Divorced! Now what?

Chapter 32

Bethany POV



Sitting in Robson's office watching Theo squirm was interesting. He was the last person I had expected to come walking through that door. I think he was more uncomfortable than me. By the look of him, we shall be putting any more bedroom moments aside, and I am okay with that. I have gone months without it. While I was married, I could do the same now that I am single.

Robson was enjoying this. I think that Theo shared a little more than just being neighbors; it is Theo who is embarrassed, not me. I enjoyed every moment we shared, and if someone else knows I am not hiding away because of my divorce, it is okay. I need to appear to be strong and confident, crying my eyes out and hiding away because what happened is not me. Dad taught me to be happy in the skin I am in and that when life sends me a curveball and I can't hit it outside the ballpark, I should take a deep breath and try again. I am no quitter, and I will never let anyone walk all over me again.

Theo walked me to the elevator and up to the floor that held three theaters.

'I will be operating in about half an hour. The nurse just informed me that the patient is now shaved and medicated, and they will take him up soon and settle him in the waiting ward, which is this one.' He took me to a room, and you could see it had little in it, as expected. Then, they guided me down the hall to the ICU and introduced me to the nurses there. They seemed okay but busy getting it all ready.

'Would you like to scrub in?' he offered, and it surprised me that he would. You rarely get to scrub up on your first day, so I appreciate the respect.

'If you are sure, I am not breaking any rules.'

'Nope, you are officially on the books, so if you wish to join me there, it would be good. Then, afterward, I can show you the procedures we do and the computer. I know Robson suggested a nurse, but you should really see what I do, as that is what is expected of you.'

'Do you wish for my help or to just observe?'

'Will see, the patient is not in a good place at the moment, and survival is low, but we shall see what we can do; you might have some ideas that I don't see once we have him open. He is one of the people we are hoping you can help with your artificial heart. A few will not survive much longer without a donor or your machine.'

Wow, I had not thought much about it in a while; I had to put all my research and experiments aside because of my job being near Mum and Dad. Also, my ex wanted me close, too, and that meant public hospital emergency heart surgery. I missed my research and did a little in my spare time, but that was later when Bret spent more and more time away from home.

'Okay, it will be good to see what I am up against first hand. I will return shortly.'

'Where are you going?' Theo asked, expecting me to follow him in to scrub up.

'I have some scrubs I would like to wear. Back soon.'

'We have scrubs.' he said, and I smiled at him as I walked away.

I left a confused-looking Theo on the theater floor and headed to my office and locker. I quickly changed and headed back up. Several nurses watched me pass and smiled at me. I was a hit then. Some gave me the thumbs up, and as I entered the lift, I met up with Robson.

'Wow, I like your scrubs, it suits you. But why are you in scrubs?'

'Theo asked if I would like to join him in the theater and then take me through the process on the computer. Thought it would be good to get my feet in and test the water.' I smiled at Robson

'Perfect. You can see the type of patient you will be operating on if you agree to try the artificial heart; if you agree, no pressure.' Both Robson and Theo are pushing heart research. I understand I am here to research the heart, but I had no idea it was the mechanical heart I had created that they actually wanted from me. I feel a little shocked.

'Sure, there is no pressure.' I chuckled along with him, as I could feel the pressure they were placing on me, and I wondered if I should continue experimenting with them. I had others made before I caved into Bret's wishes. I have them in my penthouse. It was something I enjoyed doing. I understood at a very early age that donors of hearts require someone to die, and I wanted everyone to live. As a young girl not yet in medical school, I had already planned my future. That was until I got married, and all that changed. Why not go back to my dreams and continue trying to find a way to keep everyone alive? With that in mind, I arrived at the scrub room and started to scrub my hands.

'Wow, I love your scrubs. No wonder you wanted to go and change into your own; you look cool,' a nurse who had been beside Theo when I said I was going to change said.

'Thank you. I have a few colors and lab coats, too, with cute hearts. They are a hit with children, and I think some of the older ladies like them, too.' I smiled at the nurse.

'Can't wait to see them. The doctor will be here shortly. He had to check the patient before we wheeled him in. He has had it hard.'

'So I heard. Let us hope we can do something for him,' I replied, thinking again about my experiment and what it would mean to people who cannot wait much longer.

Theo came in and stopped in his tracks, and I saw him in the mirror, staring at me, his mouth gaping open, before he chuckled and shook his head and came to stand beside me to scrub up.

'Cute.' He smirked at me in the mirror. He was gowned in this hospital's traditional green colors. 

Adding some color was good, and I had my own touch of color in the room.

'Yeah, I wanted something cheery. How is the patient?'

'If he survives this, it will be a miracle. The family is aware that the chances are slim.' Theo could have sounded more optimistic about his chances.

I looked down at the now-sleeping patient and felt terrible for him. His heart trouble was not because he smoked or drank. It was a family history of heart issues. They are the ones I am targeting, just like Robson said, and my resolve to continue with the artificial heart just grew. I watched for a while and then stopped Theo.

'Theo, may I?' I asked, and he nodded and stepped to the side to assist. He looked kinda glad I had taken this man's life out of his hands.

My small hands worked quickly as I worked on his heart, grafting and fixing it. The lesions and scaring were from other operations, and I removed what I could and repaired as much as I could; this man had been under long enough. I stepped back, let Theo close, and left the room, waiting for him to come out. I removed my gown and gloves with the nurse's help and watched the man being wheeled out.

He lived, and if he can make it through the night, he should live for a while. I have done this type of repair many times, but he needs more than a temporary fix. I might have given him a bit longer, but now he needs one of my hearts if I can bring myself to have them go on a human. Animals I am not attached to, and if they die, I am not liable for their failure. It is to learn and try again, but if I fail now, it is a person's life that will be gone, and it was hard for me to let go and gamble that my research is ready.

'That was some amazing work in there. I have not seen that procedure done before.' Theo was beaming at me like I had just given him the best gift ever.

'It is one I was experimenting with. It had a good success rate, and he seemed to need that little something different from what he had before.' I said casually.

'You are right, and he did need help. I had not thought of removing that part of the scarring. It was too risky for me, but you did it with ease. I can see why they want you for the children. You have a good eye and a steady hand for those risky parts.'

Theo sang my praises all the way to the computer and then settled down to explain their system. I was familiar with it, and it took us only a short time to do what was needed. I gave him a suggestion or two on the medicine I preferred, and he was happy to try what I suggested.

'Come, I just heard the family has just arrived in the waiting room; the patient will be in recovery for a little longer before we send him to the ICU; it is time to give them the good news that he is still with us.'



2024-05-19 14:34:17

Chapter 33 - Divorced! Now what?