Page 62 of A Colby Christmas Rescue

Abi gestured to the rack of scrubs. “If you’re planning on going inside, you need to scrub down and dress for the occasion.”

“We don’t have to shower the way the doc did?” Jamie would be the first to admit that she could use a shower, but she didn’t want to miss a moment of what was happening.

“Not unless you’re planning to help with the surgery. But since he already has a nurse, another surgeon and an anesthetist, our assistance is not required.”

Jamie gave a slow nod. “I’d like to see what’s going on in there, considering I have a great deal to lose.”

“Understandable.” Abi peeled off his sweater, grabbed the bottle of Hibiclens soap and started the necessary process. Jamie did the same. They scrubbed down and pulled on surgical gowns.

When they stepped beyond the larger curtain, Jamie was almost startled. The lights. The equipment. It was incredible. The real thing—maybe even more state of the art than the average surgery suite found in hospitals. Right in the center of it all was a surgical table complete with the patient and surrounded by all the necessary equipment and, apparently, personnel. A clear enclosure separated that center area from the rest of the room. It was like a room with invisible walls inside a bigger room.

She watched as they prepared the patient—not an adult...a child. Her chest constricted.

As Abi had said, there were three people besides the surgeon, all suited in surgical gowns. Two working closely with the doctor, the other standing at the patient’s head. The anesthetist.

The setup really was incredible. She shouldn’t be surprised. If this was going to be done right, they needed not only the proper equipment, but also the proper personnel as well. No expense appeared to have been spared.

Another man, middle aged, stood well beyond the activity on the other side of the smaller surgical room. Was this the child’s father?

Jamie leaned closer to Abi so she could whisper. “Is that him?” The doctor and those working around the patient were talking among themselves. She didn’t want to distract or disturb them.

“Yes.” Abi followed her lead, speaking in a whisper. “The father—my employer.”

“Did you know the patient was a child?” Jamie understood that the patient’s age didn’t make what they had done right...but it somehow made it more palatable.

“I did. That’s the only reason I agreed to the job.”

Jamie’s attention shifted to the ongoing procedure. The conversation between the doctor and those helping was so soft that she couldn’t make out their words through those clear walls. It was the sounds of the machines that made her feel oddly discombobulated. Or maybe it was the whole situation that created such a sense of being overwhelmed.

“Should we go now?” She suddenly felt out of place even watching.

“I’m staying. You don’t need to.”

She nodded. “Okay. Going upstairs then.”

Jamie exited the sterile environment, peeled off the surgical gown and pulled on her sweater. She tossed the gown into the provided hamper and opened the door. As she walked out, the door closed behind her, locking her out. She flinched at the sound or maybe it was the idea of what was happening in there.

Forcing her mind away from this thing they had done, she considered that she should call her grandmother and let her know she was okay and that the procedure was happening. Hopefully, Luke would be released soon. She shook herself. Good grief, it was Christmas Eve. She needed to see if anyone had heard from her parents.

One thing was certain—this was the most bizarre holiday of her life.

The trudge up the stairs was harder than she’d thought. She supposed she was more exhausted than she had realized or maybe all the emotions were just catching up with her. She had necessarily restrained her feelings related to Luke being held hostage. Now they were working overtime to bubble up.

Upstairs, Lillian and her mother were on the sofa in the great room, watching television. Mrs. Case looked as exhausted as Jamie. There was no shortage of guards. All dressed in black and stationed at every door and at the larger windows. Not just to keep the doctor in either. To keep new intruders out, she supposed.

Worry tugged at Jamie’s brow. Where was Poe? She walked to the front door and had a look outside. No Poe out there. Then she walked back through the great room and on to the kitchen before she found him.

He stood at the island, a host of vegetables piled around him. He glanced up as she neared. “I decided to make a salad. Fast food never fills me up.”

She went for a smile, but didn’t quite feel it happen. “Sounds smart. Can I help?”

“You interested in cucumbers?”

“Sure. A salad isn’t a salad without cucumbers.”

She washed the long English cucumber and selected a knife. “Thick or thin slices?”

“Prepper’s choice.”

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