Page 159 of The Love Operation

I call her. We talk for thirty minutes, and by the end, I realize how right Mom was—we found our way back to each other.

“I love you,” I tell her.

“I love you too,” she says.

This might be the strongest relationship in my life. Delenn and I have stood together, stood by each other, and lifted each other up when we fell. We’ve been a team. We’ve each given, each taken. But through it all, we’ve stayed.

“You know what I just realized?” I ask.

“What?”

“You and me—we’re my model for what a relationship should look like. Real and messy, but still beautiful. A team.”

“I love that,” she says.

Then I call Isaac.

He wanted to know how my day off went—because he knows how hard this is for me. And he knows the rumors about us are pulsing through the hospital like a second circulatory system.

We talk for a while. I tell him about my mom. He’s understanding. Compassionate. And even though I can’t make him promises—and haven’t—we make some hard decisions. We’re going to tell the truth. Come clean. Stop pretending this isn’t complicated. When he says he loves me, and that he’s still here for me—I believe him.

After my conversation with Benedict, it feels like I swept away a layer of cobwebs. My relationship with Isaac feels clearer now, more straightforward. I’m no longer afraid I’ll ruin everything.

I already have, and he’s still here.

When we hang up, I wish I were a cardiologist instead of a spine surgeon. Because my heart is telling me something that doesn’t make sense.

It thinks I’m in love with two men.

Chapter 41

No

“Thank you for your honesty and candor, Dr. Wren. We look forward to your presence back in the OR as soon as possible. It’s where you belong.”

“I hope you also feel I belong in the chief’s position,” I say.

And just like that, the meeting ends—with honesty.

Isaac and I both submitted formal disclosures to HR. It was time.

They had a brief conversation with us both. We were reminded of the hospital’s strict antinepotism and COI policies, policies that were violated by not disclosing our relationship sooner. Isaac was encouraged to recuse himself permanently from any decision related to my promotion, which he did. We were both questioned multiple times as to why Isaac hadn’t recused himself from the start, but what had been so clear to us wasn’t as clear to everyone else.

HR also encouraged me to withdraw my name from consideration for chief, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. I told them I wouldn’t. I didn’t raise my voice, didn’t explain or defend. I just said no.

Because no is a full sentence.

Last night, after everyone left, I had a long talk with Tad Cooper. Well, talk might be generous. He mostly stared at me from his favorite rock, blinking slowly like a slightly judgmental therapist in lizard form. But I worked through a few things regardless.

A lot of my life has been about achievement for achievement’s sake. But it’s also been about legacy, change, and progress. I still want those things, but my pursuit of success has to look different now. And that’s what I’m working toward: figuring it out.

Though, I still want the chief position. At the very least, I’m not willing to let it slip away after everything I’ve been through.

During the meeting with the committee, I tried to read faces. Some of them seemed unmoved. Some nodded, almost respectfully. Their responses didn’t all make sense, but then again, most things don’t. Still, it was clear a few of them respected the honesty.

I told them it wasn’t a confession—it was a commitment to transparency. I’m still not sure I believe that. Because I stand behind why we started the secrecy in the first place: Sometimes it’s not about playing by the rules when the rules aren’t fair.

But in this moment—the one where we got caught—coming clean was the only thing to do.