Hearts Out |H.S|

Chapter 19

A/N: I'm alive and well!! I'm sorry for taking this long, I got a job (finally) which is amazing but it's taking most of my time and energy (12 hours shifts really do something). Sorry in advance if you catch any typo and grammar mistake, I'm just excited to finally deliver you a chapter <3 ALSO thank you SO MUCH for 13k reads???? WHAT?! you guys are amazing, I love you all

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HARRY'S POV

"Scalpel."

The cold air in the room did not counteract the hot anger I felt inside my veins as the blade was placed softly on my gloved hand.

Such a small tool, owner of every human's destiny.

Owner of Andrew Montgomery's destiny.

Taking a deep breath, I placed the scalpel on top of his sternum and swiftly cut the skin downward with a tad of unnecessary force. My thoughts were louder than the sounds of the monitor reading his vitals, and I had to shake my head to whisk them away from my brain.

I looked up from the bloody chest to the people around me, people I trusted, people I'd performed surgery with since I first came to DeBakey's, and they all were glancing at me with known concern in their eyes. I could tell beneath their mask they were frowning their lips with worry.

It wasn't their first rodeo, so they were attentive to anything that might happen.

Once I cut the breastbone, I reached out my palm. "Forceps."

The anticipation sent a shiver down my spine as I spread the ribcage apart with the forceps, the cracking sound of the bones filling my ears. When there was enough room to look at the heart, I closed my eyes briefly and took a deep breath, counting to ten backward in my head.

I will fix this man. I will fix his heart. I will give him another chance at life.

Opening my eyes, I glanced down at the fist-sized organ, barely pumping from the damage it already had. A few moments later, and after putting all the catheters through the heart, I commanded to start the heart-lung bypass, which would pump blood into the patient while I worked on the heart.

With the bypass already on, the heart stopped beating.

I will fix this man. I will fix his heart. I will give him another chance at life.

I grabbed the scalpel.

And before I could place it at the top of the heart, right where the muscle connected with the aorta, the unwanted voice came to me like a whisper.

"Worthless piece of shit."

Flashbacks from my father punching me square in the face hit me, so palpable I felt my whole body tumble from the strength of his fist. I squeezed my eyes shut, his bloodshot eyes owning my mind. I could still smell his breath, I could still hear my mother crying, and I could still feel the coppery flavor at the tip of my tongue.

I will fix this man. I will fix his heart. I will give him another chance at life.

Locking away my thoughts, I managed to cut the muscle. Blood poured over, sticking into my gloves.

"When I'm done with you, the boy will wish he had never been born."

"Vitals are stable," the anesthesiologist snapped me out of it, shooting me a wary look. "Is everything alright, doc?"

"Yes," I croaked, licking my dry lips beneath my mask. "Opening the aorta to evaluate the stenosis."

Silence engulfed us as I kept working the scalpel, the heart seeming so vulnerable between my nimble fingers. As I started to prepare for the valve replacement, my eyes drifted towards Andrew's face for a brief second, and beneath his face numb from anesthesia, all I could see was his smug smile.