After fifteen minutes of walking around and checking the woman, I stop and lean to support myself on the bedpost. Something doesn’t add up.
“Fever, seizures, hallucinations, and her abdomen is inflamed. She presents symptoms of an infection by the book.”
London nods but she knows that’s not all.
“She was given IV antibiotics twice. Whatever it is, it’s not in her blood. I need a full post-op check-up. London, go order the tests and tell the lab to move fast so we can catch whatever it is. I also wanna do an X-ray so I can see her abdominal area.”
But London doesn’t move. She just sits there staring at the patient weighing my words in her mind. Is she seriously thinking about pissing me off right now?
“The bubble.” She whispers and puts her hand over her lips looking at me with fear.
“What?”
“Can I see you outside?”
I give her the go ahead and we step out of the room and further out into the corridor.
“London, didn’t you hear what I said? I need those tests if you want my help.” With both hands in her hair, she walks in a circle and comes back to look at me.
What the fuck is this all about?
“I... when we were in surgery doctor Brogan operated alone and let the resident on the case close the incision. Right when he stepped away, I thought... I saw a bubble of blood popping, but Dr. Brogan dismissed it on the spot.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“You think Brogan cut her?”
Shit. Shit. Shit to hell and back!
Wouldn’t one of the best surgeons in the country catch a mistake like that before a nurse did? London is smart as a whip but there’s no comparison here. Dr. Brogan is the God of General Surgery. He’s God in general and if she’s right...well, we’re looking at malpractice, lawsuits, and maybe losing a patient if we don’t act now. But this means I have to go over his head big time. It means I might as well kiss my job goodbye.
“London are you sure? Can you tell me you are one hundred percent positive you saw an air bubble inflating from inside of in the patient’s abdomen?”
I grab her elbows to keep her steady and force her to look straight at me. If I’m about to sink in shit I want to know if it’s worth it. I can feel the adrenaline shooting under her skin and see her pupils growing.
“No, I... I’m not sure.”
But she has a hunch and I know from experience her instinct is good.
“I’ll open her up, you have to book an OR.”
She trembles in my arms, and I can’t help but take some physical satisfaction from it. In her naive innocence, London Boudreaux is one of the most erotic creatures I’ve ever seen. Just a bat from her lashes is enough to make my dick go all kinds of crazy.
“You will? Oh, God, thank you. Thank you, Dr. Ford, so much. I’ll go prep her.”
“Wait!” My grip grows a little tighter to keep her from bolting. “Kiss me first.” She does it without hesitation or regret .
And it feels like coming home after many years lost at bay.
“I need to drain the fluid!” I bark and a resident jump to my side with a towel and a vacuum. “Good, keep it like that . I think I see the tear, it’s on the urethra.” With Sandra Brook on my left and London on my right, we’re all moving against the clock. This woman was so messed up I’m surprised she’s still alive after what we saw.
”Catheter.”
London jumps at my command and brings me what I need. Good. That’s how I want her, responsive and obedient. That’s how I wanna keep her.
More than three hours were spent in the OR until I decided everything was clean and the woman ready to be closed. I had Brook recheck everything before she did the stitches. As far as I’m concerned, I call this surgery a damn success.
My head is groggy and heavy on my shoulders, and I can feel my back cracking in pain. I’m so damn tired.
“London, get her to ICU and find me in my locker room. I need to get out of these clothes.”
I leave and half an hour later she finds me scrolling through my phone, wearing only my jeans. I was too lazy to finish dressing .
“Hey, I did everything you asked and put her under supervision for the night.”
“Good, if she’s not up in twenty-four hours put her on the critical list.”
“I don’t think I’ll be on this case twenty-four hours from now. Dr. Brogan is probably going to fire me when he finds out about tonight. I should thank you and apologize in advance for what’s going to happen.”
“He’s not gonna fire you. Whatever beef Brogan will have will be with me. Don’t worry about it.”
She cracks her finger still not convinced but it’s true. Brogan is gonna come for my neck and it isn’t gonna be pretty, but I’m not about to drag her with me.
“Relax, Miami, I got you.”
“Thank you. I don’t know how to repay you, Dr. Ford.”
“Come back to Cardio.” My answer is instant. The last couple of weeks were dull and long as fuck and as much I hate to admit it, part of it was London’s absence.
She smiles and comes to sit on the couch next to me, letting her luxurious hair down from her ponytail. Her hands go to her scalp and massage it for a second.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
“You are way too sensitive. Is it a French thing? ’Cuz here in America we kiss and makeup.” No, I do not regret my choice of words.
“I’m not mad Dr. F... Zachary.” I flinch when I hear my name rolling off her lips and my mind records the sound. “This tension between us is still here, vibrating. It’s going to snap and you’ll try to run me into the ground again. No one can function like that.”
“I don’t wanna run you into the ground. For fuck’s sake, I don’t...” I jump on my feet and walk around like a lion in a cage. It’s hilarious actually. She gives me a speech about how we can’t be in the same room without going for blood and here I am, frustrated and worked up in less than five minutes.
London is a sensual, beautiful woman. Hot from head to toe but also smart. Brains and booty is the wet dream of any man. She consumes me. I spend hours in my bed imagining her hands tangled in my sheets, screaming and scratching, flushed from the pleasure. I desire her vividly. Too much to feel safe in this game.
“I don’t want to want you, ok? Look at me, London.” She does and I can see she’s shaken by what she reads in my eyes. “I hate that I want you so much . You have a hold on me and I don’t wanna be held. I want to punish you for it, get you to your knees, fuck you ’til you cry overwhelmed with pleasure. I want to break you into small pieces and put you back together like a jigsaw puzzle, just because.”
Her lips part and she lets out a trembling breath.
“But yet you don’t. You chase me around then push me away every time.”
My mouth falls open at her words. She’s provocative, almost asking me to show her the worst I have in me.
“You don’t get it, do you? I’m not a good guy, London. I’m not a friend, I’m not a lover. I don’t want to take you on a bed of roses with candles flickering around us.” I walk closer to where she’s standing, and she shivers. “My desire is to use your body, mark you with my cum, and make you smell like me. And that’s all. You wanna give me that one time?”