Surgery day

The operating room was a cavern of blinding, stark white LED lights and polished steel. Every surface gleamed with an unforgiving, sterile brightness that made my eyes ache. I met the medical team taking care of me as they circled the table like a well-oiled machine.

“Dr. Aris, do we have the dermal graft prepared?” the lead surgeon asked.

“Ready to go, Doc,” a voice replied from the periphery.

I was impressed with the amount of staff there—a dedicated team of surgeons with their specific specialties in plastic surgery. Their movements were calibrated to the precision needed for the delicate reconstruction ahead. Each person moved with a synchronized, practiced efficiency that felt both reassuring and intimidating. It was a lot of eyes on one person.

“Check the monitors one last time,” a voice said.

“Flow rates are steady,” another replied, his voice muffled from the surgical mask.

“Alright, let’s get Larissa on the OR bed,” the surgeon said, glancing at my chart.

I was assisted with getting on the operating table safely by one of the nurses. His hands were steady and firm against my shoulder as he helped me navigate the narrow, cold platform. He didn't speak initially, just focused on ensuring my alignment was comfortable.

As he leaned in close, his movements slowed. He tilted his head, his eyes locking onto mine, his voice dropping below the steady, rhythmic drone of the ventilator.

He whispered: “I know who you are, Marie. I'll make sure that the staff are extremely careful - more so than usual.”

The words hit me like a physical tether in the room. I felt relieved that there was someone here that knew who exactly I was. A heavy weight seemed to lift from my chest, replaced by a fragile, grounding sense of security.

I nodded my head ever so slightly to acknowledge what the nurse said, keeping my gaze locked on his for a heartbeat longer than necessary before looking back at the ceiling. Someone put a mask over my face in order to provide the anesthesia to me. I breathed in deeply a few times and everything around me faded out.

As I slipped into unconsciousness, the cold darkness didn't claim me. Instead, I drifted into a dream—a sudden, vivid contrast to the usual empty void of anesthesia.

The sterile, white glare of the operating room dissolved, replaced by a soft, warm amber glow. Out of the quiet haze, C appeared. He looked exactly as I remembered, standing just close enough for me to feel a phantom warmth radiating from him.

"I missed you," he said, his voice soft but incredibly clear, cutting through the lingering hum of the ventilator in my mind. He reached out a hand, his fingers stopping just short of my cheek. "I've been waiting to hear from  you."

"C..." I whispered.

He offered a small, reassuring smile. "Just rest now, Deppgrl. I'm right here. I always will be."

“I’ve missed you too,” I said. “Go back to your girlfriend. No need for her to find out you were here with me wherever we are.”

“Reach out when it’s safe,” he said. “She’ll never know I was here with you in your dream. I’ll always protect you.”

I woke up a few minutes and felt a bit confused of where I was. I realized in the anesthesia fog that I was at the plastic surgery hospital that Sera owns and that I had a brow and eye lift, tummy tuck and a breast lift. Once I was off the ventilator – thanks, asthma! – I was carefully transferred to a wheelchair. The nurse who knows my true identity wheeled me to my room and helped me to my bed.

“You need to rest but I need to give you a few instructions, ok?” he said. “There’s no stomach sleeping for at least a month. It’ll cause pain and possible damage to the eye and brow lift as well as the tummy tuck and breast lift. You’ll need to sleep on your back for a few days with extra pillows under you to help with the swelling, bruising and any drainage if you have any.”

“Ok,” I mumbled. “Can I sleep now?”

“Of course,” he said. “We will check in on you and your pain levels for the next three to four days. Each patient responds to the surgeries you had differently.”

“M’kay,” I mumbled and fell asleep.