Roman called command together before sunset. This time, nobody looked annoyed that I was in the room. They looked nervous. Paolo sat on the left. Victor on the right. Three other senior men filled the remaining chairs. Salvatore's chair stayed empty. Roman placed three th

Roman asked if I wanted him at the appointment. He did not say he was coming. That was why I said yes. The obstetrician's office was quieter than Harborview. No police. No security cutting locks. No reporters.

Just beige walls, a stack of parenting magazines, and Roman DeLuca s

Bianca wore white to the hearing. Of course she did. I wore navy scrubs. Not because I had been cleared to work. Because I wanted Harborview's board to remember what I had been before someone put cash and stolen medication in my locker. A nurse. Not a headline.

Roman sat in