Page 101 of Primal God

The room circulator pulls me from my thoughts as she goes through the pre-op checklist, which includes making sure we have the right patient in the room. It’s a safety measure that you find yourself thankful for before bigger mistakes happen.

When she’s finished, I say, “Okay, folks. Let’s do this.”

I’m sure I shocked everyone I work with when I rearranged my entire schedule to do Lilith’s case.

I glance at her.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

I move to the right side, where her arm is prepped for me. Reaching for a scalpel, I make an incision on the palm sideof her forearm and wrist. I haven’t done a procedure like this in a while, mostly because most of my clients are professional athletes, who need scopes and knee or hip replacements.

The nurses and scrub techs chat with me as I use surgical instruments to access the wrist and view the fracture.

One nurse asks, “This is your kids’ nanny, right?”

Ah, the good old hospital gossip mill. Got to love it.

I nod. “She is.”

“How did she fall?”

My cheeks feel warm under my surgical mask. “She tripped over shoes on her way to the kitchen and fell.”

I don’t mention that the fucking shoes were mine. I have a feeling my sweet Lilith was just too kind to tell me, but I know. I saw them before we left the house.

The nurse’s eyes widen. “Ouch!”

Gerald asks, “How much are nannies going for these days? My wife wants to get one for our kids.”

Gerald and his wife have three kids, all who are little shits. I wouldn’t wish them on anyone.

I say, “I’m sure it depends on the agency they work with. I can send you a few contacts if you’d like.”

“That would be much appreciated.” He makes a face. “My wife wants to go for baby number four. She’d be pissed if she knew I’m planning on getting a vasectomy.”

One of the nurses shakes her head. “I’d be pissed if my husband did that without my knowledge.”

“It’s my body.”

This leads to a lively debate about women’s rights to their bodies (or lack thereof) and makes time pass by rather quickly while I work on Lilith.

After realigning the fracture, I use a combination of a plate and multiple screws to secure the fracture position. The plate is small and shouldn’t give Lilith any problems down the road. Ithen close the incision using sutures. I look at my handiwork. There should be minimal scarring in the area, which is good.

“Give herSugammadex. I want to make sure she wakes up as smoothly as possible.”

Gerald rolls his eyes, but says, “GivingSugammadex. Also, making a note that the patient will need to be educated in PACU.”

I’m not listening anymore as I get to work placing the dressings over the incision. The splint is next and extends from the mid-forearm to the palm. I leave her elbow and fingers free to allow motion.

When I’m finished with my part, I move to a corner of the room so I can make some notes in the electronic medical chart, which includes ordering physical therapy for her hand. I want her to have full movement. My fingers fly over the keyboard and then I exit her chart. I can’t help but notice some of her other encounters below this one. The one that really catches my eye is a locked encounter that happened a year ago in the emergency room. Is that the same encounter that was in the report from my PI?

“Dr. Santos?”

I look up to find a different nurse.

“Yes?”

“Your next case is ready for you.”

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