Chapter 527
Chapter 526:
“Stop thinking,” he murmured, his voice a low, steady rumble that vibrated against her collarbone. “You have nothing to prove. Not to me. Not to anyone p>
Jocelyn pressed her forehead to his broad shoulder and gripped the lapels of his robe. “I need to know if something is wrong with me. I want a full workup. Today p>
Gaston stiffened. His jaw clenched. He possessed a deep, primal aversion to hospitals and the sterile smell of medical machinery — it reminded him of the accident, of the helplessness of losing control. He pulled back just enough to look at her. He saw the raw, desperate pleading in her eyes. The slight tremor in her lower lip.
He exhaled slowly. “Fine. I’ll make the call p>
Two hours later, a black armored Maybach glided through the Upper East Side and pulled up to the discreet rear entrance of Mount Sinai Hospital.
L𝗮𝘁e𝗌𝘁 𝘤h𝖺р𝗍е𝘳𝗌 𝘰ո.со𝗆
The air in the backseat was thick and still. Jocelyn stared out the tinted window at the blurring city streets, her fingers twisting together in her lap, nails pressing into her own skin. Gaston reached across the seat and covered her cold, restless hands with his palm, trapping her fingers and stilling their frantic movement. He didn’t speak. The steadiness of his grip was its own language.
Inside the VIP fertility center, a dedicated nurse escorted them past the waiting areas and directly into a private consultation suite. A top-tier reproductive endocrinologist entered shortly after, tablet in hand, his manner one of practiced, deferential calm. He began with routine questions — lifestyle, stress levels, timing.
Jocelyn answered honestly, keeping her voice steady despite the tightness in her throat. “There’s a lot of external pressure,” she admitted quietly. “The social circles, the rumors about the Collins heir. It’s difficult to ignore p>
The temperature in the room dropped.
Gaston’s eyes moved to the doctor with a look sharp enough to cut bone. The air became instantly suffocating.
“Rumors,” Gaston repeated. The word landed like a threat.
The doctor swallowed, a bead of sweat appearing at his temple. He dropped his gaze immediately to his tablet. “Stress is a significant factor, Mr. Collins. Let’s proceed directly to the physical evaluations. We’ll begin with a full blood panel and an ultrasound for Mrs. Collins p>
A nurse appeared to guide Gaston to the men’s collection room. He rose, his expression a mask of dark, controlled fury — a man who looked as though he were walking into a hostile takeover, not a medical appointment. He went without a word.
Jocelyn lay back on the examination table and stared at the sterile white ceiling tiles as the ultrasound wand moved across her abdomen. Her heart beat a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She prayed silently, desperately, that the screen would show nothing broken.
Gaston completed his required process with efficient brutality and returned to take up a position in the hallway outside her examination room, standing by the door like a sentinel who had been given very specific orders.
When the tests were finally finished, they sat side by side on a leather sofa in the VIP lounge.
Waiting.