“Ethan, wait a minute,” Sylvia called out, her voice rising in a sharp, urgent demand.

Ethan did not slow down or look back at her.

He walked straight past the registration desk, keeping his body positioned right beside my shoulder as we stepped into the exam hallway.

The heavy double doors swung shut behind us with a solid, magnetic thud, leaving Sylvia standing alone in the waiting room.

Dr.

Owens pressed the bell button on the wall to call the phlebotomy tray, then pulled off her rubber gloves.

“I am ordering a complete blood count and a urine culture,” Dr.