How Much I Feel - Marie Force Page 0,68
him in the living room.
I’m praying this interview doesn’t make anything worse.
CHAPTER 17
CARMEN
While I was gone, he put on his boxers. He stands to kiss me before taking a turn in the bathroom.
“Jason, hurry. They just said we’re going to meet Miami’s newest neurosurgeon after the break.”
When he returns, I notice the tension is back in his shoulders and face. He sits next to me but keeps a bit of distance between us, as if steeling himself for whatever he’s about to see and hear.
I place a hand on his back, wishing there was something more I could do to put him at ease.
He gifts me with a small smile while keeping his eyes on the TV.
“Our own Desiree Rivera spent some time today with Dr. Jason Northrup, Miami’s newest pediatric neurosurgeon, and learned he’s already making an impact in our community. Desiree?”
“Thank you, Jim, and indeed you’re right about that. I met Dr. Northrup today at the Our Lady of Charity free clinic in Little Havana where he was spending the day volunteering his time and expertise to a wide range of patients. But his day at the clinic took an unexpected turn when Sofia Diaz and her son, Mateo, arrived, hoping to be seen by the doctor.”
Desiree’s live shot cuts to the footage she and her team recorded at the clinic, which shows Jason with patients and the line outside the door. It then shifts to Miami-Dade and an interview with Sofia Diaz, who’s weeping as she details the surgery Jason performed on her son.
“He’s been very sick.” Sofia dabs at her eyes with a tissue as she speaks in halting English. “I hoped the doctor would tell me he had a virus, but Dr. Northrup took one look at my Mateo and called for rescue to bring him to Miami-Dade. They did an MRI and found he had a cancerous brain tumor. Dr. Northrup operated on him, and . . .” Her voice breaks. “He saved his life,” she says in a soft whisper.
A shot of Mateo resting in his hospital bed is shown. He looks so tiny and defenseless in the big bed.
The footage cuts back to Desiree. “Ms. Diaz and her son found themselves in the right place at the right time today, and little Mateo is resting comfortably tonight after surgery to remove the tumor. Dr. Northrup told Ms. Diaz that with follow-up treatment, her son has a good chance of recovering from his ordeal. No doubt that chance was made better by Dr. Northrup, a nationally recognized expert in this particular pediatric brain tumor, which makes the citizens of Miami lucky to have him in our community. This is Desiree Rivera reporting from Miami-Dade General Hospital for NBC 6 News.”
“What an incredible story, Desiree. Thank you for bringing that to us.”
“Holy crap.” I look at Jason, who seems as stunned as I feel. “She never even mentioned New York! This is best-case scenario, Jason.” I whip out my phone. “I’ve got to get that story linked to the Instagram account.” It takes a few minutes of clicking around on my phone to locate the video on the NBC 6 website and get it loaded on Jason’s Insta account. I make liberal use of hashtags, including Miami, newdoc, pediatricneurosurgeon and lifesaver.
“How did Desiree know we’d transported him?”
I can’t tell if he’s happy she knew or pissed. “Um, I might’ve texted her to let her know you identified an emergency at the clinic and were taking him to Miami-Dade. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, of course. The mother signed the release, so it’s fine. And it was good thinking. That story was just . . .”
“It was just what we needed.”
He puts his arm around me and brings me into his warm embrace. “I’ll never be able to thank you for what you’ve done. You’ve brought about a miracle in a few days’ time.”
“You brought about your own miracle with what you did for that child today.”
“It’s all you. Without you, I’d be sitting in a hotel room spinning in my own misery while people I’ve never met debate whether my career should continue. But you . . . Look what you’ve done, Carmen.”
I bask in the glow of his praise. That someone as accomplished as he is should think so much of me professionally is a heady moment. “We’ve done it together.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “Yes, we have, and we’re going to do it again together.”
I give him my best sexy coy look. “Are we