“I’ll see you soon.”
It takes me two hours to arrange for personal time off. I hurry home and pack a few items before I leave for the airport. When I’m settled on the plane, I call Dad, so he’ll know where I am.
Then I dial Carter’s number.
“I’m on the plane. Who’s treating Marcus?”
“Dr. Barnard. I don’t know anything about him. I got more information for you. Did you know Marcus was shot?”
“No,” I whisper, shocked to hear that. Willow never mentioned anything about Marcus being shot.
We’re still close friends, but we’ve both been so busy that we’re lucky if we speak once a month.
“He was shot when he was ten. They removed the bullet but apparently, fragments were missed. He has lead poisoning. I’m not sure where the fragments are. Fuck, I wish I knew more.”
My mind races to process all the information.
“I’ll have to look at his files, scans, blood work,” I take a breath and remind myself that Carter has little to no medical experience. “I have a number for Dr. Bokeria. He’s a leading specialist in Europe. Give it to Dr. Barnard and have him make the call. I’ve only done one solo surgery, Carter. Marcus has a better chance if Dr. Bokeria gets involved.”
“Send me the number.” I hear him walk into a quieter room. “I need you here. I trust you.”
“I’ll be there soon, Carter.”
“Willow will bring you to the hospital.”
When I walk through the doors, a huge smile spreads across my face. I rush to meet Willow halfway, and we hug.
“Oh, my gosh,” I gasp as I hold onto her shoulders so I can look at her. “Your hair! It’s gotten so long.”
“Yours is gone,” she teases. “I love the short style.”
“It’s been too long,” I say as I notice the sadness in her eyes. “How are you holding up?”
She shakes her head and glances away.
“I know you’re not dating Marcus anymore, but it’s understandable that you’re worried about him.”
I don’t know what else to say to comfort her.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I haven’t even told you that we’re back together.”
My eyebrow shoots into my hairline. They’ve been on and off more than I care to remember.
“I’ll fill you in on the details on the ride to the hospital.”
Once we’re settled in the backseat of a town car, Willow hands me an envelope.
“This is everything I have. We’ve been looking for a way to save him, but so far every avenue we’ve followed has led us right into a brick wall.”
I take the documents out and page through them. Only one page is of any use to me. I examine it.
“This is dated almost nine months ago. Was this the first blood work done on him?”
“I think so.”
“I’m a little confused,” I murmur. “50μg/dL is treatable.”
“The fragments are causing complications. They’ve been treating him for lead poisoning but…” she clears her throat to compose herself. “The fragments have embedded themselves in his heart.”
I take her hand and squeeze it. The friend in me wants to hold her and assure her that everything will be fine. The doctor in me knows better.
“Do you know where in the heart?”
“No.” For a second her eyes light up with hope. “I’ve spoken to Dr. Barnard. He knows you’re coming. He agreed to let you look at Marcus. Leigh…” she takes a deep breath.
I already know what she’s going to say, so I make it easier for her.
“He’s agreeing because there’s nothing he can do for Marcus. I understand, Willow.”
“I love him,” she whimpers, and it breaks my heart to see how much she’s hurting. “Please…”
I’ve gotten good at controlling my emotions during my residency, but right now it’s really hard to keep a calm appearance.
“I’ll do my best,” I whisper.
Chapter 7
JAXSON
(Present Day…)
Irony, it’s when life fucks you over. Watching your best friend die a little every day, and not being able to do anything about it, is hell.
I’ve tried everything to find a way to save him. If only I had more time.
Movement catches my eye and thinking that it’s Carter, I glance at the entrance to the waiting room.
The blow of shock is so intense, I can’t breathe.
Doc.
She’s here.
Our eyes meet briefly, and it’s another blow to my gut. It doesn’t look like she recognizes me.
I’ve almost forgotten how beautiful she is.
Her hair’s much shorter, a stylish bob which frames her face, making her look more delicate than I remember. She’s dressed in a suit. The light, blue blouse she’s wearing makes her skin look silky soft. She’s wearing glasses, and damn, they complete the sexy-as-fuck look she has going.
The vision before me is definitely not how I remembered her.
Now that she’s standing in front of me, I curse myself for walking away from her. At the time I thought I was doing the right thing. She needed to hate someone, and I took the fall.
Instead, you hurt her while she was at her lowest, dumbass.
Hurt is an understatement. I fucking took her virginity and minutes later turned my back on her.
“I hate you for making love to me.”
I’ll never forget those words. I told her feelings hurt then I made her feel right before I turned my back on her.
I’ve replayed that night a million times over the past years. I thought I had dealt with the guilt, but the moment which still haunts me is the way she looked at me while I made love to her.
Sometimes I think it’s nothing more than wishful thinking.
Other times I’d find myself praying that the emotion I saw in her beautiful eyes was real, that she could love someone as fucked-up as me.
She’s the only woman I’ve made love to, that I’ve kissed, and to this day I don’t regret it.
I regret letting her push me away. I regret not fighting for her – for us.
It’s clear the way I felt about her has not dimmed one bit.
“Where’s Carter?” she asks to no one in particular.
While I struggle to find my voice, Carter comes into the waiting room.
“Hey,” Carter says as he takes hold of her arm. “I spoke to Dr. Barnard. Thanks for giving me Dr. Bokeria’s number. They’re going to have a live conference now. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
When he walks out, she quickly follows. I get up and rush after them, definitely wanting to sit in on the conference.
Also, I’m not ready to let her out of my sight just yet.
“Carter,” Leigh calls to him. He waits for her to catch up to him. “If Dr. Barnard allows it I’d like to sit in on the conference.”
“I’m sure he will agree,” Carter says, and taking her elbow, he walks her to Dr. Barnard’s office.
My eyes focus on where Carter is touching her.
I know Carter loves Della. I know I have no right to Leigh. But fuck, I hate that he’s touching her.
My eyes glide over her body, and I still can’t believe she’s here. I wasn’t aware that Carter had kept in contact with her. With Marcus and Willow dating, the possibility that I’d see her again has always been there.
Now that she’s here I feel like I’ve been transported back to the past.
When we walk into Dr. Barnard’s office, Carter introduces her.
The two doctors immediately start to discuss Marcus, using words I’ll never understand.
Seeing Leigh work yanks me from my thoughts and throws me into a reality where she’s a stranger. I don’t really know her.
I have no idea what makes her smile. I don’t know what she’s done with her life since I last saw her.
She’s a stranger.
The nineteen-year-old girl hates me.
Hope spreads through my chest like a wildfire.
Could this be our ‘another lifetime’?
As we sit around the desk and the three doctors discuss Marcus, I admit that I’m out of my league. They might as well be talking Greek.
“I haven’t had a chance to look at Mr. Reed’s file. Where are the fragments embedded?” Leigh asks.
Dr. Barnard hands her a file as he says, “In the left ventricle.”
I catch the corner of Leigh’s mouth twitching as if she’s trying to suppress a smile. It makes me look closer at her facial expressions while I’m leaning forward in my chair so I don’t miss anything.
There’s no worry on her face. She’s relaxed. She looks at the documents and holds up one of the X-rays.
“Is this the latest CSR?”
“Yes,” Dr. Barnard answers.
“Dr. Baxter.” I’ve forgotten about Dr. Bokeria. “Do you still need my assistance? I have to prep for a surgery.”
“My apologies, Doctor. I’ll call you once I’ve assessed everything.”
“Good. Please give my regards to your father.”
Leigh rises from the chair, still looking at the X-ray.
“Dr. Barnard, would you mind if I consult with my senior?”
“Not at all.”
“Which room is the patient in?”
She gathers all the papers and places them neatly back in the file.
“Room 413. Let me go with you.”
I glance at Carter, wishing he would say something. He shakes his head as he rises from his chair as well. He holds me back as they walk out of the office.