Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
He’s shouting orders and it feels too loud. The lights and sounds and everything. I just want it all to go away.
And then it does.
Poof.
Daniel
I’m damn near climbing the walls, desperate to go into the operating room and check on things, but I know Dr. Cohen needs focus. Rushing into the OR freaking the fuck out is not going to help.
“Drink this,” Morris says, thrusting a water bottle at me.
My hand shakes as I snag it and chug down half the contents. “How are Teddy and Landon?”
“Good as can be expected.”
I scrub my palm down my face. “Jenna here?”
“She is. Enzo and Cora stayed home.”
“You think everything’s okay?” I ask, chancing a look at my friend.
His lips purse together, making my heart sink. “Aneurysms are no joke,” he says sadly. “But you saw the scans. If they can get on top of it, she’ll be fine.”
I glance at the clock. She’s been in there for a while. Had the aneurysm burst, she would’ve died on the table.
“Breathe, man,” Morris says, gripping my shoulder.
A sharp breath escapes me. “Coil embolization. It’s a successful treatment plan. It will work.”
He nods as though he believes me.
Fuck, I barely believe myself.
“Sit the hell down in your office and take a breather. I’ll bring some of those vanilla cookies you love,” he says, grabbing my other shoulder to walk me away from the OR.
I skid to a halt. “I can’t. What if…what if…”
What if she dies?
What if they need me?
“Fine, then at least sit. You’re wearing a hole in this gorgeous linoleum. The hospital has had it since the ’60s. That shit is irreplaceable.”
I let out a small laugh, thankful for his ability to lighten any dark situation.
A door opens and Nurse Eleanor exits the OR.
“Dr. Venable,” she calls out.
I stalk over to her, my heart dropping with every step. “Yes.” My voice is a husky croak. Morris is right at my side for moral support.
“Dr. Cohen asked me to step out and inform you that the coil embolization was successful. She’ll need to frequently have it monitored, but she should be okay.”
Her words sink in my bones, burrowing there.
She should be okay.
It was successful.
My legs shake with the urge to fall to my knees and sob in fucking relief. But I can’t do that. I have a family to talk to.
Mine.
Two weeks later…
“No. No. No.” Lauren flips through the Netflix shows past all the ones we’ve seen. She’s restless and agitated.
“What about that one?” I ask, pointing absently.
As she reads the description, I crawl into my bed and stare at her. Even weak and tired, she’s beautiful. The aneurism was just one of her problems. Her cysts on her right kidney have grown in size and two had ruptured. So on top of everything, she’s been in severe pain. And, because of the excessive bleeding and eventual clot formation, she developed a urinary tract infection. My girl gets delivered blow after blow.
“Maybe I’ll just go to bed,” she says grumpily, tossing the remote.
Her anger and irritation barely hides the tears brimming.
“Want to talk about it?”
She hisses, the tears leaking out. “What’s there to talk about? My body hates me.”
I reach up and brush away a tear with my thumb before kissing her forehead. “We could talk about that terrible robe my mother brought over for you to wear.”
Despite her trying to remain in a bad mood, her lips twitch. “It’s a lovely shade of baby shit green. Like your eyes.” She bats her lashes at me.
I snort. “Maybe I should tell Mom that since she has the same eye color as me.”
“Your mother will never believe it. She loves me,” she brags.
Lauren may be joking, but it’s true. They finally met after I brought Lauren to my house once she was discharged from the hospital. Mom stayed for a few days cooking and cleaning. It was strained at first because my mother wasn’t keen on the age gap, but all it took was being around us for a full day to understand how much love we have for each other. Once she realized I was happy and that Lauren was it for me, she relaxed and let my girl in her heart too.
My girl never leaves once she roots herself in there.
“Tomorrow you want to get out of the house and go to that bookshop?” I suggest. I know she’s tired and hurting, but it’s something she can do. Sitting inside the house alone while I work is not good for her. She needs fresh air.
“I’d like that,” she whispers. “Maybe recreate our first date.”
Minus the wild fucking and subsequent ER visit.
“We could have sex,” she says, reading my mind.
“Or we could do more of this.” I brush her hair from her face and kiss her deeply. “You like this?”
Her fingers thread in my hair as she pulls me closer. “I really like this.”