A few days passed, and it seemed Eleanor hadn't said anything to anyone about Aiden and me. We also did a better job of keeping our composure while we were at work.

That evening, Aiden and I were in Lincoln's room, helping him get ready to leave for his dance. His parents had bought him a suit, which he slipped into with little trouble. He was practically glowing with excitement.

"I got you something for your dance," I said, handing him a small bundle of white flowers for his suit.

"Thank you, Dr. Todd," Lincoln said warmly. "You're the best doctor."

"What am I?" Dr. James teased from across the room.

Lincoln laughed. "You've kept me alive this long, so you're not all that bad."

"Just make sure you have fun," I encouraged.

"Oh, I will," Lincoln promised. "If I have my first kiss tonight, you'll be the first to know."

Without wasting another minute, Lincoln left with one of the nurses on staff. I turned to Aiden, a smile still on my face.

"Why did that feel like we just sent our kid off to college?" Aiden joked.

I shook my head, laughing.

"It's a good thing we've got several years before we have to endure that."

I patted his chest and stepped out of the room to continue my rounds for the day.

As I walked down the hall, I saw Emma stepping out of the bathroom, tears streaming down her face. I stopped in front of her and glanced at the object clutched in her hand—a white stick with a blue cap.

My eyes widened as I realized what it was.

A pregnancy test.

Emma noticed me and slowly looked up.

"Emma... is everything alright?" I asked gently.

I didn't want to push too hard. We weren't exactly on speaking terms after what happened between her and Jacob.

She lifted the test with a frown. The result was unmistakable.

Positive.

"Don't look at me like that," she snapped, lowering it again. "I don't need a lecture about how being pregnant during residency is going to ruin my career."

My chest tightened. I understood that fear better than she knew.

I glanced around the hallway, not wanting an audience. Gently, I guided her toward a quiet corner away from everyone else.

"I know you're freaking out right now," I said softly. "And you probably think this pregnancy is the end of your career. But it isn't."

"Oh please," Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Who are you to talk, Miss Perfect?"

"Look," I said.

I pushed my lab coat aside and smoothed my hand over my oversized scrubs, revealing the curve of my baby bump.

Emma's eyes widened in shock.

"Is it Jacob's?!" she blurted.

"God, no," I replied quickly.

I met her gaze, my voice gentler now.

"I just want you to know... you can have both."

Before we could continue our conversation, my pager went off.

I yanked it from my waistband and glanced down at the screen.

A code for Lincoln.

Without thinking, I took off running.

As I rushed down the hallway toward his room, the hospital intercom crackled overhead.

"Dr. Todd to the emergency room."

My eyes widened, and anxiety surged through me.

When I reached the ER, I saw Dr. James with two nurses surrounding Lincoln. He lay motionless on the bed, his eyes closed.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded.

"Collapsed at his dance," one of the nurses said as she started an IV and hooked up fluids. "He was complaining about chest pain."

Dr. James pulled out his stethoscope and began listening carefully around Lincoln's chest. I waited for him to say something—anything—so we could start treatment.

"There's fluid around his heart," he said quickly. "Heartbeat's weak."

I immediately began CPR.

"Come on, Lincoln," I muttered under my breath.

But his condition worsened.

"He's coding!" a nurse shouted.

I stepped back and motioned for one of the nurses to take over compressions while I reached for a needle and catheter.

My hands froze.

Fear and panic flooded through me, locking every muscle in place.

"Dr. Todd," Aiden's voice cut through the chaos as he tried to pull me back.

I couldn't move.

Aiden grabbed the needle and catheter from my hands and quickly inserted it into Lincoln's chest, draining the excess fluid surrounding his heart.

Lincoln's head sank back into the pillow as he released a long breath.

I looked up at the monitor.

His vitals stabilized.

Everyone in the room slowly began to relax as the tension lifted.

Aiden stood up and removed his gloves.

"This is only a temporary fix," he said. "He still needs a heart transplant."

The nurses carefully wheeled Lincoln back to his room.

I remained where I was, frozen for a moment, trying to steady my breathing.

Aiden stepped closer, clearly about to comfort me, but the intercom interrupted again.

"Dr. James to trauma room two."

He gave me one last look before hurrying away.

Eventually, I found myself walking aimlessly down the hallway when I nearly collided with Eleanor.

"Dr. Todd," she called out suddenly. "You're bleeding!"

I looked down, confused, but I couldn't immediately see what she meant.

When I glanced back up, Eleanor was already moving toward me.

"Come with me," she said firmly.