Chapter 54 chapter 54
Chapter 54
The doors to the operating room opened with a soft hiss. Natalie was already draped in her surgical attire, ready to save a life.
The OR lights burned bright, illuminating the life that was about to be saved. The surgical team moved with quiet efficiency, as everyone was aware that the margin for error was razor-thin.
The monitors in the OR displayed blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and heart rhythm.
Natalie reviewed the imaging once more on the large screen before she proceeded to give out a series of instructions.
“We are going to perform an ascending aortic dissection. We replace the affected segment and preserve the valve if it allows.”
The scrub nurse nodded, eyes fixed on her.
“Have you ever performed this kind of surgery before?” The scrub nurse asked. Given how precisely Natalie was moving, looks like she had worked on a similar case before.
Natalie paused after hearing the question.
But it was only for a split second before she spoke, “Yes, and I learned first-hand exactly how fast this can go wrong with each second wasted.”
“Yes, Dr. Hart. This is one of those rare cases that surgeons always pray not to encounter.”
The anesthesiologist announced induction. The perfusionist prepared the bypass system, and the room settled into focus.
Once circulation was supported, Natalie assessed the damage. The tear was clean but aggressive. The vessel wall was fragile and dangerous to touch.
But even so, her hands did not shake as she cut through the skin with perfected accuracy.
She worked with deliberate precision, rebuilding what had failed, reinforcing what time and pressure had tried to destroy. She spoke only when necessary, each instruction clear and measured.
When blood flow was restored and the heart resumed its rhythm, the monitors responded with steady, reassuring waves.
Natalie heaved a huge sigh of relief as she removed her gloves. She looked at the team she had worked with and announced, “Surgery was successful, but she needs to stay under observation for the next forty-eight hours. It is very crucial for her recovery.”
In the Cardiothoracic ICU, the patient lay sedated. Her chest was rising with mechanical breaths.
Natalie looked through the ICU door, her mind wandering from a memory she thought she had buried deep.
She remembered her first patient, who was almost a similar case. The weeks of recovery that followed, and the way she had replayed every decision in her head until sleep became impossible.
She had even banned herself from stepping into the OR because she thought that the shoe was way too heavy for her to carry.
She had questioned herself about whether she was truly capable of holding the scalpel and saving a life.
Now, looking back, the progress did not erase scars. She learned that Rome was not built in a day, and she embraced her weakness and turned it into passion.
If she had given up back then, she wouldn’t be where she is right now.
…
When Natalie returned to her office, she found a cup of hot chamomile tea on her desk. She did not have to guess to know where it came from.
She rubbed her sore neck and took a sip of the tea. This tea was her favorite because it had a way of calming her tensed nerves.
She sat on her desk and found a sticky note that Sean had left behind.
“I went to pick up our daughter from school. Head home once you are done with your surgery. We will cook you something delicious.”
Natalie felt. The exhaustion she felt after standing in the operating room for hours vanished, and she could not wait to get home.
Natalie left the hospital in high spirits, but just as she was about to board her car, someone stopped her.
Natalie frowned at the person, her expression turning cold instantly.
Jason looked at Natalie, not knowing what to say.
“Natalie, I… can we talk?”
Natalie did not even spare him a glance as she proceeded to open her car door. “We have nothing to talk about.”
“Natalie, please. It has been a whole five years, so how could we have nothing to talk about?”
“We are not related in any way, so basically, we have nothing to talk about. My family is waiting for me, so excuse me.”
Jason did not know what to say. He had been wanting to see Natalie since the gala affair. He thought that the two had a lot to talk about. It had taken him a lot of effort to actually track Natalie down.
But the moment he saw, he actually realized that, indeed, they had nothing to talk about. No, it was more like he had nothing to say.
After opening and closing his mouth for almost an eternity, Jason rubbed his hands in frustration.
Seeing that Natalie was bent on leaving and he had no reason to keep or stop her, Jason cleared his throat and said, “I am sorry, I just wanted to be in control of my life. I hated how my dad used the inheritance to…”
Before he could finish her sentence, Natalie raised her hand and stopped him, “Stop right there. You have a wife and a son, I presume. So, whatever happened between us back then was nothing but a mistake, a bad dream that you fought so hard to wake up from, and I am glad you did.”
“Natalie, I… that is not what I meant. I was just young, and I was just starting to feel the world. I felt trapped in that marriage, and that was why I asked for a divorce.”
Natalie looked at Jason and wondered why she had even fallen in love with this man. She never realized that he was so self-centered.
Sean was indeed right. Back then, she must have had an eye problem to have fallen for a scam like him.
Seeing that she was not saying anything, Jason continued to speak, “I know how much you loved me back then, and how much it broke you when I asked for a divorce. But believe when I say this, Natalie, I had no choice.”
Natalie wanted to laugh out loud, but the only thing she felt was disgust.
With an emotionless face, she said, “Jason, you disgust me! I always smack myself in the face every time I remember how naively and stupidly I had been back then to have fallen for you. Do you have any idea what I went through after our divorce?”
“Nat… I…”