Sky looked around the room as if the man was hiding behind the lockers. “I thought I told you not to call me at this number?”
“Two things. One, I don’t take orders very well. And, two, why wouldn’t I call this number? It’s the best one where I can reach you.”
“Mr. Kneeland, I am on my way into surgery now. You of all people should want me calm. Harassing me right before I put a scalpel in my hand is not a good way to accomplish that.”
He sighed heavily into the phone. “I hate feeling helpless.”
Sky massaged her forehead. The despair in his voice touched her. “Look, how about you make yourself useful and Google me. I may not be a household name like Dr. Henson, but my credentials are pretty damned impressive if I say so myself. I am now hanging up. I have a really important patient waiting for me.” Sky pressed the end button and turned off her phone. She placed it in her locker and shut the door.
“It’s go time.”
Chapter 7
After sixteen hours, Charlie Kneeland’s surgery was over. Sky and Noah walked out of the operating room physically exhausted. However, the most challenging part of their work still lay ahead.
Sky pulled off her surgical cap as they approached the room where Bella and Kane were waiting for updates about the procedure.
“Dr. Kirby?” Cassie called out to her as she exited the O.R.
“Yes?” Sky wasn’t able to keep the exhaustion out of her voice when she responded.
“I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to assist. It was a great education, and I learned so much. Is it okay if I make a few copies of the things I want to review from the surgery and get a copy of your final report to compare to my own notes?”
Sky was impressed with her work ethic. “Of course. I’ll have someone e-mail it to you. Make sure you study up, so next time, you’ll know what I need before I ask.”
Next time. Cassie was on cloud nine and beamed. “Absolutely! Thank you again for the opportunity.” She backed away and headed toward the locker room.
“I guess she didn’t think much of my skills.” Noah laughed but deep down it bothered him. He had been rendered invisible during Sky’s exchange with Cassie. It happened a lot when they worked together. He played off his jealousy with a smile that didn’t reach his blue eyes. “You were brilliant today.” Noah reached out to touch Sky’s hand, but she snatched it away. He stared into big beautiful brown eyes, pleading with her to forgive him in the hopes that they could share this experience together. Maybe, it could serve as a reset for their relationship.
Sky glanced away. It would be so easy to confuse the energy derived from performing what she hoped was a successful surgery and misdirect it to something, or someone else. Sky refused to allow that to happen. Slowly, she exhaled. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Disappointed, Noah forged ahead. He used the back of his knuckles to tap on the door. When there was no response, he knocked again a little harder before pushing the door open and slowly walking inside.
Bella and Kane were fully clothed and laying across a bed sleeping. Noah coughed in an attempt to wake them. “Excuse me. Mr. and Mrs. Langston?”
Sky had no idea how they could even nod off at a time like this.
Bella’s head snapped up. Anxiously, she roused her husband awake. They sat up and got out of bed. Bella’s voice shook slightly. “How is my daughter?”
Sky knew the woman was terrified, but what she didn’t know was the source of it. Was it the fear that Charlie might die or that she might live to tell a few secrets? Sky shook her head to chase away those thoughts.
Noah was relieved to be able to give her the news. “Charlie is a fighter. She is tough. The surgery went well.”
Sky folded her arms across her chest and remained silent as she watched their reaction to the news.
“Will she be alright?” Nervously, Bella rubbed her hands together.
Noah responded. “We won’t know for a little while yet. There is quite a bit of swelling. Once it goes down, we’ll know if the nerves have fused together properly and are talking to each other.”
Kane squeezed his wife’s hand when he asked, “But, is she going to live?”
His concern seemed forced. Sky narrowed her eyes. “I hope so because I’d like to ask her how she got those bruises all over her body. They certainly didn’t come from tonight’s accident.” Sky leveled suspicious eyes toward Bella and Kane. “Any ideas on how it could have happened?”
“Bruises?” Bella stuttered. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kane replied. “We don’t know anything about any bruising. Charlie was fine before tonight. If there were some unusual marks on her body, more than likely, it came from this hospital.”
The tension in the air was thick. Noah attempted to bring it down. “Charlie’s body has gone through a lot. The next twenty-four hours are going to be critical. Fortunately, she is healthy. That will work in her favor.” Noah glanced at Sky chastising her with his eyes and demanding she stand down. “Dr. Kirby and I will be hanging around for a while. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.” He stressed the me instead of us. “In the meantime, you and Mrs. Langston do your best to get some rest. It’s going to be a long night.” He shook both their hands.
Sky did not. Instead, she leveled a hard stare at Noah, Kane, and Bella before walking out of the room.
Once they were out of earshot, Noah turned to Sky. “What the hell was that?”
“Something is not right, and you know it. That girl had bruises everywhere. How do we know that she fell off of a horse? What in God’s name would she have been doing on one that time of morning? It doesn’t make sense.”
“You don’t know her or her family. That could be the time they go horseback riding! This is unlike you to jump to unfounded conclusions! Don’t let our issues cloud your judgment. Charlies’ injuries are consistent with falling off of a horse, and if her parents say that’s what happened, then that’s what happened.”
Sky hissed. “Your ego is out of control. Charlie’s injuries are also consistent with abuse.”
“You’re going too far. I just told you, we can’t make assumptions like that if we don’t have any facts to back them up.”
“We don’t?” Sky was angry that he wasn’t connecting the dots. “Noah, those bruises were at least a couple of days old. Kane and Bella are both acting suspiciously. We have an obligation to our patient to contact children and family services. As attending physician, you should have done that the moment you examined her in the emergency room! They can investigate, and if they don’t find anything, we will have done what we were supposed to do.”
He grabbed her hard by the arm. “Are you crazy? That’s Bella Lord! Her PR team would be all over us.”
Sky snatched her arm out of his grip. “I don’t care who she is! I’m not turning a blind eye.”
“You can’t unilaterally call anyone. There is a protocol for high-profile-clients. You’ve got to discuss this with the Chief-of-Staff. He won’t approve it, and as the Assistant Chief-of-Staff, I won’t back you up. I’m not losing my career or reputation as a physician over your unfounded suspicions.”
“You spineless weasel! I can’t believe I ever thought . . .” Sky let her words fade.
“Call me whatever names you want. I’m not committing career suicide on a little girl who might not live through the next twenty-four hours.”
“You’re disgusting.” Horrified, Sky backed away from him shaking her head.
*****
Two hours later, Sky had taken a shower and a nap in her office. She typically didn’t leave the hospital for the first twenty-four hours after a procedure as complex as the one she had just performed. When she woke up, she checked on Charlie and then her other patients before coming back to her corner of the world to eat the Chinese food she ordered for dinner.
Sky sat at her desk with her chin resting on one hand and eating shrimp fried rice out of t
he box with a set of chopsticks. She had been surfing the internet looking for a rescue dog when her cell phone rang. She put down her food and sticks to answer it. “Hey, Nia.”
“Hey, you. How did the surgery go?”
“I won’t know for a little while.”
“I’m sure you did the best you could.”
“I did. I just hope it was enough.” She thought about mentioning her suspicions regarding Charlie to Nia but then changed her mind.
“Must be nice working side-by-side with Noah like that.”
“Not when you want to punch him in the face.”
“Whoa . . . for what? What did he do?”
“I got a not so surprising surprise.”
“Uh-oh. What?”
“Let’s just say stick a fork in us. We’re done.”
“Are you serious?” Nia wasn’t all that surprised. He’d lasted longer than most.
“Yep.”
Nia sighed. “Did he leave his shoes in the hallway instead of by the door?”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” Sky held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she picked up the box of rice and started eating again. “Actually, I interrupted him about to have sex with another woman.”
Nia went silent before yelling into the phone. “Oh. My. Gaawd! I’m so sorry. What a pig? What did he say for himself?”
“What could he say? I. Saw. Him! I literally caught him minutes before we were supposed to go into surgery.”
“Did you beat her ass?”
Sky’s hand froze with the chop-sticks half-way to her mouth. “Why would I do that?”
“Because she was about to get it in with your man!”
“Did you beat up the woman who cheated with Steven?”
“I would have if I could have caught her. She ran out of the apartment too fast. I mean she literally left butt naked.” Nia laughed.
Sky didn’t see the humor, especially when it had only happened a couple of nights ago. She shook her head in disgust. Nia had obviously taken that slimeball back. She didn’t have to say it. Her jovial mood told the tale.
Nia reminded her. “Anyway, weren’t you all about doing memorable and lasting damage?” Nia reminded her.
Nia couldn’t see Sky, but she shrugged her shoulders. “True. But the difference in our situations was that you actually loved Steven. You two had years of shared history together. I just kind of liked Noah. We were only dating for few months. I wasn’t that emotionally attached. I was angrier with myself for not trusting my instincts than with him.” Sky changed the subject. She didn’t want to give Noah any more of her time. “I’m guessing your therapy session with Steven went well?”
Nia wasn’t so sure that Sky wasn’t hurt. It was genuinely hard to tell since she hid her feelings so well. “We are still trying to find a time that works with both of our schedules.”
“Mmmhmm.” Sky took another bite of her food.
“I won’t let you deflect. Noah’s betrayal has got to make you feel some kind of way.”
“It does. Angry. Seriously, I was uncomfortable for all of five minutes. Noah did exactly what I expected. I dodged a bullet. He’s a narcissistic social-climbing ball of phlegm. I don’t need him in my life.”
“That’s um . . . Disgusting. You work with the man. How do you plan to avoid him?”
“I’m a professional. I can separate my work from my personal life.”
Nia’s voice softened. “Did he apologize?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does. We all make mistakes.”
Sky wasn’t settling for the bullshit like Nia. “I don’t. If I give you my word or make a commitment, I keep it. I also don’t put my career ahead of doing what’s right.”
“Well, that sounds–Cryptic. Even so, we all can’t be as perfect as you.”
“I’m not perfect, just consistent.”
“That was sarcasm. No, you are not perfect. That’s my point.”
A deep male voice boomed throughout Sky’s office interrupting their conversation. “Dr. Kirby . . .”
Sky almost dropped her phone. It took her by surprise because it was late, and she wasn’t expecting anyone. She bobbled the cell in her hand before getting control of it. Her eyes locked on to the face of an incredibly handsome man standing in her office doorway. Her mouth went dry and her insides clenched. Sky had never had this visceral of a reaction to a man before in her life. I didn’t matter that his suit was wrinkled and his face had day old growth on it.
He repeated her name. “Dr. Sky Kirby?” His voice was familiar, and then she remembered Remington Kneeland.
Sky scrambled to make sure her face was blank as she swallowed. Then she remembered Nia was on the phone. Sky wasn’t sure how much if anything he may have heard of their conversation but refused to give anything away by her expression. Sky whispered into the receiver. “Nia, I’ll have to call you back.” She disconnected the line and slid the phone back into her pocket. Then, stood.
“Yes, I’m Dr. Kirby.” She extended her hand.
He shook it. “I’m Remington Kneeland, Charlie’s father. They told me I should find you before going to the I.C.U.” Worry lines were etched all over his face. “I came straight from the airport. How is she?”
Talking to him in person was much different than over the phone. The anguish on his face made her feel the compassion she hadn’t felt enough of earlier. “Please have a seat.”
“I’d rather stand, thank you.” His voice was gruff. Even though his body language screamed exhaustion, Remington straightened his six-foot-three-inch frame as if bracing for the worst.
Sky nodded. “Charlie is holding her own. She’s in critical but stable condition. Dr. Bridges performed a craniectomy and assisted me in the spinal cord by-pass procedure.”
“Can you explain that to me in lamens terms?”
“I’m sorry. A craniectomy had to be performed to relieve the pressure on Charlie’s brain. That is where a small portion of the skull is removed due to severe swelling. A separate procedure was necessary to repair some damaged nerves. We attempted to fuse them back together. Unfortunately, some of them were damaged beyond repair. However, I was able to take intact peripheral nerves rostral to the level of injury and transfer them into the spinal cord below the injury. I tried to call you once the procedure was finished but your phone went to voicemail.”
“We must have been flying over a blind spot, and I haven’t checked my messages. That all sounds complicated.”
“It is very complicated. I don’t leave those kinds of messages.”
He nodded. “Not sure I understand all of what you just explained. I’ll have to research it.”
“Charlie is currently in the I.C.U. and has been placed in a medical coma. That was necessary to assist in her recovery. We need her completely still for a while. However, both procedures seemed to go very well.”
“Seemed? When will we know for sure?”
“I will be honest with you, Mr. Kneeland. Charlie’s injuries are life-threatening. The next several hours are going to be critical. Every hour that she can hang on is crucial. The longer she remains stable, the better her chances.”
Remington couldn’t wrap his mind around Sky’s words. How was it possible one minute Charlie and him were Skyping and the next, he could lose her?
His anguish was hard to ignore. It was written all over him, and Sky’s heart softened. It was apparent that Remington was trying to be strong when Sky saw his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallowed.
“What are the chances of a full recovery?”
“I wish I could give you that information. We just won’t have any idea of what we are dealing with until the swelling goes down, and if, or when, Charlie regains consciousness. As of now, we are taking it one step at a time. With each success, we can focus on any necessary rehabilitation.”
Remington was anxious. “In cases like this, what is considered a normal amount of time to regain consciousness?”
“It really depends on Charlie. But, once we get through these next hours, we will still need to keep her in an induced coma until she reaches certain benchmarks and we’re comfortable with her progress. Then, slowly, we will attempt to bring her out.”
Remington had a strong chiseled jaw-line like the men in the movies. Sky pressed her lips into a firm line because she was feeling a little disgusted with herself for noticing how attractive he was at a time like this.
Remington ran a hand over the unshaven overgrowth on his face as he thought about her words. “I mentioned to you over the phone that I was calling in a specialist. Dr. Henson’s flight has been delayed. He won’t arrive tomorrow. Provided his flight is on-time, he won’t be able to offer a second opinion until in the morning.”
His words were like cold water being thrown over her. “Good to know.” Sky’s response was flat. She knew it was a smart decision to want a second opinion, but it still messed with her ego. There isn’t anyone better than me in this field. There were only a few doctors who had ever successfully completed a spinal cord by-pass. Even Dr. Thomas hadn’t ever done so successfully. However, Sky refrained from saying those words out loud. Instead, she forced a smiled. “A second opinion is always good. Do you have any other questions?”
He hadn’t really heard what she said until her tone changed. “I just want Charlie to wake up and be happy and healthy.”
“We’re doing all we can to make the first part of that happen, Mr. Kneeland.” She almost mentioned her suspicions regarding the bruises on Charlie but then thought better of it. Remington had enough on his plate, and Sky didn’t have any proof. She would table it for now, maybe indefinitely. “If you don’t have any other questions, I can take you up to see her.”
Chapter 8
It was late morning, and Sky hadn’t left the hospital since the day before. She had been there all night and had slept in her office. She was waiting for Dr. Thomas Henson to arrive, only he hadn’t made it into town. His flight schedule kept changing.
After performing back-to-back surgeries, Sky was ready to call it quits and go home for a few hours of rest. Before she could make her escape and dive headlong into her bed, she still needed to finish up her rounds.
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