat and carrying my umbrella. She was going to my car, which is parked in the lot by the office building.”
“Jesus.” Mitch looked down the hall toward Kevin. After a moment, he turned his attention back to her. “Why would someone want to hurt you?”
“I don’t know.”
His gaze hardened. “Has anyone threatened you? Have you had a problem with a patient? Maybe someone in the clinic—”
She shook her head. “No. Not here.” Her breath caught in her chest, and she worried she was about hyperventilate. Thoughts and images scattered through her brain, unable to be wrangled into a coherent statement.
“What do you mean not here?”
Sydney pressed the heels of her palms into her eye sockets and let out a frustrated moan, as if it would help her pull herself together. Then she blew out a breath and looked back at Mitch. He frowned.
“Jesus, Syd. What the hell happened?” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to her as he sat next to her.
She hadn’t even realized she was crying. Wiping her tears, she steadied herself to tell the story. “About six months ago, I was attacked in New York.”
His breath hitched, and narrowed, concerned eyes swept over her face. Wanting to tell him everything in one fell swoop, she continued. “I was stabbed in the parking lot of the hospital I was working in.”
He stared at her, taking in her words, a mixture of anger and disbelief darkening his face.
“The person was never found, but it never occurred to me he’d follow me. The detective believed it was random.”
For a moment, he only stared at her, and the fear and concern in his handsome face made her think he might touch her to offer comfort. But then he turned away. When his gaze met hers again, he was back in cop mode. “Were you robbed?”
Sydney shook her head.
