Valuable Pawn

Elias held Callie close, his lips gently brushing her forehead. With a sigh, he spoke, his voice tinged with concern. ‘You’re always looking out for everyone else, darling—Harriet, the patients, and me. But when do you ever look after yourself?’ Callie smiled. She always wore a gentle smile, the one that made it seem like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders without complaint. Even when she wasn’t happy, it felt like no one would notice. But she was his wife, and he sure as hell didn’t want to be the one neglecting her. She’d risked her career and medical license to save Harriet, even if Elias hadn’t asked. He might not have been a doctor, but he could still see the danger in that gunshot wound on Harriet’s chest. Elias couldn’t be with Callie in the operating theatre, but he could imagine the icy tension and the immense pressure the surgeons were under. Callie leaned against Elias and sighed contentedly. The rhythm of her heartbeat pulsed beneath his hand, but her hear