Forbidden Doctor - R. S. Elliot Page 0,21

something more to Stevie. She didn’t see Jasmine as a problem to be solved, but a human that wanted to be fixed. She was more human than a lot of people I’d met—unlike her father. How was it that two people could look so strikingly similar and be so different? Where she was willing to take a chance, he was a cold man. He didn’t care about anything except the success of his hospital, and it disgusted me. I wondered if he’d been that bad when he’d been on the floor every day, but people said he cared about his patients, that he had perfect bedside manner. It reminded me of a documentary I’d watched about psychopaths, how they could manipulate people into seeing them the way they needed to be seen. The man was a brilliant surgeon, no doubt, but I knew he didn’t have the same humanity in him as his daughter.

They said I was brilliant too. They said I was in the next generation of surgeons like the great Aaron Christophers. I took chances on children like Jasmine, did the risky thing, and more often than not, came out victorious. I knew my hands were insured. I knew that I had saved unsavable lives.

They also said I was an ass. I was blunt and didn’t stand for mistakes in my OR. I could be harsh with my students, and I knew it bugged Jonah that I couldn’t connect with the other heads of department like him. Would I end up like Aaron Christophers?

I placed my hand over my heart and hoped that I could continue to feel my beating heart and retain the humanity that came with it.

I couldn’t help seeing her at work, of course, and seeing her that Wednesday morning while I stood in Jasmine’s room outlining my new plan, I knew something was wrong.

She stood farther back from me than either Smith or Lehaney. This was unusual, since one of them was almost scared of the patients and the other didn’t want to risk being asked to do something that looked like work. I hadn’t bothered to learn which was which. I could tell that if they didn’t have an attitude change, the two of them wouldn’t last the year.

Stevie looked strained. She kept her eyes locked on Jasmine, and I could tell she was clenching her jaw. If she didn’t relax, I’d have to send her to orthodontics to fix some cracked teeth. She looked better though, like she’d actually gotten some sleep in the recent decade. I knew I’d come off as harsh the day before, but there was usually no subtle way to get people to care about their health.

I re-focused on Kayla and Jasmine. The girl in the bed looked like a ghost, surrounded by soft toys and propped up only by the bed. I could tell she wouldn’t be there in a week if we didn’t do anything.

“I want to make it clear that this is a highly experimental procedure,” I continued. “It would be very taxing on your body, and if you survive the transplant, you’ll have a long road to recovery.”

Jasmine’s lips twitched.

“I thought you said you’d try and stop me going under the knife,” she said weakly.

“I did try, Jas, but your heart just isn’t strong enough anymore. We have to do something.”

Kayla cleared her throat. She was scared, her lips almost disappearing with how thin they were. Her arms were crossed, and everything in her exhausted face said she wasn’t sure about this plan.

“We have no other choice?” she asked.

“I haven’t been able to find one. Boston Children’s doesn’t want to be associated with Jasmine’s case, and no one else seemed to think saving her was possible—well, no one else except one doctor in Seattle.” I stopped and thought for a moment. “And me, of course.”

“You think there’s a good chance this could work?”

“I think that if it does work, Jasmine will have the kind of quality of life she hasn’t had since she was three years old. She’ll be able to go home with you; she might even, with some time, be able to go back to school.”

Despite her frail body, Jasmine’s eyes lit up. She looked excited, and her mother sighed.

“I just...I need to try and contact her father; is that okay?”

“Of course, but Kayla, I’ll need an answer by this afternoon—we need to get her in straight away.”

Kayla nodded and I decided to give her some time with her daughter. I knew