After being trapped in a haunted house and performing emergency surgery to save the life of a child he couldn't bear to lose, Ethan wanted nothing more than to find Leanne and reassure her that he was safe. He knew she had started worrying the second he told her he was going to the site of a collapsed building and wouldn't stop until she saw for herself that he was unharmed. As he moved through the hospital looking for her, he learned that a doctor had been killed during a shooting in the waiting room. He was filled with an overwhelming panic until one of the nurses told him that Leanne was fine and had retreated to her office. His sense of relief lasted only until the nurse informed him that Charlotte Piel was the doctor who had been killed.

Ethan thanked the nurse for the information and quickly made his way to Leanne's office. He entered without knocking, then closed and locked the door behind him. Neither he nor Leanne spoke as he moved around the office closing the window blinds. When Ethan was certain that no one passing by would be able to see them, he walked behind her desk and hauled her out of her chair.

Leanne went willingly into Ethan's embrace. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Ethan kissed the top of her head. "I'm so glad you're okay," he mumbled into her hair.

Rather than wipe her face on Ethan's shirt, Leanne took a step back and grabbed a tissue from the box on her desk to dry her tears. "Charlotte is dead," she sniffled.

"I know."

"How are Dr. Nolan and the kid?"

"They're going to be fine."

"And you?"

"I'm good, but I wouldn't mind if you wanted to conduct your own examination. Please be thorough."

Rolling her eyes, Leanne chuckled, "I don't think that will be necessary."

"I do," countered Ethan. He took hold of Leanne's hips and pulled her against him. "I really do," he muttered right before he kissed her.

As the kiss deepened, Leanne felt Ethan's hands move under her scrub top. She was enjoying the feeling of his fingers on her bare skin until he started moving his hands higher up her sides. When his fingers brushed against the jagged scar located a few inches above her right hip, Leanne jerked away from him. She was breathing heavily as she pushed Ethan's hands away and straightened her shirt.

It took Ethan a minute to realize what was happening. Once he did, he cautiously approached her. "It's just a scar," he said in a quiet voice.

"No, it's not. It's the worst scar."

"From your accident?"

"Yes."

"Nobody's ever seen them."

"No."

"You're a beautiful woman, Leanne. A few scars can't change that."

"It's more than a few."

"And each one is proof that you survived. They're beautiful. Just like you."

"You can't say that. You haven't seen them."

"Someday, when you're ready, I will and I'll prove to you that I'm right." With a devious grin, Ethan took hold of Leanne's hands and dragged her with him as he walked backwards toward a chair that sat along one wall. He dropped into the chair and tugged on her hands until she fell into his lap. "I'm sure I can think of something to keep us busy while we wait."

Leanne smirked. "Like what?"

"Like this," Ethan murmured as he threaded his fingers through her hair and guided her lips to his.