Page 3 of The Surgeon's Secret

There was another woman in there, changing out of her scrubs. Lexi’s gaze was drawn to her as she shrugged out of her scrub shirt, revealing a black lace bra and smooth brown shoulders. Lexi couldn’t help but admire the woman’s beauty. It wasn’t really the time or place, but sometimes these things struck Lexi at the most unexpected moments. She watched as the woman stripped out of her scrub pants, revealing matching black panties.

Very nice, Lexi thought as she admired the curves of the woman’s body.

The woman turned, suddenly aware of Lexi’s presence. Her dark hair was pushed behind her ears, and Lexi found herself captivated by the woman’s big amber eyes.

“Oh, hi. I didn’t hear you come in. I’m Dr. Catherine Spencer,” the woman said, smiling.

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Spencer,” Lexi responded, trying to keep her cool. “I’m Dr. Lexi Bond.”

“Please, call me Catherine. You must be the new neurosurgeon?”

“That’s me. And please, call me Lexi.” Lexi smiled and extended her hand to Catherine.

Catherine’s hand was warm in hers, and for a moment Lexi’s mind wandered to thoughts of what else might happen between them. But she quickly shook her head, mentally scolding herself.Don’t be silly.

Catherine’s amber eyes glanced away shyly, which surprised Lexi. How could someone so beautiful be so shy?

Lexi changed out of her scrubs, not bothered at all about undressing in front of someone. It was something she did all the time. Catherine didn’t seem shy about her body either; it was more of a general quietness, a gentleness that Lexi found endearing. She watched as Catherine pulled on a fresh set of scrubs, admiring the lovely curves of Catherine’s body.

“How did your surgery go?” Lexi asked.

“Abdominal trauma, penetrating metal. Made a bit of a mess, but I think it’s all tidied up now,” Catherine replied, her voice like a soothing stream of water.

“General surgeon?” Lexi asked.

“Mostly general, also trauma when needed. I know some of it can be routine and predictable, but I love it. That’s what traumas are for, right? To sharpen the edges, to bring the excitement,”Catherine said, meeting Lexi’s gaze. “Is this your first day? Did you have a surgery from the pileup?”

“Yeah, complex head trauma. It was touch-and-go for a while, but I’m confident she’ll be fine now. Always a relief.”

“Was it always neurosurgery for you?” Catherine asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“Yeah, I’ve always loved it. I love the precision. I’ve been fascinated with how brains work since I was a kid, and now…well, I guess I’ve gotten good at it. I can’t imagine doing anything else now. Once you specialize, there’s no going back, is there? It seems pointless to change after all the work to get so good at something.”

Lexi watched as Catherine tied her dark hair up and ran a brush through the silky waves.

“Yeah, I agree. It was the same for me with general. I had interests in other specialties earlier on, but you know, you end up with one thing, and that’s your thing. Anyway, my husband…he chose cardio early. We met at school, and by the time we were interns, it was clear that even though I was interested in cardio, there wasn’t room for both of us to do that. So general it is, and I’m happy with it.”

Catherine’s voice changed slightly when she mentioned her husband, and Lexi didn’t like it. She didn’t like the idea of Catherine having a husband, or that she’d given up her dream specialty for him.

“Where does he work?” Lexi asked, suddenly more interested than she should be.

“All over the world. He consults on complex cardio cases. He travels a lot these days.” Catherine’s words were robotic, as if she’d rehearsed them.

Lexi had more questions about this husband, but she didn’t want to pry since she’d just met Catherine. They’d talk again soon, she was sure.

2

CATHERINE

As Catherine drove home from the hospital, she was lost in thought about her tough shift picking up the trauma cases from the car accident on Southbridge. The patient she had in the OR had survived, which was a relief, but people had died today, and Catherine felt the weight of that. She wondered if there was anything any of them could have done differently. Could they have been faster and saved more lives? She’d spent the afternoon after the abdominal trauma surgery picking up smaller cases and comforting a young girl who’d lost her mother. The social workers had taken her away in the end, but her big blue eyes haunted Catherine on her journey home.

Catherine pulled into the driveway of her beautiful home. Her salary was very comfortable, but her husband’s was significantly larger, so Catherine and James Spencer lived in luxury.

Catherine opened the door to her quiet house. She’d always wanted a dog, but James had never allowed it. It felt so unfair, because at least fifty percent of the time, James was traveling, leaving Catherine home on her own. She loved dogs—their happy faces and wagging tails—and she couldn’t think ofanything she’d enjoy more than coming home to a dog who was delighted to see her. She knew she worked long hours, but she wouldn’t be unfair to a dog. She would hire a walker or use a doggy daycare, and then spend the evenings and weekends with the dog at home. She’d always imagined a lovely, happy, waggy golden retriever, but once again, she opened the door to a quiet house.

They’d tried for children at one point, but given how infrequently they had sex, it had never really seemed like a priority. It wasn’t that Catherine didn’t want children; it was just that she was deeply unhappy. How could she bring a child into this home, feeling as unsettled and unhappy as she did?

She heard noise from upstairs—James packing for his next trip. She thought he was due in Paris this week…or was it London? Catherine had forgotten. He had definitely told her.God, I should remember this.

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