Within These Walls (The Walls Duet #1)(51)

“Lailah,” I coaxed, gently cupping her face as I tried to reach her.

I could see her retreating, fleeing into herself, where she felt safe, like a turtle framing itself into its shell.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Whatever happens, we are all here, no matter what.”

She looked up finally, her eyes connecting with mine, as my words soaked in.

“No matter what,” I repeated.

She nodded, and I pulled her into my arms, hating Dr. Marcus for his insensitive behavior. He, above anyone, should have known how a remark like that would affect her.

“Let’s get you warm,” I suggested, shutting off the water, and grabbing a towel off the rack. I wrapped it around her like a burrito. I stepped out of the shower, not caring about my own soaked clothes, and I began gently drying off her face and arms.

She suddenly looked down at me, and her eyes widened. “What are you going to wear?”

I gave a small half smile as I squeezed water out of her long blonde hair. “I have an extra pair of scrubs and a few change of clothes in my staff locker. I’ve been keeping clothes here ever since you got sick, and I started crashing and showering here.”

“You…showered here?” she asked, looking quickly to the shower, like she was suddenly picturing me in there.

“Yep, right there. Bet you wish you hadn’t been sleeping, huh? I changed with the door open, too,” I said with a grin.

Her mouth gaped, and I laughed, glad to see I’d managed to get her mind off the impending news of her transplant.

“I’m going to go to my locker and change. I’ll be right back. Five minutes tops,” I added. I grabbed a towel and tried to get rid of some of the excess water dripping off my wet clothes, and then I threw on my shoes.

That will have to do.

I brushed a quick kiss across her forehead, and then I was gone.

Now, I had to find Dr. Marcus.

It didn’t take long to find him.

As my shoes squeaked down the hall, I found him at the nurses’ counter. He was watching me with the same look of contempt I had for him.

“I think we need to talk, Marcus,” I said through gritted teeth.

“I think we do,” he answered back.

“Good, let’s go for a walk.”

I didn’t even pause to wait for an answer. As I reached the elevator and pressed the button with water dripping down the sides of my face, I heard him step beside me. My hands fisted at my sides, but I remained silent. There was no need to make a scene in front of coworkers. The elevator beeped, and we entered one at a time, waiting for the door to shut.

“You stepped way over the line,” I said.

“You’ve gone too far, Jude,” he said simultaneously.

“I’ve gone too far?” I sputtered. “You nearly wrecked her in there, Marcus. Where do you get off walking in there, talking to her like she’s just another patient? Do you know what that did to her? Just the mere mention of insurance scares the shit out of her. She freaked out that they aren’t going to approve the transplant.”

His gaze went cloudy and faraway. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I walked in there and saw…and I thought…and I just—”

“You were thinking like a father, not a doctor,” I said.

His eyes jerked up toward mine.

“Look, Marcus, I don’t know what history there is between you and Lailah’s mom, but I’m not dumb enough to think that it’s all medical. There’s more going on here, and it’s deeper than this hospital. You feel something for those two, and I’m not going to fault you for it.”

The elevator dinged, and we made our exit toward the entrance to the staff locker room. I found my locker, undid the lock, and pulled out an extra set of clothes. I couldn’t do anything about the shoes, but at least I wouldn’t have wet boxers anymore. I pivoted around to find Marcus turned away from me on a bench. His posture was hunched over, like he felt defeated.

“I’ve loved Molly Buchanan since I was in med school. She’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted.”

“Does she know this?” I asked, tugging off my shirt and replacing it with a clean, dry blue one.

“Yes, she knows. It wasn’t fair—how we made her choose. I was never going to win. Who would pick the safe, boring brother?”

My eyes widened as I finished dressing and then shut my locker. “You’re Lailah’s uncle?” I asked, putting all the pieces together.

His head bobbed in a nod. “Two brothers going after the same girl is so cliché. We were from the wrong side of the tracks, raised by foster parents. Brett and I had no one besides each other. I used our personal tragedies as a way to grow, become stronger. I excelled in school and applied for every scholarship I could get my hands on. My brother did the opposite. He had a reputation that was less than upstanding.

“We met Molly the same night at a bar. I was there with some of my college buddies, celebrating the end of a semester. Brett was probably dealing out by the back door. I met Molly first, and we had a moment and a dance, but he had a way with women, and he ended up winning her heart. Five weeks later, she was pregnant, and he was gone. Molly and I haven’t seen him since, and all the while, I’ve been trying to convince her that I’m not my brother.”

“And Lailah knows none of this?” I asked as we made our way back up to the cardiology wing.