Chapter 6 - The Healing Touch
Dr. Julian Montgomery was the Chief of Pediatric Reconstructive Surgery at UCLA and the medical director of the Phoenix Rising Foundation.
At twenty-eight, Julian was brilliant, athletic, with kind hazel eyes, an easy, grounding smile, and hands that performed surgical miracles. He had dedicated his career to reconstructive trauma after his younger brother had suffered severe chemical burns in a lab accident years earlier.
Julian stepped into the room, holding two cups of hot chamomile tea, handing one to me as Emma happily rejoined the drawing table.
"You have a gift with these kids, Maya," Julian said softly, sitting beside me on the wooden bench. "In three weeks, you've done more for Emma’s emotional recovery than six months of clinical therapy."
"They just need to know they don't have to hide, Julian," I replied, looking out the large windows at the palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze.
Julian looked at me, his gaze lingering with gentle, unhurried reverence.
"You're an extraordinary woman, Maya Sterling," Julian murmured, his deep baritone sending a warm, pleasant flutter through my chest. "Not just because of what you survived, but because of the grace you carry every single day."
"Thank you, Julian," I said, meeting his warm eyes.
Over the next twelve months, Julian and I became an inseparable team.
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We traveled across the country opening four regional trauma recovery clinics, reviewing clinical trial data, and hosting national conferences on advanced scar tissue rehabilitation.
Julian never looked at my scars with pity or morbid curiosity. When we walked along the Santa Monica pier in the summer heat, he held my hand with open, unapologetic pride. With Julian, there were no secrets, no demands, and no shame—only the pure, steady warmth of a man who saw my soul and cherished every piece of it.
