Page 92 of I Dreamt That You Loved Me

Gabriel lifted his head and smiled just as if he was sitting on the living room couch and not hooked up to tubes in a hospital bed. “Here she is. The girl I’ve been waiting for. This is Cleo. My fiancée,” he told the doctors.

I looked from Gabriel to the doctors. “What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

One of the doctors, the one I assumed was in charge, stepped forward. He looked older than the others, with gray peppered through his black hair.

The doctor conferred with Gabriel who nodded, giving his permission to tell me what was happening. He gestured for me to sit so I took a seat on the chair next to Gabriel’s bed. I had a feeling I’d need to be sitting for this but Gabriel was still writing as if none of this affected him.

“I’m Dr. Lee, the chief of neurology. This is a teaching hospital and Gabriel has given his permission to be observed,” Dr. Lee explained.

“I’m a head case, baby,” Gabriel joked.

I couldn’t believe he was joking at a time like this. I couldn’t even laugh. If I did, I’d break down and cry.

Dr. Lee told me that Gabriel had a near-fatal aneurysm. The CT scan showed that he suffered from a condition called arteriovenous malformation thought to be congenital.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry. What does that mean?”

“It means that he has an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain, which is causing a hemorrhage. As we explained to Gabriel, we’ll need to perform a left temporal lobectomy.” I stared at him blankly. “We’ll need to remove a portion of his left temporal lobe.” He went on to say that until they performed the surgery, there was no way of knowing how much of it would need to be removed.

I tucked my hands under my thighs to stop them from shaking. None of this sounded like good news.

“What…” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “What does that part of the brain…what…I mean, what does it affect?” I released a breath. “Sorry, I don’t know anything about the brain.”

Dr. Lee gave me a kind smile. “It plays a crucial role in language, memory, emotions, and sensory processing,” he informed me, going on to say that he’d discussed everything with Gabriel but would be happy to answer any of my questions.

This was a lot to take in and I had a million questions, but I wasn’t ready to hear the answers, so I didn’t ask what the potential dangers were or how much this surgery would affect the crucial roles assigned to that part of the brain.

If the doctor didn’t spell out the worst case scenario, I wouldn’t be able to obsess over it.

“When will the surgery be?”

“As soon as possible. If Gabriel chooses to have the surgery, we need to be prepared to operate within two hours.”

“Two hours?” I looked at Gabriel whose head was bent over a looseleaf notebook while his pen moved across the page. Why was he acting like this was no big deal? I focused on the doctor again. “And if he doesn’t?”

“This is a life-saving surgery,” Dr. Lee said, making it clear that the surgery wasn’t optional. “It’s the only way to remove the aneurysm. We have one of the best neurological teams in the country so I can assure you that Gabriel will have the finest care.”

“I’m going to need those two hours, Doc,” Gabriel said. “I have a lot to take care of before you dissect my brain.”

“Very well. We’ll need you to sign some consent forms but we’ll give you some privacy to discuss this.”

When the team of doctors left, I blinked back my tears before turning to face Gabriel and forced a smile. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” He patted the bed. “Get up here.”

“I’m all wet. God, I’m such a mess.”

“Never. You’re beautiful. Now get in this fucking bed. I have some things I need to tell you.”

After I took off my coat, I tried to fix my hair and swiped under my eyes in case my eyeliner was smudged and my mascara was running but this was no time to worry about any of that, so I climbed onto the bed and lay on my side facing him.

Gabriel slid his arm beneath me and pulled me closer to his side. I curled my body around his, placed my hand over his heart and said a silent prayer.

Please, God, don’t take this man away from me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

“I needyou to make me a promise.”