You Gain One, You Lose One

I had barely taken two steps when Adrian called out from behind me.

"Dr. Gilmore, Katelyn has surgery this afternoon. We'll need to coordinate."

I paused and turned back. "I know."

He looked at me. "What I mean is, I hope you won't let personal feelings interfere with your work."

I gave a small, bitter smile. "So when you were comforting me earlier, was it because you were afraid I'd let jealousy affect how I treat her surgery?"

He shook his head. "That's not what I said."

I smiled faintly. "First of all, I'm not jealous. Secondly, I'm a doctor too, Dr. Randall."

He frowned slightly.

I closed the office door behind me.

Katelyn's condition was complicated.

She was a pregnant woman undergoing cardiac surgery. The operation ended up taking far longer than expected. There were even a few unexpected complications.

Adrian, as the lead surgeon, gave his orders quickly and clearly.

"0.1 micrograms of epinephrine, stat."

"Got it." For a brief second, a wave of dizziness swept over me.

"Dr. Gilmore!" His sharp voice cut through the operating room.

I turned my head.

Above the mask, his gaze was intense and cold. "Focus on your work."

That look in his eyes carried an overwhelming sense of oppression and a deep, unmistakable distrust.

I nodded. "0.1 micrograms of epinephrine."

Only then did he look back down and continue the surgery.

The procedure didn't end until late into the night.

When I returned to my office, a wave of dizziness immediately washed over me. I reached out quickly to steady myself on the desk. My legs went weak, every muscle in my body was trembling, and cold sweat instantly soaked my back.

"Katelyn's awake, but she's still under observation. So we shouldn't let our guard down yet."

Adrian strode into the room and grabbed his stethoscope. Then, he turned to leave again.

I reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Adrian, I don't feel well."

He paused, then shoved me aside. "You're a doctor, too. You shouldn't have to ask me what to do."

"There are other doctors with her. You don't have to be the one to—"

I didn't finish my sentence because he had already walked away.

I reached out to grab him. But my hand closed around nothing, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor.

I figured that I must be experiencing low blood sugar.

There was a bottle of glucose solution on the cabinet. I slowly dragged myself over it, trembling as I finally grasped the bottle.

But my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't open the cap. I even failed to get a proper grip on it.

My phone had fallen to the floor. I tried to call Celeste but saw that my screen was still stuck on my Instagram feed.

Katelyn had just posted something. It was a photo that she had taken of Adrian standing at the bedside, leading a team of doctors in consultation. He looked serious and focused, radiating reassurance.

The caption read, "Waking up to see you there makes me feel so safe."

The bottle slipped from my grasp and fell to the floor. I scrambled to catch it, only to press my hand into the broken shards.

The room started spinning. Finally, I couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.

I heard a colleague call out to me. "Hey? Dr. Gilmore? Are you okay? Dr. Gilmore!"

When I opened my eyes, I saw Adrian sitting by my bed with his eyes closed and one hand propping up his head.

When he heard me stirring, he suddenly opened his eyes. They were bloodshot.

"You didn't stay up all night, did you?" I asked.

He gave me a faint smile. "I didn't dare sleep until you woke up."

"Oh, you must be exhausted then."

"Wendy." He grabbed my hand and cupped it with both of his to warm it. "Katelyn's pregnant, and she's my patient. I can't just leave her alone. Before being your boyfriend, I am first and foremost a doctor."

I nodded. "I know, Dr. Randall. You don't need to explain yourself."

He laughed lightly and gently tapped me on the nose. "I know you're angry. But look what I got you."