Page 81 of Dark Gambit Reliance

"The Guardians shipped out already. What else is there to do?"

Geraldine shrugged. "I don't know. Kian and Shai are still in the office, so there must be things that still need to be done."

"If Darlene is over the initial stage of her transition, I would like to take her home, but Julian told me that Bridget needs to approve it."

"I don't know why." Geraldine looked at Darlene and smiled. "None of us is a doctor, but we can all see that you are doing so much better. The color's returned to your cheeks, and you even drank coffee."

Darlene laughed. "Just don't tell Julian or Bridget that I did that."

Her mother affected an innocent expression. "Julian said that you can have liquids, including soup, so why not coffee?"

Eric agreed wholeheartedly.

It wasn't that he minded staying one more night in the clinic. What he needed was confirmation that the worst was behind them and that Darlene was out of danger.

Ever since she'd lost consciousness, he hadn't been able to take a full breath.

"I'll ask, and if Bridget can't come and Julian can't take responsibility for releasing you, we will have to spend another night here. But if Bridget can hop over for a few minutes and give her okay, I would really like to sleep in my own bed tonight with you in my arms."

Darlene sighed. "That sounds so lovely. But I really don't want to bother Bridget if she's busy."

"It doesn't hurt to check." Eric walked out of the room and into the doctor's office.

"She's coming," Julian said before Eric could open his mouth. "My mother loves welcoming transitioned Dormants into immortality, and I didn't want to rob her of the experience by releasing Darlene myself."

Eric frowned. "Are you saying that you could have released her but kept her here for Bridget to do the honors?"

Julian smiled sheepishly. "It wasn't a big delay. Bridget wouldn't have released her immediately, either. In fact, she might insist that Darlene stays another night because of how long she's been in a coma."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Can you make up your mind? One moment you say that you can release Darlene, and the next, you say that she should stay another night. Are you just saying it to excuse the wait?"

Julian gave him one of those condescending smiles that doctors worldwide must have all practiced during their residencies. "There is a reason what physicians do is collectively called practicing medicine. Opinions vary, and decisions are highly subjective. If you want to be sure about a diagnosis, always ask for a second opinion."

"I hope never to need it again."

The front door opened, and Bridget walked in. Wearing a tight skirt and high heels, she looked like a pinup girl, not a doctor.

"Congratulations." She offered him her hand.

"Thank you, but you haven't seen Darlene yet."

"Let's do it together." She grabbed a white coat from a peg by the door and put it over her clothes.

"How is the mission going?" he asked.

She let out a breath. "It was one hell of an organizational effort to have everything in place in time."

Darlene grinned as they entered the room. "Hi, Bridget. That was fast."

"It was?" The doctor walked up to her.

"Bridget was already on her way," Eric explained. "I didn't need to call her."

"Are you in a hurry to go home?" The doctor checked the readouts on the various machines.

"I am. But I want the test done first."

Bridget tilted her head. "You don't really need to do that."