Chapter 2
Leonard's ringing phone pulled me from my thoughts. I calmly tucked the divorce agreement into my purse.
"Mom's surgery is tomorrow," I said. "I'm going to the hospital to be with her for the prep."
He answered the call, but his eyes were still on me. "I'll be there. On time."
I forced a smile and nodded.
The next day, just after my mother was wheeled into the operating room, Leonard's phone rang again.
I could hear Sylvia's frantic sobs through the receiver.
"Lenny!" she cried. "The owner of the restaurant downstairs had a brain aneurysm! The doctors say only Dr. Maxwell can perform the surgery without leaving him paralyzed!"
Her voice hitched. "You know how much I love his pasta! If he's paralyzed, I'll never have it again!
"They say Dr. Maxwell will only listen to you. Could you please..."
"Of course," Leonard soothed her, his voice dripping with affection. "Have them bring him to OR 2 right away."
Sylvia's shriek of joy nearly drowned out my own voice.
"Leonard, what are you doing?" I demanded. "If you pull Dr. Maxwell now, what happens to my mother?"
He reached out and smoothed the crease between my brows. "Your mother's procedure is minor, a simple revision. Any competent surgeon can handle it."
His gaze hardened slightly. "Gracie, you haven't thrown a fit like this in a long time.
"I don't like it."
I swallowed my pride, my voice dropping to a desperate plea. "Please, just let Dr. Maxwell finish with my mom first. Then he can help anyone else.
"It's my mother, Leonard. I can't take that risk."
He knew I had waited years for this day. This surgery was her only chance to wake up.
He just chuckled and tapped my nose, "And I can't risk losing this bet with Ethan."
His voice was light. "Those hands make Sylvia's favorite pasta. They're very important."
He squeezed my shoulder. "Your mother will be fine. You have to trust Carter Healthcare Group."
Before I could argue, Sylvia herself burst onto the floor, pushing a gurney.
She threw herself into Leonard's arms and immediately pulled out her phone.
"Ten points for being my hero today!" she chirped.
I planted myself in front of the operating room door. "Dr. Maxwell is already in surgery. You'll have to find another doctor."
Sylvia froze, her eyes welling with tears as she furiously typed on her phone.
"Letting someone die, lying to my face, and, worst of all, preventing me from eating my favorite pasta," she wailed. "Minus fifty points."
Leonard gently took the phone from her hand.
He whispered with pure indulgence, "Now, now, princess. When have I ever lied to you?"
He flicked his gaze past me, and in an instant, two large bodyguards had me pinned by the arms, moving me aside.
The OR door swung open, and a wave of sterile cold washed over me, a bone-deep chill that felt exactly like the night, five years ago, when they told me Sean was my mother's only hope.
A suffocating panic closed in. I threw my dignity to the wind and dropped to my knees, pressing my forehead to the cold floor.
"Lenny, please," I begged, my voice cracking. "Don't take him away.
"You know she's all I have. She's all I have left..."
For a flicker of a second, I saw a pang of pity in his eyes.
"Gracie," he said softly. "You have me."
Just then, Sylvia gagged and threw up beside him.
She whimpered, wiping her mouth. "I see. It's for your mom. I guess our baby doesn't really compare."
Leonard went still. "Baby? What baby?"
Sylvia blushed, placing a hand on her belly. "Lenny, I'm pregnant."
She looked up at him, pouting. "I think the baby is just a picky eater. It really wants that pasta."
She sighed dramatically, "But I guess our baby is nothing compared to Grace's mother."
"It's fine," she added. "We don't have to switch doctors.
"I'll only deduct 0.1 points. A tiny penalty for not being a good daddy just this once."
Leonard's eyes widened in stunned disbelief, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
"A dad? I'm going to be a dad?" he exclaimed.
He pulled her into a fierce hug. "Sylvie, you're amazing."
His voice boomed with pride. "My child will want for nothing! If they want the moon, I'll give it to them. And a simple plate of pasta?"
He barked an order at the medical staff, "Switch the surgical teams! And I want you to save that man's hands. Do you understand? Whatever it takes!"
The doors to the operating room slid shut, silencing my pleas.
The hours ticked by. Evening fell. The light above my mother's OR went dark.
The restaurant owner's surgery was a complete success, with no complications.
Sylvia was so overjoyed that she kissed Leonard for three solid minutes.
"You're the best!" she exclaimed. "The baby is going to love you so much."
My mother's surgeon approached me with regret. "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could. Please, accept our deepest condolences."
The world went silent. I felt nothing but an echoing emptiness.
The next moment, I collapsed to the floor, my whole world crashing down.