Page 27 of One Reckless Night

And then it was done.

The tumor came free with one final pull. I exhaled slowly, easing back from the microscope. The room seemed to exhale with me. I stepped back, pulling off my gloves and mask, and scrubbed a hand over my face. The tumor was gone but Gemma was still there, her arms crossed, her expression tight.

“You know, this is why we broke up,” she said irritably. “You can’t stand not being the smartest and most talented person in the room. You have to be in control, always.”

I turned to face her, my patience wearing thin. “We broke up because you cheated, Gemma. Let’s not rewrite history.”

I walked out of the OR, pulled off the gown, and tossed it in the bin. Gemma was right behind me.

“Oh, please,” she snapped, clearly interested in keeping up the argument. “Like you were some saint in that relationship.”

I shook my head, too tired to argue. “Lucky for both of us, none of that matters now. Last I heard, you were engaged to your affair partner. I would congratulate you but there must be trouble in paradise if you’re back here sniffing around me. Did he finally realize what a mistake he made? Did you cheat on him too?”

She wiggled her ring-free fingers, her expression smug. “It’s over. But if you’re looking for company before my flight back to Miami, you know where to find me.”

I stared at her, disgusted. “Giving a hand job to a busboy in the bathroom?”

“He wasn’t a busboy, he was the chef.”

I laughed bitterly. “Well, either way, I’m not interested in his table scraps. Find someone else’s life to ruin.”

“You always like a good screw after a surgery like that,” she said. “You know you’re high on adrenaline. All of that energy has to go somewhere.”

“Not you.”

She rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving me alone. I ran a hand over my face. Gemma always brought up old, bad feelings, and tonight was no exception. I couldn’t shake the tension she’d left in her wake.

I rolled my shoulders and then my neck. That surgery had been intense. To myself, I could admit there had been a few times I wasn’t sure I could pull it off.

But I did.

I washed my hands and headed toward the waiting room where his parents were. I paused outside the door. I could hear them crying. My stomach dropped. I hated this part. When I walked in, they leapt to their feet. The mother’s face was wet with tears; the father looked like he’d aged years in the few hours his son had been on the table.

“Everything went just as we hoped,” I said.

Their knees buckled, and they clung to each other, sobbing quietly in relief. I gave them a moment, then explained everything they needed to know before heading back to my office. I was halfway there when I passed Amelia’s lab and noticed the light was still on.

I paused, peering through the glass. She was sitting at her desk, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun as usual. Her face was illuminated by the glow of her computer screen. She looked intense. Focused. And for some reason, I found myself walking in.

“Working late?” I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

She jumped, startled, and turned to look at me. “Jared. What are you doing here?”

“Could ask you the same thing,” I said, stepping inside. “It’s well past quitting time.”

She shrugged, turning back to her computer. “I had some work to finish. What’s your excuse?”

“I had a surgery that went long.”

She frowned. “Good outcome?”

“Of course, but there were some… challenges.”

She smiled. “Does that mean you were nervous?”

I thought about my answer. My usual response would be no. “I wouldn’t say nervous, but I did have some thoughts that the outcome might not be what I expected. No other surgeon wanted to operate on him. Too risky.”

Her lips twitched. “But it worked out?”