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“Okay, we’re almost there,” Josephine said. Her voice was a little more relaxed now.
Giselle nodded, but didn’t speak. Her focus remained on the heart, her hands steady as she made the final repairs.
Finally, she stepped back, her gloves stained red. Her eyes twitched.
“Close for me,” she said, nodding to a resident, before handing off the tools to the nurse. “And, don’t fuck it up.”
The resident nodded, eager to please her.
She was satisfied she had saved the girl and the final closing up could be done by a lesser surgeon.
The room exhaled, pausing for a second or two before everyone got back to work. Giselle watched for a moment. Even though their movements were quicker now that the worst was over, Giselle kept her eyes fixed on the monitors, ensuring the steady rhythm of the girl’s heart was no fluke.
She was stable…for now.
Josephine smiled at Giselle. “Good work,” she said quietly.
Giselle gave her a short nod, her face stillexpressionless. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dr. Addie Wolfe.
Addie had been observing it seemed. Giselle noticed how her face mask and surgical cap framed her face perfectly. She hated it. Hated that, despite herself, she was noticing how beautiful Addie was. Addie didn’t seem to belong in the chaos of an operating room, yet she moved with ease.
Giselle turned away, clenching her jaw. This wasn’t the time for distractions.
The surgery was over. That’s what mattered.
Without another glance at Addie, Giselle pulled off her gloves and gown and tossed them into the bin as she left the OR. She moved toward the locker room, already shifting the case into the back of her mind. It was done. The girl was stable, and there was no reason to linger on it. She had no intention of hanging around to chat with the team or get wrapped up in the post-surgery high some doctors embraced.
As she changed out of her scrubs, the thought of Addie crept back into her mind despite her best efforts to push it away. Addie’s easy confidence was alluring that wasfor sure. It was easier to avoid these things, easier to walk away and stay distant.
She closed her locker and left the room. As soon as she stepped into the walkway, a blur of movement caught her off guard. The girl’s mother was rushing toward her, tears streaming down her face. Before Giselle could react, the woman threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Giselle stood frozen, her arms hanging awkwardly at her sides.
“Thank you,” the woman said, her voice muffled against Giselle’s shoulder. “Thank you so much. She’s my only child.”
Giselle stiffened. She wasn’t used to this, much less prepared for it. The warmth of the woman’s touch felt foreign, and she had no idea how to handle the raw emotion spilling out of this stranger.
The woman pulled back slightly, but before Giselle could step away, the mother hugged her again, this time with even more desperation. “She’s everything to me. They told me you were the one who saved her life.”
Giselle glanced around, her mind racing for what to do or say. She wasn’t built forthis. Then, before she could find a way out, Addie appeared.
“Ma’am.” Addie touched the woman’s arm. “It’s okay. Dr. Carlisle gave her best, and your daughter’s out of the woods. She is going to be ok.”
Addie was a natural with her. Calm, reassuring, beautiful.
The woman sniffled, looking between them both. “Thank you,” she whispered again, stepping back from Giselle, her eyes still wet with tears.
Addie gave her a soft smile. “Go get some rest. We’ll update you soon.”
The woman nodded, her expression filled with gratitude, before walking away.
Once the woman was gone, Giselle released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She turned to Addie, the words ready on her tongue.
“That was uncalled for.”
Addie’s lips twitched into a smile. “I didn’t know hugs could be such a problem.”
Giselle narrowed her eyes, irritated by the humor in Addie’s voice. “This isn’t the time for jokes.”
Addie shrugged, her eyes looking unsurefor once and Giselle felt mean. “You could’ve said something nice, you know.”