KATE’S POV
Time seemed to freeze as I watched him standing there, caught in the act of running away again. But this time, I wasn't letting him go. Not before we said what needed to be said.
"David?" I called again, my voice stronger now.
He turned around slowly, like a man facing his execution. His eyes met mine across the garden, and even from this distance, I could see the conflict in them. Dr. Reynolds noticed my attention shift and followed my gaze.
"Someone you know?" he asked, already wheeling me in David's direction.
"Yes," I whispered. As we approached, I studied David's face. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and his usually immaculate appearance was disheveled, wrinkled shirt, hair uncombed. He flashed me a small, uncertain smile.
"You're looking good," he said, his voice rough with emotion.
I gripped the arms of my wheelchair tighter. "I just woke up. I didn't see you, so I thought you didn't come."
Something crossed his expression, a flash of pain that made my chest tighten. "You told me you didn't want me to come."
The words struck me like a physical blow. I had said that, hadn't I? Before the surgery, when I was scared and angry and convinced I might not wake up again. When I didn't want him to see me vulnerable, I didn't want his last memory of me to be of weakness.
Wanting to change the topic, I gestured to the doctor beside me. "This is Dr.—"
"Sean Reynolds," the doctor supplied, extending his hand. "Dr. Sean Reynolds."
"The experiment worked," I told David, watching relief wash over his face.
David took Sean's outstretched hand and they shook. "I'm David."
Sean's mouth formed a perfect O. "Are you the David Mr. Mason was talking about?"
David looked confused. I was too—I had no idea what my dad had told the doctor about David. David nodded anyway, cautious.
Dr. Sean approached him and patted him on the shoulder, something knowing in his eyes. "You're one lucky guy. Kate's heart belongs to you, even if I was the one who healed her."
Blood rushed to my face. Had I said something while under anesthesia? Had my father somehow known what I'd been too stubborn to admit to myself?
David and I locked eyes, and I looked away first, unable to bear the naked hope I saw there. Dr. Sean, clearly pleased with himself, excused himself with a wink in my direction.
"I'll give you two some privacy. Kate, remember—no excessive excitement. You just had major surgery."
We stood in awkward silence after he left, the weight of unspoken words between us.
"I hope you'll be back to work once you're discharged," David finally said. "Patients at Meridian already miss you, especially your dearest Frank."
He smiled as he said the last part, and I couldn't help but smile back.
"I heard you left," I said, suddenly remembering what had told me. "Why?"
David shrugged, looking down at his shoes. "The position is for one person, and I think you deserve it. I could get a job somewhere else."
"You shouldn't have, really—" I started, wanting to mention the bills he'd sorted out, the help he'd given to make this surgery a success, but the words stuck in my throat.
Finally, he turned to go. "It's good to see you again, Kate."
"David, wait!" The urgency in my voice surprised even me.
There was no denying it anymore. That attraction, I'd felt from the very first day. But it wasn't just attraction, it was respect that had grown from our battles, admiration that had formed watching him work, affection that had bloomed despite my best efforts to keep it at bay. I told him not to come, but he did anyway. He'd paid for my treatment, given up his job for me, and here he was, still worrying about me.
I forced myself to stand up from the wheelchair, my legs wobbling with the effort. David rushed forward to steady me, his hands warm on my arms.
"What are you doing? You shouldn't be standing—"
He opened his mouth to continue, but I stopped him with a kiss. It was impulsive, desperate, and probably medically inadvisable, but I poured everything I couldn't say into it—all the fear and anger and longing and regret. All the time I'd wasted fighting what I knew in my heart was true.
His lips were soft against mine, surprised at first, then responsive. I felt a tear slide down his face, and I cleaned it off with my thumb, never breaking the connection between us. His arms encircled me, supporting most of my weight, holding me like I was something precious that might shatter. The kiss deepened, and I forgot about the fact that we were standing in a public garden. Nothing existed except this moment, this man, this truth I'd denied for too long.
Finally, we pulled away to catch our breath, and I looked into his eyes, no longer hiding.
"I love you, David Villa."
His face broke into surprise, and he gasped as more tears rolled down his cheeks. "I love you too, Kate Stanley.”
He laughed, a sound so full of joy it made my heart swell.
And he kissed me back, hungrily, with passion and with desire. A kiss that promised a future I hadn't dared to imagine until this moment. A kiss that said all the things we'd been too afraid to speak.