Page 13 of The Bitter Rival

Would’ve been nice if he’d volunteered that little tidbit before now.I feel my agitation begin to stir at discovering this new information. Perhaps the nerve issues in his fingers are from years of repetitive use. I frequently attend art functions in the surrounding area. How was I unaware of this man? “I’m surprised I haven’t heard of him. I attend Arts in the Park and the art museum in town regularly.”

“Oh, he paints under a different name. He goes by R.B. Garland. I’m not sure why. Maybe he was getting more attention than he wanted in the grocery store.” She laughs.

Holy shit. R.B Garland?There was a thirty by twenty-foot seascape canvas of his hanging at our family vineyard. I could feel my blood pressure rising. How had no one felt the need to enlighten me regarding his identity? Dealing with the unknown just before surgery is not helping my headspace.

“We’re all set, Dr. Lee.” I hear someone beckon from the surgical suite. I follow the remaining members of the team into the operating room and find my patient is sedated and ready to go. I need to focus on who is in front of me and put R. B. Garland’s surgery out of my mind.

Well, that was a shit show. How did a simple procedure become so out of control? Dr. Morgan had operated on this patient the week before he left. Since that time, the woman had developed an abscess at the surgical site. This should’ve been an easy technique. Go in, drain the infection, irrigate and clean the area, and place her on antibiotics. Yet, the handoff of instrumentation by the surgical assistant was less than adequate, causing the repeated clank of metal against the hard tile as the tools struck the floor. Each time this occurred, the procedure would come to a halt as we waited for new sterile instruments to be delivered, the sounds still echoing in the otherwise quiet room. I tried desperately to hold my tongue, but the third time something hit the ground, I lost it. The total time in the OR nearly doubled what was scheduled.

There’s less than an hour left to decompress before the next surgery begins.The surgery on the town celebrity, I groan so no one else can hear. I normally crave challenges of this sort, but I’m mentally and physically exhausted by covering Dr. Morgan’s patients as well as attending to my own. Hell, how much longer until he returns? I need that trip to Bali, like yesterday.

Walking down the hall from the surgical suites toward the physician’s lounge, I grumble to myself.Get your shit together, Bas. I’ve handled far more complicated procedures than the fracture and tendon repair of R. B. Garland’s finger. Just forget who he is and what he does.You’re letting it fuck with your head.

Pushing the door to the modest-sized break room open harder than necessary, I walk in and lock eyes with my friend and orthopedic surgeon, Nick Barnes.

“What did that door ever do to you?” He jibes.

“Yeah, yeah. I just had a rough morning in the OR and have half the allotted time between cases now. Just irritated. How are you? It’s been too long.” I walk toward him, grabbing his shoulder. I consider this man my closest friend. But then again, he may be my only true friend.

“You’re right. You need to come out to the lake. We can take the boat out and have a few beers,” he encourages.

“I’d love that, man. Can we go now? This extended vacation of Morgan’s is killing me.” Shaking my head, I walk to the coffee machine and grab a pod of the strongest brew they have. I’m grateful to have this man back in my life. I can’t believe after giving in to temptation and sleeping with his ex-wife, I almost lost this. My closest confidant for years, and I almost let a woman come between us.I’ve got to stop thinking with my pecker.

Suddenly, the door swings open, and a stunning brunette in black scrubs saunters in. Her long dark hair is braided, trailing down her right shoulder.

“Dr. Barnes,” she greets with a knowing smile.

“Mrs. Barnes,” he returns, beaming proudly at her. I never thought I’d be jealous of some poor sap who’s married with a kid. Nick had fought hard for his relationship with Katarina. The two met working here at St. Luke’s. Kat works as an ER physician assistant, and Nick admitted he fell harder each time he came to the emergency room to see a patient. Neither was looking for a relationship, but they couldn’t fight their overpowering attraction. It took overcoming some serious obstacles to have the relationship they have now. They’ve grown into the strongest, most grounded married couple I’ve ever known. Maybe it’s in his genes.

“How long until you have to get back to the OR?” Nick asks, taking a sip of his coffee as his beautiful wife wraps her arm around him.

Looking at my watch, I grimace. “Twenty minutes.”

“Don’t be a stranger, Bas. Once Morgan gets back, you need to come by the house,” Nick repeats. “Little Grace is turning one soon. Can you believe it?”

“Man, time flies. You’re right. As soon as I get back, I’ll call you, bud. I just need some downtime first. The last week alone has racked my nerves.”

“What exotic destination are you headed to this time?” Kat asks.

“I’m thinking I might go to Bali. I’ve never been, and this two-week stint calls for somewhere mind-blow-” The buzz of my cell phone interrupts my conversation. Retrieving it from my pocket, I peer down at the incoming text. “Oh, well, looks like they’re ready and waiting. Need to get back to the OR.”

“It was good to see you, Sebastian,” Katarina says, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

“You too. I promise I’ll call when I get back.” I wave. Heading back toward the OR, I try to take some relaxing breaths.You’ve done this procedure hundreds of times, Bas. Shake it off.

Isabella

“Nice job, Bella,” Jeff encourages as I push the large portable x-ray machine toward the radiology department. “Unfortunately, trying to get films when a patient is in pain is a daily struggle in the ER. You handled that quite well.”

“Thanks. I felt like it was a no-win situation. Whatever I did, she groaned.”

“I know. Sometimes they get medication on board before we get there, and it isn’t so bad, but we can’t put off getting the x-rays the providers need to treat their patients. It’s tough maneuvering around their pain, but you did well. I think you’re going to do great once you graduate and start your first job.”

“Thanks, Jeff. I owe a lot of it to you. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.”

“Do you think you’d consider working here?”

“Heck, I’d love that. I didn’t think there were any openings,” I state excitedly.

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