Chapter 144

Chapter 144
Olivia drew in a steady breath and let it out in a long sigh, repeating the motion until the turmoil within her subsided.
Only after she had gathered herself did the realization settle in. Being uninvited to tonight’s gathering was, in fact, a favor.
There wouldn't be a need to stand for hours confined in an unforgivingly tight dress. She wouldn’t have to endure hours of social interaction, force a smile until her jaw ached, or pretend she belonged in a place that had never truly made space for her.
Instead, she could remain at the hospital, free from restraint and expectation, where she could simply be herself. 
A faint sound of footsteps behind her cut through her thoughts. She turned to see Nurse Jessy hurrying toward her, a folder clasped in her left hand and holding a tablet on the other.
“There you are, Dr. Hilton. The patient's operation will be in two hours. It would be best if you rest for now and prepare.”
Olivia gave a small nod, her expression settling into a calm, composed stillness. She lifted her brows, the gesture causing her naturally long lashes to arch gracefully.
“How many surgeries do I have today?” 
Jessy slipped the folder from her left hand under her arm, securing it against her side, then used her now-free fingers to tap and swipe across the tablet screen.
“You have two surgeries, Dr. Hilton,” she answered, her eyes still fixed on the display, reviewing the schedule. “The first one will commence soon, and the last…” She paused briefly, scrolling. “It doesn’t have a set time yet, but it will most likely be later this evening.”
“Thank heavens,” Olivia murmured, relief easing some of the tension in her chest.
A week ago had been a different story. What was supposed to be a manageable day had turned into a grueling ordeal when the assigned surgeon suffered a fractured wrist just hours before their procedures. Two complex surgeries had been pushed onto Olivia without warning, back-to-back.
She had worked through sheer exhaustion. There was a moment, clear as day in her memory, when she was certain her legs would give out right there in the operating room. But they hadn’t.
And somehow, despite everything, both surgeries had gone well.
At least today, it seemed, would be kinder.
Olivia straightened. “Do you have the details on the first case?”
Jessy nodded and pulled the folder from where it had been tucked under her arm. “Here.” She handed it over. “I figured you’d want to review it ahead of time, so I brought the file with me.”
“Thank you.”
Olivia took the patient’s file, her fingers brushing lightly over its smooth cover before closing around it. She flipped it open and began scanning the contents.
“Annalise Flynn. Twenty-eight years old…” she read under her breath.
“The patient is a preschool teacher,” Jessy said after a brief silence, filling in what the file could not. “It was a hit-and-run. One of her co-teachers witnessed the incident and brought her straight here.”
Olivia’s eyes paused on the page.
“A preschool teacher…” she repeated. Her grip on the file tightened ever so slightly. “What kind of person would want a sweet young woman dead?” The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
“There are more deranged people out there than you’d think, Dr. Hilton..” 
Olivia let out a humorless huff. “That, I agree with.”
My parents are proof enough.
With her eyes still on the file, she started to walk toward the entrance. It was a habit she’d long told herself to break but she never quite managed to stop.
Nurse Jessy fell into step beside her, mumbling about the patient’s husband, who had already been contacted yet still hadn’t shown up.
Olivia tore her eyes from the paper and gave her friend an inquiring look.“How is her condition at the moment?” 
“Still unconscious. There’s swelling in the brain and it's…. Pretty bad.”
Olivia flipped the pages, scanning it one last time. “Jessy… where’s her blood work?”
“I’m still waiting for the results, Dr. Hilton. The lab hasn’t uploaded them yet.”
Olivia lifted her wrist, eyes flicking to the watch strapped neatly against her skin. “It should be up by now,” she told Jessy.
“I can check again.”
“Please do.”
Jessy tapped her tablet awake. The screen lit up against her face. She scrolled, eyes darting across the data, refreshing once, then again.
For reasons she couldn’t quite name, Olivia felt her heartbeat stutter, an ominous, creeping sense that something unexpected had just complicated everything. 
“Oh my God.” The nurse's hand flew to her mouth. Suddenly, she stopped walking.
Olivia halted beside as well, watching her with a frown now carved in her forehead. “What is it?” 
Jessy said nothing for a long while. The silence stretched. It felt like eternity had passed before she finally looked Olivia in the eye.
“Doc… she’s pregnant.”
Olivia drew in a shaky breath, “How far along?” she asked in barely audible whisper.
The nurse's throat moved up and down. “It’s… early,”She trailed, “She probably didn’t know.”
Olivia closed her eyes for a brief second. Her hand moved on instinct, settling against her abdomen as if grounding herself in the weight of what she’d just heard.
A child. 
The word changed everything.
The burden of it all settled squarely on her shoulders. The decision, impossible as it felt, was now hers to make.
“Prep the OR. We’re not waiting any longer.”
“Yes, Dr. Hilton. I’ll notify the surgical team immediately.” Nurse Jessy turned on her heel and hurried down the hall.
Olivia clenched her fists.
She couldn’t afford to lose two lives today. Not one that was only just beginning to bloom… and not the woman who had yet to realize she was carrying it.
No matter what it takes, she must save both the mother and the child's life. After all, she is a Doctor and saving lives is what she does.
Inhaling deeply, she strengthened her resolve and finally followed Jessy.