Chapter 37 #2
The room erupted in quiet laughter; even one of the nurses had to hide her smile as she pretended to check her clipboard.
Dr. Vega chuckled lightly. “I promise we’ll make it up to you once this is all over.”
He turned his attention to me, his tone shifting slightly—still kind, but more direct.
“We’re about to take him back for the procedure. It should take anywhere from six to eight hours… possibly longer depending on how everything goes. That’s our expected timeframe.”
I nodded, trying to focus on his words and not get lost in worry.
“Once we start, we’ll keep you updated at every significant stage,” he continued. “You won’t be left wondering. Someone from my team—or myself—will come to brief you.”
“What happens after?” I asked, my voice steady, even if I wasn’t.
“He’ll be in recovery for the first 24 to 48 hours under close monitoring,” he explained. “Initially, he’ll be sedated. Once he’s stabilized, we’ll gradually bring him out of it and start observing how his body accepts the heart.”
“And rejection?” I asked quietly, my heart sinking at the thought.
“We’ll be vigilant for signs of rejection from the start,” he assured me. “But we’ve taken every precaution to minimize that risk. We have a strong match, a solid team… everything is in his favor.”
That was the reassurance I needed to hear.
Everything is in his favor.
Dr. Vega looked back at Kyrin, his professional demeanor softening slightly. “Any last questions for me?”
Kyrin thought about it for a moment, like he was really thinking it through… then that little grin crept in.
“Yeah. When I wake up… can I eat?”
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Dr. Vega let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.
“Not immediately,” he answered, tone returning to professional but honest. “After surgery, your body will be recovering from anesthesia and the procedure itself. For the first 24 to 48 hours, you may feel groggy, possibly nauseated, and your digestive system won’t be fully ready for regular food. ”
Kyrin blinked. “So… no wings?”
Dr. Vega smiled slightly. “No wings. We’ll start you on clear liquids first—things like broth or water—to make sure your body tolerates intake properly. Then we’ll gradually reintroduce soft foods before moving to a normal diet.”
Kyrin looked disappointed. “So basically… baby food.”
“Temporary,” Dr. Vega corrected. “The goal is to protect your recovery, not rush it.”
Kyrin sighed dramatically, then nodded. “Aight. Long as I can eat... eventually.”
Dr. Vega gave a reassuring nod. “You will.”
“Bet,” Kyrin said, settling back like that was all he needed to hear.
The nurses stepped forward then, beginning to prep the bed.
That was my cue.
I stepped closer, my hands finding his face. “Hey…” I whispered.
He looked at me calmly.
“I love you,” I confessed, my voice breaking just enough for him to hear the depth of my feelings.
“I love you too, Jo,” he replied easily. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
I nodded, even though my throat had closed tight, denying me the ability to respond more.
As the medical team started wheeling him out, I walked alongside him until I could no longer follow… until the forbidding doors stopped me.
Just like that, he was gone.
The moment those doors sealed shut, everything inside me fractured.
But I didn’t fall apart, because Domino was right there beside me.
His hand slipped around my waist, pulling me against him silently, and I allowed myself to lean into him, my fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt as if it were a lifeline.
“He’s good,” he murmured low against my temple, his voice soothing.
I nodded against him, even as my eyes remained fixed on the closed doors, willing them to open again and bring Kyrin back to me.
Kyrin had been in surgery for just over an hour, but every tick of the clock felt stretched thin, like time itself was dragging just to mess with me.
My father maintained a composed exterior, pacing occasionally by the window and taking calls quietly.
Lainey sat beside me, her presence a comforting anchor, holding my hand at times and engaging me in quiet conversation whenever I needed a distraction from the fear gnawing at my heart.
And Domino? He stubbornly refused to leave my side.
I tried with all my might to suppress my thoughts; after all, thinking led to fear, and fear…
well, I simply couldn’t afford that in that moment.
Suddenly, the double doors to the waiting area swung open with a force that caught my attention.
I expected it to be one of the staff members, but to my astonishment, it was Vanessa.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, as though she had just dashed in from who knows where, and her breathing was labored, eyes wide with urgency, like she had been running late for something critical.
I stood up slowly, disbelief hitting me first, then anger right behind it.
“Oh, you got some nerve showing up here,” I spat out, unable to mask my contempt.
Her eyes landed on me, relief flashing across her face like she was glad to see me, like nothing had happened.
“Where’s Kyrin?” she asked quickly, scanning the room. “Did they take him back already?”
A dry, humorless laugh escaped my lips, a bitter sound that echoed in the sterile air. “Yeah, he’s already in there.”
The relief on her face evaporated in an instant, replaced by an expression of despair. “Oh, my God."
Something hit me.
“Wait… how did you even know we were here? No need to ask how you get the money to get here, though.”
That’s when my father stepped in. “Ajori, I had her brought here,” he stated calmly, as if that explained everything.
My head turned, confusion clouding my thoughts. “What? Why?"
“After you told me what happened, I had my people find her.”
My brows pulled together. “Why? I told you—”
“When they did,” he continued, cutting me off slightly, “I spoke to her, told her everything. And she explained why she took the money.”
I looked back and forth between them, processing, disbelief morphing into sheer incredulity. “At this point, I don’t even care what she did with the money. I’m more stuck on the fact that you thought bringing her here today—of all days—was a good idea."
My father’s expression didn’t change, but his tone firmed up just enough to be felt.
“Regardless of how you feel, she’s still Kyrin’s mother… and yours too.”
I let out a sharp scoff. “Mother?” I repeated, incredulity heavy in my voice. “That’s what we calling her now?”
Vanessa stepped forward, her face pleading. “Ajori, can we talk? Privately?”
My instincts kicked in, and I shut her down immediately. “No!”
“Please,” she implored, her voice quaking slightly. “Just five minutes.”
“I said no," I repeated, my resolve hardening.
“Ajori,” Domino’s low voice came from behind me.
I hadn’t even realized he had risen from his seat.
“Just hear her out,” he murmured quietly, almost soothingly. “Then you can feel however you want after.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the frustration swell in my chest.
I was annoyed, frustrated, but also… exhausted.
I opened my eyes again, contemplating the weight of the situation. “You’ve got five minutes,” I stated flatly, my tone resolute. “Because I’m not missing a call from those doctors for this.”
Vanessa nodded quickly. “Okay… okay.”
I turned on my heel and headed toward a smaller consultation room down the hall, fully aware that she was following closely behind, her footsteps almost timid.
The moment the door shut behind us, a thick silence enveloped the room, heavy and filled with tension.
Vanessa glanced at me, as though struggling to find the right words to bridge the chasm between us.
“Wow…” she began softly, her eyes lingering on my face. “You look so beautiful.”
Thanks to my father, I wasn’t in old linens and rundown shoes. Everything I wore was expensive and looked like it was tailored to my body.
“I know quality when I see it,” she went on, stepping a little closer, fingers twitching as if she wanted to touch the fabric but knew better.
“That stitching? That’s not off the rack.
The fit? Custom. That fit? Tailored. Shoes like that don’t come cheap…
and neither does the life that comes with them. ”
Her voice softened just a touch.
“I can tell you’re being well taken care of.”
“I am!” I confirmed, tossing in her face. “But this isn’t a fashion moment. If you came to talk, then talk, because compliments don’t change anything, and I don’t really have the time or the energy to pretend they do.”
Vanessa’s lips pressed together in a thin line, yet she nodded in understanding. “Right.”
Taking a deep, almost shaky breath, she plunged into her explanation.
“Ajori, I wasn’t trying to hurt you… or Kyrin,” she started, her voice strained.
I folded my arms across my chest defensively. “Then you failed.”
She flinched at my words but pressed on, determination flickering in her eyes. “I went into your room that night, looking for a pair of my shoes that I thought I had lent to you. And I found the box. All that money…”
Her eyes dropped for a second, shame evident in her posture.
I didn’t say anything; I just stared.
"I thought…” Vanessa hesitated, her voice shaking as she forced out the next words, “I thought I could do something good with it.”
I let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “You thought stealing was doing something good?”
“I bought us a house,” she rushed out, excitement mingling with desperation in her voice. “Ajori, a real house… something stable, something we’ve never had.”
With that, she pulled out her phone, stepping closer to me, eager to show me her vision. “Look—look at it. It’s beautiful. Three bedrooms, a yard, a—”
I thrust her hand back, anger boiling over. “I don’t care about any house!” I snapped, my voice echoing in the small space.
Her face fell at my words, disappointment and hurt flooding her features.