Chapter 144: Promise Me, Always Look at Me
Lucas kissed me until I couldn't breathe.
After a long while, he finally let go, pressing his forehead against mine, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"I'm right here beside you, but you keep thinking about another man!" Lucas sounded a bit jealous.
"Stop it." I tried to catch my breath, looking at the slight redness at the corners of his eyes. Feeling a bit sorry for him, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"I just think he looks familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen him."
Lucas's tense muscles gradually relaxed. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and made a muffled sound in response.
"I'll look into him. You don't need to think about him anymore!"
"Got it." My sigh was so soft it was barely audible.
Lucas lifted his head, his eyes surging with an almost obsessive possessiveness, like an airtight net trapping me completely.
"Do you know how irritated I was today? Not just today—I've been trying so hard to suppress the urge to take you away and hide you somewhere." He gently caressed my face, his thumb pressing against my lips again and again. "I never had thoughts like this about Amelia—if only I'd recognized my feelings for you sooner."
Too bad there aren't that many "what ifs" in the world.
"Look at me, Bella." His tone carried a childish stubbornness, yet it made my heart tremble.
I could feel his deep unease.
Lucas lowered his head and kissed me again, this time with careful tenderness and deep attachment.
"Promise me, Bella. Always look at me, and belong only to me."
-
The next morning.
I arrived at the hotel's hospital. Cressida was already there, and surprisingly, so was Simeon.
"Are you here to see a doctor?" I looked him up and down hesitantly, taking in his white coat.
"No." Simeon said, "I want to work here too."
"No, you're not suitable." I refused without hesitation.
"Why?" Simeon asked stiffly. "Don't you trust my medical skills? You can test me!"
"You've misunderstood. This is the Sorelli family's private hospital, and it also contains secrets about my pharmaceutical work. You're from the Caudill family." I said flatly, showing no expression.
Roger laughed mockingly at Simeon. "Do you even have a brain? Even if you wanted to be a spy, this is way too obvious."
"I don't want to be a spy!" Simeon's whole body tensed. "I have no intention of stealing secrets!"
Roger looked at him sideways. "Are you saying you're not interested in the special desensitization shot?"
Simeon fell silent.
I asked him, "Are you still planning to challenge me?"
Simeon shook his head.
"Then you can leave. We're very busy." I walked past Simeon into the VIP consultation room and told Roger and Cressida that Gerald and Beckett would be coming later.
When Cressida heard that Beckett might be the Miracle Surgeon, she got so excited she nearly fainted.
Roger asked her irritably, "You know what prep work needs to be done, right?"
"Of course!" Cressida said cheerfully. "I need to touch up my makeup first!"
"What?" Roger rolled his eyes dramatically toward the ceiling, speechless.
At ten in the morning, Gerald and Beckett arrived as scheduled.
The examination room equipment hummed, making low, rhythmic sounds.
The blue signal light on the MRI machine went out.
The CT scan film was precisely clipped into the light box.
On the film, a very small blood clot was lodged tightly in the gap between the thalamus and brainstem.
Blood vessels surrounded it like a spider's web.
"The location is too tricky, very difficult." My fingertip lightly tapped the dangerous area on the film. "Conventional craniotomy has a risk factor over 70%, and minimally invasive puncture could easily damage the surrounding nerve bundles."
Roger stood to the side, holding his pen upside down, the cap tracing every line on the CT scan. His face showed none of his usual playfulness—his expression was grave. After looking through the last film, he shook his head. "I'm not confident I can do it."
Gerald looked a bit disappointed but just sighed, clearly having expected this result.
Beckett touched his temple and joked, "Too bad I don't have a third hand, otherwise I'd perform this surgery on myself."
His voice was very gentle, his manner neither too familiar nor too distant, maintaining a comfortable social distance.
Cressida was very nervous, constantly biting her lip and occasionally stealing sympathetic glances at Beckett.
The atmosphere was heavy. Suddenly, the corner of Roger's mouth curved into a mysterious smile. He jerked his chin toward me. "What's the rush? The ace hasn't played yet."
The other three looked at me simultaneously. Gerald spoke up, puzzled, "Isn't Isabella's hand injured?"
"Her hand doesn't work, but her brain's fine." Roger gestured toward the VR simulation pod, making a "please" gesture to me.
I took the helmet Roger handed me and explained with a smile, "Roger's hands are very nimble—he can handle delicate surgeries. But I need to run a simulation first. You can help see if it's feasible."
A flash of understanding crossed Gerald's eyes.
Beckett started getting excited. "Please, let me witness your skills."
"My pleasure." I put on the helmet. The VR simulation pod's metal shell gleamed with cold light. I walked in, the pod door closed, and the virtual surgical scene precisely unfolded before my eyes.
Beckett's brain structure had been scanned, broken down into data and reconstructed. Every blood vessel, every nerve bundle was clearly visible.
"Simulation surgery, begin." I said in a low voice, my attention highly focused.
My right hand controlling the virtual scalpel moved slowly but steadily.
Time passed second by second.
The virtual scalpel navigated between blood vessels. Each cut carried enormous risk, but there wasn't a single mistake.
Occasionally, my right wrist would suddenly feel weak and sore, my fingertips twitching uncontrollably, causing the operation screen to shake.
I had experience with this, so I'd pause the surgery. Since it was a simulation, it didn't matter that the patient's head was open.
At times like this, I'd save my progress, massage my wrist, and wait for the spasms and soreness to fade before diving back into the surgery.
An hour and a half later, the virtual instruments I was controlling precisely reached the edge of the blood clot. I explained the key points simultaneously:
"Separate from this angle, avoiding the basilar artery."
"Coordinate with minimally invasive aspiration."
Four hours later, the simulation surgery ended.
The pod door opened. I walked out and met Gerald's gaze, which contained both amazement and regret.
"Not a conventional approach—very bold, very well-suited to Beckett's actual situation! Textbook-level thinking! Master-level precision! If only your hand wasn't injured."
This titan of the medical world stared at my hand, his eyes full of incredible admiration that finally turned into a long sigh.
Beckett looked energized. He'd been equally focused while observing the simulation surgery, so he'd broken a sweat. His damp bangs stuck to his forehead as he looked at me with eyes full of appreciation and curiosity.
"You're very skilled, but I think this surgery still isn't perfect!"
Cressida hung her head, her shoulders drooping powerlessly. Once again, she clearly realized the gap between us.
"It definitely could be more refined!" Gerald enthusiastically agreed with Beckett. "After removing the blood clot, we could use nano-scaffolding to reinforce the vessel wall and reduce the risk of post-operative bleeding."
The two of them discussed back and forth, then Beckett entered the simulation pod while Gerald verbally guided him, adjusting the details.
Their discussion wouldn't end anytime soon, and I desperately needed to rest.
I'd barely sat down when Adrian walked up to me and said, "John is here. He wants to see you."