Page 90 of A Kind Wedding: Christian & Charleigh

“Hello, handsome husband of mine.” A grin crossed her face and instantly fell because she knew something was wrong. “What’s wrong, Christian?”

“Come here, babe.” I pulled her into an empty room and shut the door. “I just came from the ER. Mr. James was brought in, and he passed away.”

“Oh, no.” She fell into my arms. “That poor man.”

I hugged her tight and pressed my lips against the top of her head. “Grayson said he was dead when the paramedics brought him in. He tried everything he could to bring him back.”

She broke our embrace, and I wiped the tears from her eyes.

“His heart was so broken after his wife passed away,” she softly spoke. “I thought he was doing better.”

“I guess he didn’t want to get better, babe.”

* * *

One Week Later

“Are you ready, Dr. Kind.” I smiled as I looked at Ella.

“I’m ready, Dr. Kind.” I could see the grin behind her mask.

“Let’s do this.”

The last surgery of mine that Ella was supposed to sit in, got cancelled because the patient ended up passing away before the surgery could be performed. So, I promised her, she could sit in on this one: an aortic valve replacement.

“There it is.” I smiled as I exposed the patient’s heart.

“I can’t believe I’m seeing a real heart,” Ella said. “This is a dream come true, Uncle Christian.”

I performed the surgery as Ella intently watched and prayed the patient stayed stable. The surgery was a success, and Ella had now witnessed her first open heart surgery.

“Well?” I looked at her as we scrubbed out. “Now you want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, right?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” she said, and my brows furrowed.

“Wasn’t that the best thing you ever witnessed?” I asked.

“Yeah. It was really cool, but I’m still undecided. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

“Okay. You do that.” I frowned.

Another week had passed, and I was treating a patient who came into the ER with congenital heart failure. His cardiologist was out of town, and his symptoms were progressing rapidly. He didn’t have much time left.

“Good morning, Dr. Lenox.” I walked into his room on the cardiac floor. “How are you feeling today?”

“As well as someone who doesn’t have much time left would.” A smirk crossed his lips. “Listen, I have to ask you something. Do you know Dr. Charlotte Roman? I believe she’s married now with the same last name as yours.”

“Charlotte is my sister-in-law.”

“Ah, that’s good. I need you to ask her to come see me. I have a patient I would like her to take. Just tell her that Dr. Lenox needs to see her.”

“Okay. I’ll give her a call.”

“Thank you, Dr. Kind.”

I went to my office, pulled my phone from my pocket, and sent Charlotte a text.

“Hey. I have a patient who is asking to see you. Give me a call when you get a chance.”

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