His Every Choice (2 page)

“But why do you need to find a new place to live?”

Scarlett just looked at her. Did Kallie truly not realize the implications of Hunter
kicking Scarlett out of his house and then making Kallie the executor of his estate?

“I can’t keep depending on…on other people to foot my bills,” she said, finally.

“You said so yourself, remember?”

Kallie’s lips tightened. “I didn’t mean those things I said. I was angry.”

“I know, but it doesn’t mean you were wrong about any of it.” Scarlett realized that
this wasn’t the time or place for this conversation. She just wanted to get out of
this room, go away, away from everything. “I think I need to go have a smoke,” she
said, getting up.

“Oh—okay.” Kallie sat there as Scarlett gathered her things and quickly walked out
of the room.

Scarlett was angry with herself as she left. Kallie needed her support and she’d
just taken off in a huff. Why? Because some idiot from Craigslist had hung up on
her?

Because rent was expensive in New York?

She jammed her finger against the elevator button, tapping her foot, wanting to have
a cigarette worse than she’d ever wanted to in her life.

Just as the elevator arrived, she heard Kallie’s voice from behind her.

“Scarlett, wait.”

Scarlett turned around, aware suddenly that she’d been hoping for just this.

Hoping that Kallie would be concerned enough to come after her.

Kallie came slowly towards her. “I want to tell you something,” Kallie said.

“And please don’t take this the wrong way. I know that you and Hunter were close,
and that I don’t understand everything the two of you went through, or what exactly
your arrangement was with him.”

“Arrangement?” Scarlett raised her eyebrows.

“He obviously agreed to pay your rent and keep you safe from Terrence.”

“Terrence is dead.”

“But his son isn’t.” Kallie looked at her. “I intend to honor Hunter’s wishes, regardless
of what happens to him. You don’t need to find a new place to live. At least, not
right now—not until you’re ready.”

“I’m going to be fine, it’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to me. I want you to know that you shouldn’t worry about finding
a new apartment right now. Stay where you are, we’ll take care of things.”

Scarlett felt so grateful that she could barely even speak. “Thanks,” she muttered
finally, struggling not to cry. “I appreciate that.”

“Come back when you’re done having your smoke?”

“Yeah.” Scarlett nodded. The elevator arrived and she got in. As the doors closed,
they made eye contact once more, and Scarlett realized that she might truly have made
a friend.

***

When Dr. Walsh finally came out to speak to Kallie, it had been hours since Hunter
had been taken away to surgery. But it felt to Kallie as if days or even weeks had
passed.

I must have aged a decade in the last week
.

And now, as the diminutive physician walked through the doors to the waiting room
to speak to her, Kallie felt like she instantly aged another ten years. The stress
of the moment was incredible. She could hardly breathe.

Dr. Walsh’s face was so stony and cold, that Kallie instantly knew that the news was
not good.

“I’m sorry, but Hunter passed away during the operation.”

That’s what Kallie heard the doctor say—she heard it as clearly as if it had been
screamed through a megaphone into her ear.

Except that Dr. Walsh never said those words
.

Kallie anticipated it, played it out as vividly as if it had occurred, but that moment
never truly came.

Instead, the doctor’s lips curved into a surprisingly gentle smile, and her eyes crinkled
warmly. “Kallie, the operation was a success.”

Kallie turned to Scarlett, who was standing a few feet back, and held out her arms.

“It was a success!” she cried, and Scarlett ran over and they hugged for a moment.

“Now, of course I have to give you the standard line that Hunter isn’t completely
out of the woods yet. He’s been through an awful lot, as you well know.”

Kallie and Scarlett turned to listen again, their smiles fading as they took in the
new information. “But he’s going to live—he’s going to recover, right?” Kallie asked.

Dr. Walsh nodded hesitantly. “I’d be very surprised if he didn’t make a full recovery,
based on what we found that was causing his complications.”

“What did you find?”

Dr. Walsh sighed. “This is very difficult to discuss, because there are some legalities
involved.” She shook her head, and for the first time since they’d met, Kallie saw
uncertainty in the normally confident doctor’s eyes. “But I have to tell you that
upon re-opening the site of the first surgery, we encountered foreign matter in the
wound.”

“Foreign matter?” Kallie couldn’t even begin to imagine what that meant.

“Well, apparently there was some gauze left inside the wound, and it festered and
caused an infection.”

“Left inside by who?”

“I would assume it was left there by Dr. Forrest, accidentally, during the first emergency
surgery Hunter underwent.”

Kallie could hardly speak, but she felt her face flush with rage. “That’s malpractice,”
she said, her jaw tensing. “And with all his bluster and threats, he nearly killed
Hunter because of his incompetence. I should sue him for everything he’s worth.”

“I understand you’re very angry,” the doctor said, holding her hands out and keeping
her voice low.

“Damn right she is,” Scarlett said. “She has every right to be.”

The doctor looked at them both. “Please just allow me to put this in context. Dr.

Forrest has been an excellent surgeon for decades, and he’s saved hundreds if not
thousands of lives with his work in the field. I say this as someone who is perhaps
the biggest oppositional force he’s encountered in recent years. There is no love
lost between Dr. Forrest and I, but at the same time, I have to acknowledge his body
of work.”

“Be that as it may,” Kallie said, “he’s put someone’s life in danger due to his incompetence,
and he needs to be stopped.”

“I agree.” Dr. Walsh looked at her evenly. “I’ve made the Chief Medical Officer
aware of the situation and an emergency meeting is being convened to discuss the matter.

I can almost guarantee that Dr. Forrest will be asked to stop practicing medicine.
He will surely be put on indefinite leave starting immediately, while they conduct
their investigation.”

Kallie folded her arms. “Well, that’s a start.”

“But I guess what I’m asking you to consider,” Dr. Walsh said, “is that this man devoted
his entire life to serving others. And his biggest mistake has been that he wanted
to keep doing his job past the time that he was still capable of working at the highest
level.”

Kallie could feel some of the anger leaving her as she took in the doctor’s words.

“I’ll consider what you’ve told me. Of course I will—especially because I know you
went out on a limb for me, doing such a risky surgery on Hunter with so many unknown
factors.”

Dr. Walsh reached out and put a hand on Kallie’s shoulder. “Just take a day or two
before you call in an army of lawyers on this. Okay?”

“Okay.” Kallie exhaled. “So. What about Hunter? Where is he now?”

“He’s in the recovery room, but he’ll be back in his room in the ICU probably within
the next hour or so. And then you’re welcome to visit with him.”

“Is he conscious?”

“Getting there. He’s still woozy from the anesthesia, but I imagine he’ll be doing
better by the time you see him.”

She then asked the question that made her the most nervous. “Is he on a ventilator?”

“No, I don’t believe he’ll need to be ventilated again. Once we removed the gauze
that was causing all of that inflammation and infection, his condition improved immediately.
Along with the antibiotic course we have him on, I believe that he should continue
to improve hour by hour.”

Kallie burst into tears again, hugging Scarlett, and crying—this time they were tears
of joy and relief.

Dr. Walsh told them that a nurse would be out in a short while to let them know when
Hunter was back in his room, and then she took her leave of them, after receiving
a long, forceful hug from Kallie.

Immediately, Kallie and Scarlett went outside and Kallie began making phone calls
and texting people, letting everyone know that Hunter was going to be okay. The two
of them were still crying, smiling, laughing.

Kallie felt like she was on the biggest high of her life. Everything outside looked
so crisp and new and vibrant. The very air itself seemed so fresh and clean, and
she breathed it in deeply.

Everyone she told was ecstatic, from her parents and Sean, the detective, and all
the way to Nicole and Red and even Danielle.

Scarlett was smoking and watching Kallie as she made phone call after phone call and
delivered the good news. Finally, the last call had been made, the last text sent,
and Kallie looked at her. She could sense that something was wrong in the way Scarlett
was watching her.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Scarlett told her. “It’s just…you have so many wonderful people in your
life. I’m just happy for you is all.” She smiled, but Kallie thought the smile was
sad somehow.

“Come on, let’s go back inside. I don’t want to miss it when they tell us we can
go see him.”

She was right that they didn’t have to wait very long. About fifteen minutes after
they’d come back to the waiting room, a nurse came out and informed them that Hunter
was in the ICU and could receive visitors.

Kallie’s heart was beating a mile a minute as they traversed the halls to reach his
private room. She was positively giddy with delight and relief. For a little while
there, she’d honestly believed she was never going to see him again, and yet, in just
a few moments, they would be reunited.

“Maybe I should wait outside,” Scarlett said, as they approached the room.

“Why?”

“It just doesn’t feel right—me going in with you. I don’t want to intrude on your
moment, Kallie.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“This is your time,” Scarlett said. “I’m going to take a walk.”

“Scarlett—“

But it was too late. Scarlett had turned around and started walking away, and Kallie
was left wondering if she was really okay. But then she put Scarlett out of her mind,
because it wasn’t anything compared to Hunter. Hunter was just a few feet away from
her, and Kallie’s entire body trembled as she pictured him lying in bed, waiting for
her to come and see him.

The last steps to the door were slow motion, and time itself seemed to come to a halt.
It was like a dream. As she opened the door, she saw he’d been waiting for her.

He was lying there in bed and his eyes met hers and he broke into a wide smile.

“Now there’s something you don’t see everyday. A real live angel in your hospital
room.”

Kallie ran over to him, wanting to throw herself on him, but knowing that he was still
far too physically fragile for that kind of thing. Instead, she smothered his face
with kisses, and Hunter laughed as she did so.

“Easy, easy—you’re going to get us thrown out,” he joked.

“I can’t stop,” she told him, taking his face in her hands, caressing his cheeks.

She looked into his dark eyes. “I almost lost you.”

“Don’t be silly,” he replied, but his eyes told her that he was well aware how close
it had been.

“You look so much better. Your face has color again—normal color.”

“That’s good to know. I mean, it’s not easy being green and all.”

Kallie laughed and stroked his face again. She couldn’t believe how incredibly handsome
he was, but more than that—she couldn’t believe how beautiful his spirit was, his
soul. “Do you know how much I love you?” she asked him.

His expression grew more serious. “Of course I know. Your love is what’s kept me
alive.”

“Promise me you’ll never put yourself in any danger from now on. I can’t ever go
through something like this again.”

“I’m going to be like a choir boy. Unless I need to protect you.” He smiled and
now his hand was touching her cheek. “I’d do it all over again,” he said. “I don’t
regret a second of any of it.”

“That’s because you’re crazy.”

He nodded. “I suppose that’s true.”

“How much of the last couple of days do you even remember?”

“Not that much,” he confessed. He was starting to rip some of the tape off the IV

on his arm.

“Hey, don’t do that.”

“It’s itchy,” he said, toying with the tape that he’d ripped off his arm.

“That’s what’s bothering you after everything you’ve been through?” she asked, sitting
down as close to his bed as she could.

“You’d be surprised. When I first woke up after being shot, what I couldn’t stand
was how thirsty I was. I wanted a soda more than anything in the world, even though
my chest felt like someone had used it for target practice at a shooting range.”

“How does your chest feel now?”

“Pretty much the same.” He continued to play with his medical tape, as if he was
a master sculptor working with new clay.

“The difference is, you’re truly on the mend now. The worst is over.”

“How can you know that? Did you get your license to practice medicine while I was
laid up in here?”

“Maybe I did.”

He looked at her seriously. “I wouldn’t doubt you, Kallie. You could do anything
you put your mind to.”

“You woke up on the right side of the bed.”

“I’m not going to let myself wake up on the wrong side anymore. I’ve wasted too much
time feeling sorry for myself, blaming myself, playing the victim. That’s in the
past.”

“What brought this change on?”

“I think I might have been dead—or so close to it that there’s basically no difference—and
I swear something happened to me, something I doubt I’ll ever be able to explain.”