The Surgeon’s Secret (Phoenix Ridge Medical #1)

Chapter 1

1

LEXI

D r. Lexi Bond looked up at the huge building in front of her: Phoenix Ridge Hospital, the place she’d been anticipating working at for so long. She had researched everything about the hospital—its excellent surgical program, its feminist leadership, and the glowing reviews from people who’d worked there for years. Lexi wondered if she’d fit in. Normally, she wouldn’t have worried about that, but under the circumstances…well, she would have to reveal her real identity sooner or later. And while that was something she’d wanted to do for most of her life—since she was ten years old and found out who her father was—now, faced with the knowledge that her sister was working inside this hospital and they were finally about to meet, chills raced through Lexi’s body.

Lexi knew she was a highly skilled neurosurgeon. She knew she shouldn’t be afraid of anything this hospital had to offer. She knew she should stand with pride in front of her sister and boldly tell her who she was.

Lexi’s phone rang. Her mom’s name flashed on the screen.

“Mom,” Lexi answered.

“Hey, sweetheart, how are you feeling? You must be nervous. I’m thinking of you.”

“Thanks for calling, Mom. I’m a little nervous, yeah. I just can’t believe I’m going to meet her after all these years. For a while, I thought I’d be okay with never saying anything, but now that I’m here, I know I have to tell her. I just can’t go the rest of my life not knowing her or how she’ll react to having a sister.”

“Oh, my darling, you’re incredible, and she’ll be lucky to have you in her life. Have you thought again about meeting him?”

Lexi sighed. Him . Her father. She’d never met him. Her mother had told her wonderful things about him, but no matter how lovely, charming, kind, or generous he’d been, nothing could excuse his actions—abandoning Lexi and her mother. He’d lived his life and chosen a path that didn’t involve them.

“I’ve thought about it so many times. I wish I had an answer, but I don’t. I can’t stop feeling angry at him. I can’t stop hating him for how much he hurt you. And what kind of man never even tries to meet his daughter?”

“Oh, baby, I know. This is something you’ll get through in your own time, and only if you want to. For now, meeting your half-sister will be enough.”

“Yeah,” Lexi replied. “Speaking of that, I’d better go. I don’t want to be late.”

“Okay, baby. I love you so much. Have a good day, and let me know how it goes. I’ll be thinking of you.”

“Love you, Mom.”

Lexi adored her mom. Rebecca had spent so many years raising Lexi on her own, loving her enough for two parents. Sometimes Lexi found it suffocating, but her mother’s support had been invaluable. And today, Lexi was going to meet her sister.

Lexi took a deep breath and walked into the hospital. The corridors smelled sterile in that familiar hospital way. Lexi walked into the elevator and pressed the button for Floor D. As soon as the doors opened, Lexi let out a deep breath. Entering the surgical wing felt like coming home. Surgery was her comfort zone. Lexi was passionate about her work; she never let a patient down. Real life and relationships were uncomfortable and hard to figure out, but the bustling atmosphere in front of her felt right.

Lexi consulted her phone, where she’d saved the directions to her nine o’clock meeting.

A sweet-looking blonde woman sat at the reception desk, and Lexi approached her. “I have a 9 a.m. meeting with Dr. Mars.”

The blonde woman smiled widely. “Of course. Just take a seat over there. I’ll ring Dr. Mars to let her know you’re here.”

Lexi sat on the plastic hospital chair as nervous energy buzzed through her veins. She looked at the office door in front of her, the name plaque reading “Dr. Josephine Mars.” Her half-sister.

Lexi had, of course, Googled photos of Dr. Mars before, so her appearance wasn’t a surprise. But when the door opened and Dr. Mars beckoned her in, it still felt like a shock. Josephine had sandy hair cut into a bob with gray strands starting to show at her temples. She was a petite woman in an immaculate designer suit, and Lexi couldn’t help but notice how smart she looked. Her eyes sparkled with kindness.

“I’m Dr. Josephine Mars. And you must be…. Dr. Alexis Bond,” Josephine said, stretching out her hand.

Lexi noticed the pause—Josephine had waited for her to give her own name—but Lexi hadn’t reacted quickly enough. Josephine chuckled to herself as she gripped Lexi’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. She had a lot of strength for someone so petite.

“Come in, come in,” Josephine said. Lexi followed her into the office and sat in the chair across from Josephine’s desk.

Lexi noted the similarities between Josephine’s face and her own. It was mostly their eyes that tied them together—those blue eyes that sparkled like she was looking at herself in a mirror. Lexi was taller and broader than Josephine, but she recognized her own grace in her sister’s movements. She had to remind herself that Josephine was twenty years older than her.

“So,” Josephine began, “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Bond. Your resume is glowing. I’m honored to have you here at Phoenix Ridge Hospital. We’ll just go through some initial paperwork, and then I’ll introduce you to Catherine Spencer, one of our general surgeons. She’ll show you around.”

Lexi crossed her legs under the table, trying to hide her nerves. This was it. This was the moment.

“Do you have any questions?” Josephine asked.

Lexi took a deep breath. “Actually, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Of course, Dr. Bond. What can I help you with?”

Lexi opened her mouth, trying to figure out how to say it.

“It’s…um…well…you’re my half-sister. Doctor Benjamin Mars is also my father.”

Josephine’s eyes widened in shock. She looked lost for words.

Just as Lexi was about to explain further, the pager on Josephine’s desk started vibrating and beeping madly. Josephine’s graceful hand reached out and picked it up.

“Oh, shit,” Josephine muttered.

The words sounded strange coming from her.

“A multi-car collision on Southbridge. Multiple casualties. Trauma One.”

Josephine read out the message from the pager, and Lexi knew exactly what it meant.

“Well, Dr. Bond, welcome to Phoenix Ridge Hospital. Looks like you’re diving into the deep end. Let’s head straight to the ER. All hands on deck.”

When the first ambulance arrived at the ER, Lexi and Josephine were there to meet it. Josephine was talking nonstop on her mobile phone, fielding multiple calls at once. “Yes, yes, Bay One. Yes, we’re ready for that. Hold the line,” she said, tapping the screen. “Becky, yes. Penetrating trauma to the abdomen, female patient, mid-forties. Hold the line.”

Lexi watched as Josephine’s assistant made notes every time she spoke. “Where’s Maya? Someone find Dr. Maya Munroe. Page her immediately.”

The first patient was brought out of the ambulance on a stretcher. This was the one Lexi had been waiting for—complex head trauma, her specialty as a neurosurgeon. The patient was a young woman in her twenties, her blonde hair matted with blood. She was unconscious.

“We need to get her a CT scan immediately, then prep for surgery,” Lexi ordered as she examined the patient on the way to the scanner.

“Okay, Doctor,” the ER nurse replied, glancing uncertainly at Lexi.

“Bond. Dr. Lexi Bond. The new neuro attending. It’s a pleasure to be working with you today. Now let’s save this girl’s life.”

Lexi shined her flashlight into the girl’s pupils, performing a quick examination as they hurried down the corridor. It was lucky the nurses knew the way to the CT scanner, because Lexi had no idea where she was in this new hospital.

In the control room, Lexi watched the scan. It was clear: surgery was necessary immediately, or the girl would die. There was no time to waste. Lexi pressed the button to turn on the microphone.

“Get her straight to the OR. Somebody come in here and lead me there because this is my first day in this hospital. Get a surgical team ready.”

A young woman—her nametag read Ash Rosen—bustled into the control room. “Follow me, Dr. Bond. I’ll take you to the OR. The team is ready for you.”

Lexi ran after Ash. There was no time to waste, and she still needed to gown up and scrub in. This was the high-stakes environment she thrived in. Lexi was excellent in a crisis, the calmest mind for miles around, and she knew she could save this girl’s life.

Minutes later, Lexi was gowned, scrubbed, and standing in the OR, ready to begin. “Scalpel, please,” she said, her voice calm and measured as she made the first incision.

As she worked, Lexi was focused and methodical. Though time was critical, she knew that in neurosurgery, the motto was “less haste, more speed.” The brain was a delicate, complex organ. The skull protected it from most things, but once that protection was breached, things quickly became catastrophic.

Lexi quickly controlled the bleeding. The main work was done, and she knew this girl would live—with no lasting effects, most likely. Lexi allowed herself a small smile under her surgical mask. This was what she lived for. She glanced around at her new OR—her new home—and her new colleagues.

“Thank you, everyone,” she said. “We’re not done yet, but the hardest part is over. I’m confident this girl will be fine. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself properly earlier. I’m Dr. Lexi Bond, the new attending neurosurgeon here at Phoenix Ridge Hospital.”

“Good to meet you, Dr. Bond.” The anesthetist nodded.

“Your work is incredible, Dr. Bond,” a younger woman with auburn hair said. “I’m Dr. Sloane, third-year resident. I’m looking forward to learning from you.”

Lexi smiled. Teaching was something she loved, and the fact that Phoenix Ridge was a teaching hospital had drawn her here, as well as wanting to meet her sister.

Another thing Lexi loved about this hospital was that the staff were all women. She’d never seen that before, and she couldn’t wait to immerse herself in it. She was tired of working under men who were a constant source of misogyny and harassment. It was exhausting. Lexi couldn’t imagine how nice it would be to not be surrounded by men anymore, especially men who thought they were better than her. The world of surgeons was full of arrogant men who looked down on her just because she was a woman. But Lexi knew she was exceptional, and no one could take that away from her.

After finishing the surgery and scrubbing out, Lexi headed to the surgeons’ locker room to clean up.

There was another woman in there, changing out of her scrubs. Lexi’s gaze was drawn to her as she shrugged out of her scrub shirt, revealing a black lace bra and smooth brown shoulders. Lexi couldn’t help but admire the woman’s beauty. It wasn’t really the time or place, but sometimes these things struck Lexi at the most unexpected moments. She watched as the woman stripped out of her scrub pants, revealing matching black panties.

Very nice , Lexi thought as she admired the curves of the woman’s body.

The woman turned, suddenly aware of Lexi’s presence. Her dark hair was pushed behind her ears, and Lexi found herself captivated by the woman’s big amber eyes.

“Oh, hi. I didn’t hear you come in. I’m Dr. Catherine Spencer,” the woman said, smiling.

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Spencer,” Lexi responded, trying to keep her cool. “I’m Dr. Lexi Bond.”

“Please, call me Catherine. You must be the new neurosurgeon?”

“That’s me. And please, call me Lexi.” Lexi smiled and extended her hand to Catherine.

Catherine’s hand was warm in hers, and for a moment Lexi’s mind wandered to thoughts of what else might happen between them. But she quickly shook her head, mentally scolding herself. Don’t be silly.

Catherine’s amber eyes glanced away shyly, which surprised Lexi. How could someone so beautiful be so shy?

Lexi changed out of her scrubs, not bothered at all about undressing in front of someone. It was something she did all the time. Catherine didn’t seem shy about her body either; it was more of a general quietness, a gentleness that Lexi found endearing. She watched as Catherine pulled on a fresh set of scrubs, admiring the lovely curves of Catherine’s body.

“How did your surgery go?” Lexi asked.

“Abdominal trauma, penetrating metal. Made a bit of a mess, but I think it’s all tidied up now,” Catherine replied, her voice like a soothing stream of water.

“General surgeon?” Lexi asked.

“Mostly general, also trauma when needed. I know some of it can be routine and predictable, but I love it. That’s what traumas are for, right? To sharpen the edges, to bring the excitement,” Catherine said, meeting Lexi’s gaze. “Is this your first day? Did you have a surgery from the pileup?”

“Yeah, complex head trauma. It was touch-and-go for a while, but I’m confident she’ll be fine now. Always a relief.”

“Was it always neurosurgery for you?” Catherine asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“Yeah, I’ve always loved it. I love the precision. I’ve been fascinated with how brains work since I was a kid, and now…well, I guess I’ve gotten good at it. I can’t imagine doing anything else now. Once you specialize, there’s no going back, is there? It seems pointless to change after all the work to get so good at something.”

Lexi watched as Catherine tied her dark hair up and ran a brush through the silky waves.

“Yeah, I agree. It was the same for me with general. I had interests in other specialties earlier on, but you know, you end up with one thing, and that’s your thing. Anyway, my husband…he chose cardio early. We met at school, and by the time we were interns, it was clear that even though I was interested in cardio, there wasn’t room for both of us to do that. So general it is, and I’m happy with it.”

Catherine’s voice changed slightly when she mentioned her husband, and Lexi didn’t like it. She didn’t like the idea of Catherine having a husband, or that she’d given up her dream specialty for him.

“Where does he work?” Lexi asked, suddenly more interested than she should be.

“All over the world. He consults on complex cardio cases. He travels a lot these days.” Catherine’s words were robotic, as if she’d rehearsed them.

Lexi had more questions about this husband, but she didn’t want to pry since she’d just met Catherine. They’d talk again soon, she was sure.