Page 32 of Fixation

“Yes,” she replied, her eyes on him.

“I have no memory of that time. Can you tell me something about it? Were you there when I was brought in? Was Dr. Singh there?”

“I wasn’t. Reina was. What I heard is that you were losing a lot of blood and were going into cardiac arrest. Reina revived you. She was with you all throughout…”

Memories rushed through him.

“Wait, he’s responding.”

“We can’t wait. We’re operating on him. Now.”

“I am not going to let him die, which he will if I don’t get him on a fucking operating table.”

“I know, but I’m choosing to save him instead.”

“He’s going to live. I’ll ensure it.”

It was her. That’s why her voice had always seemed familiar. He suddenly remembered capturing a wrist—surely her wrist—in that moment when hope had flickered in his chest. No wonder her touch was special. Her touch had given him hope then, and now it felt like the beginning of something explosive. A pressure built in his chest. He couldn’t explain what it was.

He tuned into what Laila was saying. “…she took you in for surgery despite…”

She slapped a palm on her mouth.

“Despite?” he queried.

“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to talk about it,” Laila said.

“About what?” Now, he really wanted to know what she was keeping silent about. He pocketed his glasses before gentling his tone. “Please tell me.”

She studied him for a long moment, her gaze raking over his face, going down his body and then up again. Her appraisal always made him uncomfortable. But he bore it, ensuring his expression remained unchanged.

“I’m waiting, doctor,” he finally said.

“I suppose there’s no harm. Who will you even repeat it to?” she sighed. “Reina was moved to the ER as a sort of punishment. There is a rumour in the hospital that she had a fallout with our senior most surgeon, Dr. Williams, and he ordered Reina to not step into the operation theatre, else she’d face dire consequences.”

His eyes rounded. “She disobeyed her senior to save me?”

“Yes.”

“And what would have happened to her if you all weren’t brought here?”

“She would have lost her job. Dr. Williams doesn’t like to be disobeyed. He probably wouldn’t even have given her a recommendation letter.”

His heart skipped. Fuck. She had saved his life at the cost to her own career. She truly was an angel.

Seeing her work with him for the last several days, he found Reina to be efficient and committed. To think that she had deliberately tossed her own career aside to save a person she had never known before was… it was admirable. His respect for her multiplied. The pressure in his chest coiled tighter.

He looked at Laila. “Do you know why Reina had a fallout with her senior?”

Laila shrugged. “I don’t, nor have I asked. You see, prior to being stuck here together, all of us weren’t really friends, more like acquaintances. Although Su Min may know the reason because Reina and she are sort of close. All I’ve heard is that Reina is very dedicated to her work. It’s her whole life. While the rest of us are also committed, we do go out and enjoy ourselves when we can. But Reina never joins us. She’s an introvert. She doesn’t talk much about herself, and hence, most of us don’t know her beyond the hospital walls. So, I don’t know what exactly happened between her and Dr. Williams.”

There was a knock on the door. His heart raced but then slowed the second he realised it wasn’therbut Tyrion.

“Hello, Sir,” Tyrion spoke in Russian. “Hope you’re feeling better this morning.”

“I am, thank you,” he replied in Russian as well.

“I have something for you, Sir.” Tyrion handed him his cell phone and iPad. “I spoke to Dr. Singh if it was okay for you to slowly get back in charge and she agreed.”

---