Page 3 of Rival Hearts

“You didn’t know your parents?” Amanda asked.

“Nope,” Riley said. “I was a foster kid, too.”

“Really?” Amanda looked at Riley in awe. Riley smiled. If she’d had a doctor as a kid who knew what she had been through, she would have been amazed, too.

“Yeah,” Riley said, “and personally, no matter what other people say, I think foster kids are like superheroes.”

“What do you mean?” Amanda asked.

Riley struggled with what to say. She wanted to encourage this kid even though she’d probably never see her again, and she wanted her to feel hopeful before she went into surgery. Maybe was nonsense, but Riley truly believed that how a patient felt before undergoing an operation affected their outcome.

“Most people never have to go through what we go through. We put up with a lot and survive it. Most people never have to do that,” Riley said. “Being able to survive it gives us a lot of skills and strength that most people don’t have.” Riley thought back to her tumultuous past and knew that she definitely wouldn’t have been able to do what she did without it.

Amanda looked at Riley with a smile. “I like that.”

Riley smiled back, tempted to ruffle her hair or pat her head, but she didn’t want to cause Amanda any pain. “I hope you’ll remember that you’re a superhero, and like a superhero you’re going to make it through this.”

Amanda nodded and looked up at the ceiling with a new look of determination. Riley smiled to herself, feeling more confident about this surgery than ever. She didn’t know who that paramedic was, but she was used to people questioning her even when she turned out to be right.

Soon after, the nurse that Riley sent to prep the OR came back. A couple of other nurses entered behind her.

“The OR is ready,” the nurse said.

“Good,” Riley said. “Is Doctor Everett available right now?”

“I’m over here,” Dr. Lucinda Everett said with her British accent, walking into the trauma bay. Lucinda was a very talented trauma surgeon and Riley was happy to have her skills on hand.

“You want me to scrub in?”

“Yes please,” Riley said, “and if someone could page cardio, that would be great. I want to get this surgery done as quickly as possible, but we need a decent number of hands.”

“You got it,” one of the nurses said before she walked off.

“Great,” Riley said. “I’m going to wheel her out of here.”

* * *

When the surgery was over, Riley breathed a sigh of relief. Despite a few complications, the surgery was a success and Amanda was wheeled away to a hospital room to recover. Riley had gotten worried when they had to remove the handlebar from Amanda’s chest and she started to crash on the table, but everyone in the room was able to come together and piece the girl back together. Riley couldn’t be prouder of her team.

After she cleaned up, Riley walked into the waiting room, where she saw some police and firefighters, as well as the angry, fiercely attractive paramedic from earlier. Riley felt her gaze drift over the paramedic. She noticed the way her hair was now slicked back more than it had been earlier. She noticed the way her face was strikingly beautiful and the way her big dark almond shaped eyes were full of rage still. She looked like some kind of athletic model.

A very angry athletic model.

Talking to one of the firefighters was a middle-aged man in plain clothes.

“Amanda,” Riley called, and almost immediately, the middle-aged man turned.

Riley walked toward him and held out a hand for him to shake.

“You must be Amanda’s foster father,” Riley said.

“I am,” the man said. “The name’s James.”

“Well, James,” Riley said, “you’ll be happy to know that Amanda is expected to make a full recovery. I can have a nurse take you to her room right now.”

“Yes please,” James said.

Riley gestured to one of the nurses who’d accompanied her, and the two left to find Amanda.

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