That was good news about the surgeon.Dr.Striker was a trauma surgeon but took calls for general surgery as well.She was married to Dylan Gallagher, so she was Sean’s sister-in-law.Ryan had worked with her before and knew she was good.Sure, appendicitis was an operation most general and trauma surgeons could do in their sleep, but he felt better knowing it was someone he knew was an excellent surgeon.
He tried talking to Aria on the way but she was in too much pain to pay attention.On his way out he’d grabbed her purse, hoping she had her medical insurance information in it.He’d worry about it later if it wasn’t.
Once at the hospital he parked at the entrance to the ER, got Aria out of the car and put her in the wheelchair an aide had brought.Sean had a cubicle waiting for her.He left her in the nurse’s care long enough to move his car to the doctors’ parking lot.When he returned she’d been changed into a hospital gown and was on her way to get a CT.
“Thanks for putting a rush on her,” he told Sean when he saw him.
“No problem.Luckily we weren’t jammed up.What did you do with the baby?”
“The sitter came back.I sure didn’t want to bring her up here.By the time I saw her, Aria had been in progressively worse pain all day.I examined her and she had severe right lower quadrant pain, so I brought her in.”
“I’ll let you know when I get the scan and the results,” Sean told him.
Ryan went to Aria’s cubicle to wait with her.“Hey, how are you feeling?”
She smiled weakly at him.“Better.They gave me something for the pain.Made me loopy.”She stuck out her hand and he took it in his.“Thank you.”
“For what?Taking care of you when you’re sick?”
“That.But more for loving me and Sophie.”
He wasn’t sure what to say so he just kissed her on the forehead and smiled.
“Where’s Sophie?Did you bring her—”
“She’s at home with Whitney.You don’t need to worry.”Obviously, she’d forgotten that but she’d been in a lot of pain at that point.
Not too much later, Sean came in with a laptop.He showed them the CT scan.“The radiologist did a wet read and confirmed it’s appendicitis and it needs to come out.”
Looking at the scan, Ryan agreed.“Is Dr.Striker still able to do the surgery?”
“Waiting for her as we speak.Aria, we’re going to take you up to the OR and take out your appendix.Sound good?”
“Yes.”She hadn’t let go of Ryan’s hand since he entered the room, but at this point she squeezed it, let go, and tried to curl up into a ball.“Hurts.”
Soon after, they wheeled her out and took her to surgery.Sean clapped him on the shoulder.“She’ll be fine.”
“I know.”That didn’t make the knot in his stomach go away, however.
“Are you going to observe?”
“Long enough to make sure everything is going okay.”
“All right.I need to get back to the ER.”
“Thanks.”He put out his hand and Sean shook it.
And Ryan settled down to wait.
*
A few daysafter her surgery, Aria was at home with her baby.Ryan had taken care of everything after her surgery.All she had to do was rest and recover.He got up with Sophie at night, which made her feel guilty but he insisted.He seemed to think Sophie was borderline too heavy for Aria to pick up, and he wouldn’t hear of her doing it.When she suggested she could get up with the baby at night, he simply ignored her.If it wasn’t so sweet it would be frustrating.Okay, scratch that.It was definitely frustrating.But sweet.
Whitney came daily and stayed until Ryan came home.Ryan wanted Whitney to stay overnight when he was working but since he was able to be with them at night until Aria was ten days out of surgery, Aria vetoed that idea.
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of Sophie now.I feel fine.”
“You’re still recovering.You need rest and—”
