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And I knew it. Deep, deep in my core.
I love you, Dominic Harrington.
Chapter 29
Dominic
Everything was a-go. Word had come early that Dr. Al-Sawi had secured a narrow window of entry for me into Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. I was excited that this simple thought I had months ago was coming into fruition. It was pretty amazing how this all worked.
The last couple of weeks had gone by quickly. Things were awkward between me and Calla, but I kept focused on what was coming and that kept me on the straight and narrow. I knew the guys didn't approve of what I had done, but I couldn't be bothered with that at the moment.
Dr. Al-Sawi and I had made all the patient choices. We had numerous meetings in the early morning and over the lunch hour, which was the early evening for him. We had a multitude of patients for me to operate on; the criteria being the chance of success and how much it would change their standard of living. Honestly, it was hard to make the choices because it felt like we were trying to play God, but there was no other way to do it.
Dr. Al-Sawi was careful when he spoke about safety. I could tell that it was a concern where a lot of it was out of his control, but I also knew I was going to do it, regardless. I pushed that to the back of my mind. I knew if I focused on what was important, maybe some guardian angel would stand by my side. I didn't want to die or get kidnapped, but I felt so pulled to this country, I couldn't explain it.
I was in the break room, grabbing a quick coffee. Logan was sitting at the table, reading a medical journal while eating one of the apples I had picked up on my way to work.
"Dom," he called out as I walked in. "Getting excited?"
"You bet."
"How are you doing otherwise? I mean, with Calla-stuff? She's been really quiet lately."
"Yeah, I broke it off with her a few weeks ago."
"That explains everything."
I murmured. I knew that this would affect the office in some way.
Logan continued. "Well, I'm sorry about that. But you know, you didn't have to do that to prove your dedication to the cause, Dom."
"Thanks for your input, Logan, but I really think this is for the best."
"Was it? How did she take it?"
"Honestly, her reaction was pretty minimal."
"Interesting."
"Why?"
"I just didn't expect it to be minimal. I mean, Dom, you two are one hot couple. You look made for each other. That look in your eyes when you see each other. That's a look money can't buy."
I remembered the way I felt when I looked at Calla from across the bar the first time I laid eyes on her. I remembered how she smelled when we were out in the gardens at the gala. I remembered our date at the movie theatre.
I hung my head.
"Let's just say," I looked Logan straight in the eyes, "I know this is for the best."
Logan sighed as I left the break room. This was just something he, and everyone else, would just have to accept.
And if I didn't think about it, maybe I could start to accept it, too.
I pulled a few large boxes out of the van and loaded it onto the trolley after arriving at the busy airport. Karen, my accompanying nurse, was joining me on this mission, and I was thankful to have her expertise. She was the highest-rated surgical assistant nurse in our clinic, having accompanied all of us through many of the complex brain surgeries we conducted over the past few years.
Having her along made all the safety concerns take on higher stakes. It wasn't just me, but she had a family waiting for her to come home, and I recognized the sacrifice that she was willing to take on to make this dream of mine come true. But we spoke about it at length and she was completely sure she wanted to come. I made sure to talk to the boys to make sure, if anything happened, her family would be richly compensated for her sacrifice. But I really wanted to be sure we didn't get to that.
I couldn't think about it too much, otherwise I would think I was crazy, too.
