AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s okay. It’s in the past. I’m better now.” She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Yes, it felt like a scene from the past, but she wasn’t a vulnerable nineteen-year-old anymore. “Cody, can I see Annabelle?”
“Of course. You’ll have to wear full sterile gear before entering the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.”
She struggled to rein in her skittering nerves and stood.
“Are you sure you’re up to it now?” Herb reached for her wrist. “Your pulse rate is still high.”
Quite embarrassed by the commotion she’d caused, Arianna collected her thoughts. She’d gone through so much to overcome her qualms. Now was not the time to allow the vulnerable girl of the past to resurface, not when Cody appeared so determined to play the macho protector, and Rafael was probably pondering how to carry her out of this office.
Tilting her chin, she uttered two words loud and clear, “I’m fine.”
“I’m coming with you.” Rafael declared in a firm tone and faced her to read her expression and guess her wishes.
Cody glared at him. “Only one person at a time in the PICU.”
“Rafael, don’t worry. I’m good.” She met his gaze, held it, and smiled. He smiled back. In that instant, she knew he trusted her, despite her lies by omission, holding back part of the truth about her past. “I’ll see you later.” Her voice sounded more like a command than a request.
She headed to the door and strode toward the elevator, Cody on her heels.
“Tell me about the surgery.”
“It was long and delicate, but definitely a success. Relax.”
“Did you repair the valve or replace it?”
“Replaced it. Based on the detailed health report sent by her doctor and her present situation as a foster child, I decided it was better to do that.”
“Open heart?”
“You really want the nitty-gritty, don’t you?”
She bobbed her head.
“All right. It was a minimally invasive procedure with small incisions. She’ll have less pain and will stay in the hospital for a shorter time. She’s on a ventilator now to assist her in breathing and has IV medicine to control any problems with bleeding. You can go in to see her. I’ll wait outside.”
When they arrived in the PICU area, a nurse met them and directed Arianna to a scrub room where she washed thoroughly and slipped on a sterile gown, mask, cap, and gloves, and then entered the PICU itself.
Arianna had seen her share of babies and children with tubes poking out of their arms and noses, but the sight of Annabelle pinched her heart. The poor baby had no loving mom sitting at her side. “We’re a good match, Annabelle. I lost my baby, and you lost your mommy.” She prayed this baby would recover and blew her a kiss with the tip of her finger, pledging not to abandon the child if she made it out of the hospital.
After removing her protective paraphernalia, she joined Cody.
“Feeling better now?”
Wishing she could erase the patronizing smirk from his face, she urged herself to keep her cool. “Much better. Thank you, Cody. I knew you and your father were the best surgeons to operate on Annabelle and save her. You’ve gained quite a reputation in the medical field.”
“Thank you. You seemed quite informed about medical news.”
“Obviously. I’m visiting hospitals daily.”
“Do you really like this life?”
“I love it. There’s an amazing sense of freedom when you’re up in the sky.”
“I can’t believe it.” Staring at her, he slowly shook his head. “I remember you as a delicate medical aide. Any unexpected noise would startle you. I thought you would be terrified of flying.”
“That was then; this is now.” She snorted, pleased to shock him out of his comfort zone. “Cody, I learned to pilot small planes two years ago.”
“Oh wow. You’ve changed so much, Arianna.”
