Page 25 of All Her Broken Pieces

I’ll let Ethan drive me to and from the surgery. He can help me get settled in my apartment, and then I’ll send him on his way. I’m sure he has plenty of other things he would rather be doing. He’s young and has his whole life ahead of him. He certainly doesn’t need to be tied to me, stuck out of polite obligation just because we shared a great night of sex.

What could he possibly get out of this? I’m going to be recovering from surgery so it’s not like there’s going to be any sex happening. Just friendship. That’s all there can be between us.

CHAPTER8

Ethan

I’ve donea lot of research on oophorectomies since Bridget agreed to let me help. According to experiences women have shared on Reddit, the recovery could be more than Bridget is expecting it to be. But she’s tough and fiercely independent, so she may not need—or want—much help.

Bridget and I sit in the waiting room at the hospital. She wrinkles her nose as she fills out the form. It’s not clear if she’s annoyed or confused, but it makes me want to kiss the creases on her face until they relax.

“Need any help?” I offer.

“I need an emergency contact for the procedure. I haven’t told Becka or my parents about this, and I don’t want them to get a call and find out that way.”

“Use me.”

Her eyes flit up to mine. “What?”

“Use me as your emergency contact.”

She hesitates for several seconds, her head down, eyes glued to the form as her pen sits poised to write. I look over to see what question has her stumped and notice that she’s written my first name but not my last. “Black. My last name is Black.”

“Jesus Christ. This is a mistake,” she grits out of the side of her mouth, her lips barely moving, her volume almost a whisper. “I don’t even know your last name. You’re a fucking one-night stand whose full name I don’t know.”

“My full name is Ethan Joseph Black. Now you know. And you saw my license that night, if I recall.”

“I wasn’t looking at your name, I was too distracted by your birth year. Mine starts with a nineteen and yours doesn’t.”

“I’m well aware of my birthday. What other information do you need from me?” I don’t give two fucks about our age gap or one-night stand. I’m not going anywhere.

Reluctantly, she writes down my name, and I recite my contact information so she can add it to the form. Her free hand rests on the arm of the chair, and I grab it. “Thank you for letting me be here for you.”

She doesn’t acknowledge me, but she doesn’t remove her hand from mine either as she continues filling out the form.

Once she finishes, I grab the clipboard from her hand and return it to the desk.

“I could’ve done that myself.”

“But you shouldn’t have to. It’s okay to let me help. I won’t bite.”

We wait in silence for a few minutes before a nurse emerges from a door. “Bridget Connors?” she calls.

I follow closely behind as we walk through the hallway and into a room. The nurse hands Bridget a gown while giving instructions for what she can expect during the procedure. She disappears into the bathroom and reemerges in the hospital gown, holding her clothes in a neatly folded pile.

She walks through the room, balancing her clothes in one hand while her other hand holds the gown closed. Shuffling by me, she sets her clothing down before sitting on the bed, being careful not to let me see her backside. It’s quite comical considering I’ve already seen and enjoyed every inch of her amazing body. But I push those thoughts away as this isn’t the time or place to pop a boner.

Another nurse walks in and approaches Bridget as I take a seat in the chair next to her clothing.

“Good morning, my name is Maggie, and I’m the nurse on duty this morning. Do you have any questions before we get started today?” Bridget shakes her head before Maggie continues. “Great. We have you scheduled for a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy today to remove your right ovary and the accompanying cyst. The plan is to remove it laparoscopically through a small cut in your abdomen. The surgeon will insert a small camera with a light on it. Once the ovary is removed, the surgeon will make sure the surrounding tissue is healthy. If no early-stage cancer is detected, we can close you up and send you home to recover.

“As long as everything looks good, this is the plan, but there’s a small risk that the surgeon may begin the procedure laparoscopically but change to an open procedure once they see what’s happening inside. If we do find cancer present, they’ll want to remove any cancerous cells. There’s nothing to indicate that this may happen, but things can change on the operating table, and it’s important to know the risks.”

Studying Bridget’s face, I can see the worry crossing her brows. Not over the thought that a more invasive surgery may be necessary. She’s most likely worried that if that does occur, she’ll need to depend on me for longer.

Maggie continues to speak, laying out all the steps they will take before beginning the procedure. Her eyes cut to me. “Once we take you back, your son can take your personal belongings and wait for you in the waiting area.”

“He’s not my son. I don’t have any children,” Bridget spits at the nurse with a look of disgust on her face.

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