When the nurse calls my name, I gladly gather my ton of paperwork, which I’m not even halfway finished with, and turn to find that Lucian has already picked up my purse and seems determined to go back with me. I would rather see the doctor alone, but I don’t want to leave him out here with Botox Barbie. From the speed he’s rushing me through the doorway, he must feel the same way. He holds my clipboard while the nurse ushers me to the scales and takes my weight. He is smart enough to turn away until the nurse is finished. I don’t know many women who would gladly have a man know her weight, regardless of the number. Some things in life just need to remain a mystery.

When we reach the exam room, the nurse motions for me to step up onto the table and says the doctor will be in soon. Lucian sets my stuff on the countertop next to the sink before walking over to me. He raises a brow at the stirrups on either side of my legs. “This table has a lot of possibilities. I wonder if they sell to individuals.”

“You’re sick,” I giggle, feeling lighter than I have in days. Even meeting his perfect ex hasn’t shaken me…too much. Well, it does make me wonder why his taste in women has changed so dramatically. I’m nothing at all like the stick-thin, haughty woman I just met. Since he is so relaxed, I decide to put the question before him. “So…Laurie, huh?”

Instead of looking uncomfortable, he actually smirks. “Yeah, sorry to put you through that. We both got off pretty easy, though.”

I smile in return. “I think it was the whole ‘girlfriend’ thing that had her so tongue-tied. I couldn’t decide if she was going to faint or throw up.”

“I’d have paid good money to see the first one,” Lucian admits. “I’ve only seen her rattled a few times.”

I shake my head saying, “Let me guess, the last time before today was when you broke up with her?”

He cringes dramatically. “That was just ugly. When she figured out that she wasn’t going to be able to talk me out of it, she threw a fucking vase at my head.”

I begin laughing, unable to imagine the woman in the waiting room doing something so…normal, at least for a teenager. “No! Did she hit her target?”

“Hell no,” he says, looking offended. “I move a little faster than that, and she throws like a girl.”

We are both laughing over his comment when the door opens and someone I presume is the doctor steps in. She appears to be in her fifties, with shoulder-length brown hair, heavily tinged with gray. I like her immediately when she puts her hands on her hips and looks at Lucian with a resigned huff. “What are you doing in here with my patient, Lucian Quinn?”

He grins in return, looking a tad sheepish. “We’re together,” he says, taking my hand. “I’m Lia’s boyfriend.”

She takes his sleeve and starts ushering him toward the door. “I don’t care if you’re her God, you’ll have to go back to the waiting area. I have to adhere to all of these privacy policies they have floating around now.” I almost laugh when I see him holding onto the doorframe, clearly torn about leaving. Dr. Kay gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, saying, “I’ll take care of her, Luc.” He reluctantly walks out into the hallway and she shuts the door behind him. She turns back to me, shaking her head. “I swear that boy is just as stubborn today as he was when he was a child.”

I smile in answer, feeling myself relax. I’m secretly glad she made Lucian leave the room, although I hope Laurie has already gone. “So, you knew the boy before the man?” I ask, dying of curiosity. I wonder if she knew Lucian’s parents before they passed away.

She walks to the sink to wash her hands, looking back over her shoulder as she says, “Oh, yes, his mother and I were childhood friends. I still miss her,” she adds quietly, seeming lost in thought for a moment. As she dries her hands, she looks me over before sitting on a stool next to the exam table. “Luc told me what happened to you when he called to make your appointment. I’m very sorry that you had to endure something like that, Lia.”

I feel my eyes well up at her kindness. I feel the crazy urge to lay my head on her shoulder and soak up all the comfort I know I would find there. My emotions, it seems, are still all over the place. Instead, I manage to get out a shaky, “Thank you.”

She reaches over to pat my hand before opening a file. “Luc had a copy of your chart sent to me from the hospital.” She digs a pair of glasses from her jacket pocket and glances through the papers the folder contains. “I know I need to use that fancy iPad for all of this, but I still love to flip through pages.” Raising her brow, she whispers, “Plus, I’ve already broken one of the things by dropping it a dozen times.” I laugh in response, relieved that I’ve recovered from the threatened crying jag of a few moments ago. “All right, Lia, let’s look at your nose first.”

Gently, she removes the bandages and the splint from my nasal area, throwing them into the trashcan behind her. She gently probes my nose, causing me to wince, as the area is still tender. When she pulls back, I look up and ask, “Has it healed?”

She nods, saying, “It looks good. There is some remaining swelling, and as you noticed, it’s still tender. You may end up with a small bump on the ridge of it, but it’s too early to tell. Just let me know if you have any issues with severe congestion. As for your wrist and fingers, you’re a few weeks away from removing the cast. I’ll have the girls out front schedule another appointment for that.”

“Okay,” I say disappointed. I had hoped to get rid of it all today, but at least my nose is free now.

She drops back on her stool and studies me for a moment. “How are the contusions on your body healing?”

“They’re mostly fading now.” I hope she won’t press me on seeing for herself. That’s still not something I want others looking at, even if the evidence is almost gone now.

She nods, seeming satisfied with my answer. She looks in my folder again, asking, “Are you having any headaches, even minor?”

“Just a bit the first few days I was home but nothing since then.”

She makes a note in my chart. “Good. I’ll want to schedule one more CT scan just to make sure all of the swelling in your brain has subsided. According to your chart, it was almost normal when the hospital released you. Are you still taking the pain pills you were prescribed?”