Chapter 1
The hospital room was quiet, save for the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. Fluorescent light filtered through the partially open blinds, casting sterile shadows on the linoleum floor. Helen adjusted her position on the stiff mattress, trying to ignore the faint smell of antiseptic clinging to the air.
She was sixty, but she didn’t feel it. Not right now, anyway—not as she looked up at Dr. Carter. He was younger, though not by much—perhaps late forties, early fifties—but the distinction between their ages felt insignificant when his dark eyes locked onto hers.
“Your blood pressure is still elevated,” he said, glancing at her chart. “We need to take this seriously, Helen.”
She managed a smile, despite the discomfort in her chest. “You make it sound as if I don’t know that already.”
He exhaled softly, setting the clipboard aside before perching on the stool beside her bed. “If you struggle with hypertension, you need to know about this. There’s something I’ve been recommending to my patients lately—something new.”
Helen tilted her head. “New? Or something you’ve kept a secret?”
A ghost of a smirk played on his lips. “The truth is only held by a few. But I think you’d appreciate knowing it.”
She laughed, but the sound came out breathier than intended. She blamed it on the blood pressure, not the way her pulse inexplicably quickened when he spoke. “Alright, Doctor. Impress me.”
He leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees. “I wish I knew this sooner. After only five days, your blood pressure will return to normal. But it requires commitment.”
Helen swallowed. She should have been focused on his words, the potential cure he was hinting at—but all she could think about was how close he was, the warmth radiating from his body, the quiet intensity of his gaze.
“Five days, huh?” she murmured, a small smile forming at the corner of her lips. “That sounds like a miracle.”
“Not a miracle,” he corrected gently. “Just the right approach.”
She exhaled, glancing away briefly before meeting his gaze once more. “Then tell me, Dr. Carter. What’s the secret?”
A pause. His lips parted as if he were about to speak, but then he hesitated, his eyes scanning hers—searching for something.
She felt it then, the charge in the air between them, subtle but unmistakable. For the first time in a long time, she felt… alive.
And she wasn’t sure what was more dangerous—her high blood pressure, or the way her heart raced in his presence.
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