Undeterred, Sasha took a mug in one hand and a sandwich in another before locking eyes with him. “Don’t worry, inside these walls, I consider doctor-patient confidentiality to be ongoing. Hell, I think it has been since I first met you guys.”
With a derisive snort, Liam exhaled and looked at Lazarus. “How’s he doing?”
Sasha took a bite and chewed for an instant before answering. “To my utter amazement, so much better. I’ve never had a patient in a coma recover so fast from infection and pneumonia. If I were a believer, I’d say it was a miracle.”
Some good news at last.
“Don’t tell the others because I may be mistaken, but I think he’s moving a bit more. It might be a sign that he’s slowly awakening.”
The emotion Liam felt clogging his throat prevented him from speaking, so he just nodded.
“What is far from a miracle is how blind you are concerning Catriona and how you let your past affect you.”
Anger rose, and he fought to keep it under control although it seeped into his tone. “You know nothing about me.”
At that, the beautiful doctor laughed. “I know the type of men you all are. Honorable, inflexible, and so lost in your sufferings that you can’t appreciate the good around you.”
Liam was stunned by her words, but all he could see on Sasha’s face was grave and sincere compassion. “You want to finish this fight alone, stop Finch on your own, while fighting that painful, inner war inside by yourself. Don’t you see that, from the beginning, your true guiding light has been outside yourself?”
Blinking, Liam wasn’t certain he understood her words.
“Beatrice Dante and Gabrielle Thorne live deep in that underground world. Two women who have breathed and survived a world of danger, sided with Lazarus, and provided him with invaluable aces. Each of them forced your brothers to have another perspective, bringing you closer to your goal.”
The faces of Deva, Zoe, and Isabel came to mind. Liam had witnessed directly how they entered their initial circle and allowed Aleksei, Archer, and Kai to hope for more, something that each of them no longer considered a remote possibility.
“It’s not the same with Catriona. You can’t compare her with the others. She’s dedicated her life to God.”
“And she’s nothing like your mother. Finch raped your mom. Catriona is willingly offering herself to you. You said it yourself, you see a light in her, and she’s not only smart, she’s a brilliant woman who knows the consequences of her acts. The true question is if you’re willing to let go of your preconceived ideas and scars to go to her, or more importantly, if you want her to come to you.”
Liam let his head fall before looking at Sasha again. “You’re hard, doc.”
Her smile was sad. “Life had made me so. Catriona isn’t offering you a happily-ever-after ending, only the chance to share something with her. Don’t you want to experience true peace and connection, even for a single night? Don’t you yearn for it too?”
As all the resolutions he thought immovable in his mind crumbled into dust, making him hope again, Lazarus stirred a little and sighed.
If there was hope that Lazarus would open his eyes soon again, maybe, just maybe, Liam could let himself feel unbroken in Catriona’s arms, if only for a night.
