Stealing The Heart Of The CEO

Episode 2: On Fire

Logan led me to the foyer, and I stood there with him, admiring the tall ceilings, elegant chandelier, and the spiraling staircase leading to the second floor of my new house.

Even at that moment, I still didn't remember that I was needed at my hospital.

"Work is almost complete here, Doctor. You can move in next week." I heard him say, but I was thinking about something else.

I ran my hand over the overly smooth, tiled floor and felt the quality beneath my bare feet.

"It is beautiful, Logan. I love it," I commented, giving him a warm handshake, which made him flinch, because it was very unusual of me.

"Sorry," I said immediately, striding to the living room. I felt so stupid stretching my hands for a handshake.

I knew that it was because I was badly aching to be touched, but it is not an excuse.

I wiped my eyes with the hem of my floral dress before Logan appeared behind me.

"This is the fireplace, Doctor Melissa. Just like you wanted it," he beckoned, leading me there. I stared at the sight before me.

"Oh my!" It had a very sleek, contemporary look which made me imagine cozying up by it during the winter months.

I knelt by it and stared for a split second.

I must have been there for over five minutes because, when I finally opened my eyes, my face was a bit sweaty from being too close to the fire.

I could tell without looking back that he was still there, waiting.

"Doctor Melissa?" His voice put me back on my feet.

I smiled back at him and waved him off. "Just call me Lisa already. Calling me like that makes me feel old."

He did not laugh, or smile. Instead, he pointed at my face and when I touched it, it was full of tears running down my cheek. I wonder how I always did not realize I was crying until I felt my face.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You look like you-"

"It's sweat," I said, cutting in. "I've been sitting too close to the fire, I think," I tried to lie about it, but he shook his head, his eyes boring into my soul.

"Fine, I am sorry about that. I have to go now. See you later, Logan," I kept apologizing for no necessary reason, as I rushed out of the building and straight into my car parked outside.

It was then I remembered the surgery I was to perform.

Logan rushed after me saying something about checking the kitchen and the master suite, but I had no time for that.

I drove crazily off my land property and down the road, with tears streaming down my face.

Tears of regret, and anger, or both.

I was headed towards Logan, my best friend's, before I realized what I was doing.

"Holy cow!" I cussed myself because I didn't even know why I had tears clouding my eyeballs again.

All I knew was that I should do something other than heart surgery at that vulnerable moment.

Something else like drinking myself into a stupor. But that would have to wait.

I turned back in the direction of 'Melissa Craig's Institute for Advanced Surgery’, hoping to hell that I was not too late for the surgery.

****

As soon as I arrived at my hospital, I started to feel blood rush into my ears.

My heart beat faster than normal, the exact feelings I had when Rosa called me stubborn and spoilt even though my sister, Olivia, is the spoiled one.

Or when dad called me selfish, for leaving her at home just to spend some time with my friends, for only an hour.

By this time, my phone must have been ringing nonstop.

I waddled through the corridors towards the theater, unbothered, and I felt several of my nurses rush at me at once.

"Doctor Melissa! Oh, thank God you are here! We need you urgently, please," I heard one of them say to me.

'Of course. Everyone always needs me urgently," I say sarcastically, "It's never forever."

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I forced the dark memories away.

My knees were giving way as I reached for the walls, but I couldn't afford to fall.

"Lisa, get yourself together," I muttered to myself, counting one to eleven to steady my nerves, according to Logan.

I felt like I was performing my first surgery all over again.

As I entered the theater, I took a very deep breath. My patient was being prepped for the operation, and I really couldn't wait to get it over with.

"Give me a moment, guys," I said to them, shutting my eyes, which actually felt like they were on fire.

Once I opened them, they were gone, and I shook my head, trying to steady my wobbly fingers in the lone OR.

Even though I didn't care about many things, I really did not like my team seeing my weaknesses, and I could do anything to hide them.

Unfortunately, they all seemed to know that I didn't have it all together in the personal aspect, and boy, do I hate that so much.

"Err...let's see what we have here, old guy," I mumbled, trying to distract myself.

I briefly checked my patient's record and I immediately stepped back to let in some air.

His name was Craig Black, and that only tugged at my heartstrings. I suddenly couldn't breathe. My throat turned dry, and my eyesight was dimmed all of a sudden.

"I am going to treat you well, Mister," I managed to say as my eyes locked onto his frail, vulnerable, smiling face.

He looked to be a bit older than my father, I noticed, as I sensed his eyes begging me to save him.

"I will save you, Mr Craig Black," I swallowed. "I will do my best," I whispered, patting his shoulder.

He looked at me and forced a smile. "Are you okay?" Craig muttered weakly, interrupting my thoughts. "You can always appoint someone else to do this, you know."

When I looked at his face, I didn't see any fear at all. Instead, there was some pure concern for me.

How on earth does he bear the same name as my household's? He's so kind and warm, just everything my family is not.

I scrubbed in, ignoring his question because I could hardly talk. I was painfully aware of every sound in the room, and I knew I should call in my team to aid me, but I didn't. At least not immediately.

I was distracted by Rosa's earlier words to me:" I am your mother, and you must listen to me!" and "Make all the money you want, but it will never be enough, Lisa."

I didn't know why my mom had to remind me of that, even as I was already painfully aware of it.

"I’ve done this a million times. Trust me, this would be like any other surgery; maybe even better..." I smirked self-assuredly, then I called my team in.

They immediately scrubbed in and held out their hands waiting for instructions.

"I should be able to finish this in time for my spa session," I thought to myself. God knows after having a bad day, my muscles needed some relaxation.

As I made the first incision, a bead of sweat rolled down my forehead and into my eyes. I’m never like this: the sweat, the jittering, all foreign to me, but the one person who managed to drain all that focus is the insufferable, neckless, stooge I call a mother.

Even after all these years, her condescending tone still had a hold on me.

Screw her.

I blinked it away and tried to focus, but my fingers still felt unsteady.

"Please.. Lord. Give me strength," I muttered in my spirit. "Only thirty minutes, and you can take it back."

I sensed the worry on my team's faces without looking. They better not be staring, or someone is getting fired.

"Doctor Melissa, are you alright?" Carlisle finally mustered up some courage to ask. Everyone else started muttering some words almost at once. Concern and fear were clearly written all over them.

"I'm alright," I almost yelled. "Can someone prove any ounce of competence and hand me the scalpel?" Every step I took in the procedure was muscle memory, and I couldn't help but feel every stitch felt off.

I felt an intense weight on my head, akin to the density of water. It was as though a colossal vessel had been filled with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and gently set on my head.

"I can take it up from here if you don't mind, doc," one of them, Doctor Bryan said very impatiently, and only then did I realize that I was staring into space.

"Doc?" He called again, filling my aching head with more water.

"Oh, will you shut up, Bryan!" I retorted before I could stop myself.

Then, I checked Craig's vitals.

His heart rate clocked at a steady 75 beats per minute, the systolic and diastolic numbers for the blood pressure read 110 mm HG and 75 mm HG respectively. I’m in the clear and got back to work.

"You better come closer and stop staring like zombies!" I yelled at the rest of them, and then took a close look at Craig's sighing heart, struggling to keep its Vigor. I didn't have time to feel guilty.

Minutes later, the last stitch in, and I stumbled out of the OR thoroughly drained.

Of course, I saved the damn patient. It’s what I DO. I didn't even listen to my team as they praised me for a job well done.

At that point, I just needed a moment for myself to recuperate. There was more water in my head now, and I needed to empty it as quickly as possible.