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I’m going to have to catch her alone. I have to talk to her before she leaves. I have no idea what I’m going to say, but I can’t just let her disappear out my life again. I need to see if there’s anything still between us.
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LEIGH
Sitting in the dark, I watch as Marcus sleeps.
He’s high risk. If he dies on my table, it will destroy everything I’ve worked hard to achieve over the past few years. It will destroy my credibility.
Even if he survives the surgery the odds that he’ll survive thirty days post-operation isn’t good.
He wakes up and looks at me for a while before he says, “No one will blame you.”
“For what?”
“Come on, Doc. We both know there’s no way I’m walking out of here.”
Doc.
Jaxson never called me that in front of Marcus. Does that mean they talked about me?
I stand up and slowly walk to the bed. I look down at Marcus. I stare into his eyes until he lets me in.
I see despair mixed with hope, and his strength fighting against the bleakness of his situation.
“You have two options, Mr. Reed. You can give up and die in this bed, or you can ask to be transferred to my care.”
A fire ignites in his eyes as he asks, “What will happen if you take me on as a patient, Dr. Baxter.”
“You will live.”
There are no certainties in this life. It’s something Dad has repeatedly tried to get me to believe. We’re taught not to make promises to patients. We’re trained to avoid using certainties where risk is involved.
“I believe in facts. I will remove the fragments, and you will not die on my table. Your psychological state plays a big part in recovery. Do you want to live, Mr. Reed, or have you already given up?”
“Of course I want to live,” he growls.
“Good. I’ll take a chance on you if you are willing to take a chance on me.”
“Leigh,” he whispers, clearly exhausted, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“You should be released in three days. They’ve stabilized you. You need to rest, Marcus. I’m going back to California. I’ll arrange with Carter to bring you to California on the twenty-sixth.”
I pick up my bag, and as I prepare to leave, Marcus says, “He loves you.”
I take a deep breath and smile at Marcus.
“Your heart is the only one I’m interested in, Mr. Reed. Have a good night’s rest.”
As I step out of the elevator and walk towards the exit, I slip on my jacket. I decide to walk back to the hotel I’m staying at while calling Dad. It’s freezing outside, but refreshing at the same time.
“Hi, Daddy. Did I wake you?”
“No, I was just thinking about you. How’s your trip?”
“It’s good. I’ll talk to you about the patient when I get home.” I smile as I continue, “I had my first solo today.”
“You did? Sweetheart, that’s wonderful. How did it go?”
