Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
E lla
“What brings you by?” my dad asked, sitting behind his desk.
“I received a call from Dr. Carter Bainbridge at Mount Sinai in New York. He wants me to give two lectures: one to a group of students entering the cardiothoracic program and another to a group entering the neurosurgery program.”
“Wow, Ella. That’s an honor. When does he want you in New York?”
“Next Thursday and Friday. I’ll leave on Wednesday. I’m also turning it into a mini vacation and staying a couple of extra days to explore New York City. It’s been a while.”
“By yourself?” His eyes narrowed.
“Dad, I’m twenty-two.”
“I know.” He put his hands up. “You know I worry. That will never change, no matter how old I am or how old you are. Did you talk to Uncle Christian about it?”
“Yeah. I came here right from the hospital. He’s going to make sure my shifts are covered.”
“Excellent.” He smiled. “Maybe I can clear my schedule.”
“Dad,” I narrowed my eyes. “You do surgeries on Fridays, and you’re not canceling on your patients because you worry like an old man.”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll tell Shaun, and he’ll make sure the plane is ready.”
“I really need this, Dad. It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
The door opened, and my Uncle Jackson walked in.
“June told me you were here, Ella. I want to show you something in my office.”
“Okay, Uncle Jackson.”
“My little girl is giving lectures next Thursday and Friday to groups of medical students at Mount Sinai in New York.” My dad proudly grinned.
“Way to go, sweetheart. I’m proud of you.”
“One is for students who want to enter the neurosurgery program. Jealous, Jackson?”
“Really?” He cocked his head. “Hmm. I’ve given enough lectures over the years. It’s time to pass down the torch.” He winked at me, and I smiled.
“I’ll see you later, Dad.” I stood up from my seat and kissed his cheek.
I followed my Uncle Jackson to his office, where multiple brain scans were displayed on the large screen on the wall.
“My patient is a sixteen-year-old female who is slowly losing her vision. She’s had two seizures, extremely bad headaches, and nausea and vomiting every day.”
I stared at the scans. “My God. She has two ganglioglioma tumors?”
“Unfortunately,” he sighed.
“How is that possible? Those are extremely rare as it is.” I glanced at him.
“In my entire career, I’ve never seen this. It’ll take hours to try to remove the one by the optic nerve. If we work together, you can remove the one on the left side while I work on the other side near the optic nerve.”
“Yes. Of course. Have you scheduled her surgery yet?”
“I sent her over to Cedars for admission. Her parents are devastated and broke down in the office.”
“I’m sure they did. Poor girl.”
“I want to do the surgery in a couple of days. Can you clear your schedule?”
“Yes. Definitely.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.” He hooked his arm around me.
“ H er blood pressure is dropping, Jackson,” Marty, the anesthesiologist, said.
“Got it.” I dropped the tumor in the basin.
“Jackson, did you hear me?” Marty asked. “You need to get out of there.”
“Don’t panic, Marty. I’m almost finished.”
The sounds of the machines erratically beeped.
“She’s crashing,” Marty said.
“Got it.” My Uncle Jackson held up the tumor after extracting it.
“She’s stabilizing,” Marty said. “Jesus, Jackson. You do this to me every time.”
“You should be used to it by now.” I smiled at Marty.
“Dr. Handler, would you like to close?” My Uncle Jackson asked.
“Of course, Dr. Kind. It would be an honor.”
“Get to it.”
We moved out of the way and carefully watched the resident close up the patient’s head.
I removed my mask, gloves, and gown and threw them in the bin. After giving Laurel’s parents an update, I went to the rooftop for a cup of coffee. Stepping out of the elevator, I saw Grayson and my Uncle Christian sitting at one of the tables. After grabbing my coffee, I joined them.
“How did the surgery go?” Grayson asked.
“It went good. She’s going to be okay.”
“Excellent,” my Uncle Christian said, looking at his watch. “I have to run. I have a Zoom interview with a potential new pediatric surgeon. I’ll see you two later.”
“When are you leaving for New York?” Grayson asked.
“In a couple of days.” I smiled.
“You’re okay, right?” he asked with concern.
I looked down as my hands were wrapped around the Styrofoam cup.
“I can’t get the image out of my head.” I looked up at him. “I think if I had found out by hearing it from someone, it wouldn’t hurt as bad as it does. But seeing what I saw?—”
“I know that must have been horrible, but you need to put it out of your head and move on.”
“Hey, Ella.” Randy, one of the residents, walked over. “Do you want to grab a drink after work?”
“Hey, Randy.” I smiled. “Thanks, but I can’t tonight. I have plans.”
“Oh, okay. Let me know when you’re free.”
I gave him a small smile and nod as he walked away.
“I think someone is infatuated with you.” Grayson smirked. “You should have taken him up on his offer. He’s a nice guy.”
“He is, but I’m not interested. It’ll be a long time before I date again, and it certainly isn’t going to be with a doctor.”
Grayson’s pager went off. Then mine.
“Multiple traumas are coming into the ER. We better get down there,” he said.
“ Y ou be careful in New York.” My mom hugged me.
“I will, Mom. Don’t worry.”
“Are you ready, sweetheart?” my dad asked. “We have to get you to the hangar. Shaun’s plane is waiting.”
“Bye, sis.” Nicholas hugged me.
“Bye, Ella. Bring me back something cool.” Willow smiled.
“I will.”
When we arrived at the hangar, I hugged and kissed my dad goodbye.
“You keep in touch every day, understand?” he said.
“Yes, Dad.” I smiled.
He kissed my forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I grabbed my small suitcase and rolled it behind me.
Stepping onto the plane, I saw Shaun sitting in one of the seats.
“Shaun?” I cocked my head. “I should have known.”
“I actually have business in New York. Don’t worry. I’m only there for one night.”
I took a seat beside him and fastened my seat belt. After ten minutes, I glanced at Shaun.
“What are we waiting for?”
“Thank goodness. I thought you were going to leave without me.” My Grandma Barb stepped onto the plane.
My eyes widened as I stared at Shaun.
“What did you do?” I whispered.
“I had nothing to do with this. You can blame your father.”
“Grandma.” I unfastened my seatbelt and hugged her. “What are you doing here?”
“I'm going with you to New York, sweetheart. We’re going to have so much fun. It’s been a while since we've spent some time alone together.”
I was going to kill my dad.
“Great. I’m happy you’re here.” A fake smile crossed my lips.
Sitting back in my seat, I pulled out my phone and texted my dad.
“You and I are going to have a serious discussion when I get back.”
“Don’t blame me. She insisted on going with you when I told her you were going.”
“Bullshit, Dad. You sent her as a babysitter.”
“Ella, I would—fine. I apologize. Don’t hate me too much. You know how much she loves spending time with you.”
“Bye, Dad.”
“Shaun, are you heading home?” Grandma Barb asked him.
Shaun furrowed his brows. “I have business in New York, Barb.”
“Oh, yes. That’s right. Ignore me. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“How come, Grandma?” I asked.
“Just one of those nights, darling.”