Page 9 of Dr. Brandt

“I thought I knew everything,” I said playfully as I stood. “It appears I must humbly admit that even the most brilliant and gifted doctors, such as myself, don’t know it all.”

“That’s a little scary,” Kaleb shot back.

I grinned, loving how much his confidence and humor were on display. His parents would be delighted when they arrived to visit their son tonight.

“Trust me, kid,” I arched an eyebrow at him, “there’s nothing to fear when a doctor has more to learn. It’s only a problem when a doctor thinks they know everything there is to know.” I chucked the ball out to the holographic field, sending Kaleb after it so I could watch his movements and speak to my nurse. His improvements were impressive, and if all went increasingly well over the next few days, I’d sign off on his release from the hospital, requiring only weekly visits and scans while I monitored his brain for possible issues.

For now, my patient was on his way to a full recovery, and it flooded me with excitement that outweighed my concerns from Crystal’s consultation. This was why I loved being a pediatric neurosurgeon. Kaleb was an easy example of that. When given a chance to help change and save children’s lives, I thrived. Losing my sister compelled me to move into the specialty of epilepsy because, despite how wealthy my parents were, their money couldn’t save my sister’s life. Now, I got to help those who felt helpless. Giving children life-saving options—ones my sister never got—gave me the utmost satisfaction.

When I first met Kaleb and his family, Kaleb could barely go a few minutes without having a seizure due to the pressure the tumor was putting on his brain. Now it was removed, and I was standing here with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. I contributed to Kaleb’s ability to live a full life, and that was the most rewarding part of this job. Well, that and playing with my patients in this fantastic technology room as they recovered.

“Dr. Brandt,” the front desk assistant, Preston, called my name, “you have an urgent phone call from Dr. Nadeer.”

“I’ll take it in my office down the hall,” I said, turning toward Darcy. “Tell Kaleb that I’m going to be able to help another patient because of what I learned from his amazing skills.”

She smiled. “He’ll love to hear that. Surgery?” she questioned.

“Let’s hope. Of course, Dr. Nadeer wouldn’t be calling me this soon after leaving as an Oompa Loompa otherwise,” I chuckled.

“I’ll upload the vitals, stats, and test results and send them to you.”

“Let Kaleb know I’ll be back to check on him in a bit.”

With that, I rushed down the hall that led to the doctors’ offices in this ward. I picked up the call, and from the triumphant tone in Dr. Nadeer’s voice, I knew why he was calling. Crystal would be admitted into the hospital, and I would be up hours before the sun, scrubbing in. We’d be performing emergency surgery, and Crystal would be joining the likes of young Kaleb as a child whose life was drastically improved.

Today was a damn fine day, even if it was yet another day that I’d been distracted by thoughts of Jessa. A month had passed since our unexpected run-in, and there hadn’t been one day that went by that I wished, above all things, that I’d grabbed her phone number instead of giving her mine.

I hated being cursed to wish I had her in my life again. I’d never felt heartache like this over a woman. Unfortunately, karma hated my ass when it came to relationships, and after what I had done to Jessa, I guess it was my turn to feel the pain.

I believe I finally knew what it must’ve felt like for her when I just up and callously walked away. God help me. She was engaged now, and she had a child. I had no business thinking about her like this. But hell, if I could knock this shit off, I would.

Jessa may have said we were just young and foolish back then, but I was no fool. I loved her—I never stopped loving her. I was just stupid enough to leave her in the worst way possible, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to take it all back.

Chapter Five

Jessa

I walked out of my job, cheerful and ready to head straight to Jackson’s game tonight. Being a receptionist at a dentist’s office was a far cry from what I’d set out to be in life, but hey, we all have plans for our lives, and fate always seems to step in and change the game. It’s all how you look at it, I guess.

I choose to look at the positive side of life. Everything happens for a purpose—a good reason—and what defines us is how we choose to deal with adversity.

I wouldn’t trade being a receptionist for Dr. Meckler, even though the irony was that I was initially going to college to become a dentist myself. Funny how it all worked out. When I graduated high school as valedictorian, I envisioned myself sitting in the doctor’s chair.

I’d have loved to have finished my schooling—I’d even done some evening online classes over the years—but with Jackson’s seizures and treatments, I never had much time for myself. I didn’t mind. He was my number one priority. I wanted him to live like an average kid who didn’t suffer from this genetic disorder, and I was about to watch him live it up tonight at his football game. Nothing made me happier than watching him thrive.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

“Hey,” I answered Jackson’s call as I weaved my way through the brisk streets of the city. “What’s going on?”

“Just making sure my number one fan will be at my game tonight,” he said.

I smirked, nodding at the man I was almost shoved into while turning to hail a cab. “Ah. What’s really up, Jacks?” I asked with a laugh.

“I love you?”

“Jackson Thomas Stein.” The kid was no good at pulling one over on me, but he wouldn’t be Jackson if he didn’t try.

While Jackson was beating around the bush, I was about to be thrown into a damn tree by a grouchy old woman determined to grab the taxi I’d flagged down. I could hear Jackson’s friends laughing and goofing off in the background as the hag tried to shove her way around me.

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