Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 64

Bethany

POV

How we ended up in bed is a blur. One moment, we were talking about nightlife and other frivolous things, and the next, we could not wait to get each other's clothes off. I know we had not been intimate for a while, but you would think we were both starving for affection. The kisses and tenderness were amazing. I had never felt so wanted and loved before. Even when we were intimate a few weeks ago, it was not like this.

My sleep was solid and dreamless. My phone chirped beside the bed, waking me up. I picked up my phone and read the message. 'Urgent, call Robson. My stomach hit the floor, I hated getting those sorts of messages.

I dialed the number as I climbed out of bed and crept out of the bedroom, dreading myself; I had two children on my urgent list for heart surgery. We were postponing it for as long as we could, hoping they would get stronger for the long recovery needed. 'Morning, Bethany. Robson sounded too cheery for this time of the morning.

'Who?' I cut in as I walked out the door and into my home, naked. I did not even pick up my clothes; I just fled the room as I was.

'Cassidy child.' He sounded sad but resigned to the fact this was normal.

'Give me a half hour.' I hung up and had the quickest shower in history. Our company car was waiting outside the door, and I climbed in; every minute counts.

Robson met me at the door, which spoke volumes so he could be there and wait. The child was most likely not going to make it, and the guilt of having her wait hit me. Was it worth the risk? It takes work to make that call sometimes.

'She has been prepped and ready, Robson walked with me as we headed upstairs to the theater. He gave the rundown on the report and what the scans said; he had done most of the work I would have had to do, delaying the operation; this way, the girl was ready for me to get in there and try and save her life.

The girl was a sweet little thing, small for her age due to the heart condition that she was born with. We had done a few small operations to keep her going until she was older, and we could open her up, but life has thrown her a curveball, and here we are. The parents knew the risks and were prepared to take them, but it still felt heavy on my heart.

'Okay, everyone, begin. I was short with the staff. I had not meant to be. They did not seem offended as we got to work on the child.

Four hours later, we left the operating room. The child made it so far, and I let Robson speak to the parents. I wanted coffee, food, and time alone as I filled out the paperwork. We were lucky, by my estimation. The child may not have made it this far had we not waited. She is a strong little girl, and working with children is not easy.

Theo came to my office, carrying coffee and a muffin. He looked concerned as his eyes roamed my face.

'I was a little shocked you were gone, and I did not even know you had left. Great bed partner I am,' he joked as he placed the coffee in front of me and smiled when he heard my groan of pleasure as I took a large sip. 'That is the sound I enjoyed the most last night. Theo had a satisfied grin on his face if he had just won a big race. I looked at him and could not help but smile. His cute grin managed to break the tension inside of me. 'Don't fret about me leaving; it had to be done; thank you for the coffee. I raised the cup up as a salute and took a sip. 'Just the coffee?' he asked, as if he was hurt. His hand over his heart, looking at me as if pleading. 'Oh, no. The muffin too. I joked back, and he pulled the chair out and slumped into it.

'How are you this morning? Being called out would have been hard. Did you at least get some sleep?'

'Yeah, about four hours, you just got here?'

'Yep, no list today. I would like to get a few clients to go home and then do some outpatient reviews. You?'

'Robson said I can go home when I am ready and get some sleep. I might stay for a few hours and monitor the young lass, but other than that, it's an early day for me!

'Can we have dinner tonight? I want to talk about last night. He sounded a little nervous, and I wondered what happened last night that made him nervous.

'Sure, I can get some steaks and cook. What time would you be home, barring any emergencies?'

'I will come home early today, so about fourish. Robson will be heading home now, too. He was called in a lot earlier than you. I am surprised they called him in and not you. She is your patient!

'The little girl is a close friend's grandchild, and he has a personal stake in this one.

'That explains the reaction the family had when he told them she made it through surgery but was not out of the woods yet. They virtually hugged him to death. Family members don't usually do that. I have to agree, no matter how happy they are, contact with the doctor is usually minimal.' he said, his eyes tracking my every move.

Theo talked about next Sunday and how his mother wanted to send some food along with us, and it did not matter how much I said no; food was coming. Let's hope this time she sends easy food when watching sports. I do not want to get the cutlery and eat at the table; I want to use my hands and stay glued to the screen. How can a woman who has a husband who is into sports not see that?

'Don't worry too much about the female side of the family. They have never been into sports since they discovered boys, and only went to sports if it was a date and then complained all day that they guys paid little to no attention to them.' Theo chuckled at a memory he had, and I smiled; my mother and sister also did not include sports in their lives unless it was to look at some of those toned bodies in tight clothing. Then, my sister would be glued to the screen to watch for a completely different reason.

Theo left, and I completed my paperwork; the more I see children like this, the more I want to replace a way to minimize their trauma. That is why I am on the research side. I have to replace a way to help those who are born with an issue. It is more common than you would think. I know of some doctors that have operated on a child, still in the womb, but I am not one to do that. It puts stress on the mother as well as the child, and the risks are too high for me.

The child was so tiny in the large bed, her parents glued to the side of the bed. I took the chart and read how she had been since being brought in here, and I was pleased that she was stable and responding. 'How is she doing, Doctor?' The mother asked as I knew they would.

'So far, the signs are all good; I would like to keep her sedated for another twenty-four hours. You might wish to go home and rest. She will want to see you tomorrow when I wake her up and not look like you have spent the whole time here. I tried to encourage them to leave, as they looked shattered.

'Yes, we were waiting for you to come by to thank you for saving our girl. The father said kindly.

'That is why I am here! I replied softly, looking at them for the first time. I mean really looking at them.

'Robson said he called you in at the dead of night, thank you!

'Please go home, rest, and we can discuss where we go from here once she has recovered from this surgery.

They left, and I left the hospital, too. I grabbed some meat on the way home and marinated it when I got home. Then, I found my bed, hoping to get a few hours of sleep. I was exhausted.