CHAPTER TWENTY THREE – GUT FEELINGS

On their last night in Orlando, Mark surprised Laura with a romantic dinner at a high-end restaurant. As they sat across from each other, candlelight flickering between them, Laura was struck by how handsome Mark looked in his suit. "This is wonderful," she said, smiling. "Thank you for arranging it." Mark beamed. "You deserve it. I know things have been stressful lately, and I wanted to do something special." As they ate, Mark regaled Laura with funny stories from work and reminisced about some of their favorite memories together. Laura tried to engage, but she found her mind wandering to thoughts of Dr. Carter and what she might find when she returned to the hospital. "Laura?" Mark's voice broke through her reverie. "You seem distracted. Is everything okay?" Laura blinked, realizing she'd completely zoned out. "I'm sorry, Mark. I guess I'm still a bit stressed about work. The suspension and everything... it's just been a lot to process." Mark reached across the table and squeez