Chapter 1 by Matt Wall
Sweat beaded on Billy’s forehead. The lights were so bright and hot, that he always assumed his skin would burn from the heat. His nerves seemed shot, but pulling through in the clutch is what made Billy love this work.
“Nurse Eden, my forehead?” he asked, politely; hiding the pressure that the surgery was putting on him.
“Yes, Dr. Bell.” Eden’s soft, lovely voice floated out from behind her thin, surgical mask. She took a cloth and dabbed Billy’s forehead.
Between Eden’s voice and her light fragrance, Billy almost forgot that he was operating on a woman’s spine. Catching just a glance of her big, beautiful blue eyes, he smiled, hoping that his mask hid his feelings…
Billy was startled as he was washing his hands, when the door opened to the washroom. He had been thinking about Eden’s eyes and how he got lost in them in the O.R. and how he was lost in them again, just thinking about them. He fumbled with the soap, when he saw that it was Eden May who entered the room.
“You did great in there, Dr. Bell. I think Ciri Jackson is going to be just fine.” She noticed that he was having trouble with the soap. “When was the last time you slept?”
He smiled. “I’m okay. But please, when we aren’t in the O.R. you can me Billy.”
“It’s okay. I like calling you Dr. Bell. You’re like a hero.” She giggled under her breath.
“Tell that to my step-father.” He dried his hands on a towel and threw it in the bin.
“Are you two still having problems?” she asked.
“Having your step-father as your boss, is never a good idea. I feel like I always have to impress him and nothing I do seems to do the trick.”
“I’m sure that the mean, old Dr. Ed Gold, is very impressed with you, Dr. Bell.”
“We’ll see. I have my evaluation later. Watch him fire me.”
“He would never fire you!” She became very serious, a side of her that Billy had never seen before. “He knows how important you are to Winston General. He would never fire you over any petty family argument.”
As much as he wanted to get lost in her eyes, yet again, he fought it. He had things to do and he knew she did as well. “Just cross your fingers, okay?” He left her in the wash room and as soon as he entered the hallway, he was violently forced against the wall.
“You better hope that she can walk!”
Billy pushed his attacker off of him. He was livid. Today wasn’t the day to push him. He composed himself as quickly as he could. “Van, I did everything I could. I have very high hopes. The operation went perfectly. Now, we have to play the waiting game and see how Ciri’s body responds.”
Van Dean was young and reckless. Billy knew that if Van wanted to hurt him, he probably could, and would somehow talk his way out of it with his silver tongue.
“Listen here, Doc, if Ciri never walks again, either will you!”
