Chapter 26
Leanne had grown up without her parents’ love and care, her heart aching with longing whenever she saw the unbridled affection others received from theirs.
She squeezed Penelope’s hand, her lips curling into a comforting smile. “Trust me.”
Amy interrupted, “Dr. Castillo doesn’t make empty promises. If she says you can trust her, you can bet that surgery will be a success!”
The craniotomy was performed by the top neurosurgeon, meticulously removing the subdural hematoma and the bruised brain tissue. Having precisely located the optic canal, Leanne took over under the microscope using a micro-drill to open the patient’s optic canal for decompression.
The surgery was a success with the collaboration of several doctors, and it was nearly 2 a.m. when Leanne emerged from the operating room.
The patient was under intensive care observation. Finally, allowing herself to relax from the intense focus, Leanne felt a throbbing headache.
She touched her forehead, which felt feverish. She must have caught a chill at the Perez’s the night before.
Jake, waiting outside the hospital, called her. “Mrs. Richardson, it’s late. Are you done for the evening?”
She couldn’t tell if it was the headache, the fatigue, or the reluctance to face Curtis. His unexpected tenderness and the impending threat of divorce left Leanne wondering how to deal with it.
She refused, “It’s too late. I won’t be heading back. I’ll crash in the on-call room.”
Her voice was noticeably congested, prompting Jake to ask, “Do you have a cold?”
“No big deal. We’ve got medicine at the hospital.”
After hanging up, Leanne popped a few fever reducers with water and went to the on-call room for some sleep.
When Leanne arrived at her office the following morning, she found a large bouquet and a luxury brand handbag on her desk.
Could it be from Curtis?
His name sprang to mind, but she immediately dismissed it. No, it couldn’t be him.
She was about to ask Amy about the flowers and the gift when she heard a snide voice behind her.
“If I knew there were such perks to being on call, I would’ve seized the chance. The rich
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Chapter 26
sure know how to give gifts. A Hermès handbag! I’m jealous.”
“Please,” Sandra rolled her eyes. “She’s got Marshall backing her. Like any of that would ever come your way.”
Amy rolled her eyes even harder. “Even if it did come your way, you’d need the skills to keep it. You blew it when that patient’s family lost trust in you. Whose fault is that?”
Leanne stayed out of the verbal sparring. “Is this from Mrs. Turner?”
Amy nodded. “The patient woke up, and all her vitals are stable.”
She leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. “Dr. Castillo, do you know who the patient is?” Leanne was about to start her rounds and had no interest in gossip. She checked the patient’s electronic records. “No clue.”
“She’s the MedRevive princess!” Amy was excited. “Half the equipment in our department is from MedRevive. I figured out why Sandra was being so nice yesterday. She was trying to suck up and totally blew it. Look how pissed she is.”
MedRevive was well-known to Leanne as a leading company in the medical field.
But a patient’s wealth was irrelevant to a doctor’s duty.
When Leanne entered the patient’s room, Penelope sat by the bedside. She looked weary from a night without sleep but was in good spirits.
“Dr. Castillo, I can’t thank you enough for what you did last night.” Penelope said.
Leanne set down the handbag. “It’s what I’m here for. No thanks needed. I’ll keep the flowers but can’t accept the gift.”
“It’s just a small token. Please take it.”
As they exchanged refusals, the patient suddenly spoke, “So it was you.”
Wrapped in bandages with abrasions still visible on her face, the patient’s beauty was undeniable even with one eye covered. Despite the right eye injury, different bruises, and a fractured leg, she glanced over with sarcasm.
“I knew you wouldn’t take it, but my mom wouldn’t listen. Your hospital has rules about this, right? If you accept gifts on the sly, I’ll report you.”
It seemed she understood the game of bait and report well.
Leanne detected the mockery in her voice. “You know me?”
The patient’s expression soured even more. “You don’t remember me?”
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