A blast from the past (7)

The surgery was successful with no qualms and Kara was relieved. No matter how many times she did it, she always felt anxious having a life literally in her hands.

The patient this time had been shot in his chest and the success rate had been quite low. So when she overheard the sighs of relief and hopeful mutters when it was revealed to his family that she would be the head surgeon, it had put much more pressure on her than they intended.

She wanted nothing more than a warm shower and a long nap when it was over, but she was stopped by a middle aged woman on her way out.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"You are Dr. Williams, right?" The woman asked, but she didn't seem to be in doubt. She didn't wait for Kara to respond before holding up a bento box. "I know this is nothing compared to saving my son's life but I would like to thank you."

Kara rejected it politely. "You don't need to thank me. I only did my job."

"I still want to." She insisted.

It wasn't strange for patients' families to give her gifts but Kara knew better than to accept food from strangers. "It's really okay. Why don't you eat it yourself? You must be starving after waiting anxiously for the surgery to end." She flashed a kind smile, and the woman didn't find any fault in her words.

"You are so kind. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Excuse me?" She frowned.

The woman's face reddened. "Please don't think I'm a weirdo. It's not every day I meet a woman who is smart, capable, beautiful and happens to be kind as well. And my son, while he may have seemed lifeless a moment ago, he is quite capable as well. He is hardworking, handsome and single."

Kara was puzzled. Was it common for families to offer the patient to the doctor as gratitude?

"I'm sure he is a great guy. But I'm married." She flashed her fingers and remembered she didn't have a ring. "Well, rings can get a bit distractive when I work so I take them off. But you see the dent in my ring finger, right?"

There wasn't any dent but the woman assumed there was and sighed in disappointed.

"He is a lucky guy."

She was finally let off so she hurried to her car before another relative could come over and thank her in an 'extra special' way.

The two hour drive to Imperium felt like hell. She could have taken some rest and returned the next day but she didn't want to give Mark a chance to drop by. Thinking about her mother, she switched to autopilot and gave Ash a call. The latter answered on the first ring.

"What can I do for you, boss?" She teased.

Kara rolled her eyes. She was so dramatic. "Is my mother alright?"

"I could say so. All she ever does is go to work, return at the same time as usual and hole herself up in her room for the rest of the day. I haven't seen anything out of ordinary with her." Ash reported.

Kara was relieved. "Has she had any guests?"

"None that I know of. Wait. A woman dropped by. I have seen her before, I just don't remember where. She pretended to be your friend, here for you, but Ms. Williams saw through her bullshit and kicked her out."

Panic washed through Kara. Was that Mark's accomplice? It was indeed easier for a young woman pretending to be her friend to get to Sianna.

She gripped the phone in distress. "No matter who comes over, don't let them in, okay? Unless their surname is Williams, Fort or Qin."

"Understood." Ash responded.

Kara's hand trembled as she tried to figure out who the woman could be. Thanks to her stubbornness years ago, she had done quite a number of things in her quest for revenge and earned herself more enemies than she could count. She wouldn't mind much if they went after her but if anyone dared to lay a finger on her mother, she would make sure they didn't see the living daylights ever again.

_

She only went to work the following day after ensuring Sianna was safe. Will had finally taken the role given to him by Santino, and Ash was her eyes and ears. She could finally take a breathe and focus on her work.

When she arrived at Grand View Hospital, she was stumped at the number of emails and missed calls she had accumulated in just two days. The fact that Cleo filtered through them before forwarding the important ones to her made her mind want to blow. She definitely had a superpower.

She sat down and opened one marked as urgent by Cleo and was about to reply to it when the door opened.

"This is not your personal bathroom, Aubert." She chastised him without turning to confirm that it was him. There was something about his presence that she would never be mistaken about.

As expected, his soft chuckle filled the air. "You are finally back. Didn't you miss me?"

"Not now. I'm busy." She snapped.

"She's not in a good mood." He inched closer and picked a pen from her desk. "Do you need help?"

She looked up at him over the computer. "I don't. But you do. I'll book you an appointment with Amy Myers. She is the best psychologist in the hospital."

Her indirect implication that he was nuts didn't dim his mood. "You think I've gone loco?"

She inwardly lamented. How was it fair that she was drowning in a sea of work while he had all the time in the world to make fun of her?

"Sit." She ordered. He did as he was told and looked at her like a puppy waiting for a treat. Alas, what she landed on his lap with a thud was not a treat but a mountain of files.

"You take care of these."

He winced from the impact. She had done that on purpose. He glanced at the door, contemplating closing it, and caught sight of a silhouette.

"What is he doing here?"

"Who?" Kara's brows shot up curiously.

"No one." He brushed it off. His mood significantly dimmed. Wilson seemed to have made a home out of Grand View Hospital.