by Rebecca York
“Stella, take a break and eat a few bites. Then tell us about Bernie and Pink Teddy,” Melody suggested. Bernie and her Pink Teddy were Stella’s favorites on Earth. The new stories would take a while.
Aidan left the three generations together and went to take care of other patients. By one o’clock, he returned to drive Stella back to her daycare. “Alicia, see you in the OR at two. Melody, gather your team and be ready to prep her.”
“Seriously?” Melody smiled to her ears. “You’ll let me...”
“I can’t operate without my best nurse.”
Half an hour later, Melody entered Alicia’s room to prepare her for surgery. She changed her into a clean gown, hooked a new IV line in her hand, and injected the IV bag with a sedative.
“So glad Aidan brought me Stella. I’ll keep her lovely image in my mind while going to surgery.”
Melody entered the monitor information into her tablet. A call from Aidan announced they should be on their way to the OR Melody called another nurse and disconnected the patches tethering the patient to the monitor. Together, Melody and Betty transferred Alicia to a gurney and wheeled it out of the room.
“Wait, wait,” Alicia screamed, and grabbed Melody’s hand. “Call Dr. Olson.”
“What’s wrong?” Melody paused, holding the head of the bed.
“Call Aidan. I have to speak to him. Right away.”
“You’ll see him in the OR”
“No, no. I want to speak to him. Here. Now.”
“He can’t come here now. He’s on his way to the OR and his whole team is expecting us.”
“I know. Please, Melody, call him. I need to talk to him. It’s just for two seconds. Please, Melody.”
Alicia was becoming a nervous wreck, and Aidan would be upset if they procrastinated.
“If you don’t call him, I’m not going to surgery. You understand?” Alicia shouted, her chest heaving with the effort.
Worried about her anxious outburst and unable to calm her down, Melody capitulated. “All right, I’m calling him.”
“He’ll be so mad at you,” Betty warned.
“You’re giving me a heart attack. Call him,” Alicia ordered.
Melody tapped his number. “Hi. Alicia wants you to come to her room now.”
“No way. We’re waiting for you.”
“Give me that phone.” Alicia grabbed Melody’s hand. “Aidan, please.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I need you for a second to retrieve the scratch papers of...the drafts of my letters. I can’t leave them.”
“What scratch papers?” Frustrated by her patient making her look inefficient in front of a whole surgical team, Melody exhaled. “I’ll get them for you. Where are they?”
“Aidan said he’ll be here right away.”
“Seriously?” Melody rolled her eyes.
A minute later, Aidan arrived in his surgical gown.
“Thank you, doc. The night table drawer.”
“Got them. Relax, Alicia.” Melody watched him crumple a bunch of papers and stuff them under his gown and into the pocket of his scrub pants?
“I could have given her... What do you need them for, anyhow?” Melody pinched her lips at her neighbor’s crazy behavior. Poor Alicia, the tumor must be pressing on her brain.
“It’s okay, Melody. Don’t make her nervous. Let’s go.” He gripped the head of the gurney. “You two go scrub. I’ll see you in two minutes.”
Melody exchanged frustrated glances with the other nurse. They both dashed ahead as Aidan rolled the gurney at top speed.
A moment later, he joined her in the scrub room to scrub again and be gloved. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but I don’t understand her outburst. What were these scratch papers she wanted?”
He shook his head. “Nothing major. Some letters she was writing to you and Stella in case she doesn’t make it. That’s why she didn’t want you to see them.”
“Ah, poor Alicia. She was doing that for me, and I gave her a hard time.”
“Forget the whole incident. I promise she’ll make it and you won’t have to see any sad letter.”
“Thank you, Aidan. I feel much better.”
“Are you ready? Will you be calm in there?”
She lifted a thumb. “Calm and ready. Let’s go.”
Heaving a deep breath, Melody followed him into the OR, trusting Aidan to save her surrogate mother, the only woman who had ever cared about her.
Chapter Nine
By seven o’clock, they were still in the OR Raising his gaze from his neurosurgical operating microscope, Aidan caught Melody’s frantic glances at her watch and the monitor. “Melody, you and Betty should leave. You’ve been here for five hours. The worst is over. I will soon close. Call Stacy and Heather to replace you,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
“Yes, Dr. Olson,” Betty replied with a sigh of relief, and Melody punched a number on her phone. A couple of minutes later, the two other nurses arrived. Melody and Betty left.
Aidan spent another hour, his eyes glued to his magnifying equipment, his fingers manipulating the bipolar forceps. “We’re done. Anwar, Leo, you can close.” He backed up, letting his assistants take over as he remained close enough to supervise their work.
They replaced the bone flap in its original position and secured it to the skull with titanium plates and screws, then adjusted a drain under the skin that would be left for a couple of days to remove blood or fluid from the area. The muscles and skin were sutured back together, and a soft adhesive dressing was placed over the incision.
“Done,” Dr. Anwar finally declared.
“Great job, everyone,” Aidan said. The head nurse clapped her hands and the whole team relaxed.
“Take her to Recovery, Stacy. I’ll visit in an hour.”
Two nurses wheeled the patient out of the OR
Aidan yanked off his mask and gloves, and disposed of them in the appropriate can, then peeled off his surgical gown and overshoes and tossed them too. After stretching his strained back, he flexed his arms to release the pain in his neck and shoulders, and decided he badly needed a shower. He went straight to his office, grabbed clean scrub pants and a top, entered the restrooms assigned to medics on call, and threw the scrubs he was wearing into a basket to be washed by the hospital laundry service. The hot water relieved the tension in his muscles and relaxed his worn-out mind.
Although he’d encountered stressful points during the surgery, and feared he’d lose his patient, he’d managed to salvage the moment. After removing the tumor nestled deep inside her brain and cleaning the surrounding area, he’d repaired the affected tissues and sutured the blood vessels, a long and painstaking task that had required enormous concentration.
But he’d done it, and succeeded, and now he prayed that the tumor would be benign, not only for Alicia’s sake, but also for Melody’s.
He donned clean scrubs and headed to Recovery. Still under the general anesthesia, Alicia slept with a breathing tube in her nostrils, her vital signs monitored on a screen.
So far, so good. It was time to call Melody and reassure her.
“Aidan,” she answered right away. “How is she?”
“In Recovery. I’ll see her soon. Meanwhile, we sent samples of the tumor to Pathology. How is Stella?”
“She was playing with her teacher, who stayed an hour extra especially for her. Such a sweet young woman. She didn’t even complain that I was so late. Tomorrow I’ll get her a present to thank her.”
“Good idea. I like this daycare. Listen, I’m staying overnight at the hospital.”
“Thank you. Can you call me as soon as you get the biopsy results?”
“Of course.”
His stomach grumbled and he realized he hadn’t eaten anything for hours. He headed to the cafeteria and indulged in a big plate of lasagna, followed by cheesecake and coffee. Satiated and relaxed, he headed to Recovery. Alicia would still be asleep, but he’d check her monitor and examine her head
for any sign of bleeding. Reassured that all was well, he returned to his office and lay down to doze until Pathology called.
Suddenly he remembered the crisis before surgery and Alicia’s panic about her draft letters. Poor Alicia—she could rest assured he’d never show the papers to Melody and would throw them away. He slid a hand into his pocket. Nothing there. He frowned, and then remembered he’d changed scrubs after his shower. The crumpled papers must still be in the dirty scrubs in...
Oh God, he’d forgotten to take them out of his pockets. He called the laundry service. To no avail. Their voicemail message informed him they had left for the night. He’d call again tomorrow. He tried to relax, but a text blip had him jolting up.
Aidan, any results? Obviously, Melody wasn’t sleeping either.
He wanted to talk to her but was afraid the phone ring might wake Stella. Call me, he texted.
His phone chimed right away. “News?”
“Nothing yet. Did you sleep at all?”
“Not a sec. You?”
“Likewise.” A blip alerted him. “Hold on.”
The awaited email from Pathology. He opened it and his eyes flew to the results. Benign.
Thank God. “Melody, it’s benign,” he blurted.
“Oh my God, I’m so happy. Thanks.”
“Now go to sleep. Alicia will remain asleep for several hours. I’ll keep her heavily sedated to avoid pain in her head.”
“Yes, I’m going to sleep. Thank you, Aidan, for a terrific surgery.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”
He gave his orders to keep the patient sedated, and finally drifted off.
***
Melody let Bernie run to the backyard and readied Stella for daycare.
“Can I see Nana Licia today?” Stella asked.
“Not today, sweetie. Her head hurts and she may sleep all day. Maybe tomorrow.”
“When you have a headache, you sleep with me and your boo-boo goes away. Can I sleep with Nana Licia? I make her better.”
So cute. “I’m sure you would. But let’s see how Nana feels today.”
To think of it, Stella had given her an idea. Aidan should be up and doing rounds by now. She texted him. If we have no scheduled surgery today, can you assign me to stay with Alicia?
Good idea. Could you do a night shift too?
I could. But Stella?
Aidan would never suggest leaving Stella alone with Bernie. So, what did he have in mind?
She’ll sleep in my on-call room. Bring her pj’s, blanket, teddy and toothbrush.
Thank you. Will do.
In a great mood, Melody showered and slipped on her scrubs, and collected another clean scrub to pack, while Stella ate her scrambled eggs and toast. “Stella, put your pj’s, blanket, towel and toothbrush, and teddy and books in your backpack. You’re staying with me tonight at the hospital.”
Stella’s eyes opened big. “Me? I’m on call?” She knew the hospital jargon by now.
“Yes. We’ll have dinner at the hospital cafeteria.”
“Yeah! And Bernie too, right?”
“No, no dogs allowed.”
“But Bernie is not a dog.” She said the word with a disparaging droop to her mouth. “Bernie is...Bernie.”
“I know, sweetie. Bernie is special, so smart and loyal, but rules are rules at the hospital. We’ll leave enough food for him, and I’ll unlock the flap door. He can go out to the backyard when he wants.”
They left at seven-thirty for the daycare. Melody stopped by a pastry shop and bought a cake for Stella’s teacher. After dropping off her daughter and thanking Stella’s teacher for staying late with her last night, Melody drove to the hospital.
At the nurses’ station, Betty informed her that Aidan was at Alicia’s bedside.
“She must have left Recovery by now. Is she in her previous room?”
“No idea.”
Melody opened Alicia’s file on the station computer. In the latest report, Alicia had awakened by 1:00 a.m. and responded positively to the usual tests. Her condition stable, she’d been transferred to her previous room. This was good news. As Melody had suspected, Aidan was doing his rounds, but he’d already assigned her to Alicia Loren, room 306, as noted in the schedule. Eager to see Alicia, Melody dropped her overnight bag in the nurses’ room, donned a white coat, and rushed to the third floor.
Her head wrapped in a bandage, Alicia slept peacefully, a multitude of tubes protruding from her arms, hands and head, and sensors relaying information to the monitor. Melody checked the readings. BP somewhat low, but to be expected after surgery and loss of blood.
For the next two hours, Melody sat next to her dear patient, observing her often, checking her emails and texts from time to time. By ten o’clock, Aidan visited. He checked the tube draining blood and fluid from the wound area, removed the dressing to examine the incision, and then applied a new dressing.
“She’s doing great. If she wakes up, ask her to move her arms, fingers, toes, and legs. Check her pupils and see if she can tell you her name. Hopefully she’ll keep improving. I have an emergency surgery in half an hour.”
“Do you want me—”
“Stay with her. Betty and Stacy will assist me.”
“All right. Can I give her water and liquid food?”
“Only liquid today. See you later.”
Melody returned to her seat next to the bed, facing the monitor.
An hour later, Alicia stirred and whimpered.
“Alicia?”
The patient tossed her head to the side and uttered a few sounds.
“It’s Melody.”
“Mel...Mel.”
“Yes, Melody. I’m staying with you all day. Would you like some water?”
“Wat...wat...” He lips moved but she couldn’t form the word. Melody brought a straw to her lips.
Alicia mouthed thank you.
“Are you in pain?”
“Lo...lo...ha...”
“Try to relax, Alicia.”
Her patient raised her eyes toward her. Love and gratitude radiated from her gaze as she repeated the same sounds. “Lo...lov...”
This time Melody made sense of the words Alicia was trying to say. Melody held her hand and brought it to her cheek. “I love you too, Alicia. You’re my wonderful surrogate mother. I won’t leave you. I’ll stay with you until you feel better. Try to sleep.”
Alicia exhaled and relaxed against her bed.
By two o’clock, Aidan came to visit, examined his patient, and checked her pupils with a flashlight. “So far, so good. What’s your name, my friend?”
“A...ch...ia...” she mumbled with effort.
“Very good, Alicia. How many fingers?” Aidan showed her two fingers.
“Two,” she hissed.
“Perfect. Melody will stay at your side all evening and night. I’ll bring Stella to sleep in my office.”
Alicia’s lips parted in an attempt to smile.
“But right now, I’ll keep you company for an hour and send Melody to eat a bite.”
“Thank you, Aidan. See you later, Alicia.” She bent and kissed her old friend’s cheek before leaving.
***
Aidan had been sitting at his patient’s bedside for almost an hour, reading a medical article on his phone, when Alicia moaned and then gibberish flowed from her mouth. He stood, bending toward her and studying her lips to guess the words.
Anxiety filled her eyes and wrinkled her forehead.
“What’s wrong, Alicia?”
“Huh...ah...le...”
“Where does it hurt? Here?” He touched her head.
“No.”
“Your heart?” He placed his palm on her chest.
“No... Le...le...”
Suddenly he understood she wasn’t in pain. She was worried. He repeated her syllables, trying to make sense of them. “Le...le... Letters?”
She blinked twice.
“Ah, your letters? The drafts you wrote?”
/>
She blinked again.
“Relax. I shredded them all. Nothing to worry about.”
First thing in the morning, he had rushed to laundry service, where the attendant had showed him a box full of scraps of paper and items forgotten in scrubs pockets. Aidan had sorted through all the papers, retrieved Alicia’s drafts, and shredded them in the main shredder in Accounting.
Alicia closed her eyes in relief.
“Now I want you to get better soon. If you feel any pain in your head, neck or chest, let me know.”
“How is she?” Melody asked as she stepped in.
“She’s doing great,” he answered, loud enough to be heard by their patient, but he tugged Melody to the door and lowered his voice. “Her speech is sluggish. It’s the first day after surgery, so I’m not worried yet, but I hope by tomorrow her words will be clearer.”
“Should I make her talk? Ask questions?”
“No, let her rest. I’m glad she hasn’t lost her memory.”
“How would you know?”
“Huh...” He realized his slip. “Well, she recognized you and me.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Melody, are you sure you’ll be able to cope with an all-nighter? I’m worried about you.” He caressed her cheek. “You’ve been at her side since eight in the morning.”
“I’m fine. Seriously. I had lunch and coffee. And brought a big bottle of water and cookies. On second thought, I need one more thing.”
“What? Tell me,” he said eagerly.
She tiptoed and whispered against his mouth, “A kiss for strength.”
“My sweetheart.” He cupped her face between his palms and captured her lips in a searing kiss, then gathered her in his arms, pressing her against him.
“Every time I begin to relax and assume my life will improve, something knocks me back to square one.”
“No square one again. I’m at your side and won’t let you face your problems alone. Trust me, sweetheart.”
“I do. And that’s what keeps me going. Thank you, Aidan.”
“All right. I’ll check with you later.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and left.
Around five o’clock, Aidan texted her.