Chapter 10 - The Last HeartbeatTwo years later.
The sign above the door of the newly renovated community health clinic in a quiet coastal town in Oregon read: Jennings Family Practice – Free Care for All.
Inside, Dr. Cara Jennings—now officially holding her master's degree in nurse practitioner studies—stood at the front desk, organizing patient charts as the morning rush began.
The bell above the front door chimed, and a tall man in a plain cotton jacket walked in, pulling down the brim of his cap to shield his eyes from the Pacific rain. He carried a small, wrapped package and walked straight up to the counter.
Cara didn't even look up from her paperwork as she spoke. "If you're here for the flu shot, sign in on the tablet to your left. If you're here to hide from the federal government, you're about five years too late."
The man stopped, a low, familiar chuckle escaping his lips.
He reached out, placing a single, pristine white desert rose onto the stainless steel counter.
Cara finally raised her head. The pale blue eyes looking back at her were calm, weathered, and entirely at peace.
"I told you," Dominic Russo said softly, smiling as he turned toward the door, "you save someone’s life... and they tend to stick around."
May you like
Before Cara could round the counter to answer, the door chimed again.
The clinic was empty of everyone except the desert rose, a lingering scent of ozone and rain, and the steady, unbreakable rhythm of a brand-new heartbeat.
