I looked at the screens and saw the heart rate starting to climb—even though the heart was not supposed to be beating. Something was very wrong.
"She's bleeding from somewhere." Bree's voice went tight. "I see it on the back wall. Get the suction over here now."
I moved the suction tube, but the blood was filling the chest faster than I could remove it. The entire area turned into adark red pool that covered our work. My own heart hammered against my ribs, adrenaline flooding my system, but I kept my hands perfectly still, but I kept my hands perfectly still. I knew I had to stay calm for the sake of the patient.
Bree worked as fast as she could to find the leak, but the angle was very difficult. The retractor was blocking her view of the back wall where the blood was coming from. I could see the issue from my side of the table. The problem was our current position rather than the way Bree was working.
"I can’t see the source," Bree said, and I could hear the frustration in her tone. "I need more suction. I have to find where this is coming from."
The pressure continued to drop lower and lower on the screen. The technician increased the flow on the machine, but we were still losing the battle. Abigail only had so much blood, and it was draining away despite our best efforts.
I had to make a very fast decision right then.
"Dr. Bree," I said, keeping my voice as calm as possible. "Look at the angle of the tools. If we move the retractor fifteen degrees and tilt the table, you’ll see the back wall clearly."
Bree paused for a second and looked at me over the pool of blood.
"I’ve seen this work before," I said quickly. "The adjustment will give you a much better view of the tear."
For a few seconds that felt like hours, Bree didn’t say anything. All around us, the machines were making loud warning sounds. The anesthesiologist called out numbers that were getting dangerously low. The weight of every gaze in the room pressed against my back. They were waiting to see if Bree would listen to me or dismiss my call entirely.
"Let’s do it," Bree finally said. "Move quickly."
I moved the retractor with very careful, steady hands. I let go of the pressure in one spot and increased it in another. Theassistant helped us tilt the table just a few degrees. The change was very small, but it made a massive difference in what we could see.
The back wall of the artery was now in full view for everyone. We could see a small tear where the blood was pulsing out into the chest.
"I see it now." Bree exhaled hard. "There it is."
She moved fast to place a stitch and reinforce the weak area. She sewed the tear shut while I kept the blood out of her way. I handed her the tools she needed before she even had to ask. The bleeding started to slow down and then it stopped.
"The pressure is starting to stabilize," the anesthesiologist reported. "We’re coming back up to seventy over forty."
Bree checked her work to make sure the leak was gone for good. The area stayed clear of blood, and when she looked up at me, something in her gaze had shifted.
"Excellent call," she said loudly enough for the entire room to hear. "Your surgical instinct is exceptional. That repositioning saved significant time and likely saved her life."
I nodded, too emotional to speak. Everyone in the OR had witnessed it. No whispered doubts could undo what had just happened in this room.
We finished the rest of the surgery with a new sense of focus. Bree fixed the blockages in the arteries while I assisted her. We removed the clamps and gave the patient the drugs to start her heart again. We watched the screens until the heart started beating on its own. It was a bit weak at first, but it grew stronger with every second. We took her off the machines and finished closing her chest.
When we put the final staple in her skin, he adrenaline drained out of me all at once. My shoulders sagged and my feet throbbed inside my shoes. But beneath the exhaustion, something else settled in—a quiet, steady clarity.
I took off my gown and gloves in the back room. My hands were shaking a little bit now that the emergency was over. Not from fear, but from the intensity of the moment fading.
But this time, things felt different for me.
I had finally proven my worth to myself. I appreciated Dr. Bree’s kind words, but my own opinion mattered more. I belonged in that room because of my talent and years of hard work. It had nothing to do with Riven or who I was dating.
Some people would always have their doubts about me. I couldn't control what other people thought. I didn’t need them to tell me I was good enough anymore.
I needed to go find Riven.
I'd been thinking about his new role as CEO. I understood why he'd done it, but I hadn't told him how much his sacrifice meant. He'd given up the thing he loved most so we could have a real chance together.
I changed out of my green scrubs and put on my regular clothes. The energy from the surgery still hummed under my skin, sharpening into something more focused as I walked through the halls.
I had to tell him how I felt before I lost my nerve.
