Chapter 100: Chapter 14

EVA

The phone clatters to the floor, and Jessie strides in, his face serious.

“The doctor needs to see you,” he says. I motion for the boys to follow me back to the hospital.

As soon as we step through the doors, we’re ushered into a room, and I can see the concern etched on the doctor’s face. The silence is unbearable, the anticipation of his words gnawing at me.

“We have a problem,” he begins, and my heart sinks.

“We were preparing him for surgery when we encountered some complications. During his seizure, we believe he suffered a heart issue, though we can’t be certain. There’s visible damage around his heart, which suggests a heart attack. We’re still going to proceed with the surgery, but there’s a risk his heart might fail during the operation.”

I stand there, frozen, as Nate and Jessie tense beside me, their fists clenched.

I reach out, gripping their arms, shaking my head to signal that now isn’t the time for anger.

“Can I see him one last time, Doctor?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

“Of course,” he replies. I follow him, the boys trailing behind me.

We enter the room where Caden lies on a gurney, looking so small and vulnerable.

Nate and Jessie stop in their tracks, their eyes wide, as I approach Caden, leaning down to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear.

“Caden Maxwell, you better listen to me,” I say, my voice firm.

“If you don’t make it through this, I swear I’ll march into that operating room and shock your ass back to life. Do you understand me?”

I kiss him again, then turn to leave, the boys following me out.

I can feel the tension radiating off them, their worry palpable.

“Do you think he’ll make it?” Jessie asks, his voice shaky.

“He better,” I reply, a small smile playing on my lips. “He knows what’ll happen if he doesn’t.”

I loop my arms through theirs, leading them back to the waiting room.

Now, all we can do is wait.

DR. RENOLD

To say I’m nervous would be an understatement.

I’ve spent the better part of the day telling every curious onlooker in this damn hospital to mind their own business.

Word of Mr. Maxwell’s condition has spread like wildfire, and now everyone’s trying to get a glimpse of him.

I’ve ordered extra security for the operating room and floor—no phones, surgical staff only.

I stride into the scrub room, my heart pounding as I see them hooking him up to the monitors.

I’ve brought in Dr. Lewis, another neurosurgeon, because of the gravity of the situation.

Dr. Faji, the cardiologist, is already there, monitoring his heart.

I’m praying we won’t have to intervene, that everything will go smoothly.

The tumor is right on the edge of the brain—it should be easy to remove.

I push open the door with my back, donning my gown and gloves.

They’ve already shaved his hair, prepping him for surgery.

I want to be careful, but quick—we can’t put his heart under too much stress.

No other doctors wanted to take the lead on this.

If he doesn’t survive, neither will I.

I take my place at the operating table, taking a deep breath before I begin.

I test to make sure he’s completely unconscious.

Now, it’s time to get to work.

I make my way slowly to the mass, lifting a portion of the skull.

For a moment, I look confused—did we cut the wrong side? I glance anxiously at the doctor next to me, and panic flashes in his eyes.

Just kidding everyone, we’re on the right side. Goodness, relax, not like I got the doctor license out of a cracker jack box! Or did I?

I let out a nervous chuckle—I always joke when I’m nervous, and right now, there’s a lot at stake.

The mass looks like cancer, so we’ll send it out for testing.

I carefully cut away at it, feeling sweat trickle down my face.

I turn my head, allowing a nurse to wipe it away.

Once I’ve removed as much as I can, I look for the piece of skull we took off.

Where did we stick it? I wouldn’t have just thrown it away, right?

I glance at the nurses for an answer, and they start frantically searching.

I make a beeping noise, pretending to locate it.

“Ah, there it is!” I exclaim, picking it up. I act like I am struggling to fit it back in place.

The nurses stare at me, wide-eyed.

Like I said, I get fucking nervous.

Especially when it’s someone like him.

Once I’ve replaced the skull and stitched him up, I’m relieved to see he’s made it through the four-hour surgery.

Now, I can finally relax—and hope he wakes up. Kidding!

I quickly strip off my surgical gear and clean up, then head out to update the family.

I turn the corner to the waiting room, where they’re all sitting, their faces anxious.

“The surgery is done, and he did great,” I tell them.

“We removed what we could, but he’ll need chemo and radiation. We’re sending the mass out for testing, and we’ll rush the results. We’re moving him to a recovery room, and as soon as he wakes up, we’ll let you see him.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” they reply, their relief palpable.

I nod, then head back to the recovery room, where they’re moving him.

I pull up a chair and settle in to wait for him to wake up.

It should be an hour or two, but it feels like an eternity.

I pull out my phone to pass the time, playing games as the minutes tick by.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see movement.

I stand up as Caden’s eyes flutter open, his gaze confused.

“Hey, Doc,” he mumbles, his voice weak.

“Aren’t you glad you woke up on this side?” I reply, instantly regretting my words.

But then he laughs, and I let out a sigh of relief.

He stares at the ceiling for a moment, then turns to me.

“What the fuck happened? I remember going down, then nothing. Like I had a really long nap.”

“That’s a relief. Here’s what happened: you had a seizure. It didn’t stop until we administered medication to calm you down and keep you still. We did a scan and discovered an inflamed mass wreaking havoc in your body. We decided to operate, but your lab results indicated a possible heart complication during the ordeal—likely a heart attack. Despite the risk, we had to remove the tumor. So, we opened you up, dug around to extract it, and here we are. You’ll need radiation and chemo for what we couldn’t remove. And yes, you now sport a very attractive bald head. Your wife and boys are eager to see you. Are you ready for visitors?”

I observe his nod of approval and exit to fetch his family. They trail behind me into the room, and as soon as they cross the threshold, I see Eva rush to his side, bending over to embrace him.

I slip away, knowing that the hospital never rests.

CADEN

As the doctor departs, I can’t help but wonder what’s going through everyone’s minds. One moment we’re on top of the world, the next everything comes crashing down.

A tumor? What are the fucking odds? And then my heart decides to act up too. Jesus Christ, I’d ask if anything else could go wrong, but that’s just tempting fate.

I watch them walk in, and as soon as Eva rushes over to hug me, I pull her close, whispering in her ear, “Threaten me again, and you’ll pay for your words.”

Her eyes widen in surprise as I flash her a grin and a wink. I bet she didn’t think I heard her!

That little troublemaker, I catch every word she utters. I can’t help but ponder how I’ll make her pay for her threat. Maybe I’ll keep her on her toes, guessing what I’ll do next.