Page 5 of The Surgeon's Secret

“But we can contact her if there’s anything urgent or get her to come in if needed.”

“Okay, I’ll bear that in mind, thank you. But this can wait until Thursday,” Lexi said, flashing her most charming smile at the receptionist.

“Great! Have you seen the board for today, Dr. Bond?”

“No, but I’m going to take a look right now.”

“Let me know if you have any questions. I hope you’re doing well so far,” the receptionist said, clicking a couple of things on her computer. Just as Lexi was about to leave, she called out again, “Oh, and Dr. Mars designated Dr. Catherine Spencer to support you as you settle in. If you need anything, just ask her. Have you met yet?”

“Dr. Catherine Spencer?” Lexi definitely remembered her—eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, smooth skin, and…yes, she remembered Dr. Catherine Spencer, alright.

“Yes, I met her yesterday. I’ll check in with Dr. Spencer if I need anything. Thank you for your help.”

Lexi headed to the surgical board on the wall, where all the surgeries for the day were listed, along with the theaters, notes, and surgeons assigned. She saw her scheduled surgeries and picked up the notes she needed for the patients she’d be operating on. Lexi liked meeting her patients before heading into the OR. She liked building a rapport with them because there were always nerves before a big surgery, especially when it involved the brain. And afterward, she loved checking in with the patients and their families to share their relief. That was her favorite part of the job.

Well, apart from cutting, of course. What kind of surgeon would she be if she didn’t love cutting?

She picked up her first case of the day—removing a tumor. Lexi screwed up her face and took the scans out of the folder to study them more closely. She decided to pull them up on the computer for a better look. It was a straightforward tumor removal, thank God. She didn’t need to lose another patient.

She remembered every patient she’d ever lost. It was a hazard of the job—not for everyone, perhaps, but for her. Some surgeons were as cold as their reputations suggested, dead inside, with no heart. But Lexi had a heart. She cared deeply. The patients she lost haunted her. She kept a journal of their names and sometimes looked through it, remembering them. It was her way of reflecting and making herself better. A surgeon had to learn to live with loss quickly, or they didn’t last long in the job. Lexi had gotten used to it, but she always reflected on her past cases and wondered if there was anything she could’ve done differently.

Lexi headed to her patient’s room, where the young woman was waiting with her parents. Her name was Sasha Aitchison.

“So, doc, can you fix me?” Sasha asked, her voice skeptical. Lexi took one of the scans from the file and held it up to the light. She smiled her most reassuring smile, the one that always worked on patients.

“Can I call you Sasha?” Lexi asked, and Sasha nodded. “The short answer is yes—I will absolutely fix you. This is a straightforward tumor removal. Let me show you here on your scan.” She pointed to the scan and circled the tumor. “This is from this morning, so it’s up to date. The good news is that the tumor hasn’t grown at all. I’m very confident I can take it out today with no complications. Once it’s out, that should be the end of it. We can’t say for sure what the future holds, but this isn’t an aggressive tumor. It’s not a complicated surgery for me, but it’s important. You’re my number-one priority this morning,and I don’t want you to worry. I know this is tough, especially at your age, but I promise to do my absolute best.”

Lexi continued, “We’ll cut here, and we’ll have this tumor out in no time.” Her confidence seemed to work its magic, and Sasha looked reassured and a little less skeptical than before.

“What about radiotherapy?” Sasha asked.

“I can’t give you a definite answer on that right now. I need to see what I find when I get in there. We may recommend a short course of radiotherapy, but we’ll take it step by step.”

“And then, after that…back to normal life?” Sasha asked hopefully, scrunching her face.

“Absolutely. You’ll be back to normal quickly, I promise,” Lexi said. “Any more questions, or should I see you in the OR?” she asked, gathering her papers.

Lexi headed out to review the file for her next patient, but just as she closed the door, her pager beeped: Cat 1 trauma coming in.

Guess I’d better head to the ER, Lexi thought, setting off for the elevator.

As she rode down, she read the details on her pager—construction site accident. A worker injured by falling debris from a collapsed scaffold, leading to head and abdominal trauma. The patient was unconscious. ETA: five minutes.

Lexi burst through the ER doors, the usual high activity of nurses and doctors filling the space. She headed toward the ambulance bay doors. As they opened, she stepped outside, enjoying a brief moment of sunshine and taking a deep breath of fresh air. There wasn’t much information about the patient’s injuries yet, so she’d have to assess them upon arrival.

The ambulance pulled up, lights flashing and sirens blaring. The paramedics opened the doors quickly.

“Patient unconscious, thirty-year-old male. Visible head injuries, signs of abdominal bleeding,” the paramedic said. Justas Lexi was about to take charge, the doors behind her opened again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw none other than Dr. Catherine Spencer, her big amber eyes and dark hair neatly swept up in a ponytail.

“Dr. Bond, I’m here for a general consult on the abdominal injuries. I’m assuming you’re taking charge of the head trauma? Let’s work together and get this guy sorted out,” Catherine said in her usual gentle voice, exactly the kind of calmness Lexi needed.

“With pleasure, Dr. Spencer,” Lexi responded. The paramedics repeated the patient’s vitals as they wheeled him inside and Catherine quickly examined his abdomen.

“Dr. Bond, I need to get this patient to the OR immediately. Are you ready to collaborate on this?”

“Yes, certainly. I’m concerned about the head injuries. Can we put him through an MRI first so we know exactly what we’re dealing with?”

“Yes,” Catherine agreed.

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