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For God’s sake, you’ve saved people’s livesYou can get on a freaking roller coaster!

“You sure you’re okay?” Cooper suddenly asked

“Yeah Why?”

“Because you’re cutting off the circulation to my hand”

“Oh, God” Mortified, I let go of it “I’m sorry”

He iet on it”

“I should try,” I insisted

He squeezedto approve, and aited in silence as I stewed on my nerves

Finally the ride finished and custo and happy, which put me at ease a little Cooper helped me into the ride and we strapped in

He chuckled as I triple-checked ere safely locked in tight

When the coaster started to roll forward, bu us a little bit, I wondered what all the fuss was about

Then of course it picked up speed and suddenly it felt like I was flying through the air, rattling down steep hills at super speed and then roaring back upward and looping around and down again and up, ever faster, faster, the sea flashing into view, then the town, then the sky, then the sea again, faster, faster, faster

I was air

I was free

I was exhilarated

By the tirinning so hard

Cooper laughed as he helped me out of the car “I take it you liked that”

“It onderful” I couldn’t stop grinning

He chuckled again and tookme away

“Can we do it again?”

“Yeah” His voice shook with a the feeling you’ve never been to a fun park”

“You would be correct”

Next up he took e, the one Jessica said was a fix

Since Cooper won

“Pick what you want,” the bored teenager behind the range said when Cooper told me the prize was mine

I stared in wonder at all the soft toys I ell past the age of wanting a soft toy, but I loved spoiling Perry, so I’d send it to her

That hen I spotted the perfect bear “That one”

The bored teenager handed me the purple bear

Cooper raised an eyebroarmth in his eyes

I laughed “It’s for hter, Perry She loves purple”

“I see”

“Thank you,” I said, hugging the bear close “I will be sure to tell her that a gallant knight won it for ive to her”

He snorted “Glad you’re keeping it real with her, Doc”

I laughed, not even bothering to pretend to put up a fight when he took ain

This certainly felt like a date, and I was suddenly reht, This isn’t over, Doc

It rong and confusing for me that I was so turned on and thrilled by the idea that this sexy hts out, preferring to bury my head in the sand so I could just enjoy my time with him

I insisted on buying Cooper an ice crealad to see he had h the park with our cones, the sun growing stronger as thewore closer to noon

“You knoould never have pegged you as a fun-park kind of guy”

He was quiet so long I wondered if I’d inadvertently offended hie since Cooper didn’t strike me as the easily offended type

A few seconds later I was relieved to see ood memories from here Spent a lot of time here as a kid The last time I was here I was about twenty-four”

“Why did you want to come here today?”

“For you,” he said, coine what your life is like, Doc—the kind of responsibility you bear every day Working in a prison infirmary can’t be easy on top of that I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of bad shit in your time I wanted to take you away from all that for a few hours”

“Thank you,” I said, the words soft with too much emotion “I really appreciate it”

Too much Much too much

I wanted to kiss the thoughtful bastard

“Why medicine?”

I was drawn from my inner turmoil at the abrupt question “Why did I become a doctor?”

He nodded

Soht of telling hiest reason I becao away so I foundto tell hiuess I wanted to h of a difference so that whenever I leave this world, I leave it knowing I was here Really here Being a doctorsaving so that that person will forever remember meI know I’ve left a mark The kind I can be proud of”

I felt his gaze on ave me made me want to jump him “Good reason, Doc”

I sreat aboutI looked away before he could read in“What about you? Are you happy with Cooper’s?”

“It’s a siood with it”

I caught on his words “not a noble cause” and foundto reassure him that I didn’t believe everyone needed to have a noble cause to have a good life or to be a good person “Since I was eighteen years old I’ve been surrounded by hungry ambition Because of that I couldn’t see any other way for the longest tiical resident only made it worse because it’s a way of life And yetnot even teeks here and I’ some of those people that I’ve worked with and I wonder if they are as content with their lives as you and Bailey seem to be with yours Honestly, it makes me a little envious” od’s sake, you’ve saved people’s livesYou can get on a freaking roller coaster!