Joel’s fist hit the table so hard the ceramic cup near his hand rattled, nearly tipping over. The entire table jolted beneath the weight of his anger, and the sound echoed off the walls of the small kitchen like a gunshot—sharp, final.

“I SAID NO! NOW STOP!” he shouted, voice breaking with something you couldn’t name—rage, grief, fear.

You stared at him, frozen. You’d seen him stubborn before, sarcastic and closed off, especially when something hit too close to the bone. But never like this. Never so loud. Never so… furious.

“Joel… just think of the future!” you pleaded, heart pounding in your ears, voice soft with hope and desperation.

But Joel didn’t soften. His jaw clenched so tight the muscles in his neck twitched.

“I SAID NO, MIA! WE’RE NOT HAVING KIDS!”

The finality in his voice felt like a punch to the gut. Tears blurred your vision as your breath caught in your chest. You wanted to be a mom so badly. You thought he knew that—no, you knew he knew. You had talked about it before. Quietly, in whispers under the covers in the early mornings, when the world felt far away. And maybe he never said yes, not outright—but he hadn’t said no either. You thought he might change his mind someday.

Especially after Ellie.

He was so good with her. So protective, so patient in his own Joel-way. You saw it every time he looked at her—not just duty, but love. Real love. You thought… maybe that meant he was healing. Maybe you could build something, the three of you. Maybe it wasn’t too late to have a family.

You were wrong.

You turned without another word, too choked up to even breathe properly, and bolted out the door. The cold air of Jackson hit your face like a slap, and you ran, not even knowing where you were going, just that you needed to get away. Away from that house. Away from him. Away from the sharp, searing sound of his voice still echoing in your head.

You found yourself near the clinic without realizing, legs numb from the cold and the crying. You slumped onto the bench just outside, pulling your coat tight as the tears finally broke free. You sobbed into your hands, shoulders trembling.

A door creaked open behind you, then the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow.

“Mia?” came a familiar voice—deep, gentle, but edged with concern. Jerry.

You tried to pull yourself together, wiping your face and turning slightly away, but it was no use.

He sat down beside you, not touching, just… there. After a moment, he gently placed a hand on your back. You flinched, but didn’t move away.

“What did he do?” Jerry asked, quiet but firm.

You didn’t answer. You didn’t need to. Jerry already knew. He always seemed to.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” he said after a while, voice low. “I told Abby this would happen. That man’s too stuck in his past to see what’s right in front of him.”

You looked at him then. There was something in his eyes—not just sympathy, but something deeper. Protective. Affectionate. Tender.

You remembered what Abby said once, almost offhanded: “You know he cares about you, right? Not just like a patient. Like… he really cares.”

At the time, you brushed it off. But now, with Jerry sitting beside you, warm and steady, and your heart breaking in your chest, you weren’t so sure you could anymore.

Joel might’ve slammed a door shut—but maybe not all doors were closed.