Sick to my stomach. That's how I feel as I watch the woman run her hands all over Travis. And worse? How he lets her, accepting her advances with such ease.

"This time you make dinner, and I'll be in charge of dessert," she purrs into his ear just as we stop outside the door.

"I'll be in touch then," he replies in a rough voice as her hand falls from his.

Of course you will, I almost scoff. I shouldn't be surprised. What did I expect, really? He went out with girls when I was around, did it right in front of my face. Of course he would do it when I was gone. I just thought that maybe...

He turns to leave but pauses when he sees us at the door. His eyes widen in surprise, his gaze locking me in place, and every emotion I'm feeling threatens to burst through the surface. I tear my eyes away from him before that happens, as the long forgotten yet familiar feeling of jealousy stirs within me.

"Madison Ryan, I'm Dr. Kelly Reesen. Have a seat," the woman says as she points to a chair. They always get my damn name wrong. Don't they pay attention at all?

With my head hanging down, I watch as Travis begins to leave the room, his feet walking through my line of sight. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to look up at him again. I should. I should look up, if only to figure out what his game is or what the hell he's really doing here, but at this point, I don't think it really matters.

I swallow and pull my gaze back up, focusing on the woman with long, red hair trailing down her back. "It's Maddie, Doctor," I begin, but my voice cracks and tears threaten to fall.

Dammit.

I'm not doing this now, not in front of him. So what if I started to think he was actually here for me. I was wrong...oh well. I'm so sick of this, so sick of feeling unsure about him, about everything.

Meeting the doctor's stare, I finish, "Not short for Madison. It's just Maddie."

"Got it," she says, smiling brightly, and looks over my shoulder. "A little privacy, boys," she tells them with sweetness in her tone, and I turn to find Travis and Sam still lingering in the doorway.

Sam jumps. "Got it, Doc, page me when you're ready," he says as quickly as he leaves.

Travis's gaze darts between the doctor and I before he clears his throat, giving the door a pat as he nods and walks out of the room.

"Men," the doctor quips from behind me, feigning annoyance.

Yeah right, she obviously enjoys the attention. Turning back to face her, I give her a quick half smile. She smiles in return, only it's accompanied by an amused, knowing look in her eyes.

"Lieutenant Brennan!" she calls over my shoulder, stretching her neck to look down the hall.

His footsteps grow heavier as he nears, but I don't turn back to look at him.

"Yes?" he questions and my eyes close in response, tingling chills spreading across my body. I fold my arms onto the table in front of me and rest my head on them. Being here is hard enough without having to continuously run into him. He's the one person in the world that I should have been able to trust, to run to, but there's this wall between us and I still don't understand why. He's so close, but he feels so far away, so out of reach. It would just be easier if I could do this alone, without wondering when and where I'll be seeing him again.

"Since you're around, I'll be needing a Hunter escort from Breeder quarters to O.R. at 1200 hours. If you could stick around for that I'd very much appreciate it," she says, somehow making it sound like a come on. This woman is ridiculous. I shake my head slightly within my arms.

"Sure," he replies, and his footsteps echo as he retreats back down the hall.

"He's a hottie, that one," the doctor comments, and my head pops up at that. She scoots closer to the table, smiles, and winks at me.

What the hell?

And there's that jealousy again, stirring in the pit of my stomach. Why should I care? I don't. Really, I don't. I shouldn't. I really shouldn't.

"Oh, come on. I saw you looking at him," she says.

"What?" I say a little louder than necessary. I clear my throat, "I mean, that's not it at all. He just reminds me of someone I used to know." And those words ring too true.

She hums, eyeing me suspiciously.

This is not what's important right now. "Why am I here, Doctor?" I ask, exasperated.

"Please, call me Kelly. And it's time for your check-up and medication, and while I'm down here, I need to draw a little more blood to run a few additional tests and then go ahead and process you for intake," she answers as if all of this is minor, trivial information. I guess for her, it is.

"Intake?" I question as she moves near me with a thermometer.

She inserts it into my ear as she answers, "Yes, it appears you had a small, twenty-four-hour bug." She removes the thermometer and shows me the screen reading a 98.8. "Yep, all good to go," she adds.

"Intake?" I push.

"Oh yes, sorry. Didn't they tell you anything? Intake for Breeder's residence," she gestures to the window, showing me the long line of hospital-type rooms across the way. "It's where you'll be staying during the In-vitro process and until you're cleared for residency within the Breeder community."

"Breeder community?" My eyebrows furrow in confusion as my pulse quickens.

She smiles, with a look that almost registers as sympathy. "Where you girls live, after your first trimester."

"Oh," I answer, but it doesn't clear up any of my confusion. I only have more questions now, but I guess I'll keep them to myself. I don't want to hear any more. I'll be finding out soon enough.

"Okay, you're going to feel a little prick now while I insert the needle," she informs me, and I feel the small pinch as the needle pierces my skin. "Just a few minutes and you'll be done, then we can get you to your new room."

"Now? You're moving me now?" And my heart begins to beat faster.

"Yes. Intake, remember? You'll be much more comfortable here than in that awful cell."

"But my friend, she's waiting for me. She thought I was coming back. I didn't—" This is too much too fast, and panic starts to set in.

"Please try to relax. I'm sure you'll see her soon."

I look back out the window, to each of the girls locked inside of their rooms, where most of them are handcuffed to their beds. She follows my gaze and must recognize the fear in my eyes as she quietly says, "It's only a precaution."

My hands tremble as I face her. I can't breathe. "I don't..." I trail off, shaking my head. My throat closes in on me, and I can't breathe.

I can't breathe!

"No, no, no. No! I'm not ready. I'm not ready!" And I begin to pull away from the doctor.

"Shit," the doctor mutters as she grips my arm tighter. "Sam! Code blue!" She looks me in the eyes. "I need you to calm down," she says calmly, but her words don't register.

I push at her arms, pushing her away from me and stagger backwards. Warmth trails down my arm, and I look down to find a crimson path of blood falling from my fingers. I watch as it drips and falls to the floor, and my back hits the wall just as I look up to find the doctor taking slow steps towards me.

"Please. The more you fight it, the worse it'll be. You're making it harder than it needs to be. Have some faith," she tells me, and I want to believe her, but I can't trust anybody here. She'd probably say anything to get me to calm down and follow orders.

A few Hunter's rush into the room and my panic fully sets in. Their sights are set on me, and their cold eyes, the hardness of their expressions, their rigid posture, tells me they mean business. They immediately rush me, and I turn to run but there's nowhere to go.

"No! Stop! Please! Please!" I scream.

Strong hands grip me all over, and I try to twist out of their hold. I kick, I punch, I scream, but there are too many of them.

"Help!" I cry in desperation, but no one cares. No one will help me.

I dig my nails into the man beside me, just as I feel a sharp pain in my neck. Screaming at the top of my lungs, everything begins to become fuzzy and my body feels so heavy.

"Please! Travis, please..." I manage before the darkness consumes me and everything goes black.

It's a long way down, I think to myself as I pull back from the ledge. I kick a few pebbles down the steep ravine, watching them as they tumble and fall and disappear through the brush. Pushing my leg forward, I dangle it over the edge, and wonder... How far? How steep? How quick?

I pull my leg back and inch closer, my toes hanging over the ledge, and close my eyes, breathing in the stillness around me–nothing but a quiet breeze, a few rustling leaves, a single bird calling into the distance.

Another deep breath and a single thought...Be brave.

I open my eyes and look down into the canyon. One step...and it all goes away. I can end this now.

Be brave.

My eyes close again, and I see my parent's faces. They smile at me, a sad smile, and with tears in their eyes, they nod at me, telling me it's okay.

End your pain; end your suffering.

"I love you," I whisper. "I'm so sorry."

And I feel the pull, it tugs at my chest, begging me to be brave, to take the leap and make it all disappear.

I nod to myself, knowing I can do this, and push forward.

"Wait!" he calls to me, and my foot stills in the air. I turn to find a familiar set of blue eyes staring back at me. "Wait," he says again, out of breath.

"Aiden?" my voice echoes.

"Don't do this," he shakes his head at me. Reaching out for me, he tells me, "Come with me."

"But I don't want to do this anymore," I tell him. "I can't."

"You're better than this, Maddie," another voice says, and I look to the left of Aiden to find my best friend. My heart clenches in my chest. "Come with me," Travis says as he holds out his hand for me.

"I can't," my voice breaks on a whisper.

"You can," they say in unison, moving closer to me with each step.

My gaze bounces between them.

"Come with me," Aiden begs.

"Come with me," Travis pleads, desperation shining in his eyes.

My mind and heart war with each other, one screams for Aiden while the other screams for Travis.

Water crashes behind me, and I look over my shoulder, finding that the canyon has transformed into a vast ocean, the cliff now a large, raging waterfall.

"Please," they say together, pulling my attention back to them. Only a foot away, they both reach out for me.

"Wake her up," Travis says, gently pushing my hair away from my face.

"Wake up, Maddie," Aiden says, shaking my shoulder softly. "Wake up."

"Wake up," and they both nudge me.

I slip backwards, falling over the edge. Wind blows through my hair as I float through the sky. I spread my arms wide, welcoming the end, and an overwhelming sense of calm envelops me.

I'm free.

Gasping for air, I try to sit up, but a weight pushes at my shoulders. I reach up to ease some of the pressure, but my hands jerk back. My wrists are caught, stuck, and I can't break free, no matter how much I strain against them.

"She's awake," someone comments.

I open my eyes, but a bright light forces them shut again. They open slowly, one at a time, and I squint at the white light that shines above.

A face looms over me and it takes me a moment to recognize who it is... Dr. Reesen. "Welcome back, Maddie."

I turn my face away from her, looking over at my wrist cuffed to the bed beside me.

"Like I said, it's only a precaution. Listen, I hate to upset you again, but I need to inform you that we're minutes away from being escorted upstairs, to the hospital level. You'll be undergoing a quick procedure." My body still feels so heavy, but at her words, I try to jerk forward, and her hands slowly ease me back down. "Please, don't worry, we'll only be removing some of your eggs today. That's all," she informs me.

I open my mouth to say something, anything, but the words never come.

Loud footsteps enter the room and I glance over, only to find Travis looming in the doorway. Of course...it's always Travis. A wave of sadness crashes through me, and I swallow down the urge to cry.

"Oh, good! You're here. We're ready to go," the doctor says before leaning down into my ear. "A little eye candy for us on the way," she whispers.

I look up at her, knowing her words don't make sense. Why would she say that to me? But her focus is already on Travis. She licks her lips, "Ready, Lieutenant?"

"Ready," he states, no emotion behind his words.

Moving towards the bed, he quickly glances down at me, and a look of concern plays across his face. The look quickly disappears, but I didn't miss it. I didn't imagine it.

When he reaches my side, he looks over at the doctor and they exchange a few words, but I'm not listening. My focus is on him.

The bed begins to roll beneath me as Travis and two orderlies push me out of the room, following the doctor, but my eyes are still on him.

I give myself permission to watch him, to study him. It's the first time in so long that I've been able to. He's taller...bigger...better looking than I remember. White lights pass overhead one after the other, rhythmically, illuminating him in short bursts. His hair is shorter now, but his scruff is the same, covering the lines of his jaw.

I watch as his tongue darts out, licking his lips, and it's only now that I notice how tired he looks...the crinkles around his eyes, the dark circles.

Are you okay? I suddenly feel the urge to ask him.

He's changed so much since I last saw him all those months ago. I can see it in the broadness of his shoulders, in his muscular build that shows even through his clothing. A tattoo swirls up past his jacket, hugging the back of his neck. That wasn't there before either. My eyes travel down his neck, down his arms, and my breath hitches when I reach his wrist.

A red and purple braided bracelet is wrapped tightly around it.

My sister's bracelet.

My gaze quickly darts back up to him and he's watching me. His eyes search my face, waiting for something, and in them I see pain, desperation. And it hits me like a ton of bricks.

Oh my god.

Shaking my head, I can't stop the tears that fall down my cheeks.

He is here for me.

He bites his lip and his hand slips beneath the sheet, the warmth of his hand sliding over mine.

How could I have doubted him? I should have known. The things he must have been through, the things he must have seen...all for me...and I doubted him.

I swallow thickly as more tears slide down my face, and he gently squeezes my hand in response. His thumb slides over the top of my hand, caressing me as I look into his eyes. He clears his throat and blinks, clearing his eyes of his own tears, and the enormity of this moment crashes through me.

I'm so sorry, I so desperately want to say.

His hand leaves mine, and a trail of goosebumps are left in its wake.

"Trust me," he mouths, and I do. I trust him.