Chicago Code Black by Diane Portman-Ray

James:
I just can’t seem to find the strength to live a Ritaless life anymore.
My name is James Sullivan. Neurosurgeon, devoted father, and member of a well-respected family.
I’ve got through life by keeping everything in order and treating life’s unexpected events with a calm and steady mind. I’m the voice of reason, of rationality.
That was until a black-eyed beauty fell into my arms. My memoryless Rita looks to me for answers, but I should have never told her we were married.
Every time I think about coming clean and setting her free, we end up tangled between the sheets.
I should let her go and find herself, fight her own demons, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
Rita walked through Hell, now all I want to do is lay Heaven at her feet and make her stay with me forever. So, when her past comes back to bite us in the ass, I’ll go as far as taking a bullet for her.
First, do no harm.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all the measures that are required…
…I will respect the privacy of my patients…
…I will remember that I don’t treat a fever…but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family…
…Above all I must not play at God…

Rita:
I’ve been robbed of my past and been dealt more future than I can handle.
I woke up one day to find that all my dreams had turned into reality.
I have a perfect life – a perfect baby daughter, a house that could make the cover of Lifestyle Magazine, and a hot, genius of a husband.
Me? I’m a girl from Cuba, with a pocket full of paint brushes. I have a man by my side who will do everything to make me happy and puts me on a pedestal.
James took care of my every need, body and soul, so why can’t I convince myself it’s all true? Why don’t I feel like I truly belong here?