Chapter 328
[ 473 words ]
Chapter 328:
She gestured for Caroline to follow her down the hall into Exam Room 2, while K. C. took up a guard position outside the door, his arms crossed over his chest.
Inside the exam room, Evelyn instructed Caroline to sit on the crinkly paper of the examination table.
She checked her vitals, shining a penlight into her eyes to check for lingering neurological deficits from the fever, then took a small blood sample to run the panels Jarrod had requested, moving with efficient, professional grace.
Caroline sat quietly, appreciating the doctor’s straightforward, non-judgmental demeanor.
𝖮r𝗀аn𝗶𝘻𝗲 𝘺𝘰u𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗯r𝖺𝗋𝘆 о𝘯 𝗴a𝗹𝗇o𝘷е𝗅𝘀.𝗰o𝘮
Evelyn listened to her lungs with a stethoscope, nodding in satisfaction at the clear, steady breathing.
She stepped back, tossing her gloves into the biohazard bin. “Well, Mrs. Romero, you’re officially out of the danger zone.” She confirmed the fever had broken completely and that no further IV medications were necessary.
Caroline let out a massive sigh of relief, the tension leaving her shoulders as she realized she was avoiding a prolonged hospital stay.
Evelyn leaned against the counter, crossing her arms, her professional mask slipping into a more casual, curious expression.
She offered Caroline a cup of hot tea from a thermos on her desk, noting she still looked a bit pale.
Caroline accepted the tea gratefully, wrapping her cold hands around the warm paper cup.
Evelyn looked at her directly. “I have to be honest. I never thought I’d live to see the day Jarrod Romero brought a woman to this base.”
Caroline took a sip of the tea, a small, genuine smile touching her lips at the mention of his name.
She relaxed her posture, deciding to stay and chat, feeling a rare moment of camaraderie in the isolated, testosterone-filled military environment.
The low hum of the ventilation system filled the quiet exam room as Caroline took another sip of the hot, sweet tea.
Evelyn pulled up a rolling stool, sitting across from Caroline with a look of intense, clinical fascination.
“So,” Evelyn began, her tone carefully measured, “how are you holding up? Colonel Romero’s operational tempo is… intense, to say the least. As his wife, navigating that kind of pressure can’t be easy.”
Caroline nearly choked on her tea, coughing slightly, completely caught off guard by the doctor’s perceptive inquiry.
Evelyn elaborated gently, explaining that the Colonel was a legend across JSOC, known for his absolute, unwavering focus during operations. She mentioned how the troops held him in a sea of reverent fear, rarely daring to look him in the eye, intimidated by his formidable presence.
Caroline listened intently, a strange sense of cognitive dissonance washing over her. The man Evelyn was describing felt like a stranger.
She pictured the Jarrod who had just spent the entire night holding her while she cried, his body a solid, unmoving shield against her grief.
She remembered the Jarrod who had clumsily forced cold oatmeal on her just to make sure she survived.
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