"How did you know about my mom''s symptoms?" Sylvia pressed, her voice edged


    with suspicion.


    Chris hesitated, words caught in his throat. He quickly turned away. "I scheduled a


    CAT scan. We need to hurry."


    Sensing the urgency, Sylvia took the wheelchair from the driver and pushed her


    mom, Naomi, forward.


    Naomi tilted her head slightly. "It was Rupert. He saw something was off with me


    at the church, so he made up an excuse for me to leave early. He''s the one who


    got Dr. Chris involved, too. Don''t get all riled up just because we mention him."


    "I''m not," Sylvia snapped back defensively.


    Naomi just gave her a look-one of those ssic "you''re so stubborn" mom


    nces.


    Outside the imaging room, Chris scribbled something on a little card and handed


    it to Sylvia.


    "I can''t go in with you. Here''s your number-you''re up next. Just show this to the


    nurse."


    "Thanks."


    Sylvia nced at the card. The number looked familiar, but she couldn''t quite


    ce it.


    Just then, the door swung open, and Sylvia hurriedly wheeled Naomi inside.


    After the scan, Christine led them to see the department head. The diagnosis was


    a simple muscle strain, so Naomi was sent off for some physical therapy.


    While Naomi was in therapy, Sylvia lingered in the hallway beside Chris, studying


    him.


    "So, where''s Caleb Lennon?" she asked pointedly.


    Chris looked away, his expression stiff. "He... hasn''te back yet."


    Sylvia''s lips curled in a sardonic smile. "Guess Rupert''s quite the hero, huh?"


    She couldn''t believe Rupert had basically set Caleb and Bridget Simpson up


    together.


    Chris''s heart skipped a beat. He realized Sylvia was getting the wrong idea.


    "Sylvia, it''s not asplicated as you think. Rupert never had unrequited feelings


    for Bridget."


    "No need to exin. I just want to know where Caleb is."


    There were still too many unanswered questions about Ste''s kidney transnt.


    Caleb definitely knew more than he''d let on.


    Chris assumed Sylvia was mad


    about what Caleb had done in


    Mountain City. He frowned and


    admitted, "To be honest, it was


    partly my fault. I should have kept a


    closer eye on Caleb. He pretended to


    be me and knocked Orson out,


    which is how Bridget got into


    Rupert''s room."


    "But I swear, nothing happened between Rupert and Bridget. She only thought he


    was out of it and faked a pregnancy."


    Sylvia stared at Chris, stunned. "Come again?"


    "Look, that night in Mountain City,


    Rupert wasn''t feeling well and tried


    to find you. Somehow Bridget found


    out, and she and Caleb worked


    together. That''s how the whole fake


    pregnancy thing got started. Rupert


    just yed along so Bridget wouldn''t


    get suspicious-he pretended to be


    unconscious all night."


    Chris felt guilty enough about the whole mess; now, he just wanted to clear the


    air.


    Sylvia opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. Even if it was all


    Bridget''s scheme... so what? It didn''t change the fact that Rupert let Ste die for


    Bridget''s sake.


    She forced augh. "Dr. Chris, were


    you hiding under their bed or


    something? They''ve been together


    for three years-stuff like this isn''t


    exactly surprising. Did he give you a


    y-by-y?"


    Chris faltered, caught off guard. "I... guess you''ve got a point."


    He let out a deep breath, at a loss for words.


    Just then, Naomi finished her therapy session.


    As Sylvia put her phone away, her sleeve brushed against something in her bag,


    and a slip of paper fluttered to the floor.


    "Hey, you dropped something," Chris called after her.