The following day, the door to my ward creaked open.
When I saw who was standing there and he saw the person next to me, we both froze.
"Who are you?"
"Who's that?"
Both Andrew and I spoke at the same time.
It wasn't until I heard his voice that I realized the man in the doorway was Andrew. Had he shaved his beard today?
Andrew raised an eyebrow at me, looking smug. "I told you, I'm young and handsome."
He then asked, "So, who's he?"
Jack let go of my hand and gave a polite greeting to Andrew, "I'm her friend, Jack. I'll be relying on you today, doctor."
The sudden formality caught Andrew off guard. He looked back and forth between us, confused.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Andrew asked.
"Not at all!"
"Yes."
Jack and I both answered at the same time.
Before I could explain, Andrew just waved us off. "It's fine. Who he is doesn't matter, as long as he respects me."
He looked at me and added, "Don't worry, I've got this. I won't let you meet your maker."
Ignoring my surprised expression, Andrew signaled for the nurse to come take me to the operating room. Jack followed closely behind. I glanced up at him and could see he was tense. Before they wheeled me into the operating room, Jack grabbed my hand again.
"Don't be scared. I'll be right here, waiting for you."
Andrew, looking a little frustrated, gently pried Jack's hand away. "Buddy, don't worry about her. She'll be fine. They're about to put her under. She won't feel anything. Don't worry, she's in good hands. You just stay here and wait."
Andrew signaled for the medical staff to wheel me into the operating room before turning to Jack. "If this surgery goes well, you can tell Julian I'm still the better doctor."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes again. Even now, he was thinking about outdoing Julian.
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