Chapter 70 Surgery
Today was the day of David's surgery, and Jennifer had been nervous since morning. While tying Francis's tie, she said, "Francis, I haven't told my dad about us."
Francis joked, "What, embarrassed to be with me?"
Jennifer's fingertips trembled as she bit her lower lip and said, "You know we're going to break up eventually. My dad's traditional, and with his illness, I don't want him getting upset about this. After his surgery today, if he recovers well, I'll find the right time to tell him. If you're still with me, then." She sneaked a glance at his expression.
The smile disappeared from Francis's face. He suddenly gripped her chin firmly, forcing her to look up. "Don't worry, I'm just his surgeon. But I don't like hearing that kind of talk from you. Be ready for your punishment tonight." Although he'd never thought about marrying her, he didn't like his woman constantly thinking about leaving.
"Okay, I'll be careful from now on." Jennifer's cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly lowered her head. She knew the punishment definitely meant something sexual.
The two left one after the other in separate cars. Francis went to prepare for surgery, while Jennifer went to David's hospital room. Marlowe was keeping David company. He had fasted overnight but was still in good spirits. David held Marlowe's hand and said, "If the surgery fails today, I've left a will for you two with Louie. Without me, you should still live well. I don't mind if you remarry and start a new life. I just hope you'll look after Jennifer more."
Tears streamed down Marlowe's face as she said through laughter and tears, "Don't talk like that! The surgeon operating on you today is the best in the country. Jennifer and I have both sacrificed so much for this day. You're going to be fine!"
Jennifer knocked on the door and said, holding back tears, "That's right, Dad. You need to have confidence in yourself. You're going to live a long time—until I get married and have children, and you'll help me take care of them too."
The three of them hugged together. David said with tears in his smile, "I'm just saying 'what if.' Okay, I'll stop. For my beloved daughter and wife, I'm going to fight this brain cancer to the end!" The family encouraged each other until a nurse came to tell them it was time to go to the operating room.
Outside the operating room, Francis, wearing a mask and looking serious, confirmed the surgical plan with Marlowe and Jennifer, reminding them to sign the consent form. Marlowe started crying when she heard about the risks, looking to Jennifer for help. Jennifer gritted her teeth and took the pen to sign. Her eyes were full of trust as she looked at Francis. "Dr. Carter, I'm putting my father's life in your hands."
"Alright, we'll do our best." Francis's eyes remained calm, giving her great confidence. This surgery had a 90% success rate, which was already quite high, but he couldn't guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen.
David didn't see the eye contact between Jennifer and Francis. He was quickly fitted with a transparent, soft mask, smelled the faint sweet scent of plastic, and then fell unconscious. The anesthesiologist looked at the monitor and announced, "Anesthesia induction complete. Patient's vital signs are stable. Surgery may begin."
Francis nodded, and his scalpel made a steady, precise incision in David's scalp.
The surgery lasted four hours. Jennifer stayed with Marlowe outside the operating room the entire time, with no appetite to eat. Marlowe kept checking the time and asked worriedly, "That nurse said the surgery would take about three hours. It's been almost four hours now. Why hasn't anyone come out yet?"
Jennifer was anxious too, but she tried to comfort her, "Marlowe, the fact that the surgery isn't over means at least it hasn't failed. Let's be patient a little longer."
Marlowe suddenly grabbed her wrist and asked, "How have things been between you and Francis lately? I noticed he seemed very distant toward you just now, not at all like someone close to you. Did you make him angry?"
Jennifer didn't dare look at her and said with downcast eyes, "We're fine. I just asked him not to reveal our relationship in front of Dad, and he was a bit unhappy, but he agreed."
"It's probably better not to say anything. Your dad would definitely feel bad for you and might not even want to go through with the surgery." Marlowe wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. She knew Jennifer would suffer being with Francis, but for David's sake, she could only pretend not to know. After a while, she suddenly thought of something and whispered in Jennifer's ear, "There's something I have to remind you about. You young people need to be careful. Since you're not planning to get married, don't get pregnant."
Jennifer's cheeks flushed slightly as she replied quietly, "I know, Marlowe." Actually, Francis probably wanted her to get pregnant even less than she did. Jennifer touched her belly. She had never thought about having his baby to keep him around. But she had once hoped to meet a man who would love and care for her, and have a pair of lovely children.
Just then, the operating room light finally went out. A group of medical staff came out pushing a gurney with David lying on it, breathing steadily. Jennifer and Marlowe rushed over. Seeing the long wound on his head and the blood seeping through the bandages, they anxiously asked, "Did the surgery go well? Why isn't he awake yet?"
The anesthesiologist answered, "There was a small problem during surgery, but Dr. Carter handled everything perfectly. I increased the anesthesia dosage. He should wake up slowly in about twenty minutes. The surgery was successful. When the patient wakes up, remember to give him something warm and easy to digest."
"Thank you all so much!" Marlowe clasped her hands together, bowing repeatedly in gratitude. Jennifer thanked them while looking for Francis. Why hadn't he come out with them? After asking a nurse, she learned that because this surgery had run an hour late, Francis didn't even have time to rest and had rushed to another operating room. Jennifer knew Francis was busy at work, but she hadn't realized he was this busy. She suddenly felt a bit sorry for him. But there was nothing she could do for him—she still had to take care of David first.
The group escorted David back to his room. Marlowe asked Jennifer to go to the cafeteria to eat and bring some food back. Earlier, they'd had no appetite worrying about the surgery results, but now that they knew David was safe, they both felt hungry. Jennifer swallowed and said, "Marlowe, you must be hungry too. I'll go buy food now, and we can eat together."
"Okay." Marlowe touched her hair. Jennifer was so thoughtful.
When Jennifer returned with the food, David had already woken up. Though his face was pale and weak, his smile was relaxed—he knew he'd passed the hardest part. Marlowe arranged the food on the small table by David's bed, feeding him a bite before taking one herself. Jennifer watched the two of them looking so happy and loving together, and couldn't help feeling a bit envious.