He stepped ahead of me to hold the heavy double doors open so I could walk through without bumping June’s legs.

Sylvia jumped up from her chair in the third row, her leather bag swinging against her hip as she took three quick strides toward us.

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

Ethan didn’t slow down or look back at her.

He walked straight past the registration desk, staying 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.