"Why are you so flustered? Did something happen to Grandpa?" Reese asked, her eyes quickly scanning the nurse from head to toe. The woman''s anxious look faded, reced by awkward embarrassment.


    "No, no, he''s still sleeping," the nurse answered, her voice shaky. Reese''s stare made her ufortable, so she bit her tongue and forced herself to calm down. “Ma''am, it''s just, um... My periodes. I wanted to run to the store to pick up a few things."


    Reese shot a suspicious nce at the half-open door to the hospital room. Through the gap, she could see Mr. Ratcliff still lying in bed. The nurse didn''t seem to be faking, so Reese nodded. "I''ll stay with him. Come back as soon as you can."


    "Okay, thank you," the nurse replied, nodding several times before hurrying off. Reese watched her rush away, frowning. Something about this felt off.


    She sped up, heading toward the hospital room, when a security guard came running around the corner, out of breath and sweating.


    "Ma''am," he panted, stopping in front of her.


    "Where were you? Why are you just getting back now?" Reese checked the time. She hadn''t seen him since she arrived, almost an hour ago.


    The guard wiped the sweat off his forehead. "The smoke detector in Mr. Ratcliff''s room kept going off for no reason. I tried resetting it a few times, but it wouldn''t stop. Just to be safe, I put an oxygen mask on him and collected some air samples to send for testing. Then the control center called to say the detectors on this whole floor were going off. I had to check the hallway and the rooms next door to find the source. That''s what took so long.


    "Before I left, I told Mr. Ratcliff. He said he''d send more people over."


    Reese nodded. The guard was Sebastian''s arrangement, and if he''d kept Sebastian in the loop, there wasn''t much to argue about. Besides, you couldn''t be too careful with fire safety. The guard had done nothing wrong.


    She let it go and pushed open the hospital room door.


    "Grandpa?" She called softly, about to step in, when the door to the room next door opened and Robbie peeked out.


    When he saw Reese, a sh of confusion crossed his face, quickly reced by a cool, distant look.


    "I thought you were too busy with work to evene home. Howe you have time to be at the hospital?" he asked.


    Reese didn''t bother answering. Instead, she asked, "Why are you here?"


    "Grandma brought me, but she went to the doctor''s office and told me to wait here" Robbie nced up at her looking a little awkward. "Dad said you were sick. Are you feeling better?"


    Sebastian must''ve wanted Robbie to check on her. That was probably why he''d finally let him off punishment.


    Reese raised her eyebrows, surprised.


    Was Robbie... actually worried about her?


    She looked down at his little upturned face, hisshes fluttering, and on that face was a rare hint of shyness.


    Suddenly, she thought about how Robbie, like Mr. Ratcliff and Sebastian, might carry that dangerous gene, and Reese''s voice softened without her even noticing.


    "I''m much better now," she said, smiling and starting to walk into the room.


    But before she could step inside, Robbie grabbed her sleeve, his voice dropping to a hesitant whisper.


    "Mom, are you and Dad getting a divorce?"


    "Who told you that?" Reese turned to look at him.


    Robbie bit his lip, ncing toward the end of the hallway. "I heard Grandma


    talking to Great-Grandpa on the phone."


    He clutched her sleeve tighter,


    knuckles turning white, his embarrassment growing. "Please don''t divorce Dad, okay? It was my fault before. I don''t want anyone else to be my mom."


    It was only now, after all this time, that he realized Sebastian and Sofia could never be together.


    Looking at his hopeful face, Reese


    crouched down so she was level with him, her voice gentle but firm. "Robbie, that''s something between your dad and me It''s not something you should worry about.


    "Even if we do get divorced, it won''t change your life. You''ll still live at home, and


    I''lle back to visit you whenever I can."


    "How can it not change anything?" Robbie''s panic red as he saw how serious Reese was.


    He''d always thought Reese wasn''t good enough for Sebastian, that she didn''t deserve to be his mother.