Hesitating, her mind raced. She had read the folder but never checked the age. She worked on the physical being, pharmacy and anesthesia needed height and weight. Gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, entrance and exit noted. No prior history, all immunizations up to date. Katherine never dreamed it would be a child she would be operating on, which meant there was a mother and father counting on her. Taking a deep breath, she nodded to anesthesia. Receiving a thumbs up in return, she began her tireless work.
* * *
Fourteen hours later, Katherine groaned in relief as she tied the last suture. The young boy had done so well, no problems or deviations in the surgery. Intestines had been extremely healthy and supple due to his age. The bullet wound had been terrifying due to his diminutive size. There simply hadn’t been anywhere for the projectile to travel. His small frame held a very dense network of twists and turns as each intestine looped the small cavity. Unfortunately, the bullet had pierced repeatedly until it exited. He was extremely lucky and the bullet fragments missed the renal artery by a scant half-inch. If the renal had been nicked, she would not have been performing surgery because he probably wouldn’t have made the ambulance ride over.
Stretching her arms up towards the ceiling, she gave directions rapid-fire for the assistants to record and perform before moving him into recovery. Cleaning and changing in the gowning room, she didn’t want to see the family with his blood all over her hands. There was no doubt she had been in “the zone” while she worked because Katherine didn’t even realize how much time had passed. As she stepped into the hallway, she greeted the family and cried with them as they realized he would make it tonight. Children were always the hardest cases and the most rewarding.
Katherine received the hugs and handshakes with good cheer. A few pats on the backs and an overall sense of relief were shared by all. Fourteen hours had been an extremely long time for him to be under and she had been relieved Oliver had been the anesthesiologist on duty for this one. Complications would be possible like fever or clotting. That poor boy would be in a lot of pain when he awoke in ICU and she ordered him put on a morphine drip so he had relief.
Exhausted, she turned from the family to leave and was stunned to see Alex’s proud face in the crowded waiting area. He sat perched on the green leather sofas with a Noah’s Ark mural behind him that decorated the children’s wing of the hospital.
“What are you doing here?” Katherine asked, stunned. Had he been waiting on her the entire night?
* * *
“Waiting patiently for my favorite surgeon,” he quipped lightly with a smile. He stood and walked slowly over to her. Alex had gotten comfortable on the couches when he realized he could be there for quite some time.
“My goodness, you didn’t need to do that. Weren’t you mobbed?” She was surprised at the gesture. What other man would wait for hours on end for his woman to get off of work? It was the little, unexpected things he did that made him so wonderful and the reason she loved him so much.
“Well, sure, but it was great for the hospital as well as the series. I invited a camera crew to come by deliberately so I could be here when you finished as well as sign some autographs. Don’t worry, I didn’t disrupt anything. I had Tom call to arrange it ahead of time,” Alex explained lightly and caught Katherine as she stumbled.
* * *
“Let’s go home, I’m exhausted.” Weariness beat at Katherine as she took another deep breath, feeling her legs buckle momentarily. Every muscle in her back and neck ached from the prone position she had held for so long during the surgery.
“Of course, Princess. I’m so proud of you,” he whispered as they exited the emergency room. Kissing her, Alex wrapped an arm around her to keep Katherine from dropping. He didn’t know how she did it. She must have an incredible amount of drive to keep going and going, not listening to her body’s limits.
Alex was glad he paid for the limo to wait for them as he saw it a block down and waved it forward. Opening the door for her, he put a weary Katherine inside and instructed the driver to her condo. The two walked slowing up the stairway, Alex’s arm around her the entire time for support. When they reached the third floor, against Katherine’s wishes, Alex picked her up and carried her the last flight before she collapsed completely from fatigue. As they stepped inside, he removed her shoes and carried her into the bedroom.
“Get some rest, Princess,” Alex ordered her gently, smoothing Katherine’s hair back from her face. He saw that she had already fallen asleep. He gently removed the scrubs from her body so she could rest without her uniform on.
* * *
They spent Saturday in bed together, hiding away from everything and ordered pizza delivery so they wouldn’t have to leave. Katherine had missed his corny jokes and teasing as he relaxed and became himself around her. She had seen both sides to his personality, the relaxed country boy who just wanted peace and quiet which was quite the opposite of the suave, composed, Hollywood star who relished the limelight. Alex was a mystery as well as her rock. He supported her and took care of her, even when she didn’t do so for herself. Simply having him here was ensuring that she didn’t spend her weekend hidden away.
“Why do you push yourself so hard?” she heard him ask out of nowhere as they lay together sprawled out on the couch eating.
“Because I can,” she said teasing and stuck out her tongue.
“Well, I know you can and I have seen you do it. But you’re driven, like you have something to prove. I have never seen anyone work so hard and push themselves so far. Look at your education, you could have been a nurse or a general practitioner but that wasn’t enough. You’re a surgeon and one of the best,” Alex explained as he watched her face carefully. She could be a very private person if she chose. He was simply amazed at how hard Katherine pushed herself and wanted to know more about her.
“Things shape us,” she said evasively not really wanting to discuss it.
Alex chewed and studied her profile. It was obviously something big and personal that had happened to her. “So, what shaped you? Who did you lose?” he guessed.
* * *
Katherine stared at her hands, the faint scarring a constant reminder. She had been surprised that he had never asked her about them. A lot of people didn’t notice. But when they saw them, it always brought horrified looks and pity. Alex, she trusted, and while she didn’t want to discuss it, she wasn’t about to push him away again in her life.
“I lost my entire family in an accident. The car caught fire and my dad told me to get back away from the car. I held his chest as long as I could to stop the bleeding but when my hands started to get singed by the flames, I realized why he was pleading and yelling for me to get back. He never screamed except to tell me to stay back. I can hear his voice sometimes but, thankfully, I can’t see any more of the details in my mind. It’s funny how the mind protects you from trauma, isn’t it? I never want to let someone pass away from lack of care ever again. I was certain, for a long time, if I had been strong enough, smart and skilled, that I could have pulled him out and performed emergency aid. Possibly saved his life. The others were already gone due to the impact. I learned later that there would have been nothing I could have done because the amount of blood he was losing was a sure sign of massive internal bleeding. I am surprised he stayed conscious as long as he did,” she whispered.
“Princess, I am so sorry I asked.” Feeling guilty and shocked at the pain she must have gone through emotionally as well as physically, he again marveled at how strong a woman she was.
“It’s okay. It took me a long time to get through it all and Leslie has been my anchor. I don’t know what I would do if she wasn’t there to pick me up sometimes,” she explained. “I know it’s hard to understand, but she’s always been there for me. How can I just abandon her?”
* * *
“I can’t imagine, but I hope you know that there are two of us now to support you and help if you are having a rough time. I would neve
r ask you to abandon Leslie. I will always be there for you, Princess,” he offered.
“On the phone,” she teased.
* * *
“Well, true” he hedged. “True, but maybe we can remedy that someday or find a way to work through it together. I’m serious, Katherine. I hate how I feel when we are apart.”
* * *
“Honestly, I do, too. I just don’t know how to do it, to overcome the distance.” Katherine didn’t want to get sappy and tell him it felt like she was cutting off a limb when he left. It physically hurt to say goodbye. Like her life was on pause almost.
* * *
“We’ll figure out something,” he said kissing her hands. “I promise.”
* * *
“I hope so because I’m not ready to say goodbye tomorrow.” She could already feel the tears welling up, knowing that he would be leaving before she knew it.
Alex smiled sympathetically, “I know, but it will only be for a little while. Maybe a few weeks. We should be wrapped up with filming and I can come back out, if you’ll have me. Or possibly start hunting for a place for both of us?” he hinted. Alex had been racking his brain trying to come up with ideas or solutions to overcome the distance between them. From what he could tell, she wasn’t willing to relocate. Then again, she wasn’t wanting to move from the small condo, either.
“You are welcome here, Alex. I don’t want to leave Leslie. She and I have only had each other for so long, I don’t want to abandon her simply because I fell in love with some crazy actor,” she said lightly, teasing him.
“Well, I don’t want to exclude Leslie either because she dragged some crazy surgeon to a convention where I fell in love with her,” Alex mocked. Even though he teased her, there was an air of truth to it that neither could deny.
“Well, I guess we are just going to have to be in love and be near Leslie,” she said, wrapping up the discussion. She didn’t want to leave Leslie who was like a sister to her. Katherine couldn’t imagine not including Leslie in her life. While she had been away from Leslie during her vacation trip to California, they had still texted and called each other.
Alex rolled over quickly, pulling Katherine underneath him. He pulled the sheet over the both of them, causing it to balloon over their entwined bodies. “Or maybe we should just make love and forget about Leslie for a bit,” he snarled, playfully nipping at her neck in a teasing fashion as he got down to business doing both.
* * *
Alex would not let Katherine accompany him to the airport the next morning. He explained that it was too hard on him to watch her leave. He wouldn’t wish that on her. Instead, he had called Leslie from his phone, trusting her with his personal phone number and asked her to keep Katherine occupied for the day so she wasn’t alone. Heading out, he pulled the door shut behind him. He heard Katherine’s weeping and Leslie’s voice trying to console her. Alex vowed he would be back sooner rather than later to make sure his princess was happy.
19
November 2015
* * *
Katherine was finding herself changing a little at a time. Where she used to spend as much free time as possible at the hospital, now she focused on herself and using her down time to recuperate from the longer shifts she ended up working at times. Even picking up a habit, she had started learning to crochet just to stretch the scar tissue and work the tendons in her hands, keeping them moving freely.
Since Alex’s visit, Leslie had informed her that she owed her “one” due to arranging the surprise visit with him and Katherine had obliged. It had been wonderful to see him and Leslie had been so kind to pick him up so he knew where she lived. Her picking him up prevented a media frenzy as he slid out into the older vehicle and ducked down.
* * *
Sitting crossed legged on the couch, Katherine heard a knock and grinned. Alex had been sending her flowers or packages almost daily. Her mail person was getting quite cross that most of the packages didn’t fit in her little mailbox downstairs. Katherine had told Alex to stop but he didn’t listen, instead using a different shipping company rather than the postal service.
* * *
Opening the door, she signed for the box and smiled. He really was good to her. Unwrapping the package, she opened it and laughed. The box held the most sparkling pair of work clogs she had ever seen! They looked to be white underneath all of the sequins and glitter. Surprised, and turning them over in her hands repeatedly, she saw a card lying in the bottom. Katherine opened the envelope, biting her lip, unsure what he wrote because this gift was so far the oddest thing he had sent: Flowers sent? - yes. Chocolate sent? – yes. Bubble bath sent? -yes…
* * *
Sparkly (impractical!) work shoes – no!
* * *
Reading the card, her heart warmed over the sweet words.
* * *
Princess, while your Wizard of Oz slipper socks are cute… Cinderella wore sparkly shoes.
Love,
Prince Charming
* * *
Slipping them on, she knew she would never be able to wear them to work. But the thought was incredibly kind, seeing how he bought her a gift that suited her. She always wore Dansko clogs all the time due to comfort. Anyone can get treats or something impersonal but this was her size, her style and referenced the way he always addressed her as “Princess”. Taking a quick photo with her phone of the shoes on her feet and a “thumbs up” in the frame, she texted it to him.
* * *
K: They are cute! Thank you <3
A: Glad you like, you deserve them
K: I barely deserve you! You are too good to me
A: You’re my everything, Princess
K: Love you
A: Love you more
K: I miss you. When are you free again?
A: Soon, promise
* * *
Alex had spent the last few weeks wrapping up filming and arranging his schedule as much as possible to be free to spend a decent amount of time in Chicago with Katherine. He hadn’t intended to stay away so long but time slipped away from him. He had been working closely with Leslie to surprise Katherine and hoped it had the desired effect.
20
Katherine heard her phone text again and groaned. Leslie had said for a while now that Katherine owed her a favor and, apparently, Leslie was calling it in. The high school Leslie taught at had made state finals for marching band and all the teachers were having to help host. This meant being there in the cold for hours on end listening to the bands play over and over again as they practiced for competition.
Leslie had told her what a source of income it was for the school to be a hosting site. Katherine had helped last year – vowing not to get conned into it again (either that or dress warmer!) because she had been grossly misinformed at how long the event would be. Returning home at 2 A.M. as a deaf Popsicle was simply not appealing. Staring at her phone, she couldn’t believe she was going to have to do it again. Calling, it went to voicemail and she knew Leslie was avoiding her.
“Leslie, call me back. I really do not want to spend my day off freezing my ass off outside again.” Hesitating because she knew it meant so much to her and the school, Katherine continued, “Either that or you are buying me long johns and I get to pick. Call me”. She didn’t need the long johns but was hoping it would get the point across. Sighing, she knew she was going and there was no getting around it.
* * *
Saturday morning finally came and, sure enough, Leslie was knocking on her door bright and early, grinning from ear to ear. Thankfully, she held two large Starbucks paper cups and a large paper grocery sack.
“What’s in the bag?” Katherine asked grumpily as she knew that it was going to be a very, very long day out in the cold. Temperatures were scheduled to be in the thirties tonight and overcast, which meant it was going to be damp as well as freezing cold. Yay.
“Well, hello sunshine,” Leslie said sarcastically, shoving one of the coffees towards her.
“Inside the bag is something for you simply because you are the “bestest” friend ever and I know you won’t mind doing this for me. I got you some hand warmers to tuck in your gloves and shoes so you don’t bitch about freezing all night,” she said sweetly with a mock grin.
* * *
“Pushing it, Leslie,” she playfully warned. “It’s a good thing you got me a pumpkin spice,” she said licking, her lips as the scent of nutmeg wafted up towards her. She loved Starbucks and this time of the year was her absolute favorite. All the fall flavors came out in force. She even had a pumpkin-shaped coffee mug she hid away for Halloween and Thanksgiving.
“Plus, I owed you a set of long johns, right?” Leslie said, as she pulled out the gaudiest set of striped thermal material Katherine had ever seen.
“Thank you, I think?”
“You betcha,” Leslie said, beaming at the expression on Katherine’s face.
* * *
“Leslie, where did you get those?” Katherine hesitated to ask. She didn’t want to offend her friend but they were the most God-awful colors imaginable. She swore that neon green and poo-poo brown never should be on clothing, much less combined. And who put hot pink in the mix? She shuddered, thinking of what it would look like on her figure. The swirls were mind-boggling in their ugliness.
Romancing the Fangirl Page 14
