Chapter 85
“His vitals are spiking,” the anesthesiologist warned. “Blood pressure rising quickly.”
Irene remained perfectly calm while everyone else tensed. This was dangerous Brandon’s body was reacting strongly even under
anesthesia.
“It’s the nerve response,” she explained quietly, her hands never pausing. “The body’s fighting back.”
“Should we stop?” one of the assisting surgeons asked nervously.
“No,” Irene’s response was immediate and firm. “We push through. Katherine, we need to move faster.”
Katherine was already adjusting, anticipating Irene’s needs perfectly This wasn’t their first crisis together. While the monitors continued their urgent warning, Irene worked with incredible speed and precision, her focus unwavering.
“Staying too long in this area could cause permanent damage,” she murmured to Katherine. “We have about three minutes to complete this section.”
The rest of the team watched in amazement as Irene seemed to accelerate rather than retreat, her hands moving with impossible steadiness while the warning beeps intensified.
“Two minutes, Katherine counted down softly, handing Irene exactly what she needed without being asked.
The tension in the room was palpable as the critical seconds ticked by. Just when it seemed like they might need to stop, Irene made a final adjustment.
“Done,” she announced calmly. “We’re past the danger zone.”
Almost immediately, the frantic beeping began to slow, Brandon’s body relaxing as the intense nerve stimulation ceased. A collective breath of relief swept through the room.
“That was…” the hospital director whispered to a colleague, “something else entirely.”
The final phase of reconstruction took another hour of meticulous work. When Irene finally straightened up, nearly six hours had passed since the first incision. The surgical team had rotated assistants twice due to the length and intensity, but Irene and Katherine had remained constant, their focus unwavering.
“We’re done,” Irene announced quietly, the relief in her voice subtle but unmistakable. “He’ll race again.”
Only then did the exhaustion hit her. The intense focus and concentration that had sustained her through the hours of surgery suddenly faded, leaving her feeling drained and shaky. Every muscle in her body seemed to protest at once, from her shoulders that had been held rigid for hours to her lower back that now throbbed with dull persistence. Her vision blurred slightly at the edges, the bright lights of the operating room suddenly too harsh.
What struck her most wasn’t just the physical fatigue. It was the strange emotional tangle that came with knowing she’d just saved the career of a brother who had no idea who she really was. Six hours of holding someone’s future in her hands–not just any someone, but a Sterling. She couldn’t help but appreciate the bitter twist of fate. The family that had cast her aside was now unknowingly in her debt.
Irene closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself against the wave of complex emotions. This wasn’t about family drama or old wounds. This was about being a doctor, about using the skills she’d worked so hard to perfect. Whatever else Brandon Sterling might be to her, today he had simply been her patient. And she had done what she always did–her absolute best.
Katherine was there instantly, a steady hand at her elbow providing invisible support.
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“I knew you’d push too hard, Katherine muttered, concern mixing with reproach. Every time, you give everything and keep nothing for yourself.
Irene managed a tired smile behind her mask, grateful for her friends support. “Thanks,” she whispered, briefly leaning on Katherine’s steadying grip.
The hospital staff, aware of Dr. Joy’s preference for avoiding family interactions, had arranged for her to exit through a staff door while Brandon was taken to recovery. As Irene peeled off her surgical gloves, she felt professional satisfaction mixed with bone–deep
tiredness..
“You should rest before driving home,” Katherine advised, helping her remove her surgical gown. “I’ll give you a ride back when you’re ready.”
“Just a quick break,” Irene agreed, too exhausted to argue. “Then I need to check on Adam’s treatment schedule.”
Katherine rolled her eyes but said nothing. Some battles weren’t worth fighting, and arguing with Irene about her workload was definitely one of them.
Outside the main OR doors, the Sterling family had gathered anxiously. When the doors finally opened and Brandon was wheeled
out, still unconscious, they crowded forward immediately.
“Doctor! How’s my son?” Rose demanded, practically accosting the first medical professional she saw. “Did it work?”
“Will Brandon’s legs recover completely?” Anna added, her tone perfectly balanced between concern and hope.
The family pressed forward so eagerly that the hospital director had to step in, frowning at the commotion.
“Please, give them space,” he said firmly, creating distance between the family and Brandon’s gurney. “The surgery went extremely well. Your son needs rest now, and you can visit him once he’s settled and awake. For now, please keep it down.”
While the others focused entirely on Brandon, Joseph alone seemed concerned about the surgeon’s absence. “Director,” he asked quietly, “the doctor who operated on my grandson–I don’t see her coming out?”
Joseph knew full well why Irene wasn’t appearing. His granddaughter had downplayed the procedure’s difficulty, but he hadn’t been fooled. The exhaustion in her eyes when she’d mentioned it told him everything he needed to know.
The director smiled understandingly. “Dr. Joy was pretty wiped out after such a long procedure. The surgery was completely successful, but she’s gone to rest now. She asked not to be disturbed.
Rose, overhearing this, nodded with surprising graciousness. “Of course, we understand. Please tell her how grateful we are.” Her face relaxed into a genuine smile of relief. “We need to properly thank Dr. Joy for saving my son’s career.”
“Absolutely,” the director agreed. “Dr. Joy is one of the finest surgeons I’ve ever worked with. Your son couldn’t have been in better
hands.”
“Nathan,” Rose turned to her eldest son who’d arrived during the surgery, “we need to arrange something special to thank her. Nothing but the best for the doctor who saved Brandon’s legs.”
Nathan nodded dutifully. “I’ll take care of it, Mother.”
As the family followed Brandon’s gurney toward recovery, Joseph lingered behind, watching them go with a complex expression o his weathered face. He glanced toward the staff exit where his granddaughter had disappeared, then back at the Sterling family eagerly trailing after Brandon.
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A heavy sigh escaped him. Only he knew the irony–that the “Dr. Joy whom Rose was so eager to thank was the very same person she’d just been calling ungrateful and heartless. The same “white elephant she’d complained about was the brilliant surgeon who had just saved her son’s future
If only you knew,” he murmured to himself, shaking his head at the twisted situation. He was grateful for Irene’s exceptional skills that had given Brandon his chance, but the tangled web of family relationships left him feeling weary.
With one last glance toward where his granddaughter had gone, Joseph slowly followed the family, his cane tapping thoughtfully against the polished hospital floor.
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