Okay, this was getting intense. Irene sat in Adam's bedroom, her doctor brain going a million miles an hour as she reviewed her notes. Her three little angels were being suspiciously well-behaved at the foot of the bed, probably plotting their next scheme. But right now, she had bigger things to worry about.
Like the way Adam hadn't taken his eyes off her for the last five minutes. Those phoenix eyes of his were practically burning holes in her face, like he could somehow read her diagnosis before she said it out loud.
"Well?" God, even when he was lying in bed looking all vulnerable, that voice still carried enough authority to make corporate executives wet themselves. But she caught that tiny hint of tension underneath. Mr. Big Shot CEO was actually nervous. "What's the verdict, Dr. Sterling?"
Irene took a deep breath. No point sugar-coating this. "Good news first - I can definitely treat this. Your nerves aren't completely dead, which gives us something to work with." She paused, watching his face. "The not-so-good news? This is gonna be... complicated."
"Define complicated." Classic Adam - straight to the point.
"We're talking intensive treatment sessions, specialized procedures, and..." She met his gaze directly. "A major time commitment. Like, rebuilding-a-house level commitment. The nerve regeneration process is basically like reconstructing bones - it's gonna hurt, and it's gonna take time. We're looking at a year of treatment, minimum."
"A whole year?" Thomas practically squeaked from his spot by the door.
"At least." Irene nodded, keeping it real. "Look, nerve regeneration isn't like fixing a broken nail. Rush it, and we could mess everything up."
Adam's fingers tightened on the sheets - if she hadn't been watching, she would've missed it. "And my chances?"
"Better than I first thought, actually." She couldn't help smiling a little. "But I'm gonna be straight with you - this won't be a walk in the park. The treatment itself can hurt like hell."
Her trio of tiny troublemakers shared worried looks from their guard post. Lily's bottom lip did that wobbly thing that usually meant tears were coming.
"Pain isn't an issue." Adam's voice could've frozen fire. "Just focus on results."
Really? Irene had to fight not to roll her eyes. "Yeah, no. Pain management is actually super important here. Stress and tension can totally mess up nerve regeneration."
She checked her watch. "Hour's up. Ready to see how those nerves are doing?"
The next round of tests was like watching a master class in stubbornness. Adam barely made a sound, but Irene could read pain in every line of his body. Even her usually chatty kids were quiet, watching her work like they were memorizing every move.
"How's this feel?" She hit a pressure point, and wow - reaction city.
"Like someone stuck a thousand needles in my legs," Adam ground out through clenched teeth. His face said he'd rather eat glass than admit it hurt.
Thomas went into full mother-hen mode, but Irene was practically beaming. "That's exactly what we want!" When everyone stared at her like she'd lost it, she explained, "That kind of pain means the nerves are waking up. It's seriously good news!"
She kept working, noticing all the little signs Adam thought he was hiding - the sweat on his forehead, his white-knuckled grip on the sheets, the way his jaw clenched tighter with each touch. Most of her patients would be screaming by now. This guy had pain tolerance for days.
"Mom!" Lily's worried voice hit that pitch that could probably shatter glass. "You're hurting Uncle Adam!"
"It's fine." Adam's voice said it was anything but.
Irene gentled her touch immediately. "Actually, Lily's got a point. We need breaks when the pain gets too intense." She grabbed her notepad. "I'm writing you some prescriptions for nerve regeneration meds. Thomas, can you get these filled, like, yesterday?"
"On it!" Thomas practically teleported across the room to grab the prescription.
"Also," she kept writing, "you need a therapeutic bath tonight with these solutions - trust me, your legs will thank you. And here's a list of foods to avoid - they can mess with the treatment."
Adam's face when he saw the list was priceless. "No coffee?"
"Limited coffee," she corrected. "And definitely no alcohol during treatment periods." Ignoring his death glare, she added, "Keep those legs warm between sessions. And..." Oh boy, this was gonna be fun. "You might want to wear something easier to work with during treatments. Those fancy pants aren't exactly practical."
The silence that followed could've filled a cathedral. Thomas suddenly found her prescription absolutely fascinating, while Adam's jaw did that tense thing that probably gave his dentist nightmares.
"I'll handle everything," Thomas jumped in like a lifeguard saving someone from drowning. "Dr. Sterling, should we check out our medical setup? For equipment and stuff?"
"Actually," Irene checked her watch again, "I need to go over these results first and figure out exactly what we're doing. We can talk equipment tomorrow." She started packing up. "For now, just get those meds and follow the instructions I gave you."
Her little gang immediately clustered around her like baby ducks, though they kept sneaking worried looks at Adam.
"Is Uncle Adam gonna be okay?" Lucas stage-whispered loud enough for the whole house to hear.
"He'll be fine, baby." She squeezed his shoulder. "Sometimes things have to hurt before they can get better."
As Thomas showed them out, she couldn't help noticing how Adam watched them leave, his face unreadable. Something had definitely shifted during this session. She wasn't just that annoying woman who'd turned down his money anymore. Now she might be his only shot at walking again.
As Thomas closed the door, Adam lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling while his legs still tingled from Irene's examination. Yeah, it hurt like hell - but for the first time in forever, it felt like pain with a purpose. He kept thinking about how confident she'd been, how she'd known exactly where to press to get responses when other doctors had given up.
"Sir?" Thomas appeared with his evening meds and water, looking like an excited puppy. "Dr. Sterling really knows her stuff, huh?"
Adam took the pills without commenting, but his face softened just a tiny bit. Yeah, she definitely knew her stuff. And somehow, those three kids of hers had made the whole thing almost... bearable.
A year of treatment. A year of Irene Sterling invading his space, challenging his control, pushing him toward recovery whether he liked it or not. A year of those bright-eyed kids bringing chaos to his perfectly ordered world.
He should've been annoyed at the thought.
He wasn't.
And that was probably the scariest part of all.