Patience

Chapter 47

Harry pov

Beeeeeeeepppp, was the only sound coming out of the heart monitor. I look at a lifeless Kate and freeze, she lays there like she's sleeping but she has no heartbeat. This is it, I'm losing her. It took me so long to find her and after a couple of months she's already is slipping away. I walk back to the wall and have to hold myself steady, if I don't I will fall on the floor.
It's only when a tall nurse pushes the door open that I come back to the present. Maarten is performing heart massage while a nurse is pressing the air balloon, they all have a tense look on their faces and the tension in the room is palpable.
Another nurse comes into the room rolling an external defibrillator with her, I step aside. I wish I could do something to help Kate, but the best thing to do now is to let them do their work.
The tall nurse starts to unbutton Kate's gown, while the other hands Maarten the paddles. He puts the paddles on Kate's bare chest.
"Hands off," he yells but just when he wants to push the little blue button and shock Kate, the heart monitor starts to slowly beep again. A big breath I didn't know I was holding leaves me mouth. My cheeks are wet and I realise I'm crying.
"Thank God," I say out loud. My eyes cross to Maarten's and he smiles at me. The nurse is covering Kate up while the other one is cleaning things up. Maarten quietly starts talking to another doctor who just entered the room.
When the nurses are done, the doctors walk to Kate's bed and start to examine her. Kate is still unconscious but her heartbeat is steady and she is breathing on her own.
"Harry?" Maarten gets my attention and I walk over to the bed.
"This is Dr. Latet, our specialist in infectious diseases," he introduces the other doctor to me.
"Dr. Latet, this is Dr. Styles. He's a neurosurgeon and Miss Jones' partner." Dr. Latet stretches out his hand and I shake it.
"Nice to meet you." I smile a little.
"So Harry, Kate's heartbeat is back and steady. We gave her something to make her sleep so her body can heal. Earlier, I said I would do the surgery tomorrow but because of what just happened, I decided to remove the pain device today. Before we start, our cardiologist will do an EKG and examine Kate. Dr. Latet wants to remove the neurostimulator too. There is a chance it will also be infected, but I don't agree with him. I only want to remove the pain device. We've never performed anything at the side of the neurostimulator and her blood isn't infected yet. There is nothing that points to an infected neurostimulator. As a doctor, what do you think about it?" I thought about it and how I would handle a case like this if I was the attending.
"I'l follow you, Maarten. For now we remove the pain device but we monitor very closely and if there is the smallest sign the neurostimulator is infected as well, then we'll operate again." Both doctors nod.
"I will take cultures of her blood daily and every time she has a fever to see what kind of bacteria this is, so we can give Kate the best treatment possible. We'll do everything to get her through this." I nodded
"Thank you," I said. Dr. Latet left the room while a nurse came in and told Maarten they are preparing the OR.
"Harry, given the situation, I think maybe it's better if you waited in the room Kate will go to after the surgery." I have to admit I'm a little disappointed, of course I want to be with my girl when she has the fight of her life, but I'm a doctor too and I understand. If something was to go wrong, they need to be able to work without me in the room being an emotional wreck.
"I know. I understand."
"Okay, I'm going to go prep. I will see you after." Maarten pats me on the back while he walks to the door.
"And Harry?" he turns around. "She'll live, there is no other option." I smiled and hoped he was right.

Once Kate and I were alone again, I took the chair and sat down next to her. I took her hand and pressed my lips on it.
"Oh beautiful, I'm so scared. Before I met you, I always thought I was happy. I had a good job, a home, a family and a social life. I told myself I didn't miss or need a partner, but then I saw you in the waiting room and I immediately knew that you're a special person. I thought I would never see you again, but you turned out to be there for me. When you walked into my office I thought the world stopped and the only thing I wanted to do was to hold you and protect you. The more I learned about you, the more I wanted to know and the more I fell for you. It took me a long time, but after I realised I loved you, I couldn't be just your friend. I knew then that I would do anything for you. I love you so much, Kate. You're my one and I don't want to live without you, so please fight. Fight with everything you've got because we need more time together. Please, baby, stay alive." Tears are streaming over my face when a nurse comes in. She walks next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.
"They're here to get her." I nod and give Kate a last kiss on her cheek.
"I love you, beautiful. You are the one for me, please come back," I whisper
They take Kate to the operating room while the nurse stays in the room with me.
"They will take good care of her, sir. Come, I will take you to the room she will go to after the surgery. Professor Moens arranged a private room, he went all out for her." I smiled and took our coats and other belongings.
"He's a great doctor." I answered the nurse who nodded in agreement before we left to go to Kate's new room.

Once I'm in Kate's room, I call my mom first and she's devastated. After that, I try to call Kate's parents who don't pick up the phone, I leave a message asking them to call me back because I can't tell them what's going on in a message. I just hope they can put their hard feelings aside and call me back.
I put away Kate's stuff and start making a list of all the things she needs. I assume that Kate will be here for some time, so maybe I'll have to go buy extra underwear and pj's.
I get startled when my phone rings, maybe it is Kate parents? But I frown when I see Katia, my secretary's name on the screen.
"Hello," I answer
"Hi Harry, Katia here. How are you? How is Kate? " she immediately asks. I sigh and start explaining everything that's happened over the last 24 hours.
"Wow Harry, I'm so sorry this is happening. I'll pray for Kate and for you." Katia is a good person and she is so kind to ask about Kate but I have this feeling that there is more to this phone call.
"Thanks Katia. Ehm... did you just call to ask how Kate is or is there a problem?"
"I don't know, there could be." I close my eyes and push my hand through my hair, I don't know if I can take more shit.
"I don't know how they know, I swear I didn't tell anybody but people are gossiping. Apparently, someone is spreading rumours around that you are having a relationship with a patient of yours and they say you have used your influence to get her in with this great doctor abroad. When people ask me, I always say that it isn't true but I think you should come back before someone on the board hears about it."
"I can't leave Kate now, maybe when she's a little more stable." There is no way I'm going to leave Kate here while she is fighting for her life.
"Of course, I get that but I just wanted to warn you, Harry. I don't want you to get fired." I hear a knock at the door but nobody comes in.
"Sorry Katia, I have to go. Bye."
"Of course Harry, keep me posted about Kate. Bye." She hurries before I end the call.

Nervously, I walk to the door, take a deep breath and open it. Maarten is in the hallway talking to a blond nurse. He's still wearing his green scrubs so I guess he just finished the surgery. I study his face but, I can't read him. He ends the conversation with the nurse.
"Tell me, how is she? Is she okay?" I try to push him to talk.

"Harry," Maarten sighs and rubs his hand through his hair. "Kate is...."

A.N.: Hi sweeties,
What do you think, will Kate make it?
I hope you liked this chapter, please comment and vote.
I wish you all Happy Holidays!!
All the love,
K. x