Becoming Strangers Again by Lily

LILY

I awoke to the sight of several missed calls from Ryan on my phone. I must have been far more exhausted than I realized for me to sleep so soundly and not hear my phone ringing. Stifling a yawn, I glanced over at the clock on my nightstand. My eyes widened in disbelief

when I saw the time. "Damn!" I muttered under my breath.

It was already seven in the morning. How on earth did I manage to sleep through my alarm?

Jumping out of bed, I rushed down the hall toward my kids' room. I needed to make sure they were up and getting ready. Thankfully, their nanny had already woken them, helped them shower, and they were now sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

I exhaled a sigh of relief and ran a hand over my forehead, noticing it felt unusually warm to the touch. Was I coming down with a fever?

"Good morning, ma'am," Jane greeted, her voice bringing me back to the present.

I blinked slowly, trying to focus. "Good morning, Jane," I replied, giving her a tired smile. I walked over to my boys, planting a gentle kiss on each of their heads and wishing them a good morning before retreating back to my room to get ready for work.

While I brushed my teeth, I tried Ryan's number again, but it wouldn't connect. After three attempts, I gave up, letting out a frustrated sigh.

I dropped the phone onto the sink with a soft thud and stepped into the shower, hoping the warm water might wash away the lingering fatigue.

********

By the time I finally made it to the office, I was already running late. Even my secretary looked surprised to see me coming in at this hour. She followed me into my office, her tablet in hand, ready to go over my schedule for the day and the list of surgeries I had lined up. "Are you feeling alright, ma'am?" she asked, her brows knitted together with concern. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," I replied, though I wasn't entirely sure if I believed it myself. I just needed to wait for the medication I'd picked up from the pharmacy to start working. "Do I have to observe another neurosurgery today?"

She shook her head gently. "You don't have to, but it was a special request from the patient's family," she explained, her fingers tapping quickly on her tablet as she pulled up the details. "The patient is a little girl, only five years old, and her parents specifically asked for you to monitor the surgery. They know you're a mother and believe that would make you extra vigilant-they trust you to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"And what happens if I say no?" I asked. In all honesty, I wasn't feeling up to sitting through another long surgery today.

I should have just

words carefully, "but it might not reflect well on the hospital's image

hands over my face, feeling the throbbing ache in my head. "Alright," I sighed, finally nodding in reluctant

the bottle of painkillers in my desk drawer and popped a couple more into my mouth, hoping they'd work fast to dull the relentless pounding in my skull. After taking a moment to steady myself, I grabbed my white coat from the back of my

Finally, when he signaled that the procedure was complete,

on my feet. One of the doctors who had been observing the surgery with me

the issue further, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer before he turned back to his work. I glanced over at

a blanket from the small closet. Exhausted beyond measure, I collapsed onto the sofa and closed my eyes, hoping

*****

at blue curtains, and it only took a second for me to realize that I wasn't in my office

panic, I tried to sit up abruptly, but a sharp, throbbing pain exploded in my head, forcing me

furrowed my brows in confusion and slowly turned my head to the side. Dr. Amell was sitting next to the bed, his sleeves rolled up

situation. "Where am I? And

slightly, studying me. "I saw you swaying after the surgery," he said calmly. "So, I came to check on you, just to make

office sofa."

trying to muster some moisture to speak. Slowly, I attempted to sit up

to help me; he simply watched me with those sharp eyes of his, scrutinizing every inch of my struggle. "I wasn't unconscious," I argued, a hint of defensiveness creeping into my tone. "I was just

clearly amused.

move an

searched for your vein. You didn't even stir when we inserted the needle of when you were transferred

his eyes

mine. "Shouldn't you

thanking me?"

needle piercing my vein. "Thank you," I muttered, trying to

welcome, although I barely

him. "Why are you the one looking after an unconscious