Heart Surgeon's Second Chance

by Allie Kincheloe

  He pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers, finding comfort in her touch. But it was the wrong place, the wrong time, so he quickly moved away.

  “He’s right this way.”

  He engulfed her hand with his own, acutely aware of how much smaller her hand was compared to his. Following his lead, she moved with him through the recovery ward and down to Curtain Five.

  “He’s still intubated, and I’d like to keep him that way for about twenty-four hours. We don’t want him moving too much just yet and undoing all the repairs I just so painstakingly made.”

  She reached out with a tentative hand and brushed back a lock of Levi’s hair. “But he’s doing okay?”

  “He is doing as well as can be expected, considering how sick he was and how invasive the surgery was.”

  The last thing he wanted to do was give her false hope. Levi wasn’t out of the woods yet. But he was hoping for a good outcome. More than hoping, really.

  Because while losing Mallory and Everly had broken him, he knew losing Levi would shatter him beyond repair.

  Rhiann

  The twenty-four hours following Levi’s surgery had passed in a blur. Bleary-eyed and exhausted, Rhiann dozed in the green misery the hospital referred to as “a recliner” in Levi’s room. She refused to leave. How could she leave him there all alone?

  Levi lay there, looking so small. She watched the machines that documented his bodily functions and could probably have recited each stat by heart. Her little fighter—he wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t let him give up. Couldn’t let him give up.

  The nurses came in and out, their faces somber, and Rhiann couldn’t help but wonder if they knew something she didn’t. But they couldn’t comprehend the pain she was suffering, watching Levi go through this ordeal.

  The waiting was almost unbearable. Waiting for him to wake up. Waiting for a sign that he was getting better. But the monitors only showed the same numbers they’d shown all day.

  When Patrick came in she practically pounced on him, begging him to be honest with her about Levi’s condition, worried he was hiding something crucial from her.

  He pulled her into his arms and held her close, comforting her with his physical presence. “Like I told you earlier, it’s a waiting game now. We just have to wait and see if he’s strong enough to pull through.”

  Patrick did his best to distract her and he even brought her some lunch. “Come on, Rhiann. You have to eat something.”

  He waved a chicken tender under her nose and she battled back a wave of nausea.

  “The hospital food isn’t great, but you need something in your stomach.”

  How could she eat? With her baby lying there in that hospital bed, tubes coming out of his tiny body?

  Her stomach roiled with every nibble she took to placate Patrick.

  “You’ll feel better once you eat,” he insisted. “I’ll bring some real food in tonight, if you tell me what you want.”

  All she wanted was for Levi to get better. And Patrick couldn’t do any more to help with that.

  She ate enough of the chicken he’d brought to get him to hush, but she didn’t really have the appetite for any of it. Seeing her eat seemed to chase a few shadows from Patrick’s eyes, though, so she was glad she’d eaten if only for that reason.

  He sank into a seated position at her feet. “I’m hoping that having him intubated for a day or so will give him time to gain a little strength. Maybe another twelve to twenty-four hours. I don’t know yet.”

  “But the longer he’s on the ventilator, the harder it will be for him to come off it, right?”

  Patrick reached for her hand and she allowed the touch. “Yes. But don’t give up hope. It’s not time for that. I promise you, I feel good about his chances.”

  His fingers were warm on hers and the sensations created when his thumb moved back and forth over her palm provided a much-needed distraction.

  “I’ve missed this,” she said softly, not wanting to ruin the intimacy of the moment.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Me sitting on the floor, looking up at you?”

  “Of course—bow before your queen, peasant.”

  A snort came in reply.

  “I meant us just hanging out together. I hate the locale and the circumstance, but I’ve missed this.”

  Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against her wrist. “You know, I think we spent half our free time in high school sitting like this. You perched on one of our beds and me on the floor below you, because if either of our mothers had caught us on a bed together—even fully clothed and obviously studying—they’d have lost their minds.”

  She laughed. “I know. Remember how my mom freaked out when we fell asleep on the couch, watching one of the Halloween movies?”

  They spent the next few hours reminiscing, finding contentment in each other’s presence.

  When it came time for Patrick to leave, Rhiann noticed his hesitation.

  “We’ll still be here in the morning,” she said, and gave him a quick hug.

  This time he was quick enough to hug her back.

  “I hate leaving you here alone.” His arms tightened around her after his whispered admission and his breath ruffled her hair. They stayed like that until his cell phone buzzed with a message about another patient.

  “You should go,” she murmured against his chest, her cheeks heating at the affection she’d heard in his words.

  He cupped her cheek with his hand, tipping her face up so that he could brush his lips over hers.

  An uncomfortable laugh broke from her throat. “Are you leaving or not?”

  “Not until you give me a proper goodbye.” He nuzzled her neck. “When Levi’s better, I want to take you on a proper date. Dinner, flowers, dancing—everything.”

  “Okay...” Rhiann said, her voice soft, barely above a whisper.

  Her heart raced as his lips ghosted over hers once more, just teasing her with the promise of what would follow. His tongue licked at her lower lip, delving into her mouth as it opened. But he pulled back before things got too heated, and she sighed at the loss.

  “I’ll be back first thing in the morning,” he promised.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Patrick

  WHEN HE GOT to the hospital the next day, he was surprised to find that Rhiann wasn’t in Levi’s room. He checked the bathroom, and the small break room on the floor. The nurses usually let the parents who overnighted with their kids grab coffee there.

  No Rhiann.

  He stepped out to the nurses’ station. “Do you know where Rhiann Masters is? The mother from Room 5102?” he asked the nurse behind the desk.

  She jumped when he spoke, and looked up at him with weary eyes. “She said something about needing a shower and clothes that didn’t smell like a hospital. I tried to tell her that anything she wears in here will smell like a hospital in about an hour, but she left anyways.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  He resisted the urge to tell the nurse to grab a coffee. Some of them were just not cut out for the overnight shift.

  He walked back down the hall and looked in on Levi, who was still intubated under his orders. He tousled Levi’s curls gently, whispering to him, “I’m going to go check on my patients, but I’ll be back to see you in a bit. I bet your mama beats me back, though.”

  But an hour later there was still no sign of Rhiann when he returned to Levi’s room. “Where is your mama, huh?”

  He washed his hands and moved on with his daily exam. Levi was still relying on the ventilator more than he’d have liked, but the baby had responded fairly well to having it turned down slightly. Patrick adjusted the notes to ask for the vent to be reduced a little more every few hours, so they could wean him off the machine—hopefully by the end of the day.

  Exam done, he hung his stethoscop
e around his neck and reached out to touch Levi’s tiny hand. “I always tell my patients’ parents to talk to their little ones as if they can hear every word when their kids are lying in these beds, so I’m going to take my own advice and talk to you like you can hear me.”

  He traced his index finger up and down each of Levi’s fingers and swallowed down the overwhelming desire to pick the toddler up. Levi needed time to heal, time to recover. Patrick knew the importance of that more than anyone, but he desperately wanted to feel Levi’s slight weight against his chest again.

  “I need you to listen up, buddy. I know you’ve had a rough start, what with your bum heart and your deadbeat father. But I’m going to make sure that the rest of your life goes better for you. I’ve already fixed your heart. You just have to get a little stronger so you can see that.”

  He took a deep breath and continued speaking earnestly. “And, it might be a little old-fashioned, but I’d like to ask your permission to date your mom. I know we have a past, and you’ve heard about some of that. But I swear I’ll put it behind us.”

  Patrick paused to wipe a tear from his eye. He’d messed up a lot of things in the past. But he wasn’t lying when he said he was putting it all behind him. Mallory and Everly’s deaths had started a chain reaction of loss in his life and he was still recovering. But being here felt right.

  For three years he’d only existed. He hadn’t been living. Then Rhiann and Levi had come into his life. Now, he wanted to be everything for them. He wanted to truly live because of them. For them. With them.

  He cleared his throat and returned to his one-sided conversation.

  “But most of all I promise to be the man your mom needs. She won’t have to work so hard, because she’ll have me to help her with the bills. You’ll have a place where you can’t hear the neighbors cough because the walls are so thin, and your mom won’t skip meals so that you don’t go hungry. I’d even like to say she wouldn’t have to work, but your mom loves her job and I don’t think she’d give it up. I wouldn’t ask her to.”

  He smiled down at Levi.

  “And every night I’ll help you with your homework. Your mom’s rubbish at math, but I can help you with that. I’ll be at all your Little League games, academic team meets, chorus concerts... Whatever extra-curriculars you get into I’ll be there, because I want to be the dad you deserve.”

  A sound in the hall caught his attention and he spun around, expecting to see Rhiann standing behind him, listening to every word he’d just said to Levi, but the doorway was empty.

  He released a held breath.

  “So, you just get through these next few days, and I’ll help with all the rest. I have a lot riding on this. Convincing your mama might take some effort, but I’m up for the challenge. What do you think? Do we have a deal?”

  Levi couldn’t answer, of course. But Patrick liked to think the little boy would be one hundred percent on board with his plans. He took a few deep breaths and a feeling of contentment washed over him now that he’d voiced his intentions.

  When Levi clutched his thumb with his little hand, Patrick sighed. “It’s all going to work out,” he said. “I won’t let you down.”

  Rhiann

  Rhiann stood outside Levi’s room with a hand over her mouth, trying to contain a sob. Patrick had obviously heard her gasp, but she’d moved to one side before he’d completely turned around.

  Her heart had nearly melted when she’d heard his emotional outpouring to Levi. Okay, so Levi was unconscious, and may or may not be able to hear. But it had been a touching display, nonetheless.

  Patrick’s voice was low now, but it carried out into the hallway. “I won’t let you down.”

  She closed her eyes and made a wish.

  Rhiann had never been much for prayer. She put her belief into science and medicine. People. But she had hopes and wishes as much as anyone else. And right now her wish was simple.

  She wanted to spend the rest of her life with the two current occupants of Metro Memorial Hospital’s Room 5102.

  With a shaky hand, she fished the dandelion necklace Patrick had given her in high school out of her collar and pressed her lips to the small orb for luck. He’d bought her the little trinket at a craft fair they’d attended one weekend on a lark. For sixteen-year-old kids, handmade crafts hadn’t been a huge draw, but the shiny resin orb with a dandelion puff in it had caught his eye—because, as he’d said, she was always making wishes, and maybe she just needed a talisman for them to come true.

  She’d worn it every day since.

  “If you don’t marry that man, I will.”

  Rhiann opened her eyes to see the nurse who’d been with Levi the day of his procedure standing in front of her. Tears had welled up in the other woman’s eyes, on the verge of spilling over.

  “All this time I thought that man was made of ice—but, oh, my gosh, he’s a total softie!”

  “Shh...” Rhiann urged. “He’ll hear you!”

  She grabbed the nurse by the arm and led her away from the open doorway. They went down the hall far enough that Rhiann was sure Patrick wouldn’t overhear.

  “It’s so romantic! Old friends brought back together to save a small child!” The nurse faked a swoon. She even fluttered a hand over her eyes before straightening back up. “All you need is a villain to tear you apart just as he’s about to propose and—”

  “Hush with all that drama!” Rhiann sighed. “We haven’t talked about the future, or what will become of us—if there is an us. I can’t... My focus has to be on my son right now.”

  The nurse smiled at her and pulled her in for an impromptu hug. “Your son needs a happy mommy and a sexy new daddy.” She waggled her eyebrows. “And if you can’t see that man’s sex appeal, I’m taking you down to the optical clinic for an eye exam.”

  Rhiann’s cheeks heated and she looked away from the other woman. She wasn’t blind. Of course she saw Patrick’s appeal. Quite well, actually. Her priorities were just elsewhere at the moment.

  “I knew you couldn’t be oblivious to his charms.”

  Rhiann shook her head slightly. “My son deserves my undivided attention.”

  The nurse rolled her eyes. “He’s sleeping. I promise you he will not notice if you’re counting the tiles in that little room or stealing a kiss from his doctor. One’s just a lot more fun.”

  A laugh escaped Rhiann, despite her intention to show less emotion.

  “I need to get back to my son,” she said.

  It was both an excuse to escape the awkward conversation and the honest truth. She was itching to get back to Levi. To make sure the monitors all had the same readouts and his little heart was still beating. But she also really wanted this impromptu chat to be over.

  “Really, I do.”

  “Okay, but think about what I said.” The nurse gave Rhiann’s arm a gentle squeeze. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad to see someone crack through that ice around his heart.”

  Rhiann smiled and murmured something in reply, but she wasn’t even sure what. She hurried up the hall to her son’s room and made a bit more noise than she had earlier. She wanted Patrick to have the opportunity to tell her his feelings on his own terms—not because she’d forced his hand.

  When she walked into Levi’s room Patrick smiled at her a little sheepishly. She took pity on him and pretended she hadn’t heard a word.

  “How’s Levi?” She moved over to the crib and touched her baby’s soft skin. “I just had to get a shower and some clean clothes. I was smelling pretty rank.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. “Mmm... Not a problem anymore. You smell amazing to me.”

  “Patrick...”

  “Levi’s okay. I think he should be able to come off the vent by tomorrow morning. I’ve put in orders for them to wean him off it. So long as there aren’t any hang-ups
along the way, the goal is tomorrow morning.”

  His breath was warm in her ear and the heat from his hand splayed on her stomach was delicious.

  A tap on the door behind them sent Patrick jerking away from her. Another of the nurses stood there, her face as pink as the cartoon characters on her scrub top.

  “Um... Sorry... Dr. Scott, could you take a look at Dr. Whitehurst’s patient in 5116? I’ve got a call out to Dr. Whitehurst but he hasn’t called me back yet. One of the other nurses said you were in here, but I...uh... I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  She spoke to the floor about three feet in front of Patrick’s shoes.

  “It’s fine, Carrie. I’ll be there in one second.”

  She nodded and left in a hurry, without making eye contact.

  Rhiann laughed. “Well, look who just got caught making out beneath the bleachers.”

  Patrick pulled her to him briefly. His lips barely touched her forehead.

  “I’d better go check on this kid. Then I’ll be back, and we’ll see how Levi does after turning that vent down.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Rhiann

  SEEING LEVI WITHOUT the vent had sent a wave of relief over Rhiann. Finally, she let herself relax a little—let herself think that everything might be okay. She brushed his hair away from his face, tears in her eyes as she watched him.

  “The sedation should wear off soon. We’ve had to keep him sedated because of the vent, but now that he’s off it we can let him wake up. He may be pretty fussy, because his chest’s going to hurt. But that’s to be expected.”

  “Thanks, Patrick,” she said, without looking up.

  “He isn’t out of the woods yet, but his numbers are looking good so far.”

  He stepped up close to her and she could feel his body heat along the length of her spine.

  “You’re looking pretty good too...”

  She elbowed him in the stomach lightly. “Nice try, Doc, but your sweet-talking isn’t going to work on me today. I could pass for an extra in a zombie movie, and we both know it.”